Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")

A present subjunctive that is the main verb of its sentence, with no ut, cum, si or the like governing it, gives an order or a wish: "let him …", "let us …", "you should …".

Examples

• carnes istas contemnas 2.2despise this flesh
• Ista tibi sufficiant: decretorum vice jugiter sint 2.3Let these things be enough for you; let them always serve you as principles
• Cura haec jugiter incumbat tibi 2.5Let this concern weigh on you constantly
• Ne te distrahant, quae extrinsecus obveniunt tibi 2.7Do not let the things that befall you from outside distract you

In the text 181

• II.2 proinde mitte libros. nec distrahere amplius: (nihil obstat, quo minus hoc facias) sed tanquam qui jam statim moriturus sis, carnes istas contemnas.contemnas is a jussive subjunctive, a softer command than an imperative: "you should despise". iste "that … of yours" often carries contempt; the plural carnes means "bits of flesh", the body.
• II.3 Ista tibi sufficiant: decretorum vice jugiter sint.Jussive subjunctives: "let these things be enough for you; let them always be …". ista points to what has just been said about providence and the whole.
• 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:
• II.7 Ne te distrahant, quae extrinsecus obveniunt tibi; sed otium tibi praestes, quo boni aliquid addiscas, et huc illuc ferri desinas.ne with the present subjunctive gives a negative command in the 3rd person: 'let them not distract you'. The subject of distrahant is the clause quae extrinsecus obveniunt tibi 'the things which befall you from outside', with the antecedent ea left out.praestes is a jussive subjunctive in the 2nd person, a softened command: 'you should give yourself leisure'.
• III.5 Neque invitus quicquam agas, neque societatis communis immemor, nec nisi re probe prius explorata, aggressus, nec affectibus abreptus.agas is a jussive subjunctive, a softened command in the 2nd person: "you should not do anything", i.e. "do nothing". Gataker chains the four warnings with neque … neque … nec … nec, where classical prose would say ne … neve; quicquam "anything" is the usual word after a negative.
• III.5 sed nec sensus tuos exornet sermonis elegantia; nec dictionis multae fueris, nec negotii multi avidus.A jussive subjunctive in the 3rd person: "let not elegance of speech dress up your thoughts". The subject sermonis elegantia comes last; sensus tuos is accusative plural, the object. Fine phrasing should not make thoughts look better than they are.
• III.5 porro vultus adsit hilaris; animusque ita comparatus, ut nec externo aliquo indigeas ministerio, nec tranquillitate ea, quam ab aliis suppeditari necesse sit.adsit, from adesse "to be present", is a jussive subjunctive: "let there be a cheerful face". It serves for animus as well: "and (let there be) a mind so prepared …". comparatus is from comparo "prepare", not "compare".
• III.6 si quid, inquam, praestantius hoc adverteris, eo te vertas, eodemque tanquam bono praestantissimo, quo fruaris, toto animo fac incumbas.
• III.6 si animo sic affecto inferiora vilioraque caetera omnia deprehendis, nulli alii rei cuiquam locum concedas,
• III.6 itaque si conducere tibi videbitur, quatenus ratione praeditus es, retineas; sin, quatenus animatus es tantum, repudies;
• III.6 judiciumque, quo minus externa rerum facie specieque corrumpatur, integrum servare curae sit, quo rerum examen exquisitius instituas.
• III.7 Nihil unquam in pretio pro utili habeas, quod eo te adigat, ut fidem fallas, modestiam deseras, oderis quenquam, suspectum habeas, execreris, simules, appetas quicquam, quod parietes circumjectos velamentaque desideret.in pretio habere "to hold in value", "to prize"; pro utili "as (something) useful". habeas is a jussive subjunctive, and with nihil unquam it amounts to "never value anything as useful".
• III.10 Missis itaque rebus caeteris, pauca ista apud te habeas.habeas is a present subjunctive used as a command, gentler than an imperative: "keep". apud te habere "to keep by you, have at hand". pauca ista "these few things" are the truths that follow.
• III.10 meminerisque insuper, unumquemque praesens tantummodo aetatis spatium, quod puncti instar obtinet, vivere:memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini "remember", a verb perfect in form but present in meaning (so memento is its imperative). The subjunctive serves as a command, like habeas before: "and remember".
• III.11 Eis quae dixi monitis salutaribus, istud unum adjectum sit:adjectum sit is the perfect passive subjunctive of adjicio "add" (participle + sit), used as a command: "let (this) be added". The perfect gives the sense "let it be settled that this is added".
• III.13 Quemadmodum chirurgi instrumenta et ferramenta sua ad curationes subitaneas semper habent ad manum: ita tu dogmata in promptu apud te habeas, quorum ope res cum divinas tum et humanas dignoscas;habeas is a present subjunctive used as a command: "you should keep". So too peragas in the next part.
• III.13 et rem quamque, etiam levissimam, ita peragas, ut qui memineris duo ista esse invicem connexa.
• IV.3 habeas autem penes te brevia quaedam et principalia documenta, quae statim ubi succurrerint, omnem animi molestiam eluere tibi possint, remittantque te nihil aegre ferentem eorum, ad quae reverteris.habeas "you should have" is a jussive subjunctive, a gentler command than the imperative. penes te "in your keeping, by you": the principles must be close at hand.
• IV.3 Ista autem duo prae reliquis ad manum tibi sint maxime, ad quae jugiter intendas.sint is a jussive subjunctive: "let (these two) be". ad manum "at hand", prae reliquis "above the rest", maxime "most of all": these two principles must be the readiest of all.
• IV.6 illud interim omnino memineris, brevi futurum; ut vestrum uterque defungatur: tum paulo post ne nomina quidem utriusque superfutura.memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini "remember", a verb perfect in form and present in meaning; the subjunctive gives a command, "you should remember". illud "this" points ahead to what is to be remembered, and omnino "by all means" presses it home.
• IV.10 hoc itaque, prout cepisti, observare pergas; et quicquid feceris, bonum te praestes, quomodo bonus quis proprie dicitur.pergas "go on" is a jussive subjunctive, a gentler command than the imperative. pergo takes an infinitive, observare "to observe", whose object hoc "this" stands first. prout cepisti "as you have begun": cepisti is Gataker's spelling of coepisti, from coepi, which has only perfect forms. It is not cepisti "you took", from capio.feceris is a future perfect: "whatever you (will) have done", English "whatever you do". praestare se with an adjective is "to show oneself, keep oneself" so; bonum te praestes "show yourself good".
• IV.10 in omni actione tua serves istud.Another jussive subjunctive: serves "you should keep, keep". istud "this" is the rule of the last sentence, to be good in the true sense.
• IV.11 Tu ne ea opineris, quae is autumat, qui contumelia te afficit; vel etiam quae ille autumare te vult. verum res ipsas, quomodo vere se habeant, cogites.
• IV.17 Tu ne tanquam annorum millia aliquot adhuc victurus, rem geras.ne with the subjunctive geras gives a negative command: "do not conduct your affairs", i.e. "do not act". Classical Latin prefers ne with the perfect subjunctive (ne egeris); the present, as here, is also found and sounds like general advice. rem gerere is "to manage one's affairs, to act", and the Tu in front makes it pointed: "you, do not act …".
• IV.22 Noli divagari; sed in omni conatu tuo justitiae ratio habeatur, in omni viso intellectus integer servetur.habeatur and servetur are present subjunctives in the passive, used as commands: "let (it) be taken", "let (it) be kept". rationem habere with a genitive is an idiom, "to take account of"; in the passive ratio becomes the subject: "let account be taken of justice". integer is predicate: "let the understanding be kept whole".
• IV.24 Pauca agas, inquit, si tranquillus esse cupis.A saying of the philosopher Democritus, quoted without his name: inquit "he says" is enough for a reader who knows the saying. agas is a jussive subjunctive, a gentler command than the imperative: "you should do". pauca is a neuter plural used as a noun: "few things".
• IV.24 an non praestiterat dixisse, quae necessaria sunt agas, quaeque animantis civilis ratio dictat, et quo modo dictat.The improved saying, in the same form as Pauca agas: "do what is necessary". quae stands for ea quae "the things which": the antecedent, the object of agas, is left out, as often. agas is again a jussive subjunctive.
• IV.26 simplicem te praestes.praestes is a jussive subjunctive, a mild command. praestare se with a predicate adjective means "to show oneself, keep oneself (so)": "keep yourself simple", that is, single, without pretence or inner division.
• IV.26 in animo remittendo sobrie te geras.te geras "you should conduct yourself" is a jussive subjunctive of gero; se gerere is "to behave". sobrie "soberly": even in rest and amusement, keep a clear head.
• IV.32 Rursus ad Trajani tempora te transferas. eadem denuo cuncta comperies.transferas is a present subjunctive used as a command, the jussive: "you should carry yourself over", a gentler "go over". te transferre ad is "to move oneself to", here in thought. Trajan was emperor AD 98–117, some fifty years before Marcus wrote.
• IV.34 Fato sponte tua te dedas; ei permittens, quibuscunque libuerit rebus te destinet.dedas is a present subjunctive used as a command, the jussive: "you should give yourself up". se dedere + dative is "to surrender oneself to"; sponte tua "of your own accord", not dragged. In the Greek the Fate is Clotho, who spins the thread of each life.
• IV.39 ista malum nihil opinetur, et bene se habitura sunt omnia.opinetur is a present subjunctive used as a command, the jussive: "let it judge". nihil "nothing" is its object and malum what that is (not) to be judged: "let it judge nothing (to be) an evil". ista "that one" is the judging part just named.
• IV.39 etiamsi, quod huic proximum est, corpusculum secetur, uratur, suppuretur, putrescat, quiescat tamen pars ea quae de istis opinatur.quiescat "let it be at rest, keep quiet" is a jussive subjunctive and the main verb that the etiamsi clause leads up to. tamen "still, nevertheless" answers "even if". The subject, pars ea quae de istis opinatur, is "the part that forms opinions about these things".
• IV.39 hoc est, ne censeat aut malum aut bonum esse, quod viro malo bonoque pariter potest obvenire.ne censeat "let it not judge" is a negative command in the present subjunctive, going on from quiescat. censeat takes an accusative and infinitive whose subject is the clause quod … potest obvenire "(that) which can happen", with its antecedent id left out; aut malum aut bonum esse "to be either bad or good" says what it must not be judged to be.
• IV.46 Dictum illud Heracliti in memoria semper habeatur; terrae mors est, aquam fieri; aquae mors est, aerem fieri; aeris vero, ignem fieri: et e converso.habeatur is a jussive subjunctive in the passive: "let it be kept". in memoria habere "to keep in mind". illud placed after its noun often means "that famous": "that well-known saying of Heraclitus".
• IV.47 pari modo nec magni quicquam existimes, ad millesimum annum potius, quam ad crastinum diem.magni is a genitive of value: with verbs of valuing, the genitive of magnus, parvus, plus says how much a thing is worth, so magni existimare is "to rate highly, set great store by". nec … quicquam "not … at all": "and do not rate it highly at all". existimes is a jussive subjunctive, a gentle command, and pari modo "in the same way" completes the comparison begun with Quemadmodum.
• IV.49 memineris deinceps, quoties inciderit quicquam quod ad tristitiam impellat te, decreto hoc uti:memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini "remember" (perfect in form, present in meaning), used as a command: "remember". With an infinitive it is "remember to …". uti "to use" is the deponent utor, which takes the ablative: decreto hoc "this principle". decretum is Gataker's word for a philosophical principle, a doctrine to live by.
• IV.51 Via compendiosa semper incedas.Via compendiosa "by the short road" is an ablative of the way by which one goes; compendiosus "short, abridged" comes from compendium "a saving, a short cut". incedas is a jussive subjunctive, a gentle command: "you should walk".
• V.1 Mane, cum gravatim exurgis, in promptu sit tecum hoc modo disserere; Ad opus humanum jam expergiscor.
• V.3 Nullum aut sermonem aut actionem indignum te censeas, qui naturae fuerit consentaneus.censeas is a jussive subjunctive, a mild command: "you should judge". indignus "unworthy" takes the ablative of what one is unworthy of, so indignum te is "unworthy of you": te is ablative, not the object. With nullum the command becomes "judge no word or action unworthy of you".
• V.3 neque avertat ab eo te, quae sequi possit, quorumlibet hominum reprehensio aut vituperatio.Another jussive subjunctive, now in the third person: neque avertat "and let it not turn away". Its subject comes only at the end of the sentence: reprehensio aut vituperatio "blame or censure". ab eo "from it" is the word or deed that accords with nature.
• V.8 proinde ita excipiamus ista, quomodo ea solemus, quae Aesculapius praeceperit.The conclusion of the comparison. excipiamus is a hortatory subjunctive, "let us accept, let us welcome". ita … quomodo "in the same way … as": we are to take what nature sends as patients take a doctor's orders.
• V.8 ejusmodi itaque quiddam videatur tibi, eorum quae naturae communi visa sunt, perfectio et consummatio, cujusmodi est valetudo tua.videatur is a jussive subjunctive, "let it seem". Its subjects come late: perfectio et consummatio "the carrying out and completion". ejusmodi … cujusmodi "of that kind … of which kind": "something of the same kind as your health is".
• V.9 verum, ubi excussum aliquando te senseris, regredere, pluribusque pro officii humani ratione gestis contentus sis; atque illud, ad quod regrederis, fac diligas.
• V.9 nec, tanquam ad paedagogum, ad philosophiam redeas; sed quomodo ad ovum et penicillum, qui oculis laborant, quomodo ad emplastrum alius, alius ad perfusionem, confugit.nec with the present subjunctive redeas is a negative command: "and do not go back". A paedagogus was the slave who took a boy to school and kept him in order: philosophy is not to be returned to as to a stern supervisor who punishes lapses.
• V.9 illud autem memineris, philosophiam ea sola velle, quae natura tua ipsa velit.
• V.24 Memineris et naturae universae, cujus particulam exiguam admodum obtines; et aevi universi, cujus spatium breve et momentaneum tibi assignatum est; et fati, cujus quantilla es particula?memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini "remember" (a verb with perfect forms only), used as a command: "you should remember", gentler than the imperative memento. memini can take the genitive, so the three things to remember are genitives: naturae universae, aevi universi, fati, each followed by a cujus clause.
• V.25 Peccat quis aliquid adversus me? ipse viderit: propriam habet dispositionem, operationem propriam.viderit is the perfect subjunctive of video, used as a command in the third person: "let him see to it himself", i.e. "that is his business, not mine". The jussive normally uses the present subjunctive (videat), but in this brusque formula of dismissal classical Latin regularly uses the perfect. It does not refer to the past, and it is not the future perfect, though the form is the same.
• V.26 Quae principatum ac dominium obtinet pars animae tuae, immota maneat, ad levem vel asperum carnis tuae motum:maneat is a jussive subjunctive, a command in the third person: "let it remain". immota "unmoved" is its predicate. The next sentence goes on with more jussives: immisceat, circumscribat, coerceat.
• V.26 nec se carni immisceat, sed circumscribat sese, et intra membrorum limites coerceat affectiones istas.nec with a jussive subjunctive carries on the command in the negative: "and let it not mix itself". se immiscere with the dative is "to mingle with, become involved in": the mind must not let itself be blended with carni "the flesh".
• V.28 Bene tibi sit.A wish in the subjunctive: "may it be well for you", the Latin for "bless you" or "good for you". Marcus answers the objector half in jest (the capital marks his reply): very well, you are right that he has reason; then use yours, as the next sentence says.
• V.36 Ne imaginatione ulla temere abripiaris: sed opis tuae indigis, prout potes et par est, opem feras.ne with the present subjunctive is a prohibition: ne … abripiaris "do not be carried away". The passive has a reflexive sense, "do not let yourself be swept off", and imaginatione names what sweeps you: the first impression that something terrible has happened, here at the sight of other people's losses.
• V.36 nec si in rebus mediis hisce detrimentum sustinuerunt, ideo laedi eos existimes.nec with the subjunctive existimes is again a prohibition: "and do not think". laedi eos "that they are harmed" is an accusative and infinitive. ideo "for that reason" points back to the si clause: losing something indifferent is no reason to think a man harmed.
• V.36 sed quemadmodum senex discedens alumni turbinem poscebat, cum turbinem tamen, hoc est, ludicrum quiddam, esse meminisset: ita et istic te geras.geras is a jussive subjunctive, "you should conduct yourself". So too with others' losses: share their concern and help them, but remember that what they have lost is a toy.
• VI.2 Pari loco habeas, frigore rigens, an calore fotus, quod est officii tui, feceris.habeas is a jussive subjunctive, a gentler command than the imperative: "you should hold". pari loco habere "to hold in an equal place" is to count as all one. What you should count as the same follows as an indirect question.
• VI.12 harum instar habeant apud te, aula et philosophia.instar habere with a genitive is "to have the likeness of, to be like" (as in Book IV): "let the court and philosophy be like these (two) to you". habeant is a jussive subjunctive; its subjects come at the end. In the same order, the court is the stepmother and philosophy the mother: as emperor, Marcus cannot leave the court, but he can keep going back to philosophy.
• VI.19 Sed siquid fuerit, quod possit quisquam, hominisque sit munus, id te quoque assequi posse existimes.existimes is a jussive subjunctive, a milder command than the imperative: "you should believe". It answers noli opinari in the first sentence. Again a verb of thinking takes the accusative and infinitive: te … posse "that you can", with assequi "to achieve" depending on posse; id gathers up the whole siquid clause.
• VI.20 eodem plane modo et in reliqua nos vita geramus. ne advertamus illis animum, quae ab eis, qui nobiscum in vita quasi committuntur, hujusmodi nobis multa contingunt.geramus is a hortatory subjunctive, "let us conduct"; se gerere is "to conduct oneself, behave", here with nos "ourselves", set inside in reliqua … vita. After the picture of the gymnasium comes the lesson for the rest of life.animum advertere (often run together as animadvertere) is "to turn the mind to, take notice of", here with the dative illis "to those things". ne with the subjunctive makes a negative exhortation: "let us not pay attention to".
• VI.23 Animantibus, adeoque omnibus in universum rebus ac subjectis rationis exortibus, utpote ratione praeditus ipse qui sis, magno liberoque utaris animo.utor "use, deal with, treat" is deponent and takes the ablative, so everything from Animantibus to exortibus is ablative: the things you are to treat. utaris is a jussive subjunctive, "you should treat".
• VI.23 homines vero, cum rationis sint tecum participes, tanquam societate tibi conjunctos, habeas.Another jussive, habeas "you should regard", with an object and a predicate: homines … conjunctos "men as joined (to you)". Beasts you treat generously, as their superior; men, who have reason as you do, you treat as partners, socially.
• VI.23 in cunctis vero opem divinam advoces: nec interesse existimes, quamdiu haec facturus sis. suffecerint enim sic exactae vel horae tres.A third jussive completes the scheme of the section: beasts, men, and now the gods, whose help (opem divinam) you are to call on in everything (in cunctis, neuter plural used as a noun).
• VI.26 proinde et istic pari modo memineris, officium omne quasi numeris quibusdam absolvi:
• VI.45 sed et illud adjiciatur, quod in universum observatione habita deprehendes, quicquid alicui conducit, etiam aliis conducere.adjiciatur "let it be added" is a present subjunctive used as a command (jussive), here in the passive. illud "this" points ahead to what is to be added, the accusative and infinitive at the end of the sentence.
• VI.45 conducibilis vero vocabulum in sensu communi nunc sumatur, cum de rebus mediis adhibetur.
• VI.46 Quemadmodum afficere te solent ea quae in theatro locisque ejusmodi repraesentantur, ut eadem semper uniformiter exhibita, spectandi satietatem pariant: eodem modo et in vita tota sis affectus.sis affectus has the form of a perfect passive subjunctive of afficio, but it describes a state: "be (so) affected, be of that mind". The subjunctive is a command: feel about the whole of life as you feel about the shows.
• VI.47 hos omnes jam olim occubuisse memineris.memineris "you should remember" is the perfect subjunctive of memini, perfect in form and present in meaning; the subjunctive is a mild command. What to remember is an accusative and infinitive: hos omnes … occubuisse "that all these have fallen". occumbere "to fall down" is used of dying; jam olim is "long since".
• VI.49 nec itaque, quod tot annos, non autem plures, victurus sis, aegre feras.feras is a present subjunctive used as a command, and nec makes it negative: "and so do not resent". The argument runs from the smaller case to the larger: no one minds the measure of his body, so no one should mind the measure of his life.
• VI.50 Aliis quae justa sunt, persuadere annitamur.
• VI.50 memineris etiam, quod cum exceptione opus aggrediebare, nec id appetebas, quod fieri non potest.
• VII.1 in omni casu occurrat idem, hoc est quod saepe vidi.occurrat "let it occur (to you)" is a jussive subjunctive, a command in the third person; its subject is idem "the same (thing)". occurro "run to meet" is used of a thought that comes to mind. The thought itself follows in the first person, as words you say to yourself: hoc est quod saepe vidi "this is what I have often seen".
• VII.2 hoc modo sis affectus, et rectus consistis.sis affectus is a jussive subjunctive: "be disposed in this way, be of this mind"; affectus, the perfect participle of afficio, describes a state of mind. Joined by et, the command and the plain present consistis work like a condition: "be so minded, and (at once) you stand upright". rectus "straight, upright" agrees with the subject: you stand straight, not bent by outward things.
• VII.12 Aut rectus, aut erectus sis.sis is the present subjunctive of sum, used as a softened command in the 2nd person, a jussive: "you should be", "be".
• VII.14 Quicquid voluerit, eis extrinsecus accidat, quae casibus istiusmodi affici possunt.accidat is a jussive subjunctive in the 3rd person, "let it befall". Its subject is Quicquid voluerit "whatever wishes (to)", that is, anything at all; voluerit is the future perfect, the usual tense for "whatever shall choose". accido "befall" takes the dative, eis "(to) those things".
• VII.14 ipsa enim, quae affecta sunt, conquerantur, si velint.conquerantur is a jussive subjunctive of the deponent conqueror "complain": "let them complain". ipsa "they themselves", neuter plural, are the things that have been affected. si velint "if they wish" is subjunctive too, because it belongs to the thought of the jussive.
• VII.16 alius quis si terrefacere eam aut contristare possit, faciat.faciat "let him do it" is a jussive subjunctive, said as a challenge: let anyone else try, for no one can. possit is subjunctive because the case is only imagined, "if anyone should be able".
• VII.16 corpusculum ne quid patiatur, sibi curae habeat, si possit; et quando patitur quicquam, conqueratur.habeat is a jussive, and corpusculum "the poor little body" is its subject, put first, before the ne clause that depends on it. curae habere "to hold (something) as a care", with the predicative dative curae and sibi "for itself", means "to make it one's own concern": what the body is to see to is ne quid patiatur "that it suffer nothing". After ne, quid means "anything".conqueratur "let it complain" is another jussive, of the deponent conqueror. quando "when" has the indicative patitur "it suffers" (from the deponent patior) because it states a plain fact. Marcus's Greek says "let it say so"; Gataker has "let it complain".
• VII.19 idem tibi de quovis tum homine, tum re succurrat.succurrat is a jussive subjunctive, "let (it) occur". succurrere "to run to help" also means "to come into one's mind", with a dative of the person. idem "the same" is the thought just stated: whatever exists is soon swallowed up.
• VII.26 sin ejusmodi nec bona nec mala censueris, ex errore animi delinquentem aequanimiter feras.feras is a jussive subjunctive, a milder command than the imperative: "you should bear". aequanimiter "with an even mind" (from aequus animus) is "calmly, without resentment".
• VII.33 De dolore sic habeas.habeas is a jussive subjunctive, a gentle command: "you should hold". sic habere is "to hold this view, regard it so"; the view follows.
• VII.33 corporis vero membra, quae dolore sunt afflicta, ipsa si quid possunt, de eo statuant.statuant is a jussive subjunctive, "let them decide". The limbs themselves (ipsa, agreeing with membra) may pass judgement on the pain; the mind need not join in. eo is masculine because it stands for dolor.
• VII.39 Diis leto exemptis ac nobis gaudia dones.A line of Greek epic verse from an unknown poem, rendered as a Latin hexameter. dones is a subjunctive of wish, "may you give", the language of prayer; who is addressed is not known.
• VII.46 Verum, o bone vir, illud videris, annon aliud quid generosum esse bonumque existat, quam servare et servari.videris is the perfect subjunctive of video, used as a polite command: "you should see to this, consider". (The same letters can be the present passive "you seem"; the sense decides.) illud "this" points ahead to the question brought in by annon.
• VII.55 his igitur adhaerens mens recta procedat, habetque quicquid suum est.procedat is a jussive subjunctive, 'let it go forward'. adhaereo 'cling to' takes the dative his 'to these (three things)'. recta is taken as in the first sentence of the section, recta (via) 'straight on', which matches the Greek; it could also be read as nominative with mens, 'the mind, upright'.
• VII.57 Id solum diligas, quod obvenit, et a fato destinatum est tibi.diligas is a jussive subjunctive, a gentle command: 'you should love'. solum agrees with Id: 'that alone'.
• VII.58 In omni casu eos ob oculos habeas, quibus eadem cum contigissent, aegre tulerunt, pro insueto habuerunt, quiritati sunt.habeas is a jussive subjunctive, a mild command: "you should keep". ob oculos habere "to have before one's eyes" is to keep someone in view, picture them to oneself.
• VII.58 tu tantum attende tibi, atque in omni actione tua bonum praestare te velis.praesto with an object and a predicate is "to show, prove (someone) to be": bonum praestare te "to show yourself good". velis is a jussive subjunctive, a gentler command beside the imperative attende: "and make it your will". attende tibi "attend to yourself" is to mind what is in your own power, not what others do.
• VII.58 denique in utroque horum memineris, medium quiddam esse illud, circa quod actio versatur.
• VII.64 In dolore omni hoc praesto sit, nec turpem eum esse, nec mentem gubernatricem facere deteriorem.praesto here is the adverb "at hand, ready", not the verb praesto, praestare: praesto esse is "to be at hand". sit is jussive, "let this be ready to hand", and hoc "this" points ahead to the two infinitive clauses.
• VII.64 in plerisque vero horum Epicuri illud tibi adsit, nec intolerandum, nec aeternum esse, si terminorum memor fueris, nec opinionem adjeceris.Epicuri illud "that (saying) of Epicurus": illud often means "that well-known saying". Marcus, a Stoic, is glad to borrow from the rival school when it is right. adsit "let it be at your side, stand by you" is jussive; adsum takes the dative tibi.
• 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.67 hoc semper memineris; sed et illud, paucissimis ad beate vivendum opus esse.memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini "remember", a verb perfect in form and present in meaning, used as a mild command: "you should remember". sed et illud "but that too" adds a second thing to remember, with memineris understood; illud points ahead to it.
• VIII.1 tu itaque illa quid velit, intuere, nec te aliud quicquam molestum habeat.A jussive subjunctive: "and let nothing else, (being) troublesome, hold you", that is, "let nothing else trouble you". After nec, Latin uses quisquam "anyone, anything": nec … quicquam = "and nothing". molestum can also be taken with te: "keep you troubled".
• VIII.4 Eadem nihilominus facturos memineris, etiamsi tu te ruperis.
• VIII.5 Inprimis ne commovearis.ne with the present subjunctive forbids: "do not be disturbed". The passive commovearis "be shaken, be upset" has a reflexive sense: do not let yourself be upset. Inprimis "first of all" is Gataker's spelling of imprimis, from in primis "among the first things".
• VIII.5 simul memineris, probum esse te oportere.
• VIII.9 Nemo, aut vitam aulicam, aut tuam etiam, insimulantem te audiat.audiat is a jussive subjunctive, a command in the third person: nemo … audiat "let no one hear". Its object is te, held back to the end.
• VIII.15 Memineris, aeque turpe esse mirari quenquam tanquam de re insueta, quod ea mundus, quorum ferax est, profert; ac mirari quenquam, quod ficus ficus ferat, aut mirari medicum, quod quis febricitaverit, gubernatorem, quod ventus adversus flaverit.memineris "remember" is the jussive subjunctive of memini, perfect in form and present in meaning. What is to be remembered is the accusative and infinitive turpe esse.
• VIII.16 Memineris, aeque tibi liberum esse sententiam mutare et corrigenti parere, atque in re cepta ulla persistere.
• VIII.20 de lucerna idem dictum sit.dictum sit is the perfect passive subjunctive, used as a jussive: "let the same be (taken as) said". A lamp too is none the better for being lit and none the worse for going out. The Greek has only "and the same with a lamp".
• VIII.25 horum ergo memineris, aut compagem tui dissipatum iri, aut extinctum spiritum, aut migraturum, atque alibi iri dispositum.memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini "remember" (perfect in form, present in meaning), used as a mild command: "you should remember". memini takes the genitive, horum "these things", the examples just given; then an accusative and infinitive says what to draw from them.
• VIII.28 Dolor aut est corpori malum. quod si sit, corpus id censeat. aut animae.An aside. quod si "and if": quod links the clause to what has just been said, as it often does before si. censeat is a jussive subjunctive, "let the body judge so", that is, let it speak for itself. But the body has no judgement, so the matter is none of the mind's concern.
• VIII.30 Et in senatu, et apud quemlibet privatim, curae sit modeste potius quam diserte loqui.curae is a predicative dative, "for a care": curae esse "to be a concern" (to someone). sit is a jussive subjunctive, and its subject is the infinitive loqui: "let speaking … be your care", that is, "take care to speak".
• VIII.30 sano vero apud omnes sermone utare.utare is another form of utaris, the present subjunctive of the deponent utor, used as a mild command: "you should use". utor takes the ablative, here sano … sermone "sound speech", which is wrapped round vero apud omnes. sanus "healthy, sound": speech that is honest and free of affectation.
• VIII.36 Ne confundat te vitae tuae totius cogitatio: neque animo simul complectere, quot qualesque molestias superventuras esse tibi verisimile sit.ne with the present subjunctive in the third person forbids: "let not … confound you". The subject comes last: vitae tuae totius cogitatio "the thought of your whole life", i.e. picturing all of it at once. confundere "to pour together" comes to mean "to throw into confusion, overwhelm".
• VIII.40 ratio itaque ne vexet se.ne with the present subjunctive in the third person forbids: "let reason not trouble itself". Reason, the part that forms opinions, is the only part that could turn a thing into a harm, so it need only refrain. itaque "so then" stands second here, after the word stressed.
• VIII.40 siquid autem aliud tibi male habet, idipsum de hoc ipso, si poterit, opinetur.opinetur is a jussive subjunctive of the deponent opinor: "let it form an opinion". idipsum is id ipsum "that very thing", written as one word; with de hoc ipso "about this very thing" it means "let it judge about itself". si poterit "if it can" is ironic: only reason forms opinions, so the body cannot judge its pain an evil, and the harm goes no further.
• VIII.41 haec jam tu omnia ad te transferas.transferas is a present subjunctive used as a mild command: "you should carry over", i.e. "apply". haec … omnia "all these things" frames the subject tu, which is put in for stress: now take what holds for every kind of life and apply it to yourself.
• VIII.41 dolor, voluptas attingit te? viderit sensus.viderit is the perfect subjunctive of video, used as a command in the third person: "let it see to it", that is, "that is its business, not mine" (as in ipse viderit, 5.25). In this brusque formula of dismissal Latin uses the perfect, not the present videat; it does not refer to the past. sensus is singular, since the verb is: the faculty of feeling, which English calls "the senses". Pain and pleasure belong to the animal level, not to the mind.
• VIII.48 Memineris, inexpugnabilem fieri mentem, quando in se contracta, ipsa se contenta manet, dummodo nil faciat quod ipsa nolit, tametsi non ratione, sed obstinatione mera instructa sit.memineris is the perfect subjunctive of memini, used as a polite command, "remember"; like memento it takes an accusative and infinitive, here inexpugnabilem fieri mentem "that the mind becomes impregnable".
• VIII.49 hoc igitur modo in primo visis consiste semper, nec amplius quicquam eis a te intus adjicias, et nihil tibi accidit, quod commoveat te.After the imperative consiste, the command goes on with nec and the subjunctive: "and do not add". adjicere "to add" takes a dative of what one adds to: eis "to them". a te intus "from yourself, within": whatever is added comes from our own mind, not from the things.
• VIII.49 vel adjicias potius aliquid, ut qui rerum omnium, quae in mundo isto contingunt, naturam perspectam habeas.vel … potius "or rather" corrects what was just said: there is one thing you may add, namely what someone who knows nature would say about the event, that it is natural and part of the whole. adjicias is again a jussive subjunctive.
• VIII.51 Nec in actionibus languidus; nec in congressibus turbidus sis; nec in cogitationibus vagus;One verb, sis, set in the second clause, serves the whole list of five: "may you not be", a command in the jussive subjunctive. Each nec "nor" adds a fault, and each adjective or participle is nominative, agreeing with "you", the subject of sis.
• VIII.54 Curae tibi deinceps sit, non tam cum aere ambiente te conspirare, quam menti cuncta ambienti consentire.
• IX.3 ut dicere liceat, Propere accedas o mors; nequando etiam ipse obliviscar mei.accedas "may you come" is a present subjunctive of wish, softer than the imperative accede "come!". o mors "O death" is a vocative: death itself is addressed. Gataker prints the prayer in italics and begins it with a capital, as a saying quoted.
• IX.11 si minus, memineris, hoc fine clementiam tibi datam esse. et Dii autem adversus tales clementer se gerunt.
• IX.11 idem et tibi licet facere. aut dicas, quis te prohibeat.aut "or else" means "if you deny it". dicas is a subjunctive used as a softened command, "you should say", "tell me". quis te prohibeat depends on it as an indirect question, so its verb is subjunctive, "who stops you", and Gataker ends it with a full stop; but it reads as a challenge all the same, "who would stop you?". The answer expected is "no one".
• IX.12 sed hoc unum velis, ita moveri motumve sistere, prout ratio civilis exigit.
• IX.23 Sicut ipse es ad coetum civilem complendum constitutus: ita actio tua quaevis ad vitam ejusmodi consummandam referatur.sicut … ita "just as … so". referatur is a jussive subjunctive, "let it be referred", i.e. directed: every action should serve the completing (consummandam) of a civic life.
• IX.28 denique, si quis Deus est, omnia bene se habent. sive temere ferantur; tu ne temere feraris,sive here is "or if", the other half of the choice begun by si; its subjunctive ferantur puts the case as a bare supposition. ferri "to be carried" is a passive with a middle sense, "to drift, rush along". ne with the present subjunctive feraris is a prohibition: "do not you be carried along at random". Even if the world runs by chance, you need not live by chance.
• IX.29 id agas, o homo, quod nunc te poscit natura.agas is a jussive subjunctive, a milder command than the imperative: "you should do, do". o homo "O man" is a vocative; Marcus is speaking to himself.
• IX.29 verum sufficiat tibi, si vel parum admodum res processerit; nec vel hoc ipsum parvum quiddam existimaveris.sufficiat is a jussive subjunctive, "let it be enough". Before a word of amount vel means "even": vel parum admodum "even very little". processerit is future perfect, "if the matter shall have gone forward".
• IX.29 viderint illi, an quid natura communis poscat, norint, et ad hujus dictamen sese instituerint.viderint is a perfect subjunctive used as a command, an idiom found in Cicero: "let them see to it", that is, "that is their affair". Marcus will not sit in judgement on the three men; it is for them to answer.
• IX.31 Mentis tranquillitas tibi sit in eis, quae ab externa caussa proficiscuntur.sit is a jussive subjunctive, "let there be", and tibi is a dative of possession with it: "let calm of mind be yours", that is, "keep your mind calm". The same tibi sit is understood in the next sentence, which is the other half of the rule.
• IX.31 hoc est; intentio tua actioque omnis hunc solum sibi finem propositum habeat, ut ad societatem humanam quod conducat fecerit, utpote quod naturae tuae consentaneum existat.habeat is again a jussive subjunctive, "let it have"; its subject is intentio tua actioque omnis, two nouns taken as one. finem propositum habere is "to have an end set before one", to keep it as one's aim; sibi "before itself" goes with propositum. hunc "this" points ahead to the ut clause, which says what the end is.
• IX.37 quin erga Deos itaque tandem aliquando simplicior meliusque affectus sis.quin "why not?" with the subjunctive becomes an urging, much like a command: "come, be …". tandem aliquando is "now at long last". simplicior "simpler" and melius affectus "better disposed" are both predicates with sis; affectus, the participle of afficio, with an adverb means "disposed, minded".
• IX.40 ista ergo Deos prece poscere incipias; videbis quid futurum sit.posco takes two accusatives, the person asked and the thing asked for: Deos … ista "ask the gods for these things". incipias is a jussive subjunctive, a mild command: "begin".
• IX.42 tu itaque quod non potest, ne poscas.
• IX.42 idem in promptu tibi sit, de fraudulento, infido, delinquente quolibet.sit is a jussive subjunctive, "let (it) be". in promptu esse "to be in readiness" is "to be at hand": the same thought should be ready for use. idem here is neuter, "the same (thought)", with a short i; the masculine is īdem.
• X.2 atque id facias et admittas, nisi natura tua, qua es animal, inde deterior futura sit.facias and admittas are jussive subjunctives, a milder command than the imperative: "you should do it and allow it".
• X.3 si contingit ita, ut ferre natus sis, ne gravatim te habeas, sed prout natus es, feras.ne with the present subjunctive forbids: "do not …". se habere with an adverb is "to be, carry oneself" in some way: gravatim te habeas "carry yourself heavily", i.e. "be aggrieved, take it hard". The positive command that follows is also a subjunctive, feras "bear it".
• X.3 sin ita contingat, ut ferre non natus sis, nec sic quidem graveris; ubi enim te absumpserit, et ipsum concidet.nec … quidem works like ne … quidem "not even", with sic "so" between: "not even so". graveris is the present subjunctive of the deponent gravor "find a thing heavy, take it ill", used as a prohibition: "do not be aggrieved even then".
• 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.
• X.6 Sive atomi obtinent, sive natura regit universa; hoc primo statuatur, partem esse me universi a natura administrati.statuatur is a jussive subjunctive in the passive: "let this be laid down first". hoc "this" points ahead to the accusative and infinitive that says what it is: partem esse me universi "that I am a part of the whole".
• X.8 Nomina tibi ubi sumpseris ista, boni, modesti, veracis, prudentis, unanimis, magnanimi, cave nequando transnomineris, et amittas denuo nomina ista; celeriterque (siquid tale contigerit) ad ea revertaris.The last verb is not governed by nequando, which would give the opposite sense: revertaris is a jussive subjunctive, a new command, "and return to them quickly". siquid tale contigerit "if any such thing should happen" means "if you do lose them".
• X.8 memineris autem, prudentis nomen tibi denotare singularum rerum considerationem, animadversionemque sedulam.
• X.8 et siquidem in illis persistere potes, persistas, tanquam in fortunatorum insulas quasdam trajectus;
• X.8 sin excidere, nec statum tueri posse te senseris, in angulum aliquem, ubi possis aliquid, audacter te conferas;
• X.8 vel etiam e vita omnino discedas, nec iratus tamen, sed simpliciter, libere, modeste, hoc unum duntaxat in vita memoratu dignum executus, quod e vita sic exieris.
• X.11 Methodo contemplativa instructus sis, qua perspectum habeas, quomodo cuncta in se invicem mutent.instructus sis is the perfect passive subjunctive of instruere "to equip", used as a mild command: "be equipped". methodo contemplativa is an ablative of means, "with a contemplative method": a fixed way of looking at things.
• X.15 viderint, norintque homines, hominem verum, qui naturae convenienter vivat.viderint and norint (short for noverint) are perfect subjunctives used as commands: "let them see, let them know". novi "I know" is a perfect with present meaning, so its perfect subjunctive is the natural form for "let them know", and viderint is matched to it. On its own, viderint is a common way of saying "let them see to it, that is their affair"; here it has an object, hominem verum.
• X.15 sin non sustinent, occidant.sustinere "to hold up, bear" here means to put up with him; its object, the true man, is understood, as it is with occidant. occidant is a jussive subjunctive, "let them kill (him)", from occīdere "to kill" (ob + caedere "strike"), with a long i; occĭdere, with a short i, from cadere, means "to fall".
• X.17 Aevi totius, et naturae totius cogitatio tibi crebro occurrat.occurrat is a jussive subjunctive, "let it come". occurro "run to meet" takes the dative, and with a thought as subject means "come into the mind of": tibi occurrat "let it occur to you".
• X.22 bono itaque sis animo.bono animo esse "to be of good heart" uses an ablative of quality, which describes a person's state; sis is a jussive subjunctive, a mild command: "be of good cheer". itaque "and so" draws the conclusion: there is no fourth case to fear.
• X.23 Illud tibi semper constet, ejusmodi quiddam agrum esse, cujusmodi est locus alius quilibet.constat means "it is agreed, it is clear"; the subjunctive constet is jussive: "let this always be clear to you". illud "this" points ahead to the accusative and infinitive that follows, which says what is to be clear.
• X.30 aut, si poteris, tu illum vi illa expedias.expedias is a jussive subjunctive, "you should free". expedio "set free, disentangle" takes the person in the accusative and what he is freed from in the ablative: illum vi illa "him from that force". The force is his opinion; correct it and the compulsion is gone. poteris is future where English says "if you can".
• X.31 tum mentem tibi subeat, Ubi nunc sunt illi? nusquam sane: aut ubi tandem?subeat is a jussive subjunctive, "let (it) come into", with mentem as object: subire mentem "to enter the mind". tibi is a dative of reference, "your mind". What is to come into it is the question Ubi nunc sunt illi?, marked by its capital.
• X.32 Nulli liceat vere de te dicere, non esse te simplicem, aut non esse te bonum.liceat is a jussive subjunctive of the impersonal licet "it is permitted", which takes the person in the dative: nulli liceat "let it be permitted to no one", "let no one be able". The weight falls on vere "truly": people may say it, but no one should be able to say it with truth.
• X.32 sed mentiatur, quisquis horum quicquam de te opinatus fuerit.mentiatur is the jussive subjunctive of the deponent mentior "lie": "let him be a liar". Its subject is the clause quisquis … opinatus fuerit "whoever forms the opinion", where opinatus fuerit is the future perfect of the deponent opinor, with fuerit for erit. horum quicquam "anything of these things" is a partitive genitive.
• X.32 tu tantum statuas, nec ulterius vivere, quam talis futurus sis. neque enim ratio id poscit, ni talis sis.
• X.33 quicquid enim hoc fuerit, vel facere idipsum, vel dicere licet, nec obtendas, impediri te.nec with the present subjunctive makes a prohibition: "and do not plead". obtendo "hold in front of" comes to mean "put forward as an excuse"; its object is the accusative and infinitive impediri te "that you are hindered".
• X.33 tu ergo ob oculos istud habens, rationem per omnia facilitate ferri eadem plane, qua ignis sursum, lapis deorsum, per declive cylindrus, nihil quaeras ulterius.A jussive subjunctive, "seek nothing further": with this in view you need nothing else. Gataker's tu … habens … quaeras is one sentence, "you, keeping this before your eyes, should seek nothing further".
• X.36 nec propterea tamen minus illis propitius discedas, sed moris tui tenax, amicus, benevolus, mitis.nec with the present subjunctive gives a mild command: "and do not leave …". The adjectives describe you as you go: propitius "kindly disposed", with the dative illis "towards them", and after sed "but" four more; tenax "holding fast" takes a genitive, moris tui "your own character".
• X.37 Solenne tibi sit, in cujusque (quoad ejus fieri potest) actione omni, apud te quaerere, Istud iste quo fine facit?sit is a jussive subjunctive, "let it be": solenne tibi sit … quaerere "let it be customary for you to ask". The infinitive quaerere is the subject, and solenne "a settled custom" is the predicate, neuter to go with it.
• XI.2 hoc autem ipsum et ad vitam totam transferas.transferas is a jussive subjunctive, a mild command: "you should carry over". hoc ipsum "this very thing" is the method of taking things apart, and et means "also": apply it to life as a whole, which, seen piece by piece, loses its false grandeur.
• XI.4 hoc tibi semper succurrat: nec desinas unquam.Both verbs are jussive subjunctives: "let this always come to your mind" (succurro with the dative, "occur to"), "and may you never stop". nec … unquam is "and … never"; what you are not to stop is doing what serves the common good.
• XI.9 Qui ad rationis rectae normam progredienti obsistunt tibi, sicut a recte agendo avertere te nequeunt, ita nec benevolum erga illos affectum excutiant tibi.
• XI.9 sed ad utrumque horum teneas te, ut et in judicio actioneque constanti persistas, et in mansuetudine erga illos, qui vel impedire te conantur, vel alio modo quopiam molesti tibi sunt.
• XI.11 judicium proinde tuum de eis quiescat, easque nec prosequeris amplius, nec fugies.This is the main clause of the si sentence, marked by proinde "accordingly, then". quiescat is a jussive subjunctive, "let (your judgement) be at rest". Once you stop judging the things good or bad, you stop moving towards them or away from them.
• XI.13 Contemnit me quisquam? ipse viderit.A question with no question word, marked only by the verb put first: "Does anyone despise me?" quisquam "anyone" is the usual pronoun in such a question. ipse viderit "let him see to it himself" is the brusque formula met in 5.25: viderit is a perfect subjunctive used as a command, not a past tense. It means "that is his business, not mine".
• XI.13 odit me quisquam? ipse viderit.
• XI.15 quid facis, mi homo? quid praedicere opus est? res ipsa appareat,appareat is a jussive subjunctive, "let it appear". res ipsa "the thing itself" is the straightforwardness: let the fact show itself instead of being announced.
• XI.15 hoc omnium maxime fugias.fugias is a jussive subjunctive, a gentler command than the imperative fuge: "you should shun". omnium maxime "most of all (things)" is "above all".
• XI.18 Sexto, quando quam maxime indignaris, vel aegre fers, memineris momentaneam esse vitam humanam, omnesque nos brevi componendos fore.
• XI.18 monstraveris etiam scite, et generatim ostenderis, nec apes ita se gerere, nec eorum ullum, quae gregatim agere nata sunt, animantium.Perfect subjunctives used as a polite command, "you should show", as Gataker uses videris and memineris. They could also be read as further future perfects carrying on the si clauses of the question above.
• XI.18 Capita novem ista in mente reposita habeas, tanquam dona quaedam a Musis accepta; atque incipias tandem homo esse, dum vivis.habeas is a jussive subjunctive, "keep". habere with a perfect participle means "have (something) in a certain state": reposita habeas "keep (them) stored up". capita are the "heads" or headings of an argument.incipias is another jussive subjunctive: "begin". homo is nominative after esse because it describes the subject of incipias. dum "while" takes the present indicative.
• XI.18 adversus iram vero praesto sit illud; irasci haud virile esse; sed mansuetum placidumque animi affectum, ut humanius quiddam, ita et masculum magis.praesto sit "let it be at hand" is a jussive subjunctive with the adverb praesto "ready, at hand". illud "this" points ahead to two statements, both accusative and infinitive.
• XI.29 Nec in scribendo, nec in legendo aliis praecipias, nisi prius praeceptum fuerit tibi.praecipias is a jussive subjunctive, negatived by nec: "you should not instruct others". The same verb comes back in the passive, used impersonally: praeceptum fuerit tibi "it has been instructed to you", i.e. "you have been taught". praecipere "to instruct" takes the dative of the person taught, and the dative stays with the passive. The Greek says "you will not lead before you have been led", echoing the old saying, given to Solon, that one must learn to obey before one commands.
• XII.1 nec impediverit te, quo minus sic te geras, aut aliena sive vitiositas, sive opinio, sive sermo, aut sensus etiam cingentis te massae istius carneae.impediverit is a perfect subjunctive used as a command, as the perfect is in prohibitions; with nec "and … not" it means "and let (it) not hinder you". It is third person, and its subjects wait until the end: another's vice, opinion or talk, or the feeling of the flesh. The form is the same as the future perfect; the sense decides, and the Greek has a command here.
• XII.1 viderit enim id quod patitur.viderit "let it see to it" is the brusque formula of dismissal met in 5.25 and 8.41: a perfect subjunctive used as a command, not a past tense. id quod patitur "that which suffers" is the flesh just named: if it feels pain, that is its business, and it does not touch the mind. enim "for" gives the reason why the flesh need not hinder you.
• 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.14 quod si te aestus corripuerit, carunculam, animulam, caetera alia abripiat: mentem duntaxat ne abripiat.abripiat is a jussive subjunctive, "let it carry off"; with ne it becomes a negative command, "let it not carry off". The Greek states a fact here, "the mind it will not carry off"; Gataker's Latin makes it a charge: keep the mind out of the flood.
• XII.16 tum illud memineris, eum qui improbos delinquere non vult, parem esse illi, qui ficum in ficubus succum acrem gerere; et infantes vagire, et equum hinnire, aliaque ejusmodi quae necessaria sunt, nolit.memineris, the perfect subjunctive of memini (perfect in form, present in meaning), is a gentle command: "remember". illud "this" points ahead to the accusative and infinitive.
• XII.17 ad ista enim duo semper intentio tua tendat.tendat is a jussive subjunctive, a command in the third person: "let (your aim) make for". tendere ad is "to stretch towards, make for". intentio, from intendo "stretch, aim", is the straining of the mind towards what it means to do: its aim or impulse. ista duo "those two" are the fitting and the true.
• XII.18 curaeque sit tibi hoc ipsum in formam, materiam, finem, et tempus, intra quod desiturum sit, distinguendo explicare.
• XII.19 Sentias tandem aliquando, aliquid esse in te praestantius ac divinius eis quae affectus in te excitant, et quasi fidiculis quibusdam distrahunt te.sentias is a jussive subjunctive in the second person, a softened command: "you should perceive". tandem aliquando together is "at long last", with a note of impatience. sentire "perceive" takes an accusative and infinitive: aliquid esse in te "that there is something in you".
• XII.19 quae mihi nunc dicas tibi mens est?The words nunc dicas tibi "you should now say to yourself" are dropped into the middle of the question they introduce, with no commas to mark them off; dicas is jussive, like sentias above. quae is the interrogative adjective agreeing with mens, and mihi a dative of possession: "what mind is there to me?", i.e. "what is my mind (taken up with) now?"
• XII.24 in eis quae agis, nequid frustra, aut secus fiat, quam jus ipsum fecisset.The first of the three thoughts is a rule in the subjunctive with ne: "let nothing be done to no purpose, or otherwise …". It is the rule of 12.20, where the same words depended on vide "see that". nequid is ne quid written as one word.
• XII.27 Eos apud te crebro recolas, qui de re aliqua vehementer indignati fuerint, qui vel in summa gloria, vel in insigni miseria, inimicitia, fortuna qualibet extitere.recolas is a jussive subjunctive, a softer command than the imperative: "you should call to mind". apud te "with yourself" means in your own thoughts. Eos "those" points ahead to the two qui clauses.
• XII.27 succurrat tibi simul et quicquid est ejusmodi, quale est Fabius Catulinus in agro, Lucius Lupus et Stertinius Bajis, Tiberius Capreis, et Velius Rufus;succurrat "let … come to your mind" is jussive again; succurro with the dative means "occur to". Its subject is quicquid est ejusmodi "whatever is of that kind", and in the next clause also eminentia. et here means "also".
• XII.28 Interrogantibus, ubi Deos conspicatus, aut unde esse compertum habens, hos ita veneraris, responsum sit.The sentence is framed by Interrogantibus "to those who ask", a present participle used as a noun in the dative, and responsum sit "let it be answered", an impersonal passive in the jussive subjunctive. Between them stands the question they ask.