Letter 7 Flashcards
Quid tibi vitandum praecipue existimes, quaeris? Turbam. Nondum illi tuto committeris. Ego certe confitebor inbecillitatem meam; numquam mores, quos extuli, refero. Aliquid ex eo, quod conposui, turbatur; aliquid ex iis, quae fugavi, redit.
Do you ask what you should judge to be especially avoided by you? A crowd. You are not yet trusted to it safely. Certainly, I will admit my own weakness: I never bring back the characteristics, which I took out. Something of that, which I calmed, is unsettled, something returns from which I had chased away.
tibi - dat of adv.
tuto- working as an adverb.
Quod aegris evenit, quos longa inbecillitas usque eo adfecit, ut nusquam sine offensa proferantur, hoc accidit nobis, quorum animi ex longo morbo reficiuntur. Inimica est multorum conversatio; nemo non aliquod nobis vitium aut commendat aut inprimit aut nescientibus adlinit. Utique quo maior est populus, cui miscemur, hoc periculi plus est.
what happens to the sick, whom long weaknesses affect up to this point, that they are carried out nowhere without harm, this happens to us, of whose minds return from a long disease. conversation with many is hostile. There is no one who does make recommend a fault to us, or stamp upon us, or taint us, us being ignorant. For sure, the larger the group, in which we mingle, the greater the danger is.
nobis vitium- carries on each verb.
useque eo- up to this point.
periculi- partitive gen.
Nihil vero tam damnosum bonis moribus quam in aliquo spectaculo desidere. Tunc enim per voluptatem facilius vitia subrepunt. Quid me existimas dicere? Avarior redeo, ambitiosior, luxuriosior, immo vero crudelior et inhumanior, quia inter homines fui. Casu in meridianum spectaculum incidi lusus expectans et sales et aliquid laxamenti, quo hominum oculi ab humano cruore adquiescant; contra est.
truly, nothing is so destructive to good morals than to sit at some game. For then, through pleasure, sins creep up easily. What do you think I am saying? I return more greedy, more ambitious, more extravagant, truly more cruel. and more inhumane, because I was among men. By chance, I happened at a afternoon show, expecting fun and jokes and some relaxation, by which men’s eyes find rest from the blood of men, but it was the opposite.
facilius- comp. more easily
immo vero - together. trans ‘truly’
casu - by chance (abl)
Quicquid ante pugnatum est, misericordia fuit. Nunc omissis nugis mera homicidia sunt. Nihil habent quo tegantur, ad ictum totis corporibus expositi numquam frustra manum mittunt. Hoc plerique ordinariis paribus et postulaticiis praeferunt.
whatever is fought before, is compassionate. Now, with jests put to the side, it is undiluted murder. They have nothing by which they are protected, their whole body exposed to blows, and never strike in vain. Many prefer this to the ordinary pairs and encores.
omissis nugis - abl abs
manum mittunt- strike. (idiom)
postulaticiis- (postulācīcius. lit. demanded) battles by request.
Quidni praeferant? Non galea, non scuto repellitur ferrum. Quo munimenta? Quo artes? Omnia ista mortis morae sunt. Mane leonibus et ursis homines, meridie spectatoribus suis obiciuntur. Interfectores interfecturis iubent obici et victorem in aliam detinent caedem. Exitus pugnantium mors est; ferro et igne res geritur.
Why should they not prefer it? The sword is repelled by no helmet and no shield. what is the use of armour? what is the use of skill? All that delays death. In the morning, men are thrown to the lions and bears, in the afternoon they are thrown to their crowd. They order the killers to be thrown to those about to kill them and they hold back the victor for another death. The result for the fighters is death, the act is carried out by iron and fire.
non galea…non scuto- instrumental abl.
repellitur ferrum- ( the sword is replled)
quo- (for what)
Haec fiunt, dum vacat harena. “Sed latrocinium fecit aliquis, occidit hominem.” Quid ergo? Quia occidit ille, meruit ut hoc pateretur; tu quid meruisti miser, ut hoc spectes? “Occide, verbera, ure! Quare tam timide incurrit in ferrum? Quare parum audacter occidit? Quare parum libenter moritur? Plagis agatur in vulnera, mutuos ictus nudis et obviis pectoribus excipiant.” Intermissum est spectaculum: “interim iugulentur homines, ne nihil agatur.”
These things happen while the arena is empty. ‘But (some/he) committed robbery, he killed a man.’ What of it then? because he killed, he deserved suffering like that. What did you deserve, poor man, that you watch this? ‘Kill, beat, burn! why does he run to the sword so timidly? Why does he fall with so little bravery? why does he die with so little enthusiasm? Let him be driven into his wounds by blows, let him receive mutual blows on his bare and exposed chest.’ When the show is interrupted, ‘meanwhile cut the men’s throats lest nothing is done.’
fecit- committed.
ne nihil agatur- fearing clause.
Age, ne hoc quidem intellegitis, mala exempla in eos redundare, qui faciunt? Agite dis inmortalibus gratias, quod eum docetis esse crudelem, qui non potest discere. Subducendus populo est tener animus et parum tenax recti; facile transitur ad plures. Socrati et Catoni et Laelio excutere morem suum dissimilis multitudo potuisset; adeo nemo nostrum, qui cum maxime concinnamus ingenium, ferre impetum vitiorum tam magno comitatu venientium potest.
Come now, do you not understand even this, that bad examples overflow into them, who made them? Give thanks to the immortal gods, that the man you teach him to be cruel, (who) is not able to learn. The soft/young mind, holding too little to good morals, must be saved from the people, he goes over to the masses easily. The dissimilar crowd would have been able to shake the morals of Socrates, Cato and Laelius, to such an extent that no one from us, who just now arranged our character as much, is able to bear the approaching attacks of sins by so large a company.
ne (hoc) quidem- not even, emp the word in between.
recti- objective gen. (ppl of rego to guide)
Unum exemplum luxuriae aut avaritiae multum mali facit; convictor delicatus paulatim enervat et emollit, vicinus dives cupiditatem inritat, malignus comes quamvis candido et simplici rubiginem suam adfricuit. Quid tu accidere his moribus credis, in quos publice factus est impetus? Necesse est aut imiteris aut oderis.
One example of luxury or greed makes much damage. An indulgent dinner companion weakens and softens you little by little, a rich neighbour provokes desire, and a malicious friend rubs off his own rust no matter how pure and honest. What do you think happens to those morals, onto which an attack is made publicly? It is necessary for you to either imitate or hate.
Utrumque autem devitandum est; neve similis malis fias, quia multi sunt, neve inimicus multis, quia dissimiles sunt. Recede in te ipsum, quantum potes. Cum his versare, qui te meliorem facturi sunt. Illos admitte, quos tu potes facere meliores. Mutuo ista fiunt, et homines, dum docent, discunt
However both are to be shunned. Neither should you be like bad men, because they are many, nor should you be hostile to many, because they are unlike you. Withdraw into yourself, as much as you are able. Associate with those who will make you a better person. Let in those who you are able to make better. These things happen mutually, and men learn while they teach.
Non est quod te gloria publicandi ingenii producat in medium, ut recitare istis velis aut disputare; quod facere te vellem, si haberes isti populo idoneam mercem; nemo est, qui intellegere te possit. Aliquis fortasse, unus aut alter incidet, et hic ipse formandus tibi erit instituendusque ad intellectum tui. “Cui ergo ista didici? “Non est quod timeas, ne operam perdideris; tibi didicisti.
It is not that honour of well known intelligence should lead you into public so that you wish to recite or debate those men, which I would wish you to do, if you had wares fitting to those people. it is no one who is able to understand you. Perhaps someone or other will fall, and he himself will have to be formed by you and trained to understand you. ‘For whom, therefore did I learn these things?’ It is not that you fear, lest you wasted your effort, you learnt for yourself.
Sed ne soli mihi hodie didicerim, communicabo tecum, quae occurrerunt mihi egregie dicta circa eundem fere sensum tria; ex quibus unum haec epistula in debitum solvet, duo in antecessum accipe. Democritus ait: “Unus mihi pro populo est, et populus pro uno.” Bene et ille, quisquis fuit, ambigitur enim de auctore, cum quaereretur ab illo, quo tanta diligentia artis spectaret ad paucissimos perventurae, “Satis sunt,” inquit, “mihi pauci, satis est unus, satis est nullus.”
But so that I have not learnt for myself alone today, I will share with you, three outstanding sayings about sentiments almost the same, that have occurred to me. out of which, this letter will pay as one payment, and receive two as advance payment.
Democrates said, ‘one man is to me like the crowd, and the crowd as one man.’ Well also did this man say, whoever he was (for there is doubt concerning the author), when it was asked of him, what was the good of so much attentiveness of an art that will reach so few, ‘A few are enough to me. one is enough, none are enough.’
quibus- picking up the dicta
Egregie hoc tertium Epicurus, cum uni ex consortibus studiorum suorum scriberet: “Haec,” inquit,” ego non multis, sed tibi; satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus.” Ista, mi Lucili, condenda in animum sunt, ut contemnas voluptatem ex plurium adsensione venientem. Multi te laudant. Ecquid habes, cur placeas tibi, si is es, quem intellegant multi? Introrsus bona tua spectent. Vale.
Epicurus, when he wrote to one of his partners from his studies, excellently said this third one: ‘These things, I write not for the many, but to you; for we are a big enough audience for one another.’
These sayings, my Lucullus, are to be buried in your mind/heart so that you think little of the pleasure arriving by the assent/praise from the many. Many people praise you. Do you have any reason why you should be pleased with yourself, if you are one whom everyone understands? Let your values look inwards. Farewell.
conenda- gerundive. needing to be buried.
