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Pliny · Epistulae VI

Pliny, Letter 6.12

Bittius Priscus and a friend's rebuke

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Ep. 6.12.1Tū vērō nōn dēbēs suspēnsā manū commendāre mihi quōs tuendōs putās.You really ought not to commend to me with a hesitant hand those whom you think deserve protection. Ep. 6.12.1Nam et tē decet multīs prōdesse et mē suscipere quidquid ad cūram tuam pertinet.For it becomes you to help many, and me to take up whatever concerns your interest. Ep. 6.12.2Itaque Bittiō Prīscō quantum plūrimum potuerō praestābō, praesertim in harēnā meā, hoc est apud centumvirōs.So I shall do as much as ever I can for Bittius Priscus, especially in my own arena, that is, before the Centumviral Court. Ep. 6.12.3Epistulārum, quās mihi ut ais "apertō pectore" scrīpsistī, oblīvīscī mē iubēs;You bid me forget the letters which, as you say, you wrote to me 'with an open heart'; Ep. 6.12.3at ego nūllārum libentius meminī.but there are none that I remember more gladly. Ep. 6.12.3Ex illīs enim vel praecipuē sentiō, quantō opere mē dīligās, cum sīc exēgeris mēcum, ut solēbās cum tuō fīliō.For from them above all I feel how greatly you love me, since you have dealt with me as you used to deal with your own son.

Ep. 6.12.4Nec dissimulō hoc mihi iūcundiōrēs eās fuisse, quod habēbam bonam causam, cum summō studiō cūrāssem quod tū cūrārī volēbās.Nor do I hide that they were the more pleasant to me for this, that I had a good case, since I had taken the greatest pains over what you wished to be taken care of. Ep. 6.12.5Proinde etiam atque etiam rogō, ut mihi semper eādem simplicitāte, quotiēns cessāre vidēbor - "vidēbor" dīcō, numquam enim cessābō -, convīcium faciās, quod et ego intellegam ā summō amōre proficīscī, et tū nōn meruisse mē gaudeās.Therefore I ask again and again that you always rebuke me with the same frankness whenever I seem to be slack — 'seem', I say, for I shall never be slack — a rebuke which I shall understand comes from the greatest love, and which you will rejoice that I did not deserve. Ep. 6.12.5Valē.Farewell.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×1, ablative absolute ×1, indirect statement ×4

Latin vocabulary for this passage (95 words)
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
vērō, adv.in truth, indeed; however
nōn, adv.not
dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itusowe; with infin., ought
suspendō, -pendere, -pendī, -pēnsushang up, hang
manus, -ūs, f.hand
commendō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusentrust, commit; recommend
ego, meī, pers. pron.I
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
tueor, -ērī, tuitus sumwatch over, protect, defend
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusthink
nam, conj.for
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
decet, decēre, decuit (impers.)it is fitting, it is proper
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
prōsum, prōdesse, prōfuībe of advantage, profit, avail, assist
suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptusundertake
quisquis, quidquid (quicquid)whoever, whatever
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
cūra, -ae f.care, concern (cūrae esse: to be a concern)
tuus, -a, -umthy, thine, your
pertineō, -ēre, -uīextend, reach; tend toward, concern
itaque, adv.and so, accordingly, therefore
quantum, adv.how much? how?
plūrimum (adv.)most, very much (plūrimum posse: be most powerful)
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitusstand in front; show
praesertim (adv.)especially
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
harēna, -ae, f.sand; shore
meus, -a, -ummy, mine
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
apud, prep, with acc.among, with
centumvir, -ī m.member of the Centumviri, the civil court for inheritance cases
epistula, -ae f.letter
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
āiō (defective)say, affirm; ut aiunt: as they say
apertus, -a, -umopen
pectus, pectoris, n.breast
scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptuswrite
oblīvīscor, -līvīscī, -lītusforget
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussusbid, order, command
at, conj.but
nūllus, -a, -umnot any, none, no
libenter, adv.willingly, gladly
meminī, meminisseremember
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
enim, conj.for
velor; vel … vel: either … or
praecipuē, adv.especially
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsusperceive, feel
quantus, -a, -umhow great or much?
opus, operis, n.work, task
dīligō, -ere, -lēxī, -lēctuslove, value highly
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
sīc, adv.so, thus
exigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctumdrive out; finish, spend (a season)
soleō, -ēre, solitus sumbe accustomed, usually do
cum, prep, with abl.with
fīlius, -ī, m.son
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
dissimulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātushide, disguise, pretend not to notice
iūcundus, -a, -umsweet, pleasant
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
quod, conj.that, in that, because
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
bonus, -a, -umgood
causa, -ae, f.cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
summus, -a, -umuppermost, highest, greatest
studium, -ī, n.eagerness, zeal; study, pursuit
cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumtake care of; (+ gerundive) have something done
volō, velle, voluīwish
proinde (adv.)therefore, accordingly; so then
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
rogō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusask
semper, adv.always
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
simplicitās, -ātis f.simplicity, sincerity, guilelessness; naivety
quotiēns (adv.)how many times; as often as
cessō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumstop, cease, rest; be idle
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
numquam, adv.never
convīcium, -ī n.loud noise, wrangling; abuse
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctusperceive, understand
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
amor, -ōris, m.love
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sumset out, depart, march
mereō, -ēre, meruī, meritusdeserve, earn
gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsusbe glad, rejoice
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrusbe strong or effectual, have effect, prevail
Pliny, Epistulae VI. 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.