i need help please

[Juggalo]

Me and a couple of my friends need a little help with this one.<br /><br />"Quanta autem vis amicitiae sit, ex hoc intellegi maxime potest, quod ex infinita societate generis humani, quam conciliavit ipsa natura, ita contracta res est et adducta in angustum ut omnis caritas aut inter duos aut inter paucos iungeretur." <br />

[benissimus]

Ouch! Where did you find this beast? I will work on it later, but I'd rather wait it out and see if anyone else will do it for me :'(

[Skylax]

Cicero, Laelius sive de Amicitia, 20.<br /><br />Now, I've tried to "translate" it into English <br /><br />"How big the power of friendship is can be understood from the fact that, among the huge community of mankind, which Nature has self managed to form, it is a bond so tight, which has been brought into such a closeness, that all kind of personal affection has been entered into by two or a few persons."<br /><br />In French :<br /><br />"On peut comprendre quelle est la puissance de l'amitié en considérant qu'au milieu de la gigantesque société du genre humain, que la Nature a elle-même formée, c'est un sentiment si ramassé, si étroitement resserré que toute espèce d'affection se trouve concentrée entre deux personnes, ou, au plus, quelques-unes."<br /><br />

[Milito]

You beat me to it, Skylax! (How Benissimus must be laughing... )<br /><br />I had hammered it out to "However, of what worth the strength of friendship may be can be understood particularly from this, the fact that the boundless community of the human race, which nature itself brought together, is a matter so contracted and tight in danger that all affection is brought together either between two or between a few people" which is pretty close to yours<br /><br />I am a bit thrown by that "in angustum"...., though.<br /><br />Kilmeny

[Skylax]

About in angustum I believe that the meaning "in danger" is limited to the phrase in angusto esse. Here, in angustum adducere seems to mean simply "to bring into a cramped place".<br /><br />I understand the sentence as follow : friendship is so powerful that it destroys all opportunities of close relations with other persons, although mankind offers endless opportunities.<br /><br />I could be also : friends summarize all manners of being in close relationship, although these are infinite in number.<br /><br />VIVE VALEQUE<br /><br />

[Milito]

Merci beaucoup, Skylax. Ça marche pour moi. <br /><br />Kilmeny

[Lumen_et_umbra]

I am certain you know this already; however, I thought I would share this linguistic gem with you despite that fact:<br /><br />With verbs of motion, 'in' uses in accusative (i.e., when in translates as 'into')<br /><br />In casam iit. He went entered into the house.<br /><br />With verbs of rest, 'in' takes the ablative (i.e., when in translates as, well, 'in')<br /><br />In casa mansit. He remained in the house.