Pliny 1.13
Commentary by Benjamin Suib: revised by Jacques Bailly
Fall 2014

C. PLINIUS SOSIO SENECIONI SUO S.
[1] Magnum proventum poetarum annus hic attulit: toto mense Aprili nullus fere dies, quo non recitaret aliquis. Iuvat me quod vigent studia, proferunt se ingenia hominum et ostentant, tametsi ad audiendum pigre coitur. [2] Plerique in stationibus sedent tempusque audiendi fabulis conterunt, ac subinde sibi nuntiari iubent, an iam recitator intraverit, an dixerit praefationem, an e: magna parte evolucrit librum; tum demum ac tunc quoque Lente cunctanterque veniunt, nec tamen permanent, sed ante finem recedunt, alii dissimulanter et furtim, alii simpliciter et libere. [3] At hercule memoria parentum Claudium Caesarem ferunt, cum in Palatio spatiaretur audissetque clamorem, causam requisisse, cumque dictum esset recitare Nonianum, subitum recitanti inopinatumque venisse. [4] Nunc otiosissimus quisque multo ante rogatus et identidem admonitus aut non venit aut, si venit, queritur se diem — quia non perdidit — perdidisse. [5] Sed tanto magis laudandi probandique sunt, quos a scribendi recitandique studio haec auditorum vel desidia vel superbia non retardat. Equidem prope nemini defui. Erant sane plerique amici; [6] neque enim est fere quisquam, qui studia, ut non simul et nos amet. His ex causis longius quam destinaveram tempus in urbe consumpsi. Possum iam repetere secessum et scribere aliquid, quod non recitem, ne videar, quorum recitationibus adfui, non auditor fuisse sed creditor. Nam ut in ceteris rebus ita in audiendi officio perit gratia si reposcatur. Vale.

Introduction
A letter about the literary scene in Rome to a literary friend.

This letter was written in the year 97 to Quintus Sosius Senecio, who by this time had worked his way through the cursus honorum and been quaestor, tribune, and praetor.  Two years after this letter, in 99, he would be appointed consul ordinarius by the emperor Trajan, and, in part due to his successful command in the Dacian Wars, earn a second consulship in 107. 

A passionate advocate and patron of literature, mentioned as such at several points by Plutarch, Quintus Sosius Senecio is a fitting correspondent for someone like Pliny, especially when discussing literature itself.  In the letter, Pliny raves about the literary scene at Rome, particularly in the month of April, 97.  He does not, however, speak highly of the masses who attend public readings.  Complaining that their audience is superficial, he lambasts the multitude for laziness and apathy.  At the letter’s end, Pliny discusses his plans to leave Rome for the countryside and begin working on his next literary pursuit. 

References used:
Text from www.thelatinlibrary.com: changed here and there with the aid of the text at latin.packhum.org.
Allen and Greenough’s New Latin Grammar
SW = A.N. Sherwin-White’s Fifty Letters of Pliny
Cassell’s New Latin Dictionary

Commentary

1. Pliny starts by praising his colleagues, emphasizing his contentedness with the current state of literature.

[1] Magnum proventum poetarum annus hic attulit: toto mense Aprili nullus fere dies, quo non recitaret aliquis. Iuvat me quod vigent studia, proferunt se ingenia hominum et ostentant, tametsi ad audiendum pigre coitur.

toto mense Aprili: abl. of time at which. Remember, month names are adjectives in Latin.
nullus fere dies: ellipsis, supply erat. fere adverbial.
quo non recitaret aliquis: quo non stands in place of quin, and with the negation nullus in the previous clause, causes the verb to be in the subjunctive.  (SW82)
studia, proferunt: asyndeton
ad audiendum: ad + gerund expresses purpose.
pigre: adv. of piger
coitur: impersonal passive is the normal passive of an intransitive verb. Literally "there is a coming/going together," but this means "people come" or "people gather" in better English.

[2] Plerique in stationibus sedent tempusque audiendi fabulis conterunt, ac subinde sibi nuntiari iubent, an iam recitator intraverit, an dixerit praefationem, an ex magna parte evolverit librum; tum demum ac tunc quoque lente cunctanterque veniunt, nec tamen permanent, sed ante finem recedunt, alii dissimulanter et furtim, alii simpliciter et libere.

in stationibus sedent: stationes are public places.  Such locations used for poetry recitation included the many fora and bathhouses, and the library adjoined to the temple of Apollo.  (SW82)
tempusque audiendi: accusative object of conterunt. audiendi is genitive gerund "listening."
fabulis: abl. of means.
ac subinde sibi nuntiari iubent: subject is plerique.  This clause sets up the subsequent alternative indirect questions introduced by an… an… an.
praefationem: readings were commonly introduced with a preface.
ex magna parte: ex parte means "in part," "partially."
evolverit librum: the works were written on scrolls and quite literally had to be unrolled. Interestingly, the text at thelatinlibrary.com has "evolucrit," which is nonsense, but reveals that modern day copyists are no better than their medieval counterparts.
nec tamen permanent: Pliny is clearly disgruntled by the actions of the plerique.  As much as he praises those reciting their poetry, he disdains the listeners at the readings.  
dissimulanter et furtim… simpliciter et libere: two examples of hendiadys.

[3] At hercule memoria parentum Claudium Caesarem ferunt, cum in Palatio spatiaretur audissetque clamorem, causam requisisse, cumque dictum esset recitare Nonianum, subitum recitanti inopinatumque venisse.

Hercule: “by Hercules," a literary oath commonly employed by Pliny (in total 10 times in the letters: mehercules another 5 times, a search on latin.packhum.org reveals).
memoria: abl., a frequent usage. Parentum is an objective genitive that depends on memoria.
ferunt: “they say" + indirect speech.
cum… spatiaretur audissetque: temporal cum describing the circumstances of the main action: takes subjunctive because it refers to the past. One verb is imperfect to report an enduring happening, while the other is pluperfect to indicate that it happened and was done by the time the main verb infinitive's action occurred.
causam requisisse: O.O. with the main verb ferunt.
cumque dictum esset recitare Nonianum: another temporal narrative cum clause with another instance of O.O., this time dependent on the verb of the cum clause, dictum esset
Nonianum: the senator M. Servilius Nonianus.
venisse: the last verb in O.O. being governed by ferunt.
inopinatumque: modifies the subject of venisse.

[4] Nunc otiosissimus quisque multo ante rogatus et identidem admonitus aut non venit aut, si venit, queritur se diem — quia non perdidit — perdidisse.

otiosissimus quisque: superlative + quisque is used to express universality. Thus doctissimus quisque means "every learned person" or "all learned people."  Agrees with rogatus and admonitus
multo: abl. of degree of difference.
rogatus: "invited."
queritur se diem… perdidisse: queritur + indirect speech. se is acc. subject of perdidisse.

5. Those who write literature in spite of their unappreciative audience are to be commended. Pliny himself attends almost every reading.

[5] Sed tanto magis laudandi probandique sunt, quos a scribendi recitandique studio haec auditorum vel desidia vel superbia non retardat. Equidem prope nemini defui. Erant sane plerique amici;

tanto magis: tanto is ablative of degree of difference and modifies magis, which modifies laudandi and probandi (gerundives).
laudandi probandique sunt: passive periphrastic conjugations. The gerundives modify the (omitted) antecedent of quos.
scribendi recitandique: genitive gerunds dependent on studio, which is an ablative of separation that goes with retardat.
haec auditorum desidia vel superbia: subject phrase, refers to the previously mentioned low natures of the audience members.

6. Evidently there was a sort of reciprocity expected: if I attend your recitation, I expect you to attend mine. Pliny, not wanting to be accused of attending others' readings just to get an audience for his own work, writes just for himself. On the reciprocity of attendance, cf. Martial I.63:
Ut recitem tibi nostra rogas epigrammata. Nolo.
Non audire, Celer, sed recitare cupis.
You ask me to read you my poetry. No way.
You just want to recite back your own.

[6] neque enim est fere quisquam, qui studia, ut non simul et nos amet. His ex causis longius quam destinaveram tempus in urbe consumpsi. Possum iam repetere secessum et scribere aliquid, quod non recitem, ne videar, quorum recitationibus adfui, non auditor fuisse sed creditor. Nam ut in ceteris rebus ita in audiendi officio perit gratia si reposcatur. Vale.

qui studia: supply amet or perhaps amat from the next clause (amet would be subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic).
ut non… amet: result clause in primary sequence. Translate ut non as "without it resulting that... ."
his ex causis: anastrophe (ex his causis would be expected).
longius quam destinaveram: comparative with quam
quod non recitem: relative clause of purpose in primary sequence.
ne videar: negative purpose clause. videar takes the infinitive after the relative clause quorum... . 
reposcatur: subjunctive in a future-less-vivid protasis, but the apodosis is just a simple indicative.

Vocabulary:
adfero, adferre, attuli, allatus: to bring to
admoneo, -ere: to warn, admonish, remind
amicus, i, m: friend
annus, i, m: year
Aprilis, is m: the month of April
audio, -ire: to hear, listen
causa, ae f: cause, concern
clamor, -oris m: applause
coeo, coire, coivi, coiturus: to go together
consumo, -ere, -sumpsi, -sumptus: to spend, consume
contero, -terere, -trivi, -tritum: to consume, spend
creditor, -oris: lender
cunctanter, oris m: one who delays, lingers
demum adv.: at last
desidia, ae f: idleness
destino, (1): to plan for
desum, -esse, -fui, -futurus (+dat.): be absent, be missing; fail, desert
dico, dicere, dixi, dictus: to say, speak
 dissimilis, e: unlike, dissimilar
evolvo, -vere, -volvi, -volutus: to roll out
fabula, ae f: conversation, story
fere adv. -  hardly, nearly
finis, is m: end
furtim adv.: stealthily
gratia, ae, f: thanks, grace
homo, hominis m: man
identidem adv.: again and again
ingenium, i, nt: talent, ingenuity
inopinatus, a, um: unexpected
intro (1): to enter, go into
iubeo, -ere, iussi, iussus: to order, command
iuvo, -are, iuvi, iutus: to help, assist
laudo (1): to praise
lentus, a, um: slow
liber, -bra, brum: free
liber, -bri m: a book, writing
memoria, ae f –memory
mensis, is, m: month
nemo, neminis mf: no one
nuntio (1): to announce, give notice
officium, i, nt: service, duty
ostento (1): to display, exhibit
otiosus, a, um: full of leisure
perdio, -ire: to lose
permaneo, -ere: to stay/remain throughout
piger, -ra, rum: sluggish
plerus, a, um: many
poeta, ae, m: poet
possum, posse, potui: to be able
praefatio, -ionis f: prelude, introduction
probo (1): to approve
profero, proferre, protuli, prolatus: to bring forth
proventus, i, m: a coming forth
queror, queri, questus sum: to complain
quia: because
recedo, -cedere, -cessi, -cessum: to go back, recede
recitaro (1): to read aloud
recitator, is mf: reader, public speaker
repeto, -ere: to reseek
reposco, -ere: to ask back again
requiro, -quirere, -quisii/-quisivi, -quisitus: to demand, consider necessary
res, ei f: affair
retardo (1): to slow down, inhibit
rogo (1): to ask, invite
sanus, a, um: sound
scribo, -ire: to write
secessus, us, m: place of retirement
sedeo, sedere, sedi, sessum: to sit
simplex, -plicis: plain, simple
simul: together
spatior (1): to walk around
stadium, i nt: pursuit, study
statio, -onis f: public place
subeo, -ire, -ii, -itus: to come up, approach
subinde adv.: immediately afterwards
superbia, ae f: pride
tametsi: even if
tempus, temporis nt - time
urbs, urbis f: city
venio, venire, veni, ventus: to come
vigeo, -ere: to thrive, flourish