De Clementia 4

The prince binds the state together

LatinLatin and EnglishEnglish onlyRead it word by word

Clem. 1.4.1Suam itaque incolumitātem amant, cum prō ūnō homine dēnās legiōnēs in aciem dēdūcunt, cum in prīmam frontem prōcurrunt et adversa vulneribus pectora ferunt, nē imperātōris suī signa vertantur.It is their own safety, therefore, that they love when for one man they lead ten legions at a time into battle, when they rush to the front line and expose their breasts to wounds, so that their general's standards may not be turned back. Clem. 1.4.1Ille est enim vinculum, per quod rēs pūblica cohaēret, ille spīritus vītālis, quem haec tot mīlia trahunt nihil ipsa per sē futūra nisi onus et praeda, sī mēns illa imperiī subtrahātur.For he is the bond by which the commonwealth holds together, he the breath of life which these many thousands draw, who of themselves would be nothing but a burden and a prey if that mind of the empire were withdrawn. Clem. 1.4.1"Rēge incolumī mēns omnibus ūna;'While the king is safe, all have one mind; Clem. 1.4.1āmissō rūpēre fidem."when he is lost, they break faith.' Clem. 1.4.2Hic cāsus Rōmānae pācis exitium erit, hic tantī fortūnam populī in ruīnās aget ;Such a disaster will be the end of the Roman peace, it will drive the fortune of so great a people to ruin; Clem. 1.4.2tam diū ab istō perīculō aberit hic populus, quam diū sciet ferre frēnōs, quōs sī quandō abrūperit vel aliquō cāsū discussōs repōnī sibi passus nōn erit, haec ūnitās et hic maximī imperiī contextus in partēs multās dissiliet, īdemque huic urbī fīnis dominandī erit, quī pārendī fuerit.this people will be free from that danger only so long as it knows how to bear the reins; and if ever it tears them off, or does not allow them to be put back when they have been shaken loose by some accident, this unity and this fabric of the greatest empire will burst into many parts, and the end of ruling for this city will be the same as the end of obeying.

Clem. 1.4.3Ideō prīncipēs rēgēsque et quōcumque aliō nōmine sunt tūtōrēs statūs pūblicī nōn est mīrum amārī ultrā prīvātās etiam necessitūdinēs ;It is therefore no wonder that princes and kings, and the guardians of the public order by whatever other name they go, are loved even beyond private ties; Clem. 1.4.3nam sī sānīs hominibus pūblica prīvātīs potiōra sunt, sequitur, ut is quoque cārior sit, in quem sē rēs pūblica convertit.for if to sensible men public interests matter more than private, it follows that he too is dearer into whom the commonwealth has transformed itself. Clem. 1.4.3Ōlim enim ita sē induit reī pūblicae Caesar, ut sēdūcī alterum nōn posset sine utrīusque perniciē ;For long ago Caesar so clothed himself in the commonwealth that neither could be drawn apart without the ruin of both; Clem. 1.4.3nam et illī vīribus opus est et huic capite.for the one needs strength and the other a head.

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

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

Latin vocabulary for this passage (127 words)

suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
incolumitās, -ātis f.	safety
amō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	love
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
prō, prep. with abl.	before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
ūnus, -a, -um	one; only, alone
homō, hominis, m.	man
dēnī, -ae, -a	ten each, ten at a time
legiō, -ōnis f.	legion
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
aciēs, -ēī, f.	line of battle
dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship
prīmus, -a, -um	first, foremost
frōns, frontis, f.	forehead
prōcurrō, -ere, prōcucurrī	run forward, charge
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
adversus, -a, -um	facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful
vulnus, vulneris, n.	wound
pectus, pectoris, n.	breast
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus	bear, bring
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
imperātor, -ōris, m.	commander, general
signum, -ī, n.	sign, signal
vertō, vertere, vertī, versus	turn
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
enim, conj.	for
vinculum, -ī, n.	bond, chain
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
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)
cohaereō, -ēre, -haesī, -haesus	cling together, be connected (with: dat.)
spīritus, -ūs m.	breath; (pl.) pride, arrogance
vītālis, -e	of life, life-giving
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
tot (indecl.)	so many
mīlle, indecl. adj.	a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands;
trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctus	draw, drag
nihil, n., indecl.	nothing
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
nisi, conj.	if not, unless
onus, oneris n.	load, weight
praeda, -ae, f.	booty, spoil, plunder
sī, conj.	if
mēns, mentis f.	mind, spirit
imperium, -ī, n.	command; sway, rule
subtrahō, -ere, -trāxī, -tractum	take away, withdraw
rēx, rēgis, m.	king
incolumis, -e	unhurt, safe
omnis, -e	all, every
āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	send away, lose
rumpō, rumpere, rūpī, ruptus	break, burst
fidēs, -eī f.	faith, trust; pledge
cāsus, -ūs, m.	fall; chance, accident
Rōmānus, -a, -um	Roman
pāx, pācis f.	peace
exitium, -ī n.	destruction, ruin
tantus, -a, -um	so great or much
fortūna, -ae, f.	fortune
populus, -ī m.	people, nation
ruīna, -ae f.	fall, collapse, ruin
agō, agere, ēgī, āctus	drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
tam, adv.	so
diū, adv.	for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
iste, ista, istud, dem. pron.	that of yours, that
perīculum, -ī, n.	danger, peril, risk
absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus	be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	know
frēnum, -ī n.	bridle, rein
quandō (adv.)	when; (after sī) ever
abrumpō, -ere, -rūpī, -ruptus	break off, cut short
vel	or; vel … vel: either … or
aliquī, -qua, -quod, indef. pron. adj.	some, any
discutiō, -ere, -cussī, -cussus	shatter; clear away
repōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus	put or set back; store up or away
patior, patī, passus, bear	suffer, allow
nōn, adv.	not
ūnitās, -ātis f.	oneness, unity
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
contexō, -ere, -texuī, -textus	weave together, join, fasten
pars, partis, f.	part, side, direction
multus, -a, -um	much, great; plur., many
dissiliō, -īre, -uī	leap apart, fly apart, burst
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
que, enclitic conj.	and
urbs, urbis, f.	city
fīnis, -is, m.	end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country
dominor, -ārī, -ātus sum	be master, rule
pāreō, -ēre, -uī	obey
ideō (adv.)	for that reason, therefore
prīnceps, -ipis	first, chief; as noun: leader
quōcumque (adv.)	to whatever place; in whatever direction
alius, -a, -ud	another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
nōmen, -minis, n.	name (that by which one is known)
tūtor, -ōris m.	guardian
status, -ūs m.	condition, state
mīrus, -a, -um	wonderful, strange
ultrā (prep. + acc.)	beyond
prīvātus, -a, -um	private
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
necessitūdō, -inis f.	close tie, relationship
nam, conj.	for
sānus, -a, -um	healthy, sane (prō sānō: sensibly)
potior, -ius (comp. adj.)	better, preferable, more powerful
sequor, sequī, secūtus	follow
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
quoque, adv.	also
cārus, -a, -um	dear, precious
convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus	turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight
ōlim, adv.	once upon a time, once, formerly, of old
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
induō, induere, induī, indūtus	put on; clothe
sēdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead astray, deceive
alter, -era, -erum	one or the other (of two); another, second
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
sine, prep. with abl.	without
uterque, utraque, utrumque	each, either, both
perniciēs, -ēī f.	ruin, destruction
vīs, vīs, f.	violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
opus, operis, n.	work, task
caput, capitis, n.	head

Seneca, De Clementia. Latin text: J. W. Basore, Seneca: Moral Essays I (Loeb, 1928), 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.