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Pliny, Letters 10.97
Trajan's reply
Pliny, Epistulae: selections. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōEp. 10.97.1Āctum quem dēbuistī, mī Secunde, in excutiendīs causīs eōrum, quī Chrīstiānī ad tē dēlātī fuerant, secūtus es.
You have followed the procedure you ought to have followed, my dear Secundus, in examining the cases of those who had been brought before you as Christians.
Note. Trajan's reply, much shorter. Āctum quem dēbuistī … secūtus es: 'you have followed the course you ought'. mī Secunde: vocative, 'my dear Secundus' (Pliny's cognomen). in excutiendīs causīs: 'in examining the cases'.
Ep. 10.97.1Neque enim in ūniversum aliquid, quod quasi certam fōrmam habeat, cōnstituī potest.
For no general rule can be laid down that would have, as it were, a fixed form.
Note. in ūniversum: 'as a general rule'. quod quasi certam fōrmam habeat: 'that would have a fixed form, as it were' (subjunctive of characteristic).
Ep. 10.97.2Conquīrendī nōn sunt;
They are not to be sought out;
Note. Conquīrendī nōn sunt: gerundive of obligation, 'they are not to be hunted out'.
Ep. 10.97.2sī dēferantur et arguantur, pūniendī sunt, ita tamen ut, quī negāverit sē Chrīstiānum esse idque rē ipsā manifestum fēcerit, id est supplicandō dīs nostrīs, quamvīs suspectus in praeteritum, veniam ex paenitentiā impetret.
if they are brought before you and found guilty, they must be punished, but with this proviso, that anyone who denies that he is a Christian and makes it plain by his actions, that is, by worshipping our gods, shall obtain pardon through his repentance, however suspect he has been in the past.
Note. puniendī sunt: 'they must be punished'. ita tamen ut … impetret: 'but on condition that … he obtains'. quī negāverit … fēcerit: future perfect sense in the subjunctive, 'whoever denies … and makes it clear'. rē ipsā: 'by the deed itself'. id est supplicandō dīs nostrīs: 'that is, by praying to our gods' — dīs = deīs. quamvīs suspectus in praeteritum: 'however suspect in the past'.
Ep. 10.97.2Sine auctōre vērō prōpositī libellī in nūllō crīmine locum habēre dēbent.
But anonymous pamphlets ought to have no place in any charge.
Note. Sine auctōre … prōpositī libellī: 'anonymous accusations' (literally 'pamphlets posted without an author'). in nūllō crīmine: 'in any charge'.
Ep. 10.97.2Nam et pessimī exemplī nec nostrī saeculī est.
For they set the worst of precedents and are not in keeping with our age.
Note. pessimī exemplī: genitive of description, 'of the worst precedent'. nec nostrī saeculī est: 'and is not of our age' — Trajan contrasts his reign with Domitian's, when informers flourished.
Vocabulary
| āctus, -ūs m. | proceeding, course of action, procedure |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | owe; with infin., ought |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| excutiō, -ere, -cussī, -cussus | shake off, shake out |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| Chrīstiānus, -ī m. | a Christian |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear or carry away or off |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| enim, conj. | for |
| ūniversus, -a, -um | all together, whole, entire, all |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| quasi, conj. | as if |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| fōrma, -ae, f. | form, appearance; beauty |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| conquīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītum | search out, hunt down |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| sī, conj. | if |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| arguō, -ere, -uī, -ūtus | show up, expose; accuse, convict |
| pūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | punish |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | say no or not, deny, refuse |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| manifestus, -a, -um | plain, clear; caught in the act |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| supplicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | pray humbly, make supplication (to: dat.) |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| quamvīs (adv.) | however much, as … as you like |
| suspectus, -a, -um | suspected, mistrusted |
| praeteritus, -a, -um | past (praeterita: the past) |
| venia, -ae f. | pardon, forgiveness |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| paenitentia, -ae f. | repentance, change of heart |
| impetrō, -petrāre, -petrāvī, -petrātus | gain one's end, obtain (a request) |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| auctor, -ōris m. | originator, instigator |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| prōpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put or set before, offer, propose; set forth, say |
| libellus, -ī m. | little book; written document; libellus repudiī: certificate of divorce |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| crīmen, -inis n. | charge, accusation; crime |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| nam, conj. | for |
| malus, -a, -um | bad |
| exemplum, -ī n. | example, precedent |
| saeculum, -ī n. | generation, age; century |