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Pliny · Epistulae VIII

Pliny, Letter 8.3

A book praised, a speech promised

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Ep. 8.3.1Librum quem novissimē tibi mīsī, ex omnibus meīs vel maximē placēre significās.You tell me that the book I sent you most recently pleases you perhaps most of all my works. Ep. 8.3.1Est eadem opīniō cuiusdam ērudītissimī.A certain very learned man is of the same opinion. Ep. 8.3.2Quō magis addūcor ut neutrum fallī putem, quia nōn est crēdibile utrumque fallī, et quia tamen blandior mihi.This makes me all the more inclined to believe that neither of you is mistaken, since it is not credible that both are mistaken, and since, after all, I flatter myself. Ep. 8.3.2Volō enim proxima quaeque absolūtissima vidērī, et ideō iam nunc contrā istum librum faveō ōrātiōnī, quam nūper in pūblicum dedī commūnicātūrus tēcum, ut prīmum dīligentem tabellārium invēnerō.For I like each latest work to seem the most perfect, and so even now, against that book, I favour a speech which I lately published, and which I shall share with you as soon as I find a reliable courier. Ep. 8.3.3Ērēxī exspectātiōnem tuam, quam vereor nē dēstituat ōrātiō in manūs sūmpta.I have raised your expectations, and I fear that the speech, once taken in hand, may disappoint them.

Ep. 8.3.3Interim tamen tamquam placitūram - et fortasse placēbit - exspectā.Meanwhile, however, wait for it as one that will please you — and perhaps it will. Ep. 8.3.3Valē.Farewell.

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Grammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×1, indirect statement ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (67 words)
liber, librī m.book; record
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
novissimē (adv.)lastly, finally, at last
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missussend
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
omnis, -eall, every
meus, -a, -ummy, mine
velor; vel … vel: either … or
maximē, adv.very greatly, exceedingly, especially
placeō, -ēre, placuī, placitum (+ dat.)please (placuit eī: he decided)
significō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumshow, indicate, signal
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
opīniō, -ōnis, f.opinion, expectation; reputation
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.a certain, certain
ērudītus, -a, -umlearned, educated, cultivated
quō, adv.to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long?
magis, comp. adv.more, rather
addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductuslead to, bring, take; induce, influence
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
neuter, neutra, neutrumneither
fallō, fallere, fefellī, falsusdeceive
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusthink
quia (conj.)because
nōn, adv.not
crēdibilis, -ecredible
uterque, utraque, utrumqueeach, either, both
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
tamen, adv.however, yet, nevertheless
blandior, -īrī, -ītus sumflatter, coax, fawn on; be pleasing, allure
ego, meī, pers. pron.I
volō, velle, voluīwish
enim, conj.for
proximus, -a, -umnearest, next
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
absolūtus, -a, -umfinished, complete, perfect
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
ideō (adv.)for that reason, therefore
iam, adv.now, already
nunc, adv.now
contrā, prep, with acc.against, contrary to
iste, ista, istud, dem. pron.that of yours, that
faveō, -ēre, fāvī, fautum (+ dat.)favour, support
ōrātiō, -ōnis, f.speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak
nūper, adv.newly, lately, recently
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
pūblicum, -ī n.open street, public place
dō, dare, dedī, datusgive
commūnicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusshare; in the Gospels also: make common, make (ritually) unclean
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
dīligēns, -entiscareful, attentive, conscientious
tabellārius, -ī m.letter-carrier, courier
inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventuscome upon, find
ērigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctusraise or set up, raise, lift; cheer, encourage
exspectātiō, -ōnis f.waiting, expectation
tuus, -a, -umthy, thine, your
vereor, -ērī, -itusfear
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
dēstituō, -ere, -stituī, -stitūtumleave in the lurch, abandon
manus, -ūs, f.hand
sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptustake under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment
interim (adv.)meanwhile
tamquam (adv., conj.)as, just as; as if
fortasse (adv.)perhaps
exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātuslook out for, wait for, await, expect; wait
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrusbe strong or effectual, have effect, prevail
Pliny, Epistulae VIII. 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.