More Pliny

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Einhard
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More Pliny

Post by Einhard »

Salvete omnes,

Just a few more excerpts from Pliny that I'd like your comments/opinions on:

in iis vero quos arcessita mors aufert, hic insanabilis dolor est, quod creduntur potuisse diu vivere 1.9

certainly in those whom are borne away by voluntary death, this pain is insatiable, for they are believed to have been able to live longer

nam plerumque morbi quoque per successiones quasdam ut alia traduntur 1.12

for generally diseases are delivered through certain successions to others Not sure where the "ut" fits in here though.

Cogito quo amico, quo viro caream 1.12

I think I am deprived of that friend, that man

I took the "caream" as a subjunctive here, although I'm sure it could be translated as fut ind actuve and "I shall be deprived". I would have thought though, that an infinitive would have been used here as it's indirect speech.

Decessit superstitibus suis, florente re publica, quae illi omnibus suis carior erat

He departed with his family surviving him, the Republic flourishing.....

I know what is being said in the remainder of the sentence, but I can't figure out how it is being said.

Thanks.

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thesaurus
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Re: More Pliny

Post by thesaurus »

Cogito quo amico, quo viro caream 1.12

I think I am deprived of that friend, that man

I took the "caream" as a subjunctive here, although I'm sure it could be translated as fut ind actuve and "I shall be deprived". I would have thought though, that an infinitive would have been used here as it's indirect speech.
I think this is an indirect question, a construction that takes the subjunctive. "quo" is an interrogative pronoun. "I think [about] what friend, what man I am deprived of."

quaesitum abagitiosum esse mihi videtur, quam formam verbum regit subjunctivum. "quo" nomen interrogativum est.
Decessit superstitibus suis, florente re publica, quae illi omnibus suis carior erat

He departed with his family surviving him, the Republic flourishing.....

I know what is being said in the remainder of the sentence, but I can't figure out how it is being said.
"...which was dearer to him than everything of his own," or "than his own family."

"illi" is dative of interest, and "omnibus suis" is comparitive with "carior."
"illi" est forma dativa quae adsignificat alicui aliquid interesse, et "omnibus suis" forma comparativa est quae cum verbo "carior" conferenda est.
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum tempus umquam revertitur nec quid sequatur sciri potest. Quod cuique temporis ad vivendum datur, eo debet esse contentus. --Cicero, De Senectute

Damoetas
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Re: More Pliny

Post by Damoetas »

in iis vero quos arcessita mors aufert, hic insanabilis dolor est, quod creduntur potuisse diu vivere 1.9

certainly in those whom are borne away by voluntary death, this pain is insatiable, for they are believed to have been able to live longer
in iis vero ... hīc ... = "but in the case of ... here ..." He's been listing different circumstances of death, and which ones are more sorrowful. In a situation like this, in means "in the case of." hīc is the adverb of place, not hic the demonstrative going with dolor. (You wouldn't necessarily need to translate hīc, because "in the case of" is already sufficient in English; just recognize what it's doing in Latin.)

Also aufert is active: "those whom voluntary death bears away..."
Dic mihi, Damoeta, 'cuium pecus' anne Latinum?

adrianus
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Re: More Pliny

Post by adrianus »

"nam plerumque morbi quoque per successiones quasdam ut alia traduntur"
"For generally diseases, like/as other things, are also passed on by particular successions (/by certain people successively/by types of successions)."
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

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