Pliny, Letter 9.28

Answering three letters at once

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Ep. 9.28.1Post longum tempus epistulās tuās, sed trēs pariter recēpī, omnēs ēlegantissimās amantissimās, et quālēs ā tē venīre praesertim dēsīderātās oportēbat.After a long time I have received letters from you, but three at once, all most elegant and most affectionate, and such as ought to come from you, especially when they were longed for. Ep. 9.28.1Quārum ūnā iniungis mihi iūcundissimum ministerium, ut ad Plōtīnam sānctissimam fēminam litterae tuae perferantur: perferentur.In one of them you lay on me a most pleasant service, that your letter should be delivered to that most virtuous lady Plotina: it shall be delivered. Ep. 9.28.2Eādem commendās Popilium Artemisium: statim praestitī quod petēbat.In the same one you commend Popilius Artemisius: I at once did what he asked. Ep. 9.28.2Indicās etiam modicās tē vindēmiās collēgisse: commūnis haec mihi tēcum, quamquam in dīversissimā parte terrārum, querēla est.You also tell me that you have gathered a modest vintage: this complaint I share with you, though in a very different part of the world. Ep. 9.28.3Alterā epistulā nūntiās multa tē nunc dictāre nunc scrībere, quibus nōs tibi repraesentēs.In the second letter you tell me that you are now dictating, now writing many things through which you bring me before your eyes.

Ep. 9.28.3Grātiās agō;I thank you; Ep. 9.28.3agerem magis sī mē illa ipsa, quae scrībis aut dictās, legere voluissēs.I should thank you more if you had wanted me to read those very things that you write or dictate. Ep. 9.28.3Et erat aequum ut tē mea ita mē tua scrīpta cognōscere, etiamsī ad alium quam ad mē pertinērent.And it was only fair that, as you come to know my writings, so I should know yours, even if they concerned someone other than me. Ep. 9.28.4Pollicēris in fīne, cum certius dē vītae nostrae ōrdinātiōne aliquid audierīs, futūrum tē fugitīvum reī familiāris statimque ad nōs ēvolātūrum, quī iam tibi compedēs nectimus, quās perfringere nūllō modō possīs.You promise at the end that, when you have heard something more definite about the arrangement of my life, you will run away from your household affairs and fly straight to me — and I am already forging fetters for you which you will by no means be able to break. Ep. 9.28.5Tertia epistula continēbat esse tibi redditam ōrātiōnem prō Clariō eamque vīsam ūberiōrem, quam dīcente mē audiente tē fuerit.The third letter said that my speech for Clarius had been delivered to you and seemed to you fuller than it was when I spoke it and you heard it.

Ep. 9.28.5Est ūberior;It is fuller; Ep. 9.28.5multa enim posteā īnseruī.for I inserted much afterwards. Ep. 9.28.5Adicis aliās tē litterās cūriōsius scrīptās mīsisse;You add that you have sent another letter, written with more care; Ep. 9.28.5an accēperim quaeris.you ask whether I have received it. Ep. 9.28.5Nōn accēpī et accipere gestiō.I have not received it, and I am longing to. Ep. 9.28.5Proinde prīmā quāque occāsiōne mitte appositīs quidem ūsūrīs, quās ego - num parcius possum?So send it at the first opportunity, with interest added, of course, which I — could I be more lenient? — Ep. 9.28.5- centēsimās computābō.shall reckon at one per cent a month. Ep. 9.28.5Valē.Farewell.

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Grammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×1, indirect statement ×4, ablative absolute ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (132 words)

post, adv.	after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind
longus, -a, -um	long; tedious
tempus, temporis, n.	time, season
epistula, -ae f.	letter
tuus, -a, -um	thy, thine, your
sed, conj.	but
trēs, tria, plur. adj.	three
pariter (adv.)	equally, alike; at the same time
recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover
omnis, -e	all, every
ēlegāns, -antis	refined, tasteful, elegant
amāns, -antis	loving, fond, devoted (to: gen.)
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
quālis, -e	of what sort? what kind of?
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
praesertim (adv.)	especially
dēsīderō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	long for, miss; require
oportet, -ēre, oportuit (impersonal)	it is right, it is necessary
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
ūnus, -a, -um	one; only, alone
iniungō, -ere, -iūnxī, -iūnctus	join to; impose, inflict
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
iūcundus, -a, -um	sweet, pleasant
ministerium, -ī n.	service, office, duty
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
sānctus, -a, -um	consecrated, sacred
fēmina, -ae, f.	woman
litterae, -ārum f. pl.	letters (of the alphabet); a letter, dispatch
perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus	bear through, bear, endure; weather
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
commendō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	entrust, commit; recommend
statim, adv.	on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately
praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus	stand in front; show
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus	seek, ask; attack
indicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	point out, reveal, give information; inform against
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
modicus, -a, -um	moderate, small; modicum: a little
vindēmia, -ae f.	grape harvest, vintage; grapes
colligō, -ere, -lēgī, -lēctum	gather, collect (sē colligere: recover oneself)
commūnis, -e	common, shared, public
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
quamquam, conj.	however much, although
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
dīversus, -a, -um	turned different ways, opposite, contrary, different
pars, partis, f.	part, side, direction
terra, -ae, f.	land, earth
querēla, -ae f.	complaint, lament
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
alter, -era, -erum	one or the other (of two); another, second
nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	report, announce
multus, -a, -um	much, great; plur., many
nunc, adv.	now
dictō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	say repeatedly; dictate
scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus	write
nōs	plur. of ego
repraesentō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	do at once, do now
grātia, -ae, f.	favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite
agō, agere, ēgī, āctus	drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
magis, comp. adv.	more, rather
sī, conj.	if
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
aut, conj.	or; aut ... aut, either ... or
legō, legere, lēgī, lēctus	choose, pick out; read
volō, velle, voluī	wish
aequus, -a, -um	level; equal; fair
meus, -a, -um	my, mine
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
scrīptum, -ī n.	something written; (pl.) writings, works
cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus	find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know
etiamsī	even if, although
alius, -a, -ud	another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
pertineō, -ēre, -uī	extend, reach; tend toward, concern
polliceor, -licērī, -licitus	promise
fīnis, -is, m.	end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
certē (adv.)	certainly, surely; at any rate
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
vīta, -ae, f.	life
noster, -tra, -trum	our
ōrdinātiō, -ōnis f.	arrangement, putting in order; regulation
aliquis, -quid, indef. pron.	someone, any one, something, anything, some, any
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	hear; listen or attend to
fugitīvus, -ī m.	runaway slave, deserter
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
familiāris, -e; as noun, -is m.	of the household (rēs familiāris: private property); friend
que, enclitic conj.	and
ēvolō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	fly out, rush out
iam, adv.	now, already
compēs, -pedis f.	fetter, shackle for the feet
nectō, -ere, nexuī, nexus	tie, bind; contrive (a plot)
perfringō, -ere, -frēgī, -frāctum	break through
nūllus, -a, -um	not any, none, no
modus, -ī, m.	way, manner
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
tertius, -a, -um	third
contineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus	hold together, keep within, shut up in; bound
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give back, return, restore; render
ōrātiō, -ōnis, f.	speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak
prō, prep. with abl.	before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
Clarius, -a, -um	of Claros, site of Apollo's oracle in Ionia; epithet of Apollo
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
ūber, -eris (adj.)	fertile, rich, abundant; laden (with fruit: abl.)
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
enim, conj.	for
posteā, adv.	after this, afterwards
īnserō, -ere, -seruī, -sertum	put in, insert
adiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus	throw to, throw, hurl
cūriōsē (adv.)	carefully, diligently; inquisitively
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
an, conj.	or (in questions)
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus	seek; ask, inquire
nōn, adv.	not
gestiō, -īre, -īvī	be eager, long (to: + inf.)
proinde (adv.)	therefore, accordingly; so then
prīmus, -a, -um	first, foremost
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.	each
occāsiō, -ōnis, f.	chance, opportunity
appōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus	put to or near, set before, serve
quidem, adv.	in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
ūsūra, -ae f.	use, enjoyment; interest (on money)
num, adv., introducing a question to which a negative answer is expected	untranslatable
parcē (adv.)	sparingly, frugally
centēsimus, -a, -um	hundredth
computō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	count up, reckon, calculate
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus	be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail

Pliny, Epistulae IX. 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.