Iug. 3.1Vērum ex iīs magistrātūs et imperia, postrēmō omnis cūra rērum pūblicārum minumē mihi hāc tempestāte cupiunda videntur, quoniam neque virtūtī honōs datur neque illī, quibus per fraudem iūs fuit, tūtī aut eō magis honestī sunt.But among these, magistracies and military commands, and in short all concern with public affairs, seem to me least to be desired at this time, since neither is honour given to merit, nor are those who have gained power through fraud safe or any the more honourable for it. Iug. 3.2Nam vī quidem regere patriam aut parentīs, quamquam et possīs et dēlicta corrigās, tamen inportūnum est, quom praesertim omnēs rērum mūtātiōnēs caedem, fugam aliaque hostīlia portendant.For to rule your country or your subjects by force, even though you may be able to and may correct abuses, is nevertheless harsh, especially since all changes of government portend slaughter, exile and other acts of hostility. Iug. 3.3Frūstrā autem nītī neque aliud sē fatīgandō nisi odium quaerere extrēmae dēmentiae est;And to strive in vain, and by wearing oneself out to gain nothing but hatred, is the height of madness; Iug. 3.4nisi forte quem inhonesta et perniciōsa lubīdō tenet potentiae paucōrum decus atque lībertātem suam grātificārī.unless perhaps someone is possessed by a dishonourable and ruinous desire to sacrifice his own honour and liberty to the power of a few.
Lectitō › Sallust › The Jugurthine War (Bellum Iugurthinum) › Bellum Iugurthinum 3
Sallust · Bellum Iugurthinum
Bellum Iugurthinum 3
Why Sallust shuns politics
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Read in LectitōGrammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×2
Latin vocabulary for this passage (77 words)
| vērum (conj.) | but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| magistrātus, -ūs m. | magistrate, official |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| postrēmō (adv.) | finally, at last |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| cūra, -ae f. | care, concern (cūrae esse: to be a concern) |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| pūblicus, -a, -um | public, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state) |
| minimē, adv. | least, very little; by no means, not at all |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus | desire, long for, wish |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| quoniam, conj. | since now, since |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| honor, -ōris, m. | honor |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| fraus, fraudis, f. | deception, fraud |
| iūs, iūris, n. | right, justice, law; iūs dīcere, to pronounce judgment; iūs iūrandum, iūris iūrandī, oath |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| tūtus, -a, -um | safe |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| honestus, -a, -um | respected, honourable |
| nam, conj. | for |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| regō, -ere, rēxī, rēctum | guide, steer, rule |
| patria, -ae, f. | fatherland, country |
| parēns, -entis m./f. | parent |
| quamquam, conj. | however much, although |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| dēlictum, -ī n. | offence, crime |
| corrigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctus | straighten, set right, reform |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| importūnus, -a, -um | ruthless, savage, troublesome |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| praesertim (adv.) | especially |
| mūtātiō, -ōnis f. | change, alteration |
| caedēs, -is, f. | cutting down, killing, slaughter |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| hostīlis, -e | of the enemy, hostile |
| portendō, -ere, -tendī, -tentus | point out beforehand, foretell, portend |
| frūstrā, adv. | in vain |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| nītor, -ī, nīxus sum (+ abl.) | rely on |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| fatīgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | tire, wear out |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| odium, -ī, n. | hatred |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| extrēmus, -a, -um | last, extreme, furthest |
| dēmentia, -ae f. | madness, folly |
| forte, adv. | by chance, accidentally |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| inhonestus, -a, -um | dishonourable, shameful |
| perniciōsus, -a, -um | destructive, ruinous, dangerous |
| libīdō, -inis f. | desire, lust; caprice |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| potentia, -ae f. | power, influence |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| decus, -oris n. | honour, glory; what is fitting, propriety |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| grātificor, -ārī, -ātus sum | do a favour, oblige, gratify |
Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum. Latin text: the Perseus digital text of Sallust's Jugurthine War, with chapter 79 onwards in part from A. W. Ahlberg (Teubner, 1919), 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.