Magna
res
est. —
Seneca, Epistles
30.4
It is a great thing.
(In other words, it’s important; he’s talking about dying calmly.) Magnus/ magna /magnum (1/2): great, large; important. Rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Est: it is.
Day follows night.
Noctem is the accusative singular form of nox, noctis (3f): night. Diēs, diēī (5 m/f): day. Sequitur is the third person singular form of sequor, sequī, secūtus sum (3, deponent): to follow.
The common people do the same.
Idem is the neuter accusative singular form of īdem/eadem/idem (pron.): the same. Plēbēs, plēbēī (5f): plebeians, common people. Facit is the third person singular form of faciō, facere, fēcī, factum (3, –iō): to do; make.
E
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Where is your faith?
Ubi (interrog. adv.): where? Est: is. Fidēs, fideī (5f): faith. Vester/ vestra /vestrum (1/2): your, yours (pl.).
Man is a species, as Aristotle says.
Homō, hominis (3m): man, human. Speciēs, speciēī (5f): external appearance; type, kind, species. Est: is. Ut (rel. adv.): as. Aristotelēs, Aristotelis (3m): Aristotle. Ait is the third person singular form of aiō (3, defective): to say (ait = he/she says or said).
E
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They came a day’s journey.
Vēnērunt is the third person plural perfect form of veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventum (4): to come. Iter is the accusative singular form of iter, itineris (3n): journey; route (an accusative of extent of space). Diēs, diēī (5 m/f): day.
What hope have you?
More literally: What of hope do you have?
Quid is the neuter accusative form of quis/quis/quid (interrog. pron.): who? what? Habēs is the second person singular form of habeō, habēre, habuī, habitum (2): to have. Spēs, speī (5f): hope.
Is this a resolution of the people?
Hic/haec/ hoc (pron.): this; he, she, it. Plēbēs, plēbēī (5f): plebeians, common people. Scītum, scītī (2n): resolution. Est: is.
It was agreeable to the masses.
More literally: A thing pleasing to the people. Or: The thing (was) pleasing to the people.
Iūcundus/ iūcunda /iūcundum (1/2): pleasing. Rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Plēbēī is the dative singular form of plēbēs, plēbēī (5f): plebeians, common people.
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Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Sufficit is the third person singular form of sufficiō, sufficere, suffēcī, suffectum (3, –iō): to be sufficient. Diēī is the dative singular form of diēs, diēī (5 m/f): day. Malitia, malitiae (1f): badness, wickedness. Suus/ sua /suum (1/2): its (own).
I was giving myself over to such a noble hope.
Alt. : I was surrendering myself to this mighty hope.
Dabam is the first person singular imperfect form of dō, dare, dedī, datum (1, irreg.): to give. Mē is the accusative form of ego. Speī is the dative singular form of spēs, speī (5f): hope. Tantae is the feminine dative singular form of tantus/tanta/tantum (1/2): so great, so much, of such size.
Between hope and fear.
Inter (prep.): between; among (takes the accusative). Spem is the accusative singular form of spēs, speī (5f): hope; expectation. Et (conj.): and. Metum is the accusative singular form of metus, metūs (4m): fear.
Faith creates faith.
Fidēs, fideī (5f): faith; trust. Facit is the third person singular form of faciō, facere, fēcī, factum (3, –iō): to do; make. Fidem is the accusative singular form of fidēs, fideī (5f): faith; trust.
Seize the day.
(. . . trusting as little as possible in tomorrow.) Carpe is the singular imperative form of carpō, carpere, carpsī, carptum (3): to pluck, seize. Diem is the accusative singular form of diēs, diēī (5 m/f): day.
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Thou shalt not be able to see my face.
Nōn: not. Poteris is the second person singular future form of possum, posse, potuī, — (irreg.): to be able, can. Videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsum (2): to see. Faciem is the accusative singular form of faciēs, faciēī (5f): face. Meam is the feminine accusative singular form of meus/mea/meum (1/2): my, mine.
At first appearance.
(A party states a “prima facie” case by saying enough to establish a good claim if nothing is said to the contrary. The expression existed in classical Latin with the general meaning at first sight.) Prīmā is the feminine ablative singular form of prīmus/prīma/prīmum (1/2): first. Faciē is the ablative singular form of faciēs, faciēī (5f): face; appearance.
On Greek credit.
(That is, for cash down. The adage was coined at a time when Greeks were considered untrustworthy; transactions were conducted “on Greek credit” when they were carried out with cash, not promises (i.e., not on credit). Adapted from Plautus, The Comedy of Asses 199.) Graecā is the feminine ablative singular form of Graecus/Graeca/Graecum (1/2): Greek. Fidē is the ablative singular form of fidēs, fideī (5f): faith; credit.
On the razor’s edge.
In (prep.): (with abl.) in, on; (with acc.) into. Aciē is the ablative singular form of aciēs, aciēī (5f): sharp edge. Novācula, novāculae (1f): razor.
With neither hope nor fear.
(Also the motto of the Italian painter Caravaggio (c. 1600).) Neque/ nec (conj.): and not, nor; (adv.): not; neither, not either, not even (nec. . . nec: neither. . . nor). Spē is the ablative singular form of spēs, speī (5f): hope. Neque/ nec (conj.): nor. Metū is the ablative singular form of metus, metūs (4m): fear.
I will say a few words for my case.
Alt. : For this I will speak a few things.
(It could also be interpreted as I will say few things in comparision with the magnitude of the affair.) Prō (prep.): in front of, before; for, on behalf of; about (takes the ablative). Rē is the ablative singular form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Pauca is the neuter accusative plural form of paucus/pauca/paucum (1/2): (in sg. , rare) little; (in pl. , the more frequent usage) few. Loquar is the first person singular future form of loquor, loquī, locūtus sum (3, deponent): to speak.
Things deceive us.
Rēs is the nominative plural form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Fallunt is the third person plural form of fallō, fallere, fefellī, falsum (3): to deceive; disappoint.
“Yes,” he said, “for the days are getting longer.”
(Cicero’s reply to someone who bragged that he was walking more miles each day than he used to.) Diēs is the nominative plural form of diēs, diēī (5m/f): day. Enim (particle): for; indeed. Inquit is the third person singular form of inquam (irreg. and defective): to say (inquit = he/she/it says or said). Longiōrēs is the m/f nominative plural form of longior/longior/longius (3) is the comparative form of longus/longa/longum (1/2): long. Sunt: are.
There are a thousand different shapes of the multiform evil.
Alt. : There are a thousand other varieties of this polymorphous evil.
Mīlle (indecl.): a thousand. Aliae is the feminine nominative plural form of alius/alia/aliud (1/2): other, another; different. Speciēs is the nominative plural form of speciēs, speciēī (5f): external appearance; type, kind. Sunt: there are. Malum, malī (2n): evil; trouble, misfortune; misdeed; disease. Multiplex, multiplicis (3, adj.): manifold, various, having many windings.
(What then is good?) The knowledge of things.
Rērum is the genitive plural form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Scientia, scientiae (1f): knowledge.
Three days’rations.
(To refer to a minimal supply, just enough to cover immediate needs; the expression is derived from the food that soldiers carry.) Trium is the m/f/n genitive plural form of trēs/trēs/tria (3): three. Diērum is the genitive plural form of diēs, diēī (5m/f): day. Commeātus, commeātūs (4m): passage; convoy; provisions. (When the phrase appears alone, there’s no particular reason why commeatum should be accusative rather than nominative; but the adage was adapted from settings in which someone received the rations—thus making the rations the object of a verb, and therefore accusative.)
Unhappy fellow, you are a slave to men, you are a slave to your business, you are a slave to life.
Īnfēlīx is the masculine vocative singular form of īnfēlīx, īnfēlīcis (3, adj.): unhappy, unfortunate, unlucky. Servīs is the second person singular form of serviō, servīre, servīvī/serviī, servītum (4): to serve; be a slave. Hominibus is the dative plural form of homō, hominis (3m): human, person. Rēbus is the dative plural form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair; property. Vītae is the dative singular form of vīta, vītae (1f): life.
They are assigned to days, not nights.
(He’s talking about Roman religious ceremonies performed at night; this is how we know that Romans counted days from midnight to midnight.) Diēbus is the dative plural form of diēs, diēī (5m/f): day. Addīcuntur is the third person plural passive form of addīcō, addīcere, addīxī, addictum (3): to assign, adjudge, award; give over; sell. Nōn: not. Noctibus is the dative plural form of nox, noctis (3f): night.
Say farewell to all other interests.
More literally: Deny yourself to all other things.
(Other than philosophy.) Omnibus is the m/f/n dative plural form of omnis/omnis/omne (3): every; all. Aliīs is the m/f/n dative plural form of alius/alia/aliud (1/2, irreg.): other, another. Rēbus is the dative plural form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Tē is the accusative form of tū: you. Negā is the singular imperative form of negō, negāre, negāvī, negātum (1): to deny; refuse.
Into the middle of things.
(An approach to narrative: the audience joins the story already in progress.) In (prep.): into (this meaning takes the accusative). Mediās is the feminine accusative plural form of medius/media/medium (1/2): middle (this is used as an adjective where in English we would use the noun middle with of; so the idiomatic translation isn’t into middle things but into the middle of things). Rēs is the accusative plural form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair.
Review the days of your life.
Recēnsē is the singular imperative form of recēnseō, recēnsēre, recēnsuī, recēnsum (2): to count; review. Vīta, vītae (1f): life. Tuae is the feminine genitive singular form of tuus/tua/tuum (1/2): your, yours. Diēs is the accusative plural form of diēs, diēī (5m/f): day.
You have endured so many fights, so many wounds.
Tot (indeclinable adj.): so many. Aciēs is the accusative plural form of aciēs, aciēī (5f): sharp edge; line of battle; battle. Sustinuistī is the second person singular perfect form of sustineō, sustinēre, sustinuī, sustentum (2): to support; withstand, endure. Vulnera is the accusative plural form of vulnus, vulneris (3n): wound.
Again, into what species do I divide “animals”?
Rūrsus (adv.): backward; on the contrary; again. Animālia is the accusative plural form of animal, animālis (3n): animal. In (prep.): into (this meaning takes the accusative). Quās is the feminine accusative plural form of quī/quae/quod (interrog. adj.): which. . . ? what. . . ? Speciēs is the accusative plural form of speciēs, speciēī (5f): external appearance; type, kind, species. Secō, secāre, secuī, sectum (1): to cut, amputate; divide.
Prove your words by your deeds.
Verba is the accusative plural form of verbum, verbī (2n): word. Rēbus is the ablative plural form of rēs, reī (5f): thing; matter, affair. Probā is the singular imperative form of probō, probāre, probāvī, probātum (1): to approve; test; prove.
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You shall wait for seven days.
Septem: seven (indeclinable). Diēbus is the ablative plural form of diēs, diēī (5m/f): day. Expectābis is the second person singular future form of expectō, expectāre, expectāvī, expectātum (1—also exspectō): to wait (for); expect; look forward to (in classical (earlier) Latin, the idea expressed here—time during which—would usually be expressed with the accusative of duration rather than the ablative form of the noun).
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I have made thy face stronger than their faces.
Dō, dare, dedī, datum (1, irreg.): to give; (in Biblical usage, under the influence of Hebrew) make (something so and so). Faciem is the accusative singular form of faciēs, faciēī (5f): face. Tuam is the feminine accusative singular form of tuus/tua/tuum (1/2): your, yours. Valentiōrem is the m/f accusative singular form of valentior/valentior/valentius (3) is the comparative form of valēns, valentis (3, adj.): strong (originally the present active participle of valeō, valēre, valuī, valitum (2): to be in good health, be well; be strong). Faciēbus is the ablative plural form of faciēs, faciēī (5f): face. Eōrum is the m/n genitive plural form of is/ea/id (pron.): he, she, it; this, that. (Faciēbus is an ablative of comparison, meaning than. . . faces.)