Ep. 10.49.1Ante adventum meum, domine, Nīcomēdēnsēs priōrī forō novum adicere coepērunt, cuius in angulō est aedēs vetustissima Mātris Magnae aut reficienda aut trānsferenda, ob hoc praecipuē quod est multō dēpressior opere eō quod cum maximē surgit.Before my arrival, my lord, the people of Nicomedia began to add a new forum to the old one, in a corner of which stands a very ancient temple of the Great Mother which must be either rebuilt or moved, chiefly because it is much lower than the building which is rising at this very moment. Ep. 10.49.2Ego cum quaererem, num esset aliqua lēx dicta templō, cognōvī alium hīc, alium apud nōs esse mōrem dēdicātiōnis.When I asked whether any charter had been laid down for the temple, I learned that the custom of dedication is different here from ours. Ep. 10.49.2Dispice ergō, domine, an putēs aedem, cui nūlla lēx dicta est, salvā religiōne posse trānsferrī;Consider, therefore, my lord, whether you think a temple for which no charter has been laid down can be moved without offence to religion; Ep. 10.49.2aliōquī commodissimum est, sī religiō nōn impedit.in other respects it is most convenient, if religion does not prevent it.
Lectitō › Pliny the Younger › Letters, Book 10 › Pliny, Letter 10.49
Pliny · Epistulae X
Pliny, Letter 10.49
Moving a temple at Nicomedia
Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.
Read in LectitōGrammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×2, indirect statement ×2
Latin vocabulary for this passage (58 words)
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
| dominus, -ī m. | master, owner |
| prior, prius | earlier, former; in front (priōrēs: those in front) |
| forum, -ī n. | market place, public square |
| novus, -a, -um | new; novissimus, last |
| adiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw to, throw, hurl |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| angulus, -ī m. | corner, angle |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| aedēs, -is f. | temple (sg.); house (pl.) |
| vetustus, -a, -um | old, ancient, long-established |
| māter, mātris, f. | mother |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| reficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make anew, renew, repair |
| trānsferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | carry across, transfer |
| ob, prep. with acc. | on account of, for; in compounds, to, against |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| praecipuē, adv. | especially |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| multō, adv. | by much or far, much, far |
| dēpressus, -a, -um | low-lying, sunken |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| surgō, -ere, surrēxī, surrēctus | rise, get up, stand up |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| num, adv., introducing a question to which a negative answer is expected | untranslatable |
| aliquī, -qua, -quod, indef. pron. adj. | some, any |
| lēx, lēgis f. | law |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| templum, -ī, n. | sanctuary, temple |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| hīc, adv. | here; hereupon |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| nōs | plur. of ego |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| dēdicātiō, -ōnis f. | dedication, consecration |
| dispiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectus | see clearly, discern |
| ergō (adv.) | therefore, then; quid ergō? what then? |
| an, conj. | or (in questions) |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| salvus, -a, -um | safe, unharmed |
| religiō, -ōnis f. | religious scruple, religious duty |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| aliōquī (adv.) | otherwise; in other respects |
| commodus, -a, -um | convenient, suitable |
| sī, conj. | if |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
Pliny, Epistulae X. Latin text: the Perseus digital text of Pliny's Letters, public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.