Pliny, Letter 6.21

A new comedy by Vergilius Romanus

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Ep. 6.21.1Sum ex iīs quī mīrer antīquōs, nōn tamen - ut quīdam - temporum nostrōrum ingenia dēspiciō.I am one of those who admire the ancients, yet I do not, as some do, despise the talents of our own times. Ep. 6.21.1Neque enim quasi lassa et effēta nātūra nihil iam laudābile parit.For nature is not so weary and exhausted, as it were, that it now brings forth nothing praiseworthy. Ep. 6.21.2Atque adeō nūper audīvī Vergilium Rōmānum paucīs legentem cōmoediam ad exemplar veteris cōmoediae scrīptam, tam bene ut esse quandōque possit exemplar.Indeed, I lately heard Vergilius Romanus reading to a few people a comedy written on the model of Old Comedy, so well that it may one day be a model itself. Ep. 6.21.3Nesciō an nōris hominem, quamquam nōsse dēbēs;I do not know whether you know the man, although you ought to; Ep. 6.21.3est enim probitāte mōrum, ingeniī ēlegantiā, operum varietāte mōnstrābilis.for he is notable for the uprightness of his character, the elegance of his talent, the variety of his works. Ep. 6.21.4Scrīpsit mīmiambōs tenuiter argūtē venustē, atque in hōc genere ēloquentissimē;He has written mimiambi with delicacy, wit and charm, and, in that genre, most eloquently; Ep. 6.21.4nūllum est enim genus quod absolūtum nōn possit ēloquentissimum dīcī.for there is no genre which, when perfected, cannot be called most eloquent.

Ep. 6.21.4Scrīpsit cōmoediās Menandrum aliōsque aetātis eiusdem aemulātus;He has written comedies, emulating Menander and others of the same age; Ep. 6.21.4licet hās inter Plautīnās Terentiānāsque numerēs.you may count these among those of Plautus and Terence. Ep. 6.21.5Nunc prīmum sē in vetere cōmoedia, sed nōn tamquam inciperet ostendit.Now for the first time he has shown himself in Old Comedy, but not as if he were a beginner. Ep. 6.21.5Nōn illī vīs, nōn granditās, nōn subtīlitās, nōn amāritūdō, nōn dulcēdō, nōn lepōs dēfuit: ōrnāvit virtūtēs, īnsectātus est vitia;He lacked neither force, nor grandeur, nor subtlety, nor bitterness, nor sweetness, nor wit: he adorned virtues, he attacked vices; Ep. 6.21.5fictīs nōminibus decenter, vērīs ūsus est aptē.he used invented names with propriety, real ones aptly. Ep. 6.21.6Circā mē tantum benignitāte nimiā modum excessit, nisi quod tamen poētīs mentīrī licet.Only about me did he go beyond measure through excessive kindness, except that poets, after all, are allowed to lie. Ep. 6.21.7In summā extorquēbō eī librum legendumque, immō ēdiscendum mittam tibi;In short, I shall wring the book from him and send it to you to read, or rather to learn by heart; Ep. 6.21.7neque enim dubitō futūrum, ut nōn dēpōnās sī semel sūmpserīs.for I do not doubt that, once you have taken it up, you will not put it down.

Ep. 6.21.7Valē.Farewell.

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×1, gerunds and gerundives ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (123 words)

sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
mīror, -ārī, -ātus	wonder, wonder at
antīquus, -a, -um	ancient
nōn, adv.	not
tamen, adv.	however, yet, nevertheless
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.	a certain, certain
tempus, temporis, n.	time, season
noster, -tra, -trum	our
ingenium, -ī n.	natural ability, talent, cleverness; character
dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum	look down on, despise
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
enim, conj.	for
quasi, conj.	as if
lassus, -a, -um	weary, tired
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
effētus, -a, -um	worn out, exhausted (as by bearing young)
nātūra, -ae, f.	nature, character
nihil, n., indecl.	nothing
iam, adv.	now, already
laudābilis, -e	praiseworthy, commendable
pariō, -ere, peperī, partus	bring forth; win, gain
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
adeō (adv.)	so far, to such a degree; so
nūper, adv.	newly, lately, recently
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	hear; listen or attend to
paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.	few
legō, legere, lēgī, lēctus	choose, pick out; read
cōmoedia, -ae f.	comedy
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
exemplar, -āris n.	model, pattern, example; copy, likeness
vetus, veteris	old, former
scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus	write
tam, adv.	so
bene, adv.	well; successfully
quandōque (conj.)	whenever
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
nesciō, -scīre, -scīvī	not know, be ignorant; nesciō quis, I know not who, some one or other (nesciō is thus used with other interrogative words also)
an, conj.	or (in questions)
nōscō, -ere, nōvī, nōtum	get to know (perf. nōvī: know)
homō, hominis, m.	man
quamquam, conj.	however much, although
dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	owe; with infin., ought
probitās, -ātis f.	honesty, uprightness
mōs, mōris, m.	way, manner, habit, custom
ēlegantia, -ae f.	elegance, refinement, good taste (in style)
opus, operis, n.	work, task
varietās, -ātis f.	variety; mottled color
mōnstrābilis, -e	remarkable, notable
mīmiambus, -ī m.	mime in iambics, a short dramatic sketch in verse
tenuiter (adv.)	thinly
argūtē (adv.)	shrewdly, cleverly, wittily
venustē (adv.)	charmingly, gracefully
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
genus, generis, n.	kind, nature
ēloquenter (adv.)	eloquently
nūllus, -a, -um	not any, none, no
absolvō, -ere, -solvī, -solūtus	release, set free; acquit (of: gen.)
ēloquēns, -entis	eloquent, articulate
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
alius, -a, -ud	another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
que, enclitic conj.	and
aetās, -tātis, f.	age
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
aemulor, -ārī, -ātus sum	try to equal, rival, imitate
licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers.	is lawful or permitted
inter, prep, with acc.	among, between
Plautīnus, -a, -um	of Plautus, Plautine
Terentiānus, -a, -um	of Terence, in Terence's plays
numerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	count, number; reckon, count as
nunc, adv.	now
prīmum, adv.	first, in the first place
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
sed, conj.	but
tamquam (adv., conj.)	as, just as; as if
incipiō, -ere, incēpī, inceptum	begin
ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus	stretch out before, show, explain
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
vīs, vīs, f.	violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
granditās, -ātis f.	grandeur, loftiness (of style)
subtīlitās, -ātis f.	fineness, precision, subtlety; plain elegance (of style)
amāritūdō, -inis f.	bitterness; grief, anguish
dulcēdō, -inis, f.	sweetness
lepōs, -ōris m.	charm, grace, wit
dēsum, deesse, dēfuī	be lacking, fail
ōrnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	equip, adorn
virtūs, -tūtis, f.	manliness, courage, bravery
īnsector, -ārī, -ātus sum	pursue, chase; harass
vitium, -ī n.	fault, vice
fingō, fingere, finxī, fictus	invent, make up
nōmen, -minis, n.	name (that by which one is known)
decenter, adv.	fittingly, gracefully, properly
vērus, -a, -um	true; rē vērā, in truth, in fact
ūtor, ūtī, ūsus	use
aptē (adv.)	fitly, suitably
circā (adv. and prep. + acc.)	around, about
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
tantum, adv.	so much or far, only
benignitās, -tātis, f.	kindness
nimius, -a, -um	excessive, too great
modus, -ī, m.	way, manner
excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus	go out or forth, depart
nisi, conj.	if not, unless
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
poēta, -ae, m.	poet
mentior, -īrī, -ītus sum	lie, tell a lie
summa, -ae f.	total, sum; supreme command
extorqueō, -ēre, -torsī, -tortus	wrench away, extort
liber, librī m.	book; record
immō (adv.)	no rather, on the contrary; immō vērō: no, indeed, even
ēdiscō, -ere, ēdidicī	learn by heart
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	doubt, hesitate
dēpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus	put down, deposit; lay aside, give up; ē memoriā dēpōnere, to forget
sī, conj.	if
semel (adv.)	once (semel atque iterum: again and again)
sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptus	take under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus	be 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.