cum
since; introduces a causal clause in the subjunctive (dubitem).
gravis, -e
dignified; important; superlative form of the adjective. It modifies virum, which is in apposition to patrem, the object of suspexerim and amaverim. The man referred to here is Corellius Rufus, Corellia's father.
sanctus, -a, -um
venerable, pious. The superlative form of the adjective; it modifies virum.
suspicio, -ere, -spexi, -spectum
look up to, admire, respect; the perfect subjunctive (along with amaverim) in an indirect double question introduced by [utrum] . . . . an (whether . . . or) after dubitem.
dubito (1)
be uncertain, be in doubt; followed by [utrum] . . . . an, which introduces an indirect double question in the subjunctive (suspexerim . . .amaverim).
et…et correlative conjunction
both…and.
honor, -oris m.
esteem; position; beauty; the accusatives memoriam and honorem are governed by the preposition in=for, towards, with regard to (with verbs expressing feeling).
unice adverb
especially, particularly.
diligo, diligere, dilexi, dilectum
esteem; the direct object is te. The verb is also governed by cum and is in parallel construction with dubitem.
cupio, -ere, cupivi, cupitum
desire; have someone’s interests at heart. In a subjunctive clause (without ut) after necesse est.
atque conjunction
and; and in fact; and moreover.
etiam adverb
also; even; certainly.
quantum relative adverb
to what extent; the idiom quantum in me est= as far as is in my power.
enitor, eniti, enisus (or enixus) sum
take pains; strive for some object(ive). It is in a parallel construction with cupiam (a subjunctive clause without ut introduced by necesse est).
avus, -i m.
grandfather. The avo materno (adjective formed from mater) is Corellius Rufus, to whom Pliny feels perhaps closer than to the boy's father.
similis, -e
similar to, like; followed here by the dative. Pliny may have sought to please Corellia Hispulla by adapting a traditional wish: Catullus writes in his wedding hymn 61.214: sit suo similis patri.
exsisto, -ere, exstiti, --
show oneself, prove to be (of a given character); subjunctive of purpose with ut.
malo, malle, malui
prefer, would rather. An example of brachylogy (brevity of expression); understand: equidem malo filium tuum esse similem materno avo.
quamquam conjunction
although + subjunctive (contigerit).
paternus, -a, -um
paternal; supply avus. This grandfather may be Marcus Hirrius Fronto Neratius Pansa, consul suffectus c.75 CE, or possibly Lucius Neratius Priscus, consul suffectus in 87. Illi is dative of possession, referring to Corellia Hispulla’s son.
spectatus, -a, -um
worthy, excellent; tried, proved.
contingo, -ere, contigi, contactum
happen to be; subjunctive after quamquam.
pater, patris m.
father; Pliny's terms relate to Corellia Hispulla’s son. His father (her husband) was one of the Neratii of Saepinum, either Lucius Neratius Priscus or his brother Lucius Neratius Marcellus. Either could fit Pliny’s description inlustri laude conspicui: Priscus was consul suffectus in 97 CE and an eminent jurist; Marcellus was consul suffectus in 95 and 129 CE. (see Carlon 2009, 73-4; Sherwin-White 1966, 212; Syme 1957, 491-2, 1968, 147, 1985, 339-40, and Eck 1983).
patruus, –i m.
paternal uncle; either Lucius Neratius Priscus or Marcellus Neratius Priscus, depending on the identity of pater.
illustris, -e
distinguished; an ablative of specification with laude after conspicui.
conspicuus, –a , –um
remarkable; famous; nominative plural in agreement with pater and patruus (understand contigerint).
demum adverb
at last; just, precisely (with ita).
adolesco, -ere, adolevi, adultum
grow up; mature. The subject is tuus filius; translate quibus omnibus as his omnibus, in the dative after similis
imbuo, -ere, -ui, - utum
steep; inspire; train; the complete verb is imbutus fuerit.
honestus, -a, -um
honorable, virtuous; with artes= liberal arts.
refert, -ferre, -tulit
it matters; it is of importance; translate [ad=in respect to] quas, the antecedent of which is honestis artibus.
potissimum, adverb
especially; above all.
accipio, -ere, -cepi, -ceptum
receive, accept. Filius tuus is the subject of accipiat, the subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic introduced by a[b] quo: from what sort of man.
adhuc, adverb
up to the present time.
pueritia, -ae f.
boyhood; illum= her son, the subject of habuit which follows.
ratio, -onis f.
cause; reason.
intra preposition + accusative
within.
contubernium, -i, n.
common tent (this is a military term, commonly used of slave unions as well). Dixon notes (p.109) that Roman mothers were expected to keep their sons in line with disciplina and severitas. With this term Pliny approves the rigor of Corellia's home, as (contubernium also means "an attachment of a young man to the staff of a military commander for training."
praeceptor, praeceptoris m.
tutor, teacher.
domus, domus f.
home; house. Domi is the locative form, indicating “place where” without a preposition. Studying under private tutors at home was not uncommon in the Roman world during this period. Quintilian, Pliny’s own rhetoric instructor, discusses the relative merits of homeschooling in his book on an orator’s education (Institutio Oratoria 1.2).
modicus, -a, um
modest, small. Modifies materia, as does nulla.
materia, -ae f.
opportunity, occasion, potential.
iam adverb
already, now, directly; indeed; Pliny's repetition of iam (anaphora) conveys his urgency.
extra preposition + accusative
outside, beyond.
limen, -inis n.
threshold; doorway; metonymy for domus.
profero, -ferre, -tuli, -latum
bring forth. The construction is passive periphrastic (the future passive participle or gerundive with a form of sum), which expresses necessity or obligation.
circumspicio, -spicere, -spexi, -spectum
look around for, search for. Circumspiciendus [est] is also a passive periphrastic construction.
rhetor, -oris m.
rhetorician, rhetoric teacher. Students typically studied under rhetores between the ages of 13 and 17 to prepare for a career in the law courts where an elegant tongue was essential. Pliny himself was educated by the great rhetor Quintilian who taught at Rome probably from 68-88 CE.
schola, -ae f.
discussion, school. The antecedent of cuius is rhetor Latinus.
severitas, -atis f.
strictness; austerity.
pudor, -oris m.
sense of honor; modesty.
in primis: an idiomatic phrase that functions as an adverb meaning especially.
castitas, -atis f.
integrity; purity. Pliny customarily uses it to signify purity of body when referring to women (cf. 1.14.8, 4.19.2, 7.19.4) and moral integrity when referring to men (cf. 1.22.7, 3.2.2). Here, he seems to consider both aspects critical in the selection of a tutor for Corellia Hispulla's son.
consto, -are, -stiti, -statum
be certain, stand firm; the singular verb emphasizes each of the three subjects. The subjunctive mood is used in a relative clause of characteristic.
adsum, -esse, -fui, -futurum
be present; the subject is pulchritudo below.
noster, nostra, nostrum
our. With adulescenti, this is a dative of possession; Pliny feels invested enough in the boy’s education to use noster rather than tuus.
dos, dotis f.
gift; talent; dowry. Note how Pliny centers the sources of the gifts (naturae fortunaeque) within the prepositional phrase (cum ceteris . . . dotibus).
eximius, -a, -um
exceptional. Agrees with pulchritudo, the subject of adest, one of Pliny's concerns for the young man.
cui: the antecedent is adulescenti, the indirect object of quaerendus est.
lubricus, -a, um
slippery; uncertain, perilous. Here, as a neuter substantive noun, it means perilous time, period, season.
aetas, aetatis f.
age, time of life.
non modo…sed etiam correlative idiom
not only…but even/also; etiam here follows instead of preceding the word emphasized. Interruption of the typical word order focuses attention on praeceptor and custos.
custos, -odis m./f.
guard, protector.
rector, -oris m.
governor; master; helmsman.
quaero, quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitum
seek out. The construction, the passive periphrastic (the gerundive with sum), expresses necessity.
videor, videri, visus/a sum
seem; be seen; followed by the complementary infinitive posse.
demonstro (1)
point out, indicate.
Julius Genitor: a professor of Greek and Latin rhetoric, otherwise unknown, to whom Pliny addresses three letters (3.11; 7.30; 9.17). They met perhaps in 97 CE when Pliny searched for a rhetor for Junius Mauricus’ nephews (Ep. 2.18). Ep. 3.11 indicates that Pliny and Genitor share a mutual friend, the philosopher Artemidorus, whom Pliny met in Syria in 81 CE while in service as a tribune.
tamen adverb
however, nevertheless.
obsto, -stare, -stiti, -staturus
hinder, obstruct. obsto, like many compound verbs, it takes a dative object (iudicio...meo).
caritas, -atis, f.
esteem, affection; hominis is an objective genitive (i.e., tranlsate not of but rather for).
nascor, nasci, natus sum
be born; arise, be produced; the subject is (caritas) quae. Understand meo again with iudicio.
emendatus, -a, -um
faultless; perfect passive participle of emendo (1) free from error.
paulo adverb
somewhat, a little; an ablative of degree of difference from paulus, -a, -um small, little.
horridus –a –um
rough; horridior is the comparative form, probably better translated here as rather rough.
durus –a –um
harsh, hard; durior is the comparative form.
ut adverb
given the circumstances; Pliny uses the ut-clause to further limit horridior and durior.
licentia –ae f.
freedom; licentiousness; wantonness.
tempus, -oris n.
time; circumstances.
quantum adverb
how great, how much; it introduces an indirect question, which is the object of credere.
valeo, -ere, -ui, -iturum
have power, be effective; be well. The subject is [eius] eloquentia; the subjunctive is introduced by an indirect question (quantum).
plures, -es, -a
more than one; as a substantive noun, very many people.
credo, -ere, credidi, creditum
trust. It takes a dative object (pluribus).
dico, -ere, dixi, dictum
speak, say; the form is the gerund, in the genitive after facultas.
apertus, -a, -um
manifest, clear, open; perfect passive participle of the verb aperio.
expositus, -a, -um
revealed, displayed; perfect passive participle of the verb expono.
cerno, -ere, crevi, cretus
discern, understand, perceive; decide.
recessus –us m.
recess; retreat; recessūs is the accusative plural.
cuius: the antecedent is vita; it is in the genitive case following sponsorem.
pro pronoun + ablative
on behalf of.
sponsor, sponsoris m.
guarantor (one who formally guarantees the good faith of another); sponsor, surety + genitive; it is in apposition to me.
nisi conjunction
except, unless.
prosum, prodesse, profui
be advantageous, beneficial. The future active participle is neuter in agreement with nihil.
nescio, -ire, -ivi/ii, -itum
be ignorant of; not know; perfect infinitive following fuerit, the future perfect.
rectus, -a, -um
proper, morally right; rectius is the comparative form in the neuter, agreeing with quod.
saepe adverb
often; frequently.
admoneo –ere, admonui, admonitum
admonish; advise; remind; the subject is filius tuus, illo=Genitor. The three things about which Pliny and Corellia will remind her son follow.
imago, -inis f.
death mask of an ancestor who has held public office. The ablative of means/instrument follows oneretur. Pliny means the ancestors from whom Corellia’s son descends. Wax images were kept in the atria of elite homes and could be exhibited during funeral processions (see Public Display: imagines).
onero (1)
weigh down; subjunctive in indirect question after admonebitur.
nomen, -inis n.
name; here Pliny refers to the nomen gentilicium or the gens name, which is modified by both quae and quanta.
sustineo, -ere, -tinui, -tentum
maintain, support, uphold.
proinde adverb
consequently, therefore.
faveo, -ere, favi, fautum
be favorable. The ablative participle modifies dis in an ablative absolute construction.
deus –i m.
god. This is one of three forms of the ablative/ dative plural which were used within a 60-year period: dis/diis/deis.
trado, -ere, tradidi, traditum
hand over, entrust, deliver. It takes a direct object (eum = filium tuum) and an indirect object (praeceptori).
mos, -oris m.
character, morals, behavior.
mox adverb
soon, then, next. Pliny omitted et between primum and mox (asyndeton); discat is a potential subjunctive.
vale: the typical formula for closing a letter (to one person): be well.
Close this window after final
use.