Ep. 7.13.1Eadem epistula et nōn studēre tē et studēre significat.The same letter tells me both that you are not studying and that you are. Ep. 7.13.1Aenigmata loquor?Am I speaking in riddles? Ep. 7.13.1Ita plānē, dōnec distīnctius quod sentiō ēnūntiem.Plainly so, until I state more distinctly what I mean. Ep. 7.13.2Negat enim tē studēre, sed est tam polīta quam nisi ā studente nōn potest scrībī;For it says that you are not studying, but it is as polished as no one could write it except a man who was studying; Ep. 7.13.2aut es tū super omnēs beātus, sī tālia per dēsidiam et ōtium perficis.or else you are fortunate beyond all men, if you accomplish such things through idleness and leisure. Ep. 7.13.2Valē.Farewell.
Lectitō › Pliny the Younger › Letters, Book 7 › Pliny, Letter 7.13
Pliny · Epistulae VII
Pliny, Letter 7.13
A polished letter about idleness
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Read in LectitōGrammar in this passage: indirect statement ×1
Latin vocabulary for this passage (38 words)
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| epistula, -ae f. | letter |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| studeō, -ēre, -uī | be eager, give attention, apply oneself |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| significō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | show, indicate, signal |
| aenigma, -atis n. | riddle, puzzle, obscure saying |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| plānē (adv.) | clearly, plainly |
| dōnec (conj.) | until; while, as long as |
| distīnctē (adv.) | clearly, precisely |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| ēnūntiō, -nūntiāre, -nūntiāvī, -nūntiātus | speak out, announce, make known |
| negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | say no or not, deny, refuse |
| enim, conj. | for |
| sed, conj. | but |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| tam, adv. | so |
| poliō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | polish, smooth; refine |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus | write |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| super (prep. + acc. or abl.; also adv.) | over, above, on top of; upon; about, concerning |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| beātus, -a, -um | happy, blessed |
| sī, conj. | if |
| tālis, -e | such |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| dēsidia, -ae f. | idleness, sloth |
| ōtium, -ī n. | leisure, rest; peace, quiet |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus | be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail |
Pliny, Epistulae VII. 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.