9.12

Pliny advocates for remembering one’s own youth when dealing with one’s children and for behaving towards them with moderation.

quīdam: supply amicus, “a certain friend.”

paulō sūmptuōsius: (adv.) “a bit too lavishly.”

iuvene dīgressō: ablative absolute.

quod ā patre corripī posset: “something which could have been criticized by your father.” Relative clause of characteristic, normal with a vague antecedent. AG 534. The verb normally means "to seize, grab hold of." See LS corripio II.A.

Fēcistī, dīcō: “I say that you have,” “you have, I tell you.”

Nōn ... nōn ... nōn: nōn in a question suggests (in this case mild) indignation and expects a positive answer, like nonne. OLD non 4.

Nōn interdum facis quod: “do you not (still) occasionally do (that) which.” 

pater ille: “he were the father.”

tū fīlius: “and you were the son.”

parī gravitāte: “with equal severity,” ablative of manner.

aliquō errōre:“by some mistake (or other),” ablative of means.

Nōn hic in illō sibi, in hōc alius indulget: “does one man not indulge himself in one way? Does another man not indulge himself in another way?” Take nōn and sibi with both clauses.

(2) Haec tibi: take this with the clause prō amōre mūtuō scrīpsī.

immodicae sevēritātis exemplō: “by the example of (this) immoderate severity.”

prō amōre mūtuō: “because of our mutual love,” or “due to our mutual love.”

nē ... tractārēs: negative purpose clause.

acerbius dūriusque: comparative adverbs modifying tractārēs.

Cōgitā et illum puerum esse et tē fuisse: “consider both that he is a boy and that you (once) were a boy.”

ita hoc quod es pater ūtere: “use the fact that you are a father in such a way that,” + result clause. "Use your rights as a father" (Radice).

ut meminerīs: result clause governed by the ita.

et hominem esse tē et hominis patrem: indirect statement governed by meminerīs.