They press, they stay, 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; 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.
You (sg.) promise more than is asked?
Plūs is the accusative singular form of plūs, plūris (3n): 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 ask; seek; pursue; attack.
You (pl.) endeavor to make the uncertain disprove the certain.
More literally: You endeavor to destroy the clear with the doubtful.
Dubiīs is the m/f/n (here n) ablative plural form of dubius/dubia/dubium (1/2): uncertain, doubtful. Perspicua is the neuter accusative plural form of perspicuus/perspicua/perspicuum (1/2): clear, evident. 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, do away with; destroy.
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. 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. 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; will, intention. Mala is the neuter accusative plural form 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 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) is 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): more numerous, more (in number); 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 (sg.) wonder?
Alt. : Why do you 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; 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; will, intention. Malō is the ablative singular form of malum, malī (2n): evil; trouble, misfortune; misdeed; disease. is the third person singular form of orior, orīrī, ortus sum (3, –ior/4, deponent): to rise; appear; 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; circumstance. 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; 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.) is the comparative form of simpliciter (adv.): simply, directly. Longē (adv.): a long way off, far off, at or from a distance. Posita is the neuter accusative plural form 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.): also, too, as well; even, still. Ars, artis (3f): art, skill. 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 (in the physical sense); (with ablative) on, over (figuratively), 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.
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.
All use it lavishly as if it cost nothing.
More literally: They use it rather loosely as if (it were) free.
(He’s talking about time: tempus, temporis (3n).) is the third person plural form of ūtor, ūtī, ūsus sum (3, deponent): to use, manage, enjoy (usually takes an ablative object). Illō is the m/n ablative singular form of ille/illa/illud (pron.): that; he, she it. Laxius (adv.) is the comparative form of laxē (adv.): loosely. Quasi (conj.): as if. Grātuītō is the m/n ablative singular form of grātuītus/grātuīta/grātuītum (1/2): free, costing nothing.
Why do you (sg.) look at me?
Quid (interrog. adv.): why? Mē is the accusative form of ego. is the second person singular form of intueor, intuērī, intuitus sum (2, deponent): to look at, gaze at, stare at.
They do not know how to die.
Morior, , mortuus sum (3, –ior, deponent): to die. # to die% Nesciunt is the third person plural form of nesciō, nescīre, nescīvī/nesciī, nescītum (4): to not know; not know how to.
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 suspects nothing.
Nihil (n, indeclinable, nom. or acc. only—here acc.): nothing. is the third person singular form of suspicor, suspicārī, suspicātus sum (1, deponent): to suspect.
You are measuring the pedestal along with the man.
More literally: You (sg.) measure him with his pedestal.
(That’s why he seems great to you.) Cum (prep.): with (takes the ablative). Basī is the ablative singular form of basis, basis (3f): pedestal. Illum is the masculine accusative singular form of ille/illa/illud (pron.): that; he, she, it; the former. Suā is the feminine ablative singular form of suus/sua/suum (1/2). is the second person singular form of mētior, mētīrī, mēnsus sum (4, deponent): to measure.