12 Cicero, De Amicitia 19–20
| 1 | Itaque cīvēs potiōrēs quam peregrīnī, propinquī quam aliēnī; cum hīs enim amīcitiam nātūra ipsa peperit; |
| 2 | sed ea nōn satis habet firmitātis. |
| 3 | Namque hōc praestat amīcitia propinquitātī, quod ex propinquitāte benevolentia tollī potest, ex amīcitiā nōn potest; |
| 4 | sublātā enim benevolentiā amīcitiae nōmen tollitur, propinquitātis manet. |
| 5 | [20] Quanta autem vīs amīcitiae sit, ex hōc intellegī maximē potest, quod ex īnfīnītā societāte generis hūmānī, quam conciliāvit ipsa nātūra |
| 6 | ita contracta rēs est et adducta in angustum, ut omnis cāritās aut inter duōs aut inter paucōs iungerētur. |
| 1 | potiōrēs: comparative of potis (“preferred, preferable, better”); you need to understand the verb “to be” in this clause; note the coordination of ideas.
propinquī: those who are close (1) by blood, i.e., relatives; and (2) by space, i.e., “neighbors, fellow-citizens.” hīs: refers to the aliēnī; there is a natural amīcitia even with those to whome are are not related. |
| 2 | ea: <amīcitia>. |
| 3 | hōc: abl. of respect, “in this way/respect”.
praestat + dat. tollī: perfect passive infinitive < tollō. |
| 4 | sublātā… benevolentiā: abl. phrase at the start of a sentence; what kind?
amīcitiae: this is a “limiting” or “appositional” genitive with nōmen (AG 343d). |
| 5 | propinquitātis: <nōmen>, ellipsis of a repeated noun, as so often.
sit: why subjunctive? |
| 6 | rēs: the “matter” (i.e., friendship); N.B. avoid thinking of rēs as “thing”; rēs is a much richer word than “thing” and be aware of the range of meanings it can have (take a look at LS).
cāritās: this is a general term for an affectionate or caring relationship |
Interrogata
- How important are the moral qualities that Laelius lists for you in choosing your friends?
- Are you closer to your friends than to (some of) your relatives?
- What do you think it means to follow nature as your leader in “living well”?
