C[aius] ... S[alutem]: this is the usual Latin epistolary salutation, with the name of the sender in the nominative, the addressee in the dative (suo = his friend) and the abbreviation S for salutem dicit.

equidem, adverb
indeed, of course, to be sure.

commodior, -ius, comparative adjective
more suitable, more appropriate.

quingentis milibus nummum= 500,000 sesterces, a very generous gift, which is more than the minimum wealth needed to qualify for entrance into the equestrian class.

alimentum, -i n.
maintenance, support; nourishment.

promiseram: Pliny established this fund some ten years earlier (Epist. I.8.10), following the example of the emperor Nerva, a tradition of public beneficence established by Augustus and not equally honored by the early emperors.
An inscription (ILS 6675) found in Veleia, northern Italy, records the monthly allowance for boys at sixteen sesterces and for girls at twelve.

ingenuus, -a, -um
free-born.

ex meis: understand agris.

longe adverb
by far, much.

plus, pluris, comparative adjective of multus
genitive of value: of more worth, of greater value.

actor, -oris m.
agent.

mancipo (1)
sell formally and legally. Pliny made a sale in name only to the municipal land-agent, who then transferred it back to Pliny for an annual rental fee payable to the municipality. This rental fee of 30,000 sesterces was about six per cent of 500,000 sesterces and it provided the funds annually for the support of the girls and boys of Comum.

eundem: understand agrum.

vectigal, -is, n.
tax, toll.

impono, -ere, -posui, -positum
put on, impose.

triceni, -ae, -a
thirty.

daturus, -a, -um
about to give, yield.

ignoro (1)
be ignorant of, not to know.

aliquanto adverb
somewhat.

erogo (1)
pay a tax, pay out. Pliny explains that he has paid out more to establish the fund than only the cost of the endowment for the children.

necessitas, -atis f.
necessary expense.

infringo, -ere, -fregi, -fractus
break; impair, weaken. Pliny set up the endowment through a plot of land which was rented out at a fixed rate, calculated on the value of the land. The rent provided the monies that were disbursed to the children. In a season producing a bad harvest, the land kept its value and the rent remained the same, thus assuring the level of the children’s support. A businessman would be disinclined to rent land under such conditions.

utilitas, -atis f
advantage; profit.

publicas: understand utilitates.

antefero, -ferre, -tuli, latu
prefer, carry before, anticipate.

munus, muneris n.
duty; office.

consulo, -ere, -sului, -sultum
take thought; with the dative: look after, consult the interests of.

facultas, -atis f.
opportunity; means; understand suis.

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