Prosa 6:
Worldly offices and power bring a happiness no more certain than what is brought by wealth.dignitatibus: see on 2P3.7. qua: sc. potentia , ablative of means, with vos as object of exaequatis . Some editors read quas (i.e., dignitates potentiamque ), making it the object of exaequatis . Cf. Gruber. quae. . . Aetnae . . . quod diluvium: "what Aetnas [i.e., volcanoes] . . . what deluge?"
uti: "as." consulare: adjective, "of the consuls." The allusion is to the rise of the tribunes of the people as a balance to oligarchic power, itself the result of revolt against the kings. veteres: here, "ancestors."
deferantur: "are conferred upon," with dative; sc. dignitates as subject.
expetibilis: "desirable." Nonne . . . quibus qui . . . videamini: "Do you not, mere earthly animals, consider over what creatures you who [seem to rule] seem to rule?" mures: < mus , "mouse." cachinno: < cachinnus , "derisive laughter."
imbecillius: < imbecillus , "weak." quos: sc. homines . muscularum: < muscula , "little fly" (diminutive of musca ). reptantium: "of [creatures] creeping." in secreta quaeque: see on 1P3.14.
Quo: "How, in what way?" quempiam: "anyone [else]," masculine or feminine accusative singular of quispiam . exserere: < exsero , here "exert." imperabis: < impero ("command, give orders") is constructed with accusative of the command and dative of the one commanded. sibi: with cohaerentem ; where the subject of the sentence is in the second person, the reflexive points to the nearest noun.
adacturum (sc. esse ) : < adigo , "compel" governs ut -clause to follow. The "free man" was Zeno of Elea (see on 1P3.9). adversum se: i.e., adversum tyrannum . proderet: < prodo , "betray." momordit: < mordeo , "bite." cruciatus: "tortures," accusative plural. virtutis: sc. materiam .
possit . . . possit: Bear in mind that possum has the same root as potentia and potestas . sustinere: here, "suffer."
Busiridem: < Busiris , king of Egypt; his story was told in Herodotus 2.45 and often elsewhere. solitum: < soleo , "be accustomed"; since soleo is semi-deponent, the perfect participle is active in meaning.
Regulus: Roman hero of the first Punic war (264-241 B.C.); captured by the Carthaginians, he was released to report (ignominious) peace terms back to Rome, under oath to return if his mission failed. At Rome, he argued eloquently against the proposed treaty and when it was rejected returned honorably to Carthage, where he was put to (gruesome) death. plures: literally "more," but here there is no comparative force: "many." victorum: < victor .
potest: sc. facere . ne . . . valeat: substantive clause of result after efficere ("to bring it about").
Ad haec: see on 2P4.26. pessimis: dative with provenirent , "come to." adversa: "opposites" (subject of solent ). sociari, natura: connective omitted (asyndeton); English punctuation would replace the comma with a semicolon. contraria quaeque: "any opposites whatever."
pessimos . . . fungi: accusative/infinitive after dubium non sit . natura sui = natura sua (ablative); antecedent of sui is bona .
dignius: adverbial < dignus ; modifies existimari .
nemo . . . cui: "no one doubts that [that person] is brave, in whom."
effectibus: "things brought about, effects."
fecerit: future perfect. collata: < confero , "confer upon," with dative. non modo . . . sed . . . potius: "not only . . . but rather [i.e., instead]."
provenit: "happen." Gaudetis: ironic address: "You [mortals] take pleasure . . ." res . . . habentes: "things that regard themselves otherwise," object of compellare ("to call"). quae: sc. nomina . redarguuntur: "are contradicted." divitiae . . . potentia . . . dignitas: each is predicative.
idem . . . concludere: "to conclude the same thing," i.e., to draw the same conclusion.