They press, they detain, they pursue.
(Preceded by: “one just can’t escape kissers.”) Īnstant is the third person plural form of īnstō, īnstāre, īnstitī, īnstātūrus (1): to stand on; press; insist. is the third person plural form of moror, morārī, morātus sum (1, deponent): to delay, retard; hold back, detain; stay, linger. is the third person plural form of persequor, persequī, persecūtus sum (3, deponent): to pursue; persecute.
If you (sg.) are lying, you are lying.
Sī (conj.): if. is the second person singular form of mentior, mentīrī, mentītus sum (4, deponent): to lie. is the same.
What? You (sg.) promise more than is asked?
Quis/quis/ quid (interrog. pron.): who? what? Plūs is the accusative form of plūs, plūris (3n): a greater thing or amount, more. is the second person singular form of polliceor, pollicērī, pollicitus sum (2, deponent): to promise. Quam (rel. adv.): than. Petitur is the third person singular passive form of petō, petere, petīvī/petiī, petītum (3): to make one’s way to, make for, head for; seek; aim at; go for; attack; ask (for).
More literally: You endeavor to eliminate clear things with doubtful things.
Dubiīs is the m/f/n (here n) ablative plural form of dubius/dubia/dubium (1/2): doubtful, uncertain (used substantively to mean doubtful things). Perspicua is the neuter accusative plural form of perspicuus/perspicua/perspicuum (1/2): clear, evident (used substantively to mean clear things). is the second person plural form of cōnor, cōnārī, cōnātus sum (1, deponent): to try, attempt, endeavor. Tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātum (3): to raise; take away, remove, eliminate, do away with.
Death is on my trail, and life is fleeting away.
More literally: Death follows me, life flees (me).
Mors, mortis (3f): death. Mē is the accusative form of ego: I (me). is the third person singular form of sequor, sequī, secūtus sum (3, deponent): to follow. Fugit is the third person singular form of fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus (3, –iō): to flee, run away. Vīta, vītae (1f): life.
I admit, it is a fault.
, fatērī, fassus sum (2, deponent): to admit, confess, acknowledge. Vitium, vitiī (2n): vice, fault, flaw, defect. Est: it is.
They pray for bad things with good intentions.
More literally: . . . with a good mind/intention (singular).
Bonō is the m/n ablative singular form of bonus/bona/bonum (1/2): good. Animō is the ablative singular form of animus, animī (2m): mind, soul; purpose, intention. Mala is the accusative plural form of malum, malī (2n): a bad thing; evil; trouble, misfortune; misdeed; disease (a common substantive use of malus/mala/malum (1/2): bad; evil). is the third person plural form of precor, precārī, precātus sum (1, deponent): to pray (for); beg.
Are you to be angry merely because someone is more arrogant than we are?
More literally: Are you (pl.) angry at this, (namely) if someone is more arrogant than we?
(Quoting a speech from Cato the Elder.) Idne: id is the neuter accusative singular form of is/ea/id (pron.): he, she, it; this, that; the enclitic interrogative particle –ne turns the word into part of a question. is the second person plural form of īrāscor, īrāscī, īrātus sum (3, deponent): to become angry; be angry. Sī (conj.): if. Quis /qua/quid (indef. pron): (in some clauses, especially after sī, nisi, num or nē) anyone, anything; someone, something. Superbior /superbior/superbius (3): prouder, more arrogant—the comparative form of superbus/superba/superbum (1/2): proud, arrogant. Est: is. Quam (rel. adv.): than. Nōs: we.
We have many crimes on the part of the slave to confess.
More literally: We confess many crimes of the slave.
Plūra is the accusative form of plūrēs/plūrēs/plūra (3, plural): more numerous, more (in number); more than one, several; many. Servus, servī (2m): slave. Crīmina is the accusative plural form of crīmen, crīminis (3n): charge, accusation; crime. is the first person plural form of cōnfiteor, cōnfitērī, cōnfessus sum (2, deponent): to confess.
Why do you wonder?
Alt. : Why do you (sg.) marvel? Why are you surprised?
Quārē (interrog. adv.): why? is the second person singular form of mīror, mīrārī, mīrātus sum (1, deponent): to be surprised (at), be astonished (at), wonder (at), marvel (at); admire.
This is the result of great evil in the soul.
Alt. : This comes of a serious mental fault.
More literally: This originates from a great evil of the mind.
(He’s talking about the use of an excessively fancy prose style.) Hic/haec/ hoc (pron.): this, this one; he, she, it. Ab/ ā (prep.): from; by (takes the ablative). Magnō is the m/n ablative singular form of magnus/magna/magnum (1/2): great, large; important. Animus, animī (2m): mind, soul; intention. Malō is the ablative singular form of malum, malī (2n): a bad thing; evil; trouble, misfortune; misdeed; disease. is the third person singular form of orior, orīrī, ortus sum (3, –ior/4, deponent): to rise; arise; come into being; originate (the form you need here usually comes from the 3 – ior conjugation).
We die every day.
Cōtīdiē (adv.): every day. is the first person plural form of morior, morī, mortuus sum (3, –ior, deponent): to die.
But the occasion forced him to temporize.
Sed (conj.): but. Tergiversor, , tergiversātus sum (1, deponent): to turn one’s back (on a task or challenge); be reluctant; shuffle, evade. Rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair; fact; circumstance; property. Cōgēbat is the third person singular imperfect form of cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctum (3): to drive together, round up, collect; force, compel.
No one suffers punishment for mere intent.
More literally: No one suffers punishment of thought.
Cōgitātiō, cōgitātiōnis (3f): thinking, thought; intent. Poenam is the accusative singular form of poena, poenae (1f): penalty, punishment. Nēmō, nēminis (3m): no one. is the third person singular form of patior, patī, passus sum (3, deponent): to suffer, undergo; endure; allow.
Things that are far off we are more free to admire.
Alt. : We more freely admire things from a distance.
More literally: We more simply admire things placed at a distance.
Simplicius (adv.): more simply—the comparative form of simpliciter (adv.): simply, directly; candidly, openly, frankly; artlessly, innocently. Longē (adv.): far, far away, far off, a long way off, at or from a distance. Posita is the neuter accusative plural form (used substantively) of positus/posita/positum (1/2), the perfect passive participle of pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positum (3): to place, set, put. is the first person plural form of mīror, mīrārī, mīrātus sum (1, deponent): to be surprised (at), be astonished (at), wonder (at), marvel (at); admire.
So, too, in the case of gladiators skill is their protection, anger their undoing.
More literally: Gladiators too skill protects, anger lays bare.
Gladiātōrēs is the accusative plural form of gladiātor, gladiātōris (3m): gladiator. Quoque (adv.): too, as well; even. Ars, artis (3f): art, skill, technique. is the third person singular form of tueor, tuērī, tuitus sum (2, deponent): to look at; watch over, protect, preserve, defend. Īra, īrae (1f): anger. Dēnūdat is the third person singular form of dēnūdō, dēnūdāre, dēnūdāvī, dēnūdātum (1): to lay bare, uncover.
Why are you (sg.) angry over this matter?
Cūr (interrog. adv.): why? is the second person singular form of īrāscor, īrāscī, īrātus sum (3, deponent): to become angry; be angry. Super (prep.): (with acc.) on, over (usually in the physical sense); (with ablative) on, over (usually in a figurative sense), about, concerning. Hāc is the feminine ablative singular form of hic/haec/hoc (adj.): this. Rē is the ablative singular form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair; fact; circumstance; property.
For what reason do you (pl.) suspect that this took place?
Quāpropter (interrog. adv.): because of what? for what reason? why? Id is the neuter accusative singular form of is/ea/id (pron.): he, she, it; this, that. Vōs: you (pl.). Factum is the m/n accusative singular form of factus/facta/factum (1/2), the perfect passive participle of faciō, facere, fēcī, factum (3, –iō): to do; make. is the second person plural form of suspicor, suspicārī, suspicātus sum (1, deponent): to suspect.
I kiss your weapons.
, ōsculārī, ōsculātus sum (1, deponent): to kiss. Arma is the accusative form of arma, armōrum (2n, plural only): arms (both offensive and defensive), weapons, armor. Tua is the neuter accusative plural form of tuus/tua/tuum (1/2): your, yours.
Indians allow themselves to be burned.
Ūrī is the passive infinitive form of ūrō, ūrere, ussī, ustum (3): to burn. Sē: themselves—the accusative form of the reflexive pronoun. is the third person plural form of patior, patī, passus sum (3, deponent): to suffer, undergo; endure; allow. Indī is the nominative plural form of Indus, Indī (2m): an Indian.
Why do you (sg.) look at me?
Quid (interrog. adv.): why? Mē is the accusative form of ego: I (me). is the second person singular form of intueor, intuērī, intuitus sum (2, deponent): to look at, gaze at, stare at.
They say you’re leaving for Cyprus.
More literally: They say you to be leaving (same as “to leave”) for Cyprus.
Tē is the accusative form of tū: you. Aiunt is the third person plural form of aiō (3, irreg. and defective): to say. Proficīscor, , profectus sum (3, deponent): to set out, depart, leave. Cyprum is the accusative singular form of Cyprus, Cyprī (2f): Cyprus (names of towns, cities, and small islands often go in the accusative without a preposition when motion toward them is meant).
Most litigants lie.
More literally: For most lie.
Plūrimī is the masculine nominative plural form of plūrimus/plūrima/plūrimum (1/2): very much, very many; most—the superlative form of multus/multa/multum (1/2): much, many. Enim (particle): for, indeed. is the third person plural form of mentior, mentīrī, mentītus sum (4, deponent): to lie.
He envies no one, admires no one, looks down on no one.
Invidet is the third person singular form of of invideō, invidēre, invīdī, invīsum (2): to envy; look maliciously at (the person envied goes in the dative). Nēminī is the dative form of nēmō, nēminis (3m): no one. Nēminem is the accusative form of the same. is the third person singular form of mīror, mīrārī, mīrātus sum (1, deponent): to be surprised (at), be astonished (at), wonder (at), marvel (at); admire. Dēspicit is the third person singular form of dēspiciō, dēspicere, dēspexī, dēspectum (3, –iō): to look down (at/on); look down on, despise, scorn, disdain.