Genitive of characteristic: "it belongs to…, it is the mark of…"

est with a genitive and an infinitive means "it is the mark (task, duty) of … to …": adversantis est … succensere "it is the mark of an opponent to be angry".

Examples

• adversantis est autem succensere et aversari 2.1and it is the mark of an opponent to be angry and to turn away
• Facultatis rationalis est, considerare, quam velociter evanescant omnia 2.12It is the task of the reasoning faculty to consider how quickly all things vanish
• ejusdem denique facultatis fuerit, considerare 2.12lastly, it would be the task of the same faculty to consider

In the text 63

• I.16 posse autem in altero tolerantem, in altero temperantem se praestare; illud vero vere viri est animo consummato invictoque plane praediti.viri est "it is (the mark) of a man": a genitive with esse says whose part or character something is. Do not confuse vero "indeed, but" with vere "truly".
• II.1 adversantis est autem succensere et aversari.Genitive of characteristic: adversantis est "it is (the mark) of one who opposes". Its subjects are the infinitives succensere et aversari; so anger and aversion are acts of opposing, which is against nature.
• II.10 recte igitur, nec indigne philosopho, pronunciavit, amplioris esse criminis, quod cum voluptate, quam quod cum dolore admittitur.A genitive after esse describes what kind of thing the subject is: 'to be of a greater offence', i.e. 'to be a graver fault'. amplioris (comparative of amplus 'large') agrees with criminis.
• II.12 Facultatis rationalis est, considerare, quam velociter evanescant omnia, in mundo corpora, in aevo eorundem etiam memoria:facultatis rationalis est is a genitive of characteristic: "it belongs to the rational faculty", "it is the work of reason". What belongs to it is the infinitive considerare, which is the subject of est: "to consider … is the task of reason".
• II.12 ejusdem denique facultatis fuerit, considerare, homo Deum quomodo, et qua sui parte contingat; quoque pacto habitura se sit pars ista, ubi corpore soluta fuerit.
• III.4 unde palam fiat extemplo, esse omnia apud te simplicia, benevolaque animalis sicut socialis, et cogitationes omnes neglectim habentis, quaecunque voluptatem aut luxum ullo modo respiciant;These genitives depend on esse: everything in you "is of a creature", i.e. is the mark of a creature, as in sapientis est "it is the mark of a wise man". The creature is described twice: sicut socialis "as being social", and habentis "holding" certain thoughts neglectim "in neglect". animal is neuter, so socialis and the participle habentis are neuter genitives too.
• III.5 sed nec sensus tuos exornet sermonis elegantia; nec dictionis multae fueris, nec negotii multi avidus.
• III.15 Nesciunt quam variae significationis sint vocabula ista, furari, serere, emere, quiescere, quid facto opus est videre, quod quidem non oculis corporeis, sed visu quodam aliusmodi efficitur.An indirect question after Nesciunt, so its verb sint is subjunctive. variae significationis is a genitive of quality used as predicate: literally "of how varied a meaning these words are", that is, how many senses they have.
• III.16 Corpus, anima, mens. corporis sensus sunt, animae affectus, mentis decreta.sunt is written once and understood twice. The genitives are predicates: corporis sensus sunt "sensations are of the body", that is, belong to it; so too animae (sunt) affectus, mentis (sunt) decreta. sensus and affectus are 4th-declension nominative plurals.
• III.16 Si caetera ergo eorum, qui jam dicti sunt, communia fuerint, restat, ut viri boni hoc sit peculiare, in eis quae officii sui esse videbuntur, mentis ductum sequi, et fatis volventibus casus vitae intextos lubenter amplexari;officii sui esse "to be of his duty", a genitive of characteristic: "to belong to his duty". videbuntur is future, "whatever will seem", in English "whatever seems".
• IV.3 hoc autem totum vulgarium cum primis est hominum. cum liceat, quocunque ipse volueris tempore, in teipsum secedere.est with a genitive means "is the mark of, belongs to": hoc … est hominum "this is typical of people". vulgarium cum primis "common among the first", i.e. ordinary in the highest degree: "of the most ordinary kind of people". cum primis "among the first" is a set phrase for "especially".
• IV.35 Dieculae fere unius sunt, et quod commemorat et quod commemoratur.Dieculae … unius "of one little day" is a genitive of description used as the predicate: "(they) are of one little day", i.e. they last about a day. diecula is a diminutive of dies (the ending -cula means "little"), and fere "about" softens the number.
• IV.47 Quemadmodum si Deorum quis praediceret tibi, aut cras, aut summum perendie, moriturum te, haud in magno poneres, nisi animi esses abjectissimi, perendie potius quam crastino mori.A genitive of quality: a noun with an adjective in the genitive describes what kind a person is. animi … abjectissimi "of a most abject spirit"; with esses: "unless you were a man of the meanest spirit". abjectissimi is the superlative of abjectus "cast down, mean". esses is imperfect subjunctive because it belongs to the unreal condition.
• IV.49 Non est infelix casus iste, sed fortiter ferre hoc felicitatis est.A genitive after est says what a thing belongs to: felicitatis est "is (a matter) of good fortune", i.e. is good fortune. Its subject is the infinitive phrase fortiter ferre hoc "to bear this bravely". The two halves answer the two exclamations above: the event is not infelix, the bearing of it is felicitas.
• V.1 tu autem, quae hominis sunt, facere recusas? et non properas potius ad id, quod naturae tuae convenit?esse with a genitive means "to belong to, be the business of": quae hominis sunt "the things which are a human being's", the work proper to man. Their antecedent, ea "those things", the object of facere, is left out, as often.
• V.6 est enim societatis legem colentis proprium hoc, ut sentiat se secundum legem illam agere; utque velit etiam, per Jovem, eum quocum sic agit, id persentiscere.proprium est + genitive "it is the mark of, it belongs to": proprium hoc est colentis "this is the mark of one who honours". colentis is a present participle used as a noun, "of (a man) honouring"; societatis legem "the law of society" is its object. hoc "this" points forward to the two ut clauses.
• V.15 Nihil horum hominis esse dicendum est, quod non ad hominem qua homo est, pertinet.
• V.15 tum siquid istorum ad hominem pertineret, hominis non esset ea despectui habere, eisque sese opponere. nec laude dignus haberetur, qui istis minus indigentem se praestiterit.hominis esse with an infinitive as its subject means "it is the part, the mark, of a man to …": "it would not be a man's part to hold them in contempt". despectui habere is a dative of purpose with habeo, "to have (something) for contempt", i.e. "to hold it in contempt" (despectus, 4th declension, dative -ui). sese opponere with the dative eis: "to set oneself against them".
• V.20 Alia quidem ratione nobis conjunctissimus est homo; quatenus officii est nostri juvare illos ac sustinere.officii nostri est "it is (a matter) of our duty", i.e. "it is our duty"; the genitive is a predicate, and the subject is the infinitives juvare … ac sustinere "to help and to bear with". illos "them" is plural though homo was singular: Marcus means men in general.
• V.29 cur hoc momenti alicujus esse videatur?momenti alicujus esse "to be of any weight" uses a genitive of value with esse; momentum is properly the weight that tips a scale. videatur is a deliberative subjunctive: "why should this seem …?" Leaving life is like leaving a smoky room: no great matter.
• VI.2 Pari loco habeas, frigore rigens, an calore fotus, quod est officii tui, feceris.esse with a genitive says what belongs to someone or something: quod est officii tui "what is of your duty", what your duty requires. feceris is a perfect subjunctive, the verb of the indirect question: "whether you have done your duty stiff with cold or warmed by heat". Only the doing counts; the conditions are indifferent.
• VI.16 Non est aestimatione multa dignum, aut perspirari, quod et plantarum est; aut respirare, quod et pecudum et belluarum est; aut a sensibus rerum imagines impressas admittere;esse with a genitive says whose property or mark a thing is: quod … plantarum est "which is (a thing) of plants", "which belongs to plants". et is "also": plants do it too, so it is nothing to be proud of. perspirari, passive, is "to be breathed through", the breathing through the pores that plants were thought to have. The same pattern follows: quod et pecudum et belluarum est "which belongs to cattle and wild beasts too".
• VI.22 Ego, quod mei est officii, exequor.A genitive used as a predicate with esse says what something belongs to: quod mei est officii "what is of my duty", that is, what belongs to my duty. The relative clause has no antecedent and is itself the object of exequor: "I carry out what …". Ego is put first: I, for my part. exequor is Gataker's spelling of exsequor "carry out".
• VI.33 Nullus est pedi aut manui praeter naturam labor, dum pes quod pedis est, manus, id quod manus est, faciat.A genitive with est means "it belongs to, it is the job of": quod pedis est "what is a foot's". Watch the two manus: the first is nominative, "the hand", subject of faciat; the second is genitive, manūs "of a hand".
• VI.33 pari modo nec homini qua homo est, labor ullus est praeter naturam, dum id quod hominis est, faciat.The same genitive as in the first sentence: "what belongs to a man", a man's proper work.
• VI.41 at si ea sola, quae arbitrii sunt nostri, bona malaque censuerimus, nulla jam supererit amplius caussa, aut Deum incusandi, aut inimicitias adversus hominem quenquam gerendi.arbitrii … nostri is a predicate genitive: "which are of our choice", i.e. "which belong to us, are in our power". censeo "judge, rate" takes two accusatives: ea sola … bona malaque "only those things (to be) good and bad". censuerimus is future perfect, matching the future supererit. This is the other condition of the section: if good and evil lie only in what we control, no loss can be blamed on anyone.
• VII.7 hoc est enim tibi propositum, ut quod est muneris tui facias, quomodo militi in dimicatione murali.muneris tui is a predicate genitive: quod est muneris tui "what is of your office", i.e. "what belongs to your duty". munus "duty, post" is also a soldier's post, which leads into the comparison.
• VII.22 Hominis est, etiam eos qui offendunt diligere.hominis est with an infinitive means "it is the mark of a man, it belongs to a man" to do something. This is the genitive of characteristic: it names the one to whom the conduct properly belongs, and the infinitive diligere is the subject of est. So sapientis est "it is the part of a wise man".
• VII.44 Parum recte censes, mi homo, si hominem, qui vel ullius sit usus, existimas mortis vitaeque discrimen in numero aliquo habiturum;
• VII.44 nec hoc duntaxat consideraturum, id quod agit, justum an injustum, hominisque probi an improbi sit.A genitive with esse means "to belong to, be the mark of": "whether it is (the act) of a good man or of a bad one". sit is Gataker's reading (1652), the subjunctive of esse that closes the question; the later reprints misread its long s (ſ) and print fit, or lose the word.
• VII.49 ejusdem enim generis omnino futura sunt; nec possunt eorum quae nunc fiunt modulum transgredi.ejusdem generis 'of the same kind' is a genitive of description used as the predicate. futura sunt is the future participle with sum, 'they are going to be, they will be'; its subject is the things to come of the last sentence.
• VII.55 est enim hoc motus rationalis et intellectualis proprium, circumscribere semet, et nec sensus nec affectus motibus unquam superari: animalis enim uterque est.proprium with a genitive is 'the property of, the mark of': hoc … motus rationalis … proprium est 'this is the mark of the rational movement'. hoc 'this' points ahead to the two infinitives that say what the mark is.
• VII.67 Non ita commisit natura compagem tui, ut tibi nequeas terminos figere, et quae tui sunt muneris per te exequi.This tui is a different word: the genitive of the possessive tuus, agreeing with muneris. esse with a genitive says what belongs to someone: quae tui sunt muneris "the things which are of your office", your own task. The antecedent of quae is left out, and the clause is the object of exequi "to carry out" (deponent; Gataker's spelling of exsequi); per te "through yourself" is "by your own means", needing nothing from outside.
• VIII.5 quod autem hominis a te natura exigit, hoc constanter facito, quodque justissimum videbitur, loquitor; placide duntaxat, modeste, citraque dissimulationem.
• VIII.17 Si tui istud est arbitrii, cur facis?tui … arbitrii is a predicate genitive, "of your own choice": the thing belongs to your will, that is, it lies in your power. tui is the adjective tuus, split from arbitrii by istud est. istud is whatever you find fault with: if it is up to you, you need not do it.
• VIII.17 sin alterius, quem incusas? atomos, an Deos? insani utrumque est.insani is a predicate genitive, "(the part) of a madman": "either is a madman's act". utrumque "each of the two" is the subject. Atoms cannot help what they do, and the gods do nothing wrong, so to blame either is senseless.
• VIII.21 brevis autem est vitae et qui celebrat, et qui celebratur; et qui commemorat pariter, et qui commemoratur.brevis … vitae is a genitive of description used as the predicate: "(he) is of short life", that is, short-lived. brevis is genitive singular here, agreeing with vitae, though it looks like a nominative. The subjects come after the verb.
• VIII.25 hujusmodi sunt omnia.hujusmodi = hujus modi "of this kind", an indeclinable genitive of description used as the predicate: "all things are of this kind", each carried out in its turn.
• VIII.46 Nihil homini cuiquam contingere potest, quod non humanus sit casus; nec bovi, quod non bovis sit; nec viti, quod non vitis sit, nec lapidi, quod non lapidis ipsius sit.The frame repeats with contingere potest understood. bovis sit "is of an ox", a genitive of characteristic: "belongs to an ox, is proper to an ox". bos, bovis "ox"; then vitis "vine" and lapis "stone", down the scale of things. Each meets only what its own nature allows.
• VIII.56 alioqui vicini mei malitia malum me faceret: id quod Deo non est visum, ne alieni arbitrii esset miserum me facere.A purpose clause with ne "so that … not"; esset is imperfect subjunctive because est visum is a past tense. The subject of esset is the infinitive phrase miserum me facere "to make me wretched", and alieni arbitrii is a predicate genitive: "should be a matter of another's will", "should rest with someone else".
• IX.3 hominis est igitur considerati, nec temerarie, nec impetuose, nec fastuose adversus mortem se gerere: sed tanquam opus naturale, eam praestolari,est with a genitive means "it is the mark of, it belongs to": hominis est considerati "it is (the part) of a thoughtful man". What is his part are the infinitives that follow, se gerere and praestolari, which are the subject of est. considerati agrees with hominis, with est igitur set between them.
• IX.42 ecquid autem mali aut insueti fit, si ineruditus, quae ineruditi sunt, fecerit?esse with a genitive says what belongs to someone or is typical of him: quae ineruditi sunt "the things which are an uneducated man's", what such a man does. ineruditi is genitive singular, not nominative plural. fecerit is a future perfect, "if he has done": Latin uses it for a deed done before the moment in view, where English uses the perfect or the present.
• X.3 memineris tamen, natura esse comparatum te, ad quidlibet ferendum, quod in opinione tua situm est, ut tolerabile faciat, vel conducere tibi, vel officii esse, ut illud facias, censendo.censendo "by judging" is the gerund in the ablative of means, and it governs an accusative and infinitive whose subject is the clause ut illud facias "that you do it": "(your doing it) either benefits you or is a matter of duty". officii esse "to be of duty" is the genitive of characteristic: "to belong to one's duty".
• X.8 etenim talis persistere, qualis hactenus fueris, et in vita istiusmodi foede volutari ac discerpi, hominis est sensus expertis plane vitaeque nimis avidi,Three infinitives are the subject of est: "to go on being such …, and to be rolled about and torn …". hominis est with a genitive is "it is (the mark) of a man", and the adjectives that follow, expertis and avidi, agree with hominis. talis is nominative because Marcus has "you" in mind as the one who goes on; fueris is subjunctive inside that thought.
• X.8 meminisse et, ficum esse quae ea quae ficus sunt facit; canem, quae canis; apem, quae apis; et hominem pariter, qui quae hominis."(Remember) that a fig tree is that which does those things which are a fig tree's": a thing is what it is by doing its own work. ficus here is genitive, fourth declension ficūs, not nominative: quae ficus sunt "which are the fig tree's, which belong to it". The first quae (feminine singular) refers to ficum; the second (neuter plural) to ea.
• X.27 ejusdem plane modi fuerunt omnia illa, nisi quod per alios agebantur.ejusdem modi "of the same kind" is a genitive of description used as the predicate. nisi quod "except that" brings in the only difference. per alios agebantur "they were acted through others": ago is the word for playing a part, and per names the actors through whom the play is put on. Only the cast changes.
• X.33 reliqua enim obstacula, vel sunt corporis, quod cadaveris instar habet, vel opinione, et rationis inclinatione semota, non infringunt, aut mali quicquam efficiunt. alioqui ea qui patitur, malus fieret.sunt corporis "are of the body", belong to it: a predicate genitive. cadaveris instar habet "has the likeness of a corpse", "is no better than a corpse"; instar is an indeclinable noun with the genitive. Obstacles of this kind touch only the body.
• X.35 Sani est oculi, cernere visibilia quaevis, nec dicere, Viridia velim.est with a genitive means "it is the mark of, it belongs to": sani est oculi "it is (the part) of a healthy eye". What belongs to it is the infinitive cernere "to see", which is the subject of est. The whole section is built on this pattern. visibilia quaevis "any visible things whatever" is a neuter plural used as a noun.
• X.35 hoc etenim lippientis est.Again est with the genitive: "this is (the mark) of someone with sore eyes". lippiens, the present participle of lippio "have inflamed eyes", is used as a noun.
• X.35 sed et auditus ac olfactus est sani, ad sonos odoresve quosvis percipiendos promptum esse.auditus "hearing" and olfactus "smell" are fourth-declension nouns; here they are genitive singular (ending -ūs), not nominative, as sani shows: "it is (the mark) of a healthy hearing and smell". sed et means "and also".
• X.35 et stomachi valentis, adversus edulia quaevis pariter se habere; sicut molam ad omnia, ad quae molenda condita est.
• X.35 pari igitur ratione et mentis est sanae, ad obvenientia quaeque idoneam esse.
• XI.1 propria sunt animae rationalis et ista; proximos diligere, veracem, verecundam esse, nihil sibi praeferre, quod et legis est proprium.proprius "one's own, peculiar to" takes a genitive: propria animae rationalis "proper to the rational soul". ista "these things" is the subject, and the infinitives after the semicolon say what they are.
• XI.9 etenim tam hoc imbecillis est animi, succensere istis, quam ab actione desistere, et consternatum succumbere.imbecillis animi est "it is of a weak mind", i.e. "it is the mark of a weak mind": a genitive with esse says whose character a thing shows. imbecillis is the genitive of imbecillis, -e, a by-form of imbecillus. tam … quam "as much … as" sets the two failings side by side.
• XI.18 quemadmodum autem tristitia, sic et ira, imbecillis est animi. utraque enim vulnus accepit, et succubuit.A genitive of characteristic: est with a genitive means "belongs to, is the mark of": "is (the mark) of a weak mind". imbecillis is genitive, agreeing with animi. With tristitia supply the same words: "as grief (is the mark of a weak mind)".
• XI.18 velle, improbi ne peccent, insaniae est. id enim quod fieri non potest, appetit.The infinitive velle is the subject: "to wish …". volo can take ne with the subjunctive, "wish that … not"; improbi, the subject of peccent, is drawn forward in front of ne for emphasis. insaniae est is a genitive of characteristic, "is (the mark) of madness", that is, "is madness".
• XI.33 Insani est, ficum hyeme quaerere.est with a genitive means "it is the mark of": insani est "it belongs to a madman". The infinitive quaerere is the subject: to look for a fig in winter. hyeme "in winter" is an ablative of time, from hyems, Gataker's spelling of hiems. The saying and the next two sections come from Epictetus, Discourses 3.24.
• XI.34 mali ominis nihil est, quod munus naturale ullum designat.mali ominis is a genitive of description used as a predicate: "nothing is of evil omen". That is Epictetus' answer: a word that names any munus naturale, a work of nature such as dying, cannot bring bad luck. ullum "any" goes with munus.
• XI.37 et appetitu quidem abstinendum prorsus; aversationem vero in re nulla adhibendam, quae nostri juris non sit.adhibendam "(must) be applied" has esse understood, as abstinendum has. aversatio "aversion", the turning away from a thing, is the opposite of desire. nostri juris esse "to be of our right" means "to be in our power", Gataker's rendering of the Stoic phrase "up to us". Shun only what is in your power, such as your own wrongdoing; to shun anything else is to shun what you may be unable to escape. sit is subjunctive because the clause belongs to the reported advice.
• XII.3 et quaecunque ipse aliquando dixeris fecerisque; et quaecunque te tanquam futura conturbant, et quaecunque vel circundati tibi corpusculi, vel huic coalitae animulae, arbitrii tui non sunt;The two genitives say whose the things are: "whatever (belongs) either to the little body put round you or to the little breath grown together with it"; circundati is Gataker's spelling of circumdati, from circumdare "to put round". huic "with this" is dative with coalitae and means the body. arbitrii tui non sunt "are not of your choosing" is a genitive in the predicate: not in your power. These are the two parts that are yours only on trust.
• XII.23 proinde vitae cessatio non est malum cuiquam, quia nec inhonestum: siquidem nec optionis sit nostrae, nec communitatis legibus adversetur.optionis sit nostrae "it is (a matter) of our choice" is a genitive with esse: we do not choose the end of our life, so it cannot be a fault of ours. adversor "set oneself against" is a deponent and takes the dative legibus. siquidem "if indeed, seeing that" renders the Greek eiper; Gataker puts both verbs in the subjunctive, keeping the "if" in it: "if indeed it is neither …".
• XII.24 ejusdem enim generis sunt omnia, et aevi brevis.Two genitives of description with sunt: "all things are of the same kind, and of short duration". A noun in the genitive with an adjective can say what something is like, much as in English "of the same kind". They render two Greek words, "alike in kind" and "short-lived".
• XII.33 reliqua, sive arbitrii tui sint, sive non sint, cadavera sunt et fumus.arbitrii tui sint "they belong to your choice": a genitive of possession used as the predicate, meaning "they are in your power". sive … sive "whether … or".