Commentary Cons. Phil. Book 2 Prosa 5
Wealth cannot truly be owned and is of no value: not money (4ff), not precious stones (8ff), not land (11ff), not fine clothes (17), not a crowd of slaves (18ff).
- section 1
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paulo: paulo . . . puto: "I think somewhat stronger [remedies] must be used." paulo: ablative of measure of difference with ualidioribus.
utendum: (sc. esse) "one must use"; the impersonal passive must be used for the passive of intransitive verbs (i.e., verbs that do not govern an accusative object).
puto: paulo . . . puto: "I think somewhat stronger [remedies] must be used." paulo: ablative of measure of difference with ualidioribus.
- section 2
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Age: imperative < ago; here colloquially, "go on."
caduca et momentaria: predicate nominative.
- section 3
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uestrae: predicative, in the question ("are riches yours?").
- section 4
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effundendo: effundendo . . . coaceruando: gerunds, hence active; "in the pouring out . . . in the heaping up"; but a passive sense is required in translating: "by being poured out . . . by being heaped up."
coaceruando: effundendo . . . coaceruando: gerunds, hence active; "in the pouring out . . . in the heaping up"; but a passive sense is required in translating: "by being poured out . . . by being heaped up."
- section 5
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potest: subject is the implied antecedent of quod.
largiendi usu: "by the act of being given away." For voice, see on sec. 4 above.
- section 6
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At eadem: At eadem . . . congeratur: construe: At si eadem [pecunia] (quanta est ubique gentium) apud unum [hominem] congeratur.
congeratur: At eadem . . . congeratur: construe: At si eadem [pecunia] (quanta est ubique gentium) apud unum [hominem] congeratur.
sui: objective genitive with inopes.
fecerit: subject is eadem (sc. pecunia).
comminutae: < comminuo, "break into pieces."
faciant: faciant . . . relinquunt: subject is diuitiae.
relinquunt: faciant . . . relinquunt: subject is diuitiae.
- section 7
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O: O . . . diuitias: see on 2P4.8.
diuitias: O . . . diuitias: see on 2P4.8.
pluribus: dative of reference with licet.
ueniunt: sc. quae as subject.
- section 8
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praecipui: partitive genitive with quid.
- section 9
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motu: motu atque compage: ablatives after carens.
compage: "structure;" motu atque compage: ablatives after carens.
animatae rationabilique naturae: dative with uideatur.
- section 10
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opera: ablative.
suique: "and of [the gems] themselves."
distinctione: literally, "differentiation"; here effectively approaches English "distinction"; cf. distingueris (sec. 13 below).
postremae: "final, lasting, ultimate," modifies pulchritudinis.
mereantur: subjunctive in apodosis of a mixed condition; but merebantur (the reading of the manuscripts) is equally possible. If merebantur, the reference would be to B.'s earlier life; if mereantur, to his present plight.
- section 12
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attingit: "touch, concern."
audes: < audeo, audere.
- section 13
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tua: word position emphasizes the absurdity.
- section 14
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raperis: < rapio.
tua: tua . . . aliena: "yours . . . not-yours"; both predicative (accusative plural neuter), contrasted with each other.
aliena: tua . . . aliena: "yours . . . not-yours"; both predicative (accusative plural neuter), contrasted with each other.
- section 15
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animantium: "animate beings"; take closely with alimentis.
procul dubio: "doubtless."
quod naturae satis est: the antecedent is the clause replere . . . uelis.
- section 16
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quod infuderis: "what you shall have sent flooding in."
fiet: future < fio, "become."
- section 17
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intuitu: "to look at," ablative supine with grata.
artificis: < artifex, "craftsman, maker."
- section 18
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famulorum: < famulus, "servant, attendant."
domus: genitive.
ipsi: dative.
sin: "but if."
- section 19
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liquido: adverb, "clearly."
Quibus: dative of possession; "if these have . . ."
amissis: amissis . . . retentis: ablative absolutes, "[when they] have been lost . . . [when they] have been kept."
laeteris: < laetor, "rejoice, be glad."
retentis: amissis . . . retentis: ablative absolutes, "[when they] have been lost . . . [when they] have been kept."
- section 20
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natura: ablative.
quid: quid . . . refert: "what has it to do with you?" (tua: ablative, sc. re).
refert: quid . . . refert: "what has it to do with you?" (tua: ablative, sc. re).
placuissent: pluperfect subjunctive in an implied past contrary to fact condition (the protasis is inferred from a tuis quoque opibus sequestrata = si sequestrata essent).
- section 21
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idcirco: idcirco . . . quod: correlative, "for this reason . . . because."
quod: idcirco . . . quod: correlative, "for this reason . . . because."
uenere: = uenerunt.
- section 22
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fortunae: objective genitive.
- section 23
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cedit: here, "goes"; cf. incedo, accedo, etc.
amminiculis: "props, supports."
opus est: "there is need of," + ablative.
supellectilis: < supellex, "furniture, apparatus."
permultis: permultis . . . possideant: proverb, phrased in indirect statement after uerum . . . est; permultis is ablative after indigere.
possideant: permultis . . . possideant: proverb, phrased in indirect statement after uerum . . . est; permultis is ablative after indigere.
minimum: sc. eos [qui . . . metiantur] indigere, in a continuation of the proverb with a change from ablative to accusative after indigere.
- section 24
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uobis: dative of possession.
- section 25
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uersa: "turned upside-down."
merito: ablative of cause with diuinum.
- section 26
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alia: sc. animalia.
deo mente consimiles: cf. diuinum merito rationis animal in the preceding sentence.
captatis: < capto, "hunt, try to get."
- section 27
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praestare: "to stand out among, to be superior to," with dative.
- section 28
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si omne cuiusque bonum eo cuius est constat esse pretiosius: "if it is clear that the good of anything is more valuable than the thing to which it belongs."
uilissima rerum: "the cheapest of things."
uosmet: intensive for uos.
summittitis: < summitto, "place one thing [accusative] below another [dative]."
cadit: "happens, falls out."
- section 29
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ceteris rebus: dative after excellat.
cum se cognoscit: cf. the Socratic command, "Know thyself."
nosse: = nouisse, "to know." (On tense, see note on 1P3.9.)
naturae: genitive of characteristic.
hominibus uitio uenit: supply a "but" in translating. There is no explicit connective with previous clause ("adversative asyndeton"); uitio: dative of purpose, "as a vice."
- section 30
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qui: antecedent is uos, inferred from uester.
- section 31
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appositis: "things set beside [itself]."
nihilo minus: "nonetheless"; nihilo is ablative of measure of difference.
foeditate: < foeditas, "foulness."
- section 32
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habenti: dative after noceat (< noceo, "harm").
- section 33
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eoque: "and for that reason" (i.e., because he is pessimus).
se solum: se solum . . . putat: "thinks himself alone most worthy to have it."
putat: se solum . . . putat: "thinks himself alone most worthy to have it."
- section 34
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contum: "pole, club."
uacuus: here, "empty of pocket."
intrasses: = intrauisses.
coram: "in the presence of," with ablative. Cf. Juvenal 10.20-22: - nocte iter ingressus gladium contumque timebis . . .
- cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator
.
"Going on a journey by night, you will fear the sword and club. . .; the traveler with empty pockets will sing in the robber's face."
- section 35
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adeptus: < adipiscor, "attain, acquire."