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