I.the good quality of a thing, goodness, excellence (cf. Caes. B. G. 1, 28 Herz.; class., but mostly in prose).
I. Of concrete objects: “bonitas praediorum,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 7, 20: “agrorum,” id. Agr. 2, 16, 41; Caes. B. G. 1, 28: “agri aut oppidi,” Cic. Agr. 2, 28, 76: “praediorum,” id. Rosc. Am. 7, 20; Dig. 50, 16, 86: “terrae,” Lucr. 5, 1247: “soli,” Quint. 2, 19, 2: “aquae,” Phaedr. 4, 9, 8: “vini,” Plin. 14, 4, 6, § 55: “arboris,” id. 13, 9, 17, § 61: “gemmarum,” id. 37, 8, 37, § 116 al.: “vocis,” Cic. Or. 18, 59: “verborum,” id. ib. 49, 164: “mutuum eādem bonitate solvatur quā datum est,” Dig. 12, 1, 3: “secunda bonitas (amomi),” the second quality, Plin. 12, 13, 28, § 48; Dig. 45, 1, 75, § 2.—
II. Of abstract objects: “ingenii,” Cic. Off. 3, 3, 14: “causae,” id. Dom. 22, 57: “naturae,” id. Off. 1, 32, 118: “sapientiae,” Quint. 5, 10, 75. —
B. Esp. freq. of character, good, honest, or friendly conduct; goodness, virtue, integrity, blamelessness: “neque ego nunc de illius bonitate, sed de generi impudentiā disputo,” Cic. Agr. 3, 3, 13: “rustici cum fidem alicujus bonitatemque laudant, dignum esse dicunt, quīcum in tenebris mices, id. Off, 3, 19, 77: quae tuae fidei, justitiae bonitatique commendo,” id. Fam. 13, 4, 3; id. N. D. 3, 30, 75: “si recte vestram bonitatem atque prudentiam cognovi,” id. Quint. 17, 54: “nec justitiae ullus esset nec bonitati locus,” id. Fin. 3, 20, 66: “perennis,” Ov. Tr. 4, 5, 27: “eam potestatem bonitate retinebat,” integrity, Nep. Milt. 8, 3; so id. Timol. 5, 1.—
2. Kindness, friendliness, benevolence, benignity, affability: perpetua naturalis bonitas (kind-heartedness, benevolence), quae nullis casibus neque agitur, neque minuitur, Nep. Att. 9, 1: “te oro per mei te erga bonitatem patris,” Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 54; Cic. N. D. 2, 23, 60: “bonitas et beneficentia,” id. ib. 1, 43, 121; “3, 34, 84: homo liberalis et dissolutus et bonitate affluens,” id. Rosc. Com. 10, 27: “utrumque incredibile est, et Roscium quicquam per avaritiam appetisse, et Fannium quicquam per bonitatem amisisse,” id. ib. 7, 21: “multas hereditates nullā aliā re quam bonitate consecutus est,” Nep. Att. 21, 1: “bonitas, humanitas, misericordia,” Quint. 5, 1, 22; Tac. H. 1, 52. —
3. Esp., parental love, tenderness: “quid dicam... de bonitate in suos,” Cic. Lael. 3, 11: “facit parentes bonitas, non necessitas,” Phaedr. 3, 15, 18.
