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Commentary Cons. Phil. Book 3 Prosa 6

Prosa 6

Worldly glory does not bring true claritudo.

section 1
W)= DO/CA DO/CA: Euripides, Andromache 319-320:
"O glory, glory, for thousands of mortals,
nothing-at-alls, you heaped up a great living"
i.e., have made them seem greater than they are.

section 2
falsis: falsis . . . opinionibus: ablative of origin, here without preposition.
opinionibus: falsis . . . opinionibus: ablative of origin, here without preposition.
Quo quid turpius: "than which what more shameful thing . . . ?"
praedicantur: "are praised, glorified."

section 3
Quae: sc. laudes.
sapientis: genitive with conscientiae (and antecedent of qui).

section 4
4: Construe: Quodsi hoc ipsum ([i.e.,] propagasse nomen) uidetur pulchrum.
non extendisse: sc. nomen; subject of iudicetur.

section 5
paulo ante: 2P7.7, 3P5.4.
fit ut: fit ut . . . uideatur (cf. 3P4.11); "it happens that he seems"; later Latin was fond of this kind of redundant construction.
uideatur: fit ut . . . uideatur (cf. 3P4.11); "it happens that he seems"; later Latin was fond of this kind of redundant construction.

section 6
popularem gratiam: "the approval/favor of the populus," here contrasted with nobilitatis nomen (see on 3P4.8).
iudicio: ablative of instrument.

section 7
refertur: "is compared"; a later Latin meaning of refero.
quaedam: modifies laus.

section 8
praedicatio: "praise"; cf. on sec. 2 supra.
tuam: sc. claritudinem.

section 9
id: i.e., the good, explained by the ut-clause to follow.
ut imposita nobilibus necessitudo uideatur: = ut nobilibus necesse sit.
ne: ne . . . degeneret: the implied subject is nobilitas; some emend to degenerent and take the subject from nobilibus (see Gruber).
degeneret: ne . . . degeneret: the implied subject is nobilitas; some emend to degenerent and take the subject from nobilibus (see Gruber).

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