Gerundive of obligation (cavenda est, agenda sunt)

The gerundive (-ndus, -nda, -ndum) with a form of sum means "must be done, is to be done"; the person who must do it is in the dative.

Examples

• caeterum et alia hic hallucinatio cavenda est 2.7but here another delusion must also be guarded against
• quae enim Dii agunt, virtutis nomine, veneranda 2.13for what the gods do is to be revered on account of their virtue
• cum etiam minutissima quaeque ita sint agenda 2.16since even the smallest things must be done in such a way

In the text 65

• I.4 A proavo, quod publicas exercitationes adierim; quodque bonis praeceptoribus privatim sim usus; et quod in res istiusmodi impense erogandum intellexerim.erogandum with esse understood is an impersonal gerundive of obligation: "that it must be spent", i.e. "that one must spend". It is an indirect statement after intellexerim. istiusmodi "of that kind" is a genitive (istius modi) and does not change its ending.
• I.17 sed posse eum, qui rebus praeest, ita contrahere sese, ut ad privati speciem proxime accedat, nec propterea tamen, vel demissius, vel remissius se gerat in eis, quae pro republica ad morem imperatorium sunt exequenda.sunt exequenda is the gerundive with esse, saying what must be done: 'which have to be carried out'. exsequor (here spelled exequor, without the s) is deponent, but its gerundive is passive in meaning, as with all deponents.
• II.7 caeterum et alia hic hallucinatio cavenda est.The gerundive with est expresses what must be done: cavenda est 'is to be guarded against', i.e. 'must be avoided'. The gerundive agrees with its subject hallucinatio, feminine singular. The 'other error' is the opposite one: being busy without a goal.
• II.12 quam vilia, quam contemnenda, quam sordida, caduca, mortua sint.contemnenda is the gerundive of contemno, "to be despised". Standing as a predicate among ordinary adjectives (vilia, sordida), it works like one: "contemptible".
• II.13 quae enim Dii agunt, virtutis nomine, veneranda; quae homines, cognationis ratione, sunt amica;veneranda is a gerundive used as a predicate adjective, "to be revered", with sunt understood (it appears in the next clause). The subject is the clause quae Dii agunt "the things the gods do".
• II.13 sed et modo quodam miseranda quandoque, ob bonorum malorumque ignorationem. nec sane defectus hic minor est illo, qui alba et nigra internoscere prohibet.Still about what men do, with sunt carried over: "but also, in a way, sometimes to be pitied". miseranda, like veneranda before, is a gerundive used as a predicate adjective; et here means "also".
• II.16 cum etiam minutissima quaeque ita sint agenda, ut ad finem ipsum referantur. finis autem animantium rationis participum hic est, ut civitatis ac politiae antiquissimae rationi legibusque obsequantur.The gerundive agenda with a form of sum says what must be done: sint agenda "must be done, should be done" (the passive periphrastic).
• III.1 Non est hoc tantum nobis cogitandum, singulis diebus absumi vitam, minoremque ejusdem superesse portionem:cogitandum est is the gerundive with esse, the gerundive of obligation: "(it) is to be thought of, must be thought of". The person who must do it stands in the dative, nobis "by us" (the dative of the agent), so hoc … nobis cogitandum est is "this must be thought of by us", i.e. "we must think of this". non … tantum "not only" looks ahead to sed et "but also" in the next part.
• 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.reputandum, like cogitandum before it, is a gerundive of obligation, with est and nobis left out: "but this too must be reckoned with (by us)". sed et "but also" answers non … tantum "not only".
• 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.Festinandum (est) "there must be hurrying". festino "hurry" has no object for a gerundive to agree with, so its gerundive of obligation stands in the neuter singular as an impersonal, with est understood: "one must hurry", "we must make haste".
• III.4 porro nec a quibuslibet existimationem esse capessendam, sed ab eis tantum, qui naturae consentaneam vitam agunt.Still depending on meminit: "and that good opinion is not to be sought from just anyone". capessendam esse is the gerundive of obligation of capesso "seize eagerly, strive after", in an accusative and infinitive with existimationem: "must be sought". a quibuslibet "from anyone you like", i.e. from any and every person.
• III.6 animo ita affecto, ut in eis, quae secundum rationis dictamen peragenda sunt, sibimet ipsi, in eis quae citra consilii proprii opem obveniunt, fato acquiescat.The gerundive with sunt says what must be done: "(the things which) must be carried out". citra … opem, literally "on this side of the help", is Gataker's way of saying "without the help" of one's own planning.
• III.7 utpote qui, si statim demigrandum fuerit, perinde promptus sit decedere, ac aliud quid agere, quod modeste et decore agi oporteat.demigrandum is the gerundive used impersonally, with no subject: demigrandum est "there must be moving out", i.e. "one must move out". fuerit is perfect subjunctive because the condition sits inside the subjunctive qui clause; it stands for a future perfect, "if he should have to leave at once". demigrare is used of moving house: the soul leaves the body as one leaves a dwelling.
• III.11 de singulis ergo rebus dicendum est; Hoc divinitus venit;The gerundive with est, used impersonally, expresses obligation: "it must be said", that is, "one must say".
• IV.2 Nihil operis est frustra temereve exequendum, neque aliter quam ut artis regulis quam exactissime respondeat.exequendum est is the gerundive with esse, the gerundive of obligation: "is to be carried out, must be done"; with nihil it becomes "nothing must be done". exequendum is Gataker's spelling of exsequendum, from the deponent exsequor; a deponent's gerundive is still passive in meaning. nihil operis "nothing of work" is a partitive genitive: "no action".
• IV.4 si ratio, etiam ea quae quid agendum, quid omittendum praescribit, ratio communis est.Two indirect questions with sit left out: quid agendum (sit) "what is to be done", quid omittendum (sit) "what is to be left undone". The gerundive with esse says what must be done: "what we must do and what we must leave alone".
• IV.12 Duo ista in promptu tibi semper sunt habenda:sunt habenda is the gerundive of obligation, plural to agree with duo ista "these two things": "these two things are to be kept". The person who must keep them is in the dative, tibi "by you", so: "you must always keep these two things". in promptu "in readiness, at hand".
• IV.18 non est itaque circumspiciendum, sed lineae insistendum, per quam citra evagationem omnem recta curras.Two gerundives of obligation used impersonally, with no subject: circumspiciendum est "there must be looking around", with non "one must not look around", and insistendum (est) "one must keep to". A verb that takes no direct object can make this construction only in the neuter singular. insisto "stand on, keep to" takes the dative lineae "the line".
• IV.21 quin et reputanda est non sepultorum tantum hoc modo corporum multitudo, sed et animalium, quae quotidie tum a nobis, tum a bestiis, comeduntur.reputanda est is a gerundive of obligation agreeing with multitudo, the subject, which comes at the end of a long genitive phrase: "the multitude must be reckoned with". Unlike circumspiciendum in §18, it is personal: the thing to be weighed is the subject. quin et at the start is "and what is more".
• IV.24 nec actiones tantum, sed cogitationes etiam minus necessariae sunt recidendae.recidendae sunt is the gerundive with esse, the gerundive of obligation: "are to be cut back, must be cut back". It agrees with both subjects, actiones and cogitationes (feminine plural). The verb is recīdo "cut back" (from caedo "cut"), not recido "fall back" (from cado).
• IV.26 huc summa redit; brevis est vita: quod instat tempus lucrandum est, considerate justeque agendo.lucrandum est is the gerundive of obligation: "must be gained, must be turned to profit". lucror "to gain" is deponent, but its gerundive is passive in sense, as with every deponent. The subject is tempus, with its relative clause quod instat "which is at hand" placed in front of it: the present time must be made the most of.
• IV.32 illi vero cum primis sunt memoria recolendi, quos ipse noris aliquando se rebus inanibus distinuisse, cum id interim facere, quod conditioni propriae consentaneum erat, huic firmiter inhaerere, eodemque contentum esse, neglexerint.cum primis "among the first" is an idiom for "above all, especially" (like imprimis); primis is the superlative belonging to prior. recolendi sunt is the gerundive of obligation, agreeing with illi: "those are to be recalled", "you must recall those"; memoria "in memory" is an ablative of means.
• IV.32 illud etiam istic meminisse oportet, in actione unaquaque eam, quae adhibetur, curam, pro rei dignitate ac congruentia esse attemperandam.The accusative and infinitive is eam … curam esse attemperandam "that the care must be adjusted": the gerundive of obligation with esse, inside reported thought. The relative clause quae adhibetur "which is applied" sits between eam and its noun curam.
• IV.46 item nihil tanquam per somnum agendum, dicendumve. siquidem dormientes quoque multa agere, et dicere videmur.agendum and dicendum are gerundives of obligation, "to be done", "to be said", with esse left out; -ve is "or". Like the quod clause before, this still depends on "it would be useful to remember": "(remember) that nothing must be done or said …". nihil is the subject, in the accusative.
• IV.46 sed nec puerorum instar quicquam agendum, hoc est, ex mera traditionis ratione, quia a parentibus sic accepimus.Another gerundive of obligation with esse left out: "nor (must) anything be done …". puerorum instar "like children": instar "the likeness" with a genitive comes close to English "like". quicquam "anything" is the form used after a negative such as nec.
• V.5 hoc tantummodo nomine si notari poteras, quod tardiori hebetiorique ingenio natus sis, exercitatione vitium istud corrigere conandum fuerat, hebetudinem tuam neque insuper habendo, neque in eadem tibi complacendo.conandum fuerat is the gerundive of the deponent conor "try", used impersonally with esse: "it had to be tried", i.e. "you should have tried". Latin puts such "ought to have" in the indicative; the pluperfect fuerat stands where classical Latin would have fuit or erat. corrigere "to correct" is what was to be tried, and exercitatione "by training" is how.
• 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.An indirect question with utrum … aut "whether … or". habendae sint and censendae sint are gerundives of obligation: "are to be held in honour", "are to be counted among goods"; they agree with res.
• V.15 Nihil horum hominis esse dicendum est, quod non ad hominem qua homo est, pertinet.dicendum est is the gerundive of obligation: "must be said". With a passive verb of saying Latin keeps the subject in the nominative and adds an infinitive: Nihil … hominis esse dicendum est "nothing is to be said to be a man's", as in dicitur esse "he is said to be". hominis esse "to be of a man" is a genitive of possession used as a predicate, "to belong to a man". horum "of these things" looks back to the so-called goods of the last section, wealth and the like.
• V.22 quin et etiamsi civitati nonnihil inde nocumenti accederet, ne sic quidem succensendum esset civitatem laedenti, sed ostendendum in quo delinquat.ne … quidem "not even" encloses the word it stresses: ne sic quidem "not even so". succensendum esset is the gerundive of obligation, used impersonally because succensere "be angry with" takes the dative: "it would not have to be resented", i.e. "one should not be angry". The person in question stands in the dative: civitatem laedenti "with the one harming the city", a present participle used as a noun.
• V.26 quod si alia ratione se ad mentem subvexerint, quatenus nempe ea corpori unita est, tunc sensui, cum a natura sit, non est obnitendum,obnitendum est is the gerundive of the deponent obnitor "strive against", used impersonally: "it must not be striven against", i.e. "you must not resist". Because obnitor takes the dative, the thing not to be resisted is in the dative: sensui "the sensation". cum … sit with the subjunctive gives the reason: "since it comes from nature".
• V.26 sed sistenda partis principalis censura, ne de his tanquam aut bonis aut malis sententiam ullam ferat.Supply est: sistenda (est) … censura "the judgement must be held back". sisto "make stand" also means "stop, check". The sensation may be felt; what the ruling part must withhold is its own verdict on it. censura, properly the censor's assessment, is Gataker's word for that verdict.
• V.27 Cum Deis vivendum.vivendum is the gerundive of vivo, used impersonally with est left out, as often in maxims: "it must be lived with the gods", i.e. "one must live with the gods". An intransitive verb like vivere can form only this neuter, impersonal gerundive. "Living with the gods" was a Stoic phrase for a life in tune with the divine order. Deis is the ablative plural of deus (also diis, dis).
• VI.13 ad eundem modum per vitam totam agendum est, ut res eas etiam, quae comprobatu dignissimae videbuntur, prorsus denudemus, vilitatemque earum intueamur, et tollamus eam, qua evehi solent, narrationis pompam omnem.agendum est is an impersonal gerundive, "it must be acted", that is, "we must act". ad eundem modum "in the same way" answers the Quemadmodum "just as" that opened the section: as with the food, the wine and the purple, so with everything. The ut clause spells out this way of acting, with three verbs in the subjunctive: denudemus, intueamur, tollamus.
• VI.16 istic ergo reperitur quod in pretio sit habendum. atque hoc bene si habuerit, nihil aliud quod acquiras, opus erit.sit habendum is the gerundive of obligation: "what is to be held, what must be held". in pretio habere "to hold in value", as in section 15. The clause has no antecedent and is the subject of reperitur: "there is found what must be valued".
• VI.35 num ferendum ergo, architectum medicumve artis suae rationem pluris facere, quam hominem suae, quae est illi cum Diis ipsis communis?num expects the answer "no". ferendum (est) "is it to be borne?" is an impersonal gerundive; what is not to be borne is the accusative and infinitive that follows: architectum … facere.
• VI.40 proinde magis illam vereri oportet; existimandumque tibi, si secundum illius voluntatem te habueris degerisque, omnia tibi ex animi sententia se habere.The gerundive of obligation with est left out, and the dative tibi for the person who must act: "and it must be thought by you", i.e. "and you must consider". What is to be thought follows as an accusative and infinitive, omnia … se habere.
• VI.47 unicum ergo istic est, quod sit plurimi faciendum, ut veritatem justitiamque colens ipse, cum mendacibus injustisque benevole degas.plurimi facere "to value at the highest": the genitive plurimi (superlative of multus) states the value, as in magni facere "to value greatly". faciendum is the gerundive with sit: "which is to be valued most". sit is subjunctive because the relative clause describes a kind: "one thing such as is worth most".
• VII.4 et in altero quidem, quid designetur; in altero vero, quorsum referatur, considerandum.considerandum is a gerundive, "to be considered", with est left out: considerandum (est) "it must be considered". The gerundive with esse says what has to be done (the gerundive of obligation). Here it is neuter and impersonal, and what must be considered is the pair of indirect questions quid designetur "what is meant" and quorsum referatur "to what end it is directed", whose verbs are subjunctive as in every indirect question. In words look for the meaning, in actions for the aim.
• VII.46 sed istis Deo dimissis, et mulierculis etiam fide adhibita, fieri non posse ut fatum quisquam quoquo modo effugiat; hoc deinceps ei perpendendum, quomodo tempus hoc, quo victurus sit, quam optime exigat.The gerundive with est left out says what must be done: hoc perpendendum (est) "this is to be weighed", and ei "by him" is the dative of the agent: "he must weigh this". hoc is spelled out by the quomodo question.
• VII.55 Nolito aliorum mentes circumspicere, sed eo recta intuere, quo natura te ducit; natura, inquam, universi, in eis quae tibi contingunt, et tua etiam, in eis quae tibi sunt agenda.sunt agenda 'are to be done' is the gerundive of obligation, and the dative tibi names the one who must do it: 'which you must do'.
• VII.55 illud autem est unicuique agendum, quod est conditioni ipsius consentaneum.Again the gerundive of obligation with the dative of the person: 'that is to be done by each one', i.e. 'each one must do that'. unicuique is the dative of unusquisque 'each one', and ipsius 'his own' refers back to him. consentaneus 'in keeping with' takes the dative conditioni.
• VII.60 caeterum ista citra affectationem sunt observanda.observanda sunt "are to be kept, must be observed" is the gerundive of obligation, agreeing with ista "these things". citra, properly "on this side of", is Gataker's regular word for "without" (sine). affectatio is a striving for effect: the composure must be natural, not put on.
• VIII.6 usitata sunt omnia, ut metuendum non sit, nequid novi emergat.ut with the subjunctive after a statement is a result clause: "so that …". metuendum (est) is the gerundive used impersonally, "it is to be feared", that is, "one must fear"; with non, "there is no need to fear".
• VIII.17 neminem igitur est incusandum.The gerundive with esse says what must or must not be done. Here it stands in the neuter, used impersonally, and keeps an object as the active verb would: neminem est incusandum "there is to be no blaming of anyone", that is, "no one is to be blamed". The usual way is personal, nemo est incusandus, with the person as subject; the impersonal gerundive with an accusative object is found in early Latin and in Lucretius, but it is rare.
• VIII.17 nihil autem est agendum frustra.Again the gerundive of obligation: "nothing is to be done in vain". Every act should have an aim; complaining has none.
• IX.3 quo modo nunc praestolaris, donec uxoris tuae utero foetus prodeat. ita expectanda est hora, qua animula tua involucro isti excidet.The gerundive with est says what must be done: expectanda est hora "the hour is to be awaited", i.e. "you must await the hour". expecto is Gataker's spelling of exspecto.
• IX.20 Quod alteri delictum est, apud eum relinquendum est.The gerundive with est says what must be done: relinquendum est "must be left". apud eum "with him": the fault stays with the one who did it; it is not yours to carry.
• IX.28 vel atomi et corpora indivisibilia pro rerum principiis habenda erunt.habere pro with the ablative is "to take as, regard as". The gerundive with erunt says what will have to be done: "(they) will have to be taken for the first principles of things". habenda is neuter plural because its subjects differ in gender (atomi feminine, corpora neuter); with things, Latin then uses the neuter.
• IX.30 considera et vitam quae sub aliis olim est acta, quae post te erit transigenda, quaeque apud gentes barbaras jam agitur.Three relative clauses describe the one vitam, in past, future and present: est acta "was lived" (vitam agere "to live a life"), erit transigenda "will have to be lived through", a gerundive with erit, and agitur "is being lived". sub aliis "under others" means in the time of other men; the Greek says "by others".
• X.8 nec bestiariis illis absimilis, qui semiadesi, vulneribus sanieque oppleti, in diem crastinum tamen reservari supplicant, iisdem unguibus morsibusque iidem ejusmodi plane objiciendi.objiciendi is a gerundive agreeing with qui: "(men) to be thrown", that is, who are only going to be thrown again. objicere "throw before" takes the dative: "to the same claws and bites", one iisdem serving both nouns. iidem ejusmodi "the same men, and of that kind" means they go back just as they are, still half-eaten: putting off the end changes nothing.
• X.11 corpus exuit, qui sic affectus est, reputansque secum, mox esse sibi, relictis his omnibus, ab hominibus discedendum, totum sese permittit, justitiae, in eis quae ab ipso fiunt; universi naturae, in eis quae obveniunt ipsi.reputans secum "reckoning with himself" introduces an accusative and infinitive whose verb is an impersonal gerundive, esse … discedendum "there must be a departing", with sibi the dative of the one who must do it: "that he must soon depart from men". relictis his omnibus is an ablative absolute, "all these things being left behind".
• X.29 Considerata seorsim, quam instituis, re omni, percontare te, num ideo mors gravis habenda sit, quia ea te privet.
• XI.16 venia enim cuique habenda est, qui bonum suum sectatur.habenda est is the gerundive of obligation, "is to be held", agreeing with venia "pardon, indulgence": "pardon must be shown". The dative cuique "to each one" is not the agent here, as it often is with a gerundive, but the person who receives the pardon, and the relative clause qui bonum suum sectatur "who pursues his own good" says which person. No one is to be blamed for seeking his own true good, even at the cost of glory.
• XI.18 Sexto, quando quam maxime indignaris, vel aegre fers, memineris momentaneam esse vitam humanam, omnesque nos brevi componendos fore.componendos fore is the gerundive with fore, the future infinitive of esse: "that we are to be laid out", that is, "we shall be laid out". componere is the word for laying out a body, or laying ashes in the tomb. brevi "in a short (time)" is "soon".
• XI.18 quin neque irrisorie faciendum hoc, neque contumeliose, sed cum genuino amoris affectu;faciendum (est) hoc "this must be done" is a gerundive of obligation with est left out. quin at the start of a sentence adds a further point, "and indeed". neque … neque … sed "neither … nor … but".
• XI.18 Veruntamen ex aequo cavendum, sicut ne irascaris eis, ita etiam ne aduleris.cavendum (est) is an impersonal gerundive: "one must take care". ex aequo "on equal terms" means "equally".
• XI.19 Mentis affectiones quatuor potissimum sunt jugiter cavendae, et ubi deprehensae fuerint, confestim inducendae, de singulis earum sic censendo:The gerundive with esse says what must be done: sunt cavendae "are to be guarded against", that is, "you must guard against them". The same sunt serves inducendae later in the sentence. An affectio is a state or turn of the mind; the Greek speaks of the "turnings" by which the ruling part of the soul goes astray. quatuor is Gataker's spelling of quattuor "four", and potissimum "above all" is the superlative of the adverb potius.
• XI.37 Artem assensum praebendi inveniendam idem monebat.monebat "he advised" introduces reported speech: an accusative with a gerundive, esse left out, artem inveniendam (esse) "that the art must be found". assensum praebendi is a gerund with its own object: "of giving assent". idem "the same man" is Epictetus again. These words and the next section are not in the surviving Discourses; editors print them among his fragments.
• XI.37 et conatus ita cohibendos esse, ut cum exceptione fiant, ut societatis jus spectent, ut pro rei cujusque dignitate adhibeantur.
• XI.37 et appetitu quidem abstinendum prorsus; aversationem vero in re nulla adhibendam, quae nostri juris non sit.An impersonal gerundive with esse understood: abstinendum (esse) "that one must abstain", with the ablative of separation appetitu "from desire". Epictetus told beginners to give up desire altogether until they could desire rightly (Handbook 2). quidem … vero "on the one hand … on the other" balances desire against aversion.
• XII.12 Quicquid naturae consentaneum contingit, de eo nec Dii sunt incusandi; nihil enim vel sponte vel inviti peccant: nec homines: nihil enim et ipsi sponte.The gerundive with sum says what must or must not be done: sunt incusandi "are to be blamed". nec … nec "neither … nor" sets the gods against men.
• XII.12 nulli ergo sunt incusandi.
• XII.24 Tria haec in promptu habenda sunt.The gerundive with sunt says what must be done: habenda sunt "are to be kept, must be kept". in promptu "in readiness, at hand" is a fixed phrase: these three thoughts should be ready for use at any moment. The three follow, the first without a number, then secundum and tertium.
• XII.24 atqui nec de fortuna conquerendum est, nec providentiam incusandum.Two gerundives of obligation, both impersonal neuters: conquerendum est "one must complain", here "one must not complain", and providentiam incusandum (est) "one must (not) blame providence". conqueror "complain" takes de with the ablative. incuso "blame" takes a direct object, and the usual idiom makes the gerundive agree with it (providentia incusanda "providence must be blamed"); Gataker keeps the gerundive impersonal and lets it take providentiam as its object, an older construction found in Lucretius (aeternas … poenas in morte timendum est "one must fear eternal punishment in death").
• XII.31 atqui instituto huic repugnat, siquis aegre ferat, quod istis morte privandus sit.quod "that" gives what he resents, with the subjunctive because it is his own view of the matter. privandus sit is the gerundive with sit: "that he is to be deprived". privo takes an ablative of what one is robbed of, istis "of those things", while morte "by death" gives the means.