Impersonal verbs and phrases (oportet, decet, constat, attinet, detur)

Impersonal verbs have only an "it" form and an infinitive; their real subject is an infinitive or a clause: oportet, decet, constat, attinet, interest, and passives like detur.

Examples

• prosperam ac divinam propemodum vitam degere detur 2.5it is granted to live a prosperous and almost divine life
• Horum meminisse semper oportet 2.9One must always remember these things
• quid attinet tandem vivere in mundo vel Deorum vel providentiae inani? 2.11what is the point, after all, of living in a world empty of gods or of providence?
• id quod amittitur, momentaneum tantum esse constat 2.14it is clear that what is lost is only momentary

In the text 164

• I.8 adhaec, quod in ipso, tanquam in exemplari vivo, evidenter cernere licuit, posse eundem, prout occasiones se dabant, et vehementissimum et remissum esse.
• I.8 ab isto didici, et quo modo beneficia, quae dicuntur, ab amicis accipere oporteret, ut nec acceptis obnoxius fierem, nec citra sensum tamen omnem transmitterem.
• I.16 quod amicis vel coenandi secum, vel abstinendi optionem liberam permittebat, nec peregre euntem comitari, nisi ipsis allubesceret, necesse erat:allubescit "it takes one's fancy" is impersonal, with the dative of the person: "unless it pleased them". The subjunctive is used for a condition that came round again and again, each time he travelled.
• I.17 quod principi patrique eidem subditus fuerim, qui me a fastu omni alienum redderet; fidemque faceret, posse in aula ita degi, ut nec satellitio, nec vestitu insigniore, nec funalibus statuisque istiusmodi, atque apparatu consimili opus sit:
• I.17 ut, quantum ad Deos attinet, ac suggestiones, adjutationes, inspirationes ab ipsis profectas, nihil obstet omnino, quo minus juxta naturae praescriptum confestim vivam, nisi ipse tandem in culpa sim, qui Deorum submonitiones, et tantum non claras praeceptiones neutiquam observem.
• I.17 quod cum Rustico saepe succenserem nihil ultra admiserim, cujus poenitere me posset.poenitet (classical paenitet) is impersonal: me poenitet alicujus rei 'it makes me sorry for something', 'I regret something', with the accusative of the person (me) and the genitive of the thing (cujus). Here it depends on posset: 'of which it could make me sorry', 'that I might have regretted'. The subjunctive marks a relative clause of characteristic: 'nothing of a kind to regret'.
• I.17 quod, quotiescunque animus fuit pauperi alicui, aut alias indigo, opem ferre, nunquam responsum est, non suppetere nummos mihi, unde id fieret:
• II.4 tandem advertas oportet, cujusnam mundi pars sis, et cujusnam mundi rectoris propago.
• II.5 Cura haec jugiter incumbat tibi, ut quicquid in manibus est, strenue peragas, prout Romanum, virumque decet, cum exquisita, nec accersita tamen, gravitate, humanitate, libertate, justitia:decet 'it befits' is impersonal and takes an accusative of the person: 'as befits a Roman and a man'.
• II.5 Vides, quam pauca sint, quae siquis tenuerit, prosperam ac divinam propemodum vitam degere detur. siquidem et dii ipsi nihil amplius exigent ab eo, ista qui observaverit.detur 'it is granted' is impersonal; the infinitive degere is its subject: 'to live … is granted'. The person it is granted to, the siquis, is understood.
• II.8 caeterum qui animorum suorum motus non attendunt, hi vero infeliciter agant, necesse est.
• II.9 Horum meminisse semper oportet: quae universi, quae tua natura sit; quomodo haec ad illam affecta, qualisque pars qualis universi existat:
• II.11 Ita quaeque facias cogitesque oportet, ut qui confestim e vita hac possis discedere.oportet 'it is necessary' can take a plain subjunctive without ut: 'it is necessary that you do and think', i.e. 'you must do and think'.
• II.11 si vero, vel nulli sunt, vel nullam rerum humanarum curam gerunt, quid attinet tandem vivere in mundo vel Deorum, vel providentiae inani?quid attinet? 'what does it matter? what is the use?' is impersonal, and the infinitive vivere is its subject: 'what is the use of living …?' tandem in a question adds impatience: 'after all, pray'.
• II.14 eademque ratione id quod amittitur, momentaneum tantum esse constat.constat "it is agreed, it is evident" is impersonal and takes an accusative and infinitive: id … momentaneum tantum esse "that what is lost is only momentary". The accusative subject is id, with its relative clause quod amittitur.
• II.14 horum itaque duorum meminisse oportebit: alterius nimirum, quod omnia ab aeterno consimilia fuerint, et in orbem ferantur:oportebit "it will be necessary" is impersonal, with the infinitive meminisse as its subject. memini takes a genitive here, horum duorum "these two things", which are then given one by one: alterius … quod … "the one, that …", and later alterius vero, quod … "the other, that …".
• III.1 sed et illud reputandum, quod, si quis diutius vitam protraxerit, incertum sit, utrum mentis vires pariter idoneas sit habiturus ad rerum intelligentiam, et ad contemplationem eam quae ad rerum divinarum humanarumque peritiam contendit.
• III.1 Festinandum itaque, non hac sola ratione, quia mortem propius per momenta singula acceditur, sed hac insuper, quia rerum cogitatus et intellectus ante mortem nos saepenumero destituit.acceditur is passive, though accedo "come near" has no object: an impersonal passive, "there is an approaching", naming no one. It means "one comes nearer, we draw nearer". propius "nearer", the comparative of prope, takes an accusative like a preposition: mortem propius "nearer to death". per momenta singula "through each single moment", i.e. moment by moment.
• III.4 oportet itaque in cogitationum serie frustraneum et superfluum omne declinare: curiosum autem et malignum multo magis.oportet "it is necessary" is impersonal: its subject is the infinitive declinare "to avoid", and the person who must do it, "you", is understood.
• III.4 aut aemulationem etiam, aut invidentiam et suspicionem, aut aliud quidlibet, de quo proloqui pudeat, hoc te vel illud in animo habuisse.pudet "it shames" is impersonal; the person ashamed ("you") is understood, and what would bring shame is the infinitive proloqui "to declare openly". What you would declare is an accusative and infinitive: hoc te vel illud in animo habuisse "that you had this or that in mind". The subjunctive pudeat means "would shame": the clause describes the kind of thought meant.
• III.5 porro vultus adsit hilaris; animusque ita comparatus, ut nec externo aliquo indigeas ministerio, nec tranquillitate ea, quam ab aliis suppeditari necesse sit.
• III.5 rectum denique, non surrectum ac suffultum esse oportet.oportet "it is right, one must" takes an infinitive with an accusative subject. Here the subject ("you", "a man") is left out, but the predicates rectum, surrectum and suffultum show it by their accusative: "(a man) must be upright, not held upright and propped up".
• III.6 bono siquidem rationali et publicum spectante nihil extraneum exadversum consistere fas est; vulgi, puta, existimationem, principatus, divitias, aut vitam voluptuariam.fas est "it is right (by divine law), it is permitted" takes an accusative and infinitive: nihil extraneum … consistere "that anything foreign take its stand". exadversum (printed ex-adversum) "opposite, face to face" is an adverb, here with the dative bono: "against the good". With nihil the sense is "it is not right that anything …".
• III.7 quin nec tantillum interesse censebit, spatio temporis prolixiore an contractiore anima sua corpore inclusa utatur.quin at the head of a clause means "indeed, nay more". interest "it makes a difference" is impersonal, here an infinitive after censebit "he will think"; nec tantillum "not the slightest bit" is an adverbial accusative.
• III.11 quamnam, hominem quod attinet, qui civem agit civitatis supernae illius, cujus reliquae civitates istae quasi familiae existunt;
• III.14 ad finem itaque festina, et spes vanas mittens, si rationem tui ullam habes, tibi consule; quod licet.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal. quod licet "which is allowed" refers to the whole command: look after yourself, as you still may. The Greek says "while it is possible".
• 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;
• IV.3 hoc autem totum vulgarium cum primis est hominum. cum liceat, quocunque ipse volueris tempore, in teipsum secedere.
• IV.3 reduc tibi in memoriam disjunctivum illud, aut numinis providentia, aut atomorum concursu constant universa: vel ea etiam argumenta, quibus liquido demonstratur, mundum istum civitatis instar obtinere.
• IV.3 quibus adjicias licet et, quae de dolore ac voluptate audieris aliquando, et assensu tuo comprobaveris.
• IV.5 ex eisdem elementis concretio illic, in quae istic resolutio. nihil omnino, cujus quenquam pudeat:pudet "it shames" is impersonal: the person ashamed is in the accusative (quenquam "anyone"), the cause of the shame in the genitive (cujus "of which"). So nihil cujus quenquam pudeat is "nothing of which it should shame anyone", i.e. "nothing anyone should be ashamed of"; supply est. The subjunctive describes the kind of thing: "such as to shame anyone".
• IV.6 Ab ejusmodi hominibus fieri istiusmodi necesse est.necesse est "it is necessary" takes an infinitive as its subject: fieri "to be done, to happen". The subject of fieri is istiusmodi "(things) of this kind", and ab ejusmodi hominibus "by men of that kind" names the doers, as with a passive verb.
• IV.12 veruntamen sententiae mutatio ista niti semper debet probabilitate aliqua, vel justum esse, vel in publicum utile, vel aliud hujusmodi, id ad quod transitur, non autem quod jucundum aut gloriosum existat.
• IV.15 Multae thuris glebulae in ara eadem; alia citius, alia serius decidit: citius autem an serius, nihil interest.citius … an serius is a short double question, "(whether) sooner or later", with an "or" as in utrum … an; the whole phrase is the subject of interest. interest "it makes a difference" is the impersonal use of intersum, and nihil works as an adverb: "it makes no difference at all". The incense stands for us, and the falling for our death.
• IV.18 non est itaque circumspiciendum, sed lineae insistendum, per quam citra evagationem omnem recta curras.
• IV.21 hoc respondere licebit, si pro concesso sumatur, animas corporibus esse superstites.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal, and its subject is the infinitive respondere: "it will be allowed to answer this", i.e. "this answer can be given".
• IV.24 an non praestiterat dixisse, quae necessaria sunt agas, quaeque animantis civilis ratio dictat, et quo modo dictat.an non opens a question that expects "yes". praestat "it is better" (from praesto) is impersonal and has an infinitive for its subject, here dixisse "to have said". Verbs of being better, fitting or possible stay in the indicative where English says "would": the pluperfect praestiterat, literally "had it not been better", means "would it not have been better" (for Democritus to say).
• IV.24 oportet itaque ad singula sibi suggerere, an non istud ex earum numero est, quae non sunt necessaria?oportet "it is right, one ought" is impersonal. Here it has a bare infinitive with no subject expressed, which makes the rule general: "one ought to prompt oneself". sibi "to oneself" is the reflexive, referring to that general "one". ad singula "at each single thing": before each act.
• IV.32 illud etiam istic meminisse oportet, in actione unaquaque eam, quae adhibetur, curam, pro rei dignitate ac congruentia esse attemperandam.oportet "it is necessary" is impersonal; its subject is the infinitive meminisse "to remember" (perfect in form, present in meaning): "one must remember". illud "this" points ahead to the accusative and infinitive after the comma; istic "there, in this matter".
• IV.32 ita fiet, ne quando fastidio corripiaris, si in rebus minoris aestimationis, non diutius, quam par est, fueris occupatus.
• IV.34 Fato sponte tua te dedas; ei permittens, quibuscunque libuerit rebus te destinet.
• IV.47 quantulum enim interesset?interest, used impersonally, means "it makes a difference, it matters". The amount stands in the neuter accusative, here quantulum "how very little", a diminutive of quantum "how much". The imperfect subjunctive interesset keeps to the imagined case: "how little would it matter?" The answer expected: hardly at all.
• V.1 At quiete quoque opus est, inquis. Est fateor; sed quiescendi modum etiam natura praescripsit.opus est "there is need" puts the thing needed in the ablative: quiete opus est "there is need of rest". opus here is not "work" but "need", and the phrase is impersonal: no one is named as needing it.
• V.5 nequaquam, per Jovem; sed his omnibus jam olim licuit tibi esse immunem.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal, with the person in the dative (tibi) and an infinitive as its subject (esse): "it has long been open to you to be free". The predicate immunem is accusative, as if agreeing with an understood te; the dative immuni is also found. immunis "free" takes an ablative of separation: his omnibus "from all these things".
• V.6 in horum ergo numero esse oportet, qui quid faciant, ipsi quodammodo ne intelligunt quidem? ita plane.Marcus asks himself a question: "Must one then be in the number of these?" oportet "it is necessary" is impersonal; esse is its subject, and who must be is left general, "one". in numero + genitive "in the number of, among"; ergo "then" draws the conclusion from the vine.
• V.8 ita duplici ratione diligas oportet, quicquid evenerit tibi.oportet "it is necessary" can take a plain subjunctive without ut: diligas oportet "you ought to love". diligere is "to value, love", more than merely to put up with. duplici ratione "on a double ground": the two reasons follow, each opened by altera.
• V.12 Cujusmodi sint quae plerisque bona videntur, hinc licet deprehendere.
• V.12 Eas nunc et quaeras licet, utrum in honore habendae, aut in bonis censendae sint res hujusmodi, quibus animo prius conceptis illud commode possit adjici, homini istis instructo prae opulentia sua non suppetere, ubi ventris onus deponat.Eas is not the pronoun but the present subjunctive of eo "go". licet "it is allowed" takes the subjunctive with ut left out: eas et quaeras licet "you may go (on) and ask".
• V.16 in aula vero vivere licere: ergo et in aula bene vivere dari.
• V.16 an non enim liquet plane, deteriora quaeque praestantiorum gratia esse condita, praestantiora sui invicem?an non opens a question expecting the answer yes: "or is it not …?", i.e. "surely it is …". liquet "it is clear" is impersonal; what is clear follows as an accusative and infinitive.
• V.22 hanc ad ea omnia regulam adhibe, quibus noceri tibi posse videbitur.noceri is the passive infinitive of noceo, used impersonally. Because nocere takes the dative and has no direct object, Latin cannot say "you are harmed" with it; it says "it is harmed to you", tibi noceri, "harm is done to you". quibus "by which" is an ablative of means, and videbitur "it will seem" has the phrase noceri tibi posse as its subject.
• V.22 si civitati ab hac re nihil nocetur, nec mihi:This is the rule itself, put in the first person as one says it to oneself. nocetur is again the impersonal passive, "harm is done", and nihil is used as an adverb, "no harm, not at all". With nec mihi the verb is left out: "(harm is) not (done) to me either".
• V.29 Quo modo vivere cogitas vita mox excessurus, eodem, si volueris, vivere jam licet.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal, and its subject is the infinitive vivere: "to live (so) now is allowed", "you may live so now". volueris is future perfect: "if you (shall) wish". jam "already, now" answers mox "soon".
• V.29 sin id minus permiserint, quibuscum hic degis, exeas licet e vita; ita tamen, ne tanquam mali quid passus.licet can take a bare subjunctive instead of an infinitive: exeas licet "you may go out". e vita exire "to go out of life" is the Stoic way of speaking of taking one's own life when one can no longer live rightly. Marcus allows it, but as a last door, not as an escape from discomfort.
• V.36 num ergo et te fatuum esse necesse est, quia illi sunt?num expects the answer "no": "surely it is not necessary …?" necesse est "it is necessary" takes an accusative and infinitive as its subject: te fatuum esse "that you be a fool". In quia illi sunt "because they are", supply fatui "fools": others' folly is no reason to share it.
• VI.13 Quemadmodum de obsoniis atque eduliis ejusmodi cogitare licet, hoc piscis esse cadaver, hoc avis, hoc suis:obsonium is a cooked dish, mostly meat or fish, eaten with bread: here the roast meats and fine dishes on the table. licet "it is allowed" is impersonal, with the infinitive cogitare "to think" as its subject: "one may think about …".
• VI.13 cogitationes enim istae ita res ipsas attingunt, easdemque pervadunt, ut quaenam eae sint, penitius per hoc cernere detur.detur "it is granted" is impersonal, with the infinitive cernere "to see" as its subject: "one is given to see". What one sees is an indirect question, quaenam eae sint "what they really are", placed first. penitius "more deeply" is the comparative of penitus.
• VI.15 in hoc igitur flumine, in quo consistere non datur, quorsum quis horum sic praeterlabentium quicquam in pretio habeat?flumine "river" turns the flow of the last sentence into a picture. datur "it is given" is used impersonally with an infinitive as its subject: consistere non datur "to stand still is not granted".
• VI.20 licet enim illos cavere et declinare citra suspicionem ullam aut odium.licet "it is allowed, one may" is impersonal and has an infinitive as its subject. cavere "to beware of" here takes a direct object, illos: "to guard against them". citra "on this side of" is Gataker's word for "without".
• VI.23 in cunctis vero opem divinam advoces: nec interesse existimes, quamdiu haec facturus sis. suffecerint enim sic exactae vel horae tres.interest "it makes a difference, it matters" is impersonal; after existimes it becomes the infinitive interesse, and the indirect question quamdiu … facturus sis is its subject: "do not think that it matters how long you will be doing this". nec with a jussive means "and do not".
• VI.26 quibus observatis, oportet te nec perturbatum, nec indignationem indignatione pensantem, sed recta pergentem perficere quod prae manibus est.oportet "it is necessary" takes an accusative and infinitive: te … perficere "that you complete", "you must complete". The three participles in between agree with te and say how: not troubled, not paying back, but going straight on.
• VI.40 proinde magis illam vereri oportet; existimandumque tibi, si secundum illius voluntatem te habueris degerisque, omnia tibi ex animi sententia se habere.oportet "it is right" is impersonal, and here no person is named: "one ought to revere it". illam is the power (vis) within things; magis "the more" because, unlike a craftsman, it is present in its work. vereor is deponent: passive form, active meaning "revere, stand in awe of".
• VI.47 eo nimirum nos concedere oportet, quo tot oratores diserti, tot philosophi verendi, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates;
• VI.48 Oblectare te siquando libuerit, virtutes eorum, qui tecum vivunt, cogita; hujus industriam, illius modestiam, alterius liberalitatem, alterius aliam aliquam.
• VI.49 Sicut enim staturae, sic et temporis, quantum assignatum est tibi, tanto contentus sis oportet.oportet can take a plain subjunctive without ut: contentus sis oportet "it is necessary (that) you be content", i.e. "you must be content".
• VI.52 Licet de re hac vel illa nihil opinari, atque ita animi perturbationem omnem effugere.Licet "it is allowed, one may" is impersonal; its subjects are the two infinitives, "to hold no opinion … and so to escape". nihil opinari is not "to think nothing" but "to form no judgement" about whether a thing is good or bad. The disturbance (perturbatio, the Stoic word for a passion) comes from the judgement, not from the thing.
• VII.2 quas resuscitare tibi, quoties libuerit, licet.quas "which" begins a new sentence but links it to the last; it means "and these", the thoughts. licet "it is allowed" is impersonal: the person goes in the dative (tibi) and what is allowed is an infinitive, resuscitare "to rekindle": "it is open to you to rekindle them", i.e. "you are free to". resuscito "rouse again" here means "fan back into flame".
• VII.2 possum de re ista, quod oportet, opinari.
• VII.2 reviviscere tibi licet.licet again, with the dative tibi and an infinitive as its subject: "to come back to life is allowed to you", i.e. "you can come back to life". revivisco (re- "again" + vivo "live") has the inceptive ending -sco, which marks something beginning: "begin to live again". Recovering one's principles is a return to life.
• VII.4 In sermone, eis quae dicuntur; in conatu omni, eis quae fiunt animum advertere oportet:animum advertere "to turn the mind" to something is "to attend to, notice"; written as one word it is animadvertere. Gataker puts what one attends to in the dative, eis quae dicuntur "to the things that are said", as with attendere. The infinitive is the subject of the impersonal oportet "one must", and both halves share it: "in conversation (one must attend) to what is said, in every undertaking to what is done".
• VII.7 Auxilii ne te pudeat.pudet "it shames" is impersonal: the person who feels shame goes in the accusative (te) and what he is ashamed of in the genitive (auxilii "of help"). Literally "let it not shame you of help", i.e. "do not be ashamed of being helped". ne with the present subjunctive makes a prohibition, "do not".
• VII.13 hoc ipsum benefacere per se nondum oblectat te: adhuc tanquam quod fieri deceat tantum facis, nondum perinde acsi tibi ipsi benefacias.
• VII.15 Quicquid vel fecerit vel dixerit quisquam, probum esse me oportet.The impersonal oportet "it is necessary" takes an accusative and infinitive: me is the subject of esse, and probum "good, upright" agrees with it as predicate: "it is necessary that I be good", "I must be good".
• VII.15 haud aliter, quam si aurum aut smaragdus aut purpura ita jugiter diceret, Quicquid fecerit dixeritve quisquam, smaragdum esse me oportet, nitoremque meum retinere.The emerald's words repeat the sentence above, with "an emerald" where the man said "good"; it speaks for all three, as in the Greek. -que on nitorem adds a second infinitive phrase, nitorem meum retinere "to keep my lustre": nitor, nitoris "brightness, sheen" (from niteo "shine") is a noun, not the deponent verb nitor "strive". Goodness is to a good man what its colour is to an emerald, his own nature, whatever others do.
• VII.24 ex hoc ipso autem intelligas licet esse praeter rationem.licet "it is allowed" can take a subjunctive with no ut: intelligas licet "you may understand". What is understood is an accusative and infinitive with its subject left out: (eam) esse praeter rationem "(that the scowl) is against reason". For a Stoic, what is against nature is against reason too.
• VII.26 hoc si fuerit, et illi te ignoscere oportet.oportet "it is right" takes an accusative and infinitive: te ignoscere "that you forgive". ignoscere takes the dative of the one forgiven, illi "him". et here means "also".
• VII.27 cave tamen interim, ne, dum istis lubenter acquiescis, eo in pretio habere assuescas te, ut siquando deesse contigerit, turberis.
• VII.32 Mortem quod attinet, sive fuerit dissipatio, sive in atomos redactio, sive exinanitio; vel est extinctio, vel translatio.quod ad mortem attinet "as for what concerns death" is the usual way to bring in a new topic. Gataker leaves out ad and puts the accusative Mortem first for weight, taken straight by attinet "concerns": "as for death". quod is the relative pronoun, subject of attinet.
• VII.35 Fieri, inquit, non potest.fieri non potest "it cannot happen" is the stock Latin for "impossible" (Greek adynaton). inquit "he says" marks the other speaker's reply, Glaucon's, and is set inside his words as usual. Gataker marks each turn of the dialogue with a capital: Cui, Fieri, Neque, Minime.
• VII.38 Nam neutiquam hominem rebus irasci decet! Nil quippe curant ipsae.decet "it is fitting" is impersonal: the person goes in the accusative (hominem) and what is fitting in the infinitive (irasci). irasci "to be angry" is deponent and takes the dative: rebus "with things".
• VII.45 quocunque loco semet collocaverit quis, statum eum sibi optimum ducens, aut a principe fuerit collocatus, eum hunc tueri (uti mihi videtur) oportet,oportet "it is necessary" takes an accusative and infinitive, eum hunc tueri "that he hold this": eum is the man, hunc the post (statum) he stands in, and tueri the deponent "guard, keep". uti is an older form of ut "as": uti mihi videtur "as it seems to me" stands in parenthesis, as in the Greek.
• VII.46 neque enim hoc est, quod, vir vere qui sit, tantopere expetere debeat, ut temporis tantundem vivat; neque vitae oportet avidum esse;
• VII.48 Quin et de hominibus sermonem instituentem, contemplari oportet, quasi de specula quadam desuper, terrestria quoque ista,
• VII.49 inde licet et futura prospicere.licet 'it is allowed, it is possible' has the infinitive prospicere as its subject and names no person: 'one can foresee'. futura, the neuter plural of futurus (the future participle of sum), is 'the things to come', set against praeterita 'the things gone by'.
• VII.51 Divinitus at spirantem auram Pati necesse est cum labore et lacrymis.
• VII.53 ubi enim fructum consequi licet actionis prospere fluentis, et juxta conditionis propriae naturam progredientis, nulla ibi superest damni suspicio.
• VII.60 Corpus etiam fixum esse oportet, ut nec motu, nec gestu temere jactetur.oportet "it is right, one ought" takes an accusative and infinitive: corpus … fixum esse "the body to be steady". fixum, the perfect participle of figo "fix", is used as an adjective, "firm, settled".
• VII.64 illud etiam memineris, multa taedio nos afficere, quae non advertimus eandem cum dolore rationem habere, verbi gratia, dormitare, quando vigilare libet, aestu affici, fastidio laborare.
• VII.66 Unde constat nobis Socratem clara fuisse reliquisque praestantiore indole?constat "it is agreed, it is certain" is impersonal, with the dative nobis "to us" and an accusative and infinitive, Socratem … fuisse "that Socrates was". Unde "from where" asks for the evidence: "how do we know?"
• VII.66 verum illud considerare oportet, quo modo affectam animam habuerit Socrates.
• VII.67 omnino enim fieri potest, ut divinus homo quis sit, et ignotus tamen cunctis degat.
• VII.67 hoc semper memineris; sed et illud, paucissimis ad beate vivendum opus esse.opus est "there is need" puts the thing needed in the ablative: paucissimis "of very few things", the superlative of paucus used as a noun. After memineris it becomes an infinitive, opus esse, in a reported statement: "that there is need of very few things". ad beate vivendum "for living happily": ad with the gerund gives the purpose, and the adverb beate goes with the verbal noun as it would with a verb.
• VII.68 Vi omni immunem, in summa animi hilaritate, vitam transigere licet, etiamsi quae libuerit adversus te vociferentur homines universi, etiamsi massae istius corporeae coalitae et circundatae tibi membra ferae discerpant.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal, and its subject is the infinitive vitam transigere "to pass (one's) life": "you may pass your life". in summa animi hilaritate "in the highest cheerfulness of mind": summa is the superlative of superus.
• VII.70 Dii, immortales cum sint, non aegre ferunt tamen, quod per aevum tam immensum ipsos oporteat omnino, tot talesque qui sint, improbos jugiter sustinere.
• VIII.2 num futurum est, ut ejus poeniteat me?poenitet is impersonal: the person who is sorry goes in the accusative (me), the cause of the regret in the genitive (ejus, the action). Literally "it makes me sorry of it", that is, "I regret it".
• VIII.3 illis vero, cum ea neutiquam perspecta haberent, de quam multis solicitos esse necesse fuit? quam multis rebus inservire?illis "those men" are the conquerors named first; isti and horum were the philosophers. necesse fuit "it was necessary" takes an infinitive as its subject and the person in the dative. solicitos is accusative because it agrees with the unexpressed subject of esse (eos): "for them, to be anxious about how many things?".
• VIII.5 simul memineris, probum esse te oportere.
• VIII.7 hujus enim pars est, ut folii natura pars naturae est arboris. hoc tantum interest, quod ibi folii natura pars est naturae sensus rationisque exortis, et impedimento obnoxiae.interest "there is a difference"; hoc "this" is spelled out by the quod clause: "there is only this difference, that …". ibi "there" means in the case of the leaf.
• VIII.7 id quod deprehendere licebit, si non seorsim unum aliquod in re ulla consideraveris, sed istius omnia cum alterius alicujus confertim sumptis contuleris.id quod "a thing which" sums up what has just been said. licebit "it will be allowed, it will be possible" is impersonal, with the infinitive deprehendere "to detect" as its subject: "this you will be able to see".
• VIII.10 bonum autem quodque necessario etiam est utile; quodque est ejusmodi, id viro bono proboque curae esse oportet.
• VIII.10 at neminem virum bonum probumque poenituerit, quod voluptatem unquam ullam omiserit.poenitet is impersonal, "it repents": the person who feels regret goes in the accusative (neminem virum bonum probumque "no good and upright man"), and the thing regretted here comes in a quod clause, "that he passed up", instead of the usual genitive. Word for word: "it would repent no good man that…".
• VIII.20 Natura rei cujusque rationem habet; tam finem, quam ortum et durationem, quod attinet: quemadmodum et is qui pilam mittit, pilae pariter rationem habet.
• VIII.28 at illi licet etiam inter dolores serenitatem suam tranquillitatemque servare, nec opinari malum esse.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal: the one allowed goes in the dative, illi "to it", the soul, and what is allowed in the infinitive, servare "to keep" and opinari "to think". So: "the soul is free to keep its calm even amid pains".
• VIII.32 In singulis actionibus vitam componere oportet; ut si unaquaeque quantum datur, quod suum est tulerit, in eo acquiescas.oportet "it is right, one must" takes an infinitive as its subject: vitam componere "to put one's life together". in singulis actionibus "in single actions" means action by action: a life is built up like a structure, one piece at a time.quantum datur "as much as is granted", i.e. "as far as possible". datur is impersonal, "it is given, it is allowed", and quantum is an adverb, "as far as". The words set the limit of the demand: an action has only to do what circumstances allow, and that is enough.
• VIII.34 caeterum istic illud scitum est, quod unire te denuo licet.licet "it is allowed" takes an infinitive as its subject: unire te "to unite yourself". The person allowed, you, is not expressed.
• VIII.37 annon et istis destinatum est, ut primo senescant, tum moriantur?
• VIII.44 quid autem tua interest, si vocibus istiusmodi adstrepuerint illi tibi, aut existimationem hanc vel illam de te habuerint.interest "it makes a difference, it concerns" is impersonal. The person concerned is put not in the genitive but in the ablative feminine of the possessive: mea interest "it concerns me", tua interest "it concerns you" (the feminine is usually explained by an understood re, "in your affair"). quid "in what respect, how much": "what does it matter to you?". Gataker's own edition (1652), like the reprints, ends this question with a full stop; it is a question all the same.
• VIII.45 Tolle me, et quocunque libuerit projice.
• VIII.47 excede ergo e vita aequo animo, quo modo excederes si id agere daretur, simul etiam obstantibus ipsis propitius.
• VIII.49 nunciatur tibi, hunc vel illum tibi conviciatum.
• VIII.53 aut quomodo sibi placet, quem omnium fere, quae facit ipse, poenitet?poenitet "it makes sorry" is impersonal: the person who feels regret is in the accusative (quem) and what he regrets is in the genitive (omnium). Word for word, "whom it repents of nearly all the things which he himself does", that is, "who regrets nearly everything he does".
• VIII.55 huic tantum est noxia, cui concessum est ab ea immunem esse, quandocunque id ipse voluerit.concessum est "it has been granted" is an impersonal passive; its subject is the infinitive immunem esse "to be free", and the person is in the dative, cui. immunem is accusative although cui is dative: it agrees with the unexpressed subject of esse (eum "him"). immunis ab with the ablative is "free from".
• VIII.57 cujusmodi vero res sit radius, perspicere licet, si per angustum aliquod foramen lumen a Sole profectum in domicilium tenebricosum subingredi videris.
• VIII.57 talem ergo mentis solutionem et diffusionem esse oportet, non effusionem utique, sed extensionem, quaeque adversus obvia quaelibet impedimenta non violentam et impetuosam collisionem adhibeat,
• IX.1 oportet autem, ad quae rerum natura ex aequo se habet, (nec fecisset utique utraque, nisi ad utraque se ex aequo haberet)
• IX.1 quicunque ergo adversus dolorem et voluptatem, vel mortem et vitam, vel gloriam et ignominiam, ad quae rerum natura ex aequo se habet, non ex aequo afficitur, impie hunc agere liquido constat.The sentence changes course on the way. It opens with quicunque "whoever" as if a plain main verb were to follow, but ends with the impersonal constat "it is evident" and an accusative and infinitive, hunc agere "that this man acts"; hunc takes up quicunque. In English: "whoever …, it is quite clear that he acts impiously". liquido "clearly" is an adverb from liquidus "clear, flowing".
• IX.3 etiamsi enim offendi eis te neutiquam oportet, sed curare eos, placideque ferre; meminisse tamen licuerit, quod ab hominibus haud idem tecum sentientibus discessurus es.oportet "it is right, one ought" takes an accusative and infinitive: te is the subject of all three infinitives, offendi "to be offended", curare "to care for" and ferre "to bear with". eis "at them" gives the cause of the offence.
• IX.3 nunc autem vides, quanta molestia ex dissensu mutuo eorum quibuscum vivitur, oriatur.quibuscum is cum quibus "with whom"; with relative pronouns cum often comes after. vivitur is an impersonal passive, "it is lived", i.e. "one lives": "of those with whom one lives".
• IX.5 Saepenumero contingit ut injuste agat, tam qui non facit aliquid, quam et qui facit.
• IX.11 idem et tibi licet facere. aut dicas, quis te prohibeat.licet "it is allowed" is impersonal: the person allowed is in the dative (tibi) and the thing allowed is an infinitive (facere). idem "the same" is neuter, the object of facere: you may be as kind as the gods.
• IX.27 bene velle tamen illis oportet. sunt enim natura amici.oportet "it is right, one ought" is impersonal; its subject is the infinitive phrase bene velle illis. bene velle with the dative is "to wish well to, be well disposed to". tamen "yet" marks the turn: their opinions do not matter, and still you must be kind to them.
• IX.29 aggredere, quatenus tibi datur. nec circumspice, nunquis adsit, qui advertat. nec Platonis rempublicam expecta.
• IX.39 Vel ab una mente, quasi fonte communi, tanquam uni corpori superveniunt universa: nec partem oportet de eis conqueri, quae a toto fiunt.oportet "it is fitting, one ought" takes an accusative and infinitive: partem … conqueri "that the part complain". a toto with the passive fiunt names the doer: "what is done by the whole".
• IX.42 omnino vero licet tibi deceptum melius edocere.licet "it is allowed" takes a dative of the person and an infinitive: licet tibi … edocere "you are free to teach". deceptum, the perfect participle of decipio "deceive", is used as a noun, "the man who has been deceived", the one who has gone wrong; melius edocere "to teach better" is to set him right. omnino here is "in any case, at all events".
• X.1 sed et a Deis provenire, beneque habitura, quaecunque ipsis concedere visum est, et quaecunque concessuri sunt,visum est with a dative and an infinitive is "it has seemed good to": quaecunque ipsis concedere visum est "whatever it has seemed good to them (the gods) to grant". quaecunque is Gataker's spelling of quaecumque.
• X.6 his ita peractis, vita prospera mihi fluat necesse erit.
• X.7 Universi partes, quotquot, inquam, mundi ambitu continentur, corrumpi necesse est.
• X.7 hoc autem, cum sit necessarium, si et malum illis fuerit, cum universo sane sequius ageretur, cum partes ejus in alteratione frequenti agerent, et ad corrumpendum multifariam essent comparatae.Here cum is the preposition "with", not the conjunction. agitur cum aliquo is an idiom, an impersonal passive: "it goes (well or ill) with someone". sequius is Gataker's spelling of secius, the comparative of secus "otherwise": "less well". So: "it would surely go worse with the universe", the universe would be badly run.
• X.9 oportet autem unumquodque ita et considerare et agere, ut et activa facultas consummetur, et contemplativa simul exerceatur, et fiducia ex certa rei cujusque scientia orta servetur, latens quidem, nec abscondita tamen.
• X.12 Ecquis suspicionis usus est, cum quid fieri oporteat considerare praesto sit?
• X.13 Somno excusso statim percontare te, nunquid tua intererit, si justa bonaque ab alio aliquo fiant. nihil intererit.interest "it makes a difference, it matters" is impersonal; the person it matters to is shown by the feminine ablative of the possessive, mea, tua, sua: tua intererit "it will matter to you". nunquid asks a direct question that expects "no", and the answer follows: nihil intererit. Gataker closes the question with a full stop, as he often does. The subjunctive fiant puts the case as a supposition: "if just and good things should be done by someone else".
• X.13 quae faciant, quae fugiant, quae sectentur, quae suffurentur, quae rapiant ad se, non manibus pedibusque, quod dici solet, sed parte sui pretiosissima, qua, ubi libuerit, consequi liceat fidem, modestiam, veritatem, legem, genium denique bonum.qua "by which" refers to that part. The impersonal verbs libuerit "it has pleased" and liceat "it is possible" name no person: "by which, whenever one chooses, one may attain …". Both are subjunctive because the clause stands inside the indirect question.
• X.15 nihil enim interest hic an illic, siquis ubicunque in orbe, tanquam in urbe, degat.interest "it makes a difference" introduces a double question with its first word left out: "(whether) here or there". an "or" regularly marks the second half. hic here is the adverb hīc "here", not the pronoun.
• X.17 quodque particularia omnia, substantiam quod attinet, milii sunt instar; tempus quod attinet, terebri circumvolutio.quod attinet "as for what concerns" is the usual quod ad … attinet with ad left out and the noun put first: substantiam quod attinet "as far as substance goes", tempus quod attinet "as far as time goes". quod is the relative pronoun, subject of attinet.
• X.26 haec, tanta licet involvantur caligine, contemplari oportet,oportet "it is right, one must" has the infinitives contemplari and, in the next part, intueri as its subject; no person is named, so it means "we must".
• X.31 cur ergo tibi non sufficit spatium hoc tam breve, prout te decet, transigere?
• X.32 Nulli liceat vere de te dicere, non esse te simplicem, aut non esse te bonum.
• X.33 quicquid enim hoc fuerit, vel facere idipsum, vel dicere licet, nec obtendas, impediri te.The two infinitives are the subject of the impersonal licet "it is permitted"; the person, tibi, is understood: "you may either do or say that very thing". idipsum is id ipsum "that very thing" written as one word, as Gataker prints it.
• X.33 etenim pro oblectamento esse tibi debet, quicquid secundum naturam tuam agere tibi datur. datur autem hoc ubique.pro oblectamento esse "to serve as a delight", with pro "as, in place of". The subject of debet is the whole clause quicquid … agere tibi datur "whatever is granted you to do", where datur is impersonal with a dative and an infinitive: "it is given to you to do".
• X.33 siquidem cylindro quidem non conceditur, ut motu proprio ubique feratur; sed nec aquae, nec igni, nec alii rei cuiquam, quae a natura mera, vel anima regitur irrationali.
• X.33 istic vero, si ita dicere licuerit, praestantior fit homo ac laude dignior, dum eis quae objiciuntur, recte utitur.
• XI.1 se cernit, fingit, artatque, ut lubet, qualemque vult ipsa, facit: fructum, quem profert, ipsa carpit.
• XI.1 sed in quacunque parte, et ubicunque deprehensa fuerit, quod praecessit plenum prorsus et perfectum sibi facit: ut dicere liceat, Ego quae mea sunt, omnia habeo.
• XI.3 Qualis est anima ea, quae parata est jam statim, si oportuerit, e corpore emigrare, et vel extingui, vel dispergi, vel permanere?
• XI.6 Et rursus, Nam neutiquam hominem rebus irasci decet.From Euripides' lost Bellerophon, as in 7.38, where the next line gives the reason: things care nothing for our anger. decet "it is fitting" takes the person in the accusative (hominem) and an infinitive (irasci); the deponent irascor "be angry" takes the dative, rebus "with things".
• XI.8 veruntamen hoc a societatis hujusce conditore Jove indultum sibi habet, quod ei liceat denuo coalescere, cui prius adhaeserat, et ad universi complementum locum recuperare suum.hoc "this" points ahead to the quod clause, which says what was granted: "this, namely that he may …". licet "it is allowed" takes the person in the dative (ei "for him") and has the infinitives coalescere and recuperare as its subject. The subjunctive liceat sets out the terms of the grant.
• XI.13 interius enim ita affectum esse oportet, ut ipsi Dii videant, hominem esse te, qui nihil quicquam indigne aegreve ferat.oportet "it is right, one must" has the infinitive esse as its subject. The person who must be so is left unexpressed, and affectum "disposed" (from afficio) agrees with that unspoken accusative: "one must be so disposed". interius "within" is the comparative adverb of intra: what matters is the inner state, not the outward show of the last sentence.
• XI.15 fronti inscriptam statim oportuit vocem hanc, in oculis ipsis relucere statim, quomodo animus se habeat: sicut in amantis oculo cuncta statim dignoscit amasius.oportuit is the perfect of the impersonal oportet "it is proper, one ought". Latin puts the past into the verb of duty where English puts it into the infinitive: oportuit with an infinitive is "ought to have …". The infinitive here is passive, inscriptam (esse), with esse left out, as often in this phrase, and its subject is vocem hanc: "this saying ought to have been written". vox is not the voice but the utterance just quoted, "I have decided to deal straightforwardly with you".
• XI.15 talem plane virum simplicem bonumque oportet esse, qualis is qui hircum olet; ut qui astiterit, simulac accesserit, velit, nolit ipse, protinus persentiscat.
• XI.18 hoc si est, deteriora constat praestantiorum causa esse condita, praestantiora sui invicem.constat "it is agreed, it is evident" is impersonal and takes an accusative and infinitive: deteriora … esse condita "that the inferior things were made". praestantiorum causa "for the sake of the superior (things)": causa after a genitive means "for the sake of". Gataker spells it causa here and caussa elsewhere in this section; both spellings are his.
• XI.18 Tertio, quod, si haec recte faciunt, aegre ferre non oportet: sin minus, nolentes utique et nescientes agunt.aegre ferre "take ill, resent". oportet is impersonal, and the infinitive is its subject: "one ought not to take it ill", since right action gives no cause for complaint.
• XI.18 atque omnino multa prius edocearis oportet, quam de facto alieno certi quicquam statuere possis.
• XI.18 mihi quidem noceri nequit. sed ipse laederis, mi fili.noceo "harm" takes the dative and has no personal passive, so Latin says "it cannot be harmed to me": mihi noceri nequit "I cannot be harmed". nequit "cannot" is impersonal here, with noceri depending on it.
• XI.21 quemadmodum enim opinio eadem non est de omnibus quae vulgo hominum quoquo modo bona videntur, sed de certis quibusdam, communibus nempe: ad eundem modum et scopum illum qui est civilis et communioni congruus proponi oportet.oportet "it is necessary" takes an accusative and infinitive: "it is necessary that that aim be set before (us)". proponere is to set up a target or goal. civilis "civic, of citizens" and communioni congruus "suited to fellowship" say the same thing twice: the aim must be the good of the community. et here means "too".
• XI.26 In scriptis Epicureis praecipitur, ut in mente ac memoria semper habeamus antiquorum aliquem eorum, qui virtutem coluerint.
• XI.29 Nec in scribendo, nec in legendo aliis praecipias, nisi prius praeceptum fuerit tibi.
• XII.5 Qui fit, ut Dii, qui pulcre ac cum singulari erga genus humanum amore disposuerunt universa, hoc unum neglexerint,Qui fit, ut …? "How does it happen that …?" is a stock way of opening a puzzled question. qui is the old adverb "how", not the relative pronoun; fit "it happens" is impersonal, and the ut clause, with its verb in the subjunctive (neglexerint), is the thing that happens. The question is an objection to providence, which Marcus answers in the rest of the section.
• XII.5 hoc vero siquidem sic se habet, pro certo scias, aliter facturos eos fuisse, si aliter fieri oporteret.
• XII.5 vel hinc ergo, quod aliter se habet, si aliter saltem se habet, compertum habeas, fieri non oportuisse.
• XII.7 Cogita qualem te, tum corpore, tum anima, a morte deprehendi oporteat: vitae etiam hujus brevitatem; aevi retrorsum prorsumque vastitatem immensam: materiae denique cujusque imbecillitatem.
• XII.9 In decretorum usu, pugili, non gladiatori similem esse te oportet.oportet "it is right, one must" takes an accusative and infinitive: te … esse "that you be". similis "like" takes the dative: pugili "a boxer", gladiatori "a gladiator"; similem is accusative to agree with te. The gladiator fights with a sword that can be put down or lost; the boxer's weapon is his own hand. Your principles should be like the hand, part of you, not a tool you pick up.
• XII.28 Interrogantibus, ubi Deos conspicatus, aut unde esse compertum habens, hos ita veneraris, responsum sit.
• XII.35 nec interesse putat, plures an pauciores rationi rectae consentaneas actiones ediderit, mundumque longiori an breviori temporis spatio contemplatus sit; huic nec mors formidabilis esse poterit.nec carries on the relative clause, though the relative must now be understood in the nominative: "(the man for whom …) and who does not think it makes any difference". interesse is the impersonal interest "it matters", put into the infinitive after putat.
• XII.36 In hac magna civitate versatus es, homo. quid tua refert, si quinque duntaxat annos?refert "it matters" is impersonal, made from re + fert "it bears on the matter", and is not the verb refero "bring back". The person it matters to is shown by the ablative feminine of the possessive: tua refert "it matters to you", mea refert "it matters to me". quid is an adverbial accusative: "what does it matter?" After si supply the verb again: "if (you have lived) for five years only"; annos is an accusative of time.