8.16

Pliny confides to a friend how sad he was when several of his slaves got sick and died. 

Paternō suō: Plinius Paternus is a literary friend, probably from Comum. See 1.21 (Sherwin-White).

(1) Cōnfēcērunt mē: “have consumed me," "have overwhelmed me.” OLD conficio 14. 

īnfirmitātēs meōrum: “the sicknesses of (some of the members of) my household,” i.e. my servants. 

mortēs etiam: “(some) even died.” 

nēquāquam paria tantō dolōrī: concessive, “(although they are) in no way equal to my grief.”

ūnum: “the first (of the comforts) is,” “one (of the comforts) is.” 

manūmittendī: gerund with facilitās.

Pliny did not limit his free slaves to the inferior status of Junian Latins. In 10.104, when left rights in Junian Latins, he hastens to secure them citizen rights. His attitude is remarkable among Romans (Sherwin-White). 

omnīnō immātūrōs: “entirely too soon.” 

iam līberōs: “when they are already free.” 

alterum quod: “the second (of the comforts) is that.”  

servīs: dative with permittō.

quoque quasi testāmenta facere: “also to make wills as if (they were real) testaments.” The implication is that the wills that the servants made were not valid, but that Pliny treats them as if they were. By Roman law slaves were not legally allowed to bequeath property. 

Again Pliny is in advance of contemporary law and custom, as in the question of voluntas in wills (4.10.2, 5.7.2) (Sherwin-White).

(2) quod vīsum: “what they saw fit.” LS video II.B.7.c.

ut iussus: indirect command with pāreō with the form of esse understood, “as (if) commanded” by law. 

dumtaxat intrā domum: “provided that they do so within the household.” LS dumtaxat II B 3.

servīs: “when it comes to slaves,” or “in the case of slaves.”

rēs pūblica quaedam et quasi cīvitās domūs est: order: domūs est quasi quaedam rēs pūblica et cīvitās.

(3) hīs sōlāciīs: with acquiēscam, “I am satisfied by these comforts.” LS acquiesco II B. 

quae mē ut hoc ipsum permitterem indūxit: order: quae indūxit mē ut permitterem hoc ipsum. Hoc ipsum, “this very (thing)” refers back to the thing that he has allowed his slaves to do, which was unusual for Roman slaves.  

Nōn ideō tamen velim dūrior fierī: “not to the extent however that I would want to become harder (hearted).”

Nec ignōrō: “I am not ignorant,” “I am aware” + indirect statement. 

eius modī cāsūs: “this sort of misfortune.” 

nihil amplius: “nothing more.” 

damnum: “financial loss.” The lex Aquilia financially compensated an owner whose slaves or animals had been killed or injured.

eōque: “and (having done) so,” “so doing.”

Quī: connecting relative, = illī. 

an magnī sapientēsque sint, nesciō: order: nesciō an sint magnī sapientēsque.

hominēs nōn sunt: "are not human" (Kingery).

(4) Hominis est enim afficī dolōre sentīre: “for to be affected by pain (and) to feel it is (the very essence) of (being) a human.” Hominis is genitive of characteristic (AG 343.c). The lack of connectives (asyndeton) conveys the urgency of Pliny's tone.

sentīre: "to feel (its power)" (Poteat).

resistere ... admittere: to fight nevertheless (against grief) and to accept consolation (Montague). 

nōn ... egēre: not to be above the need (non egēre) of consolation (Montague). 

(5) plūra: supply scripsī.

dolendī voluptās: “pleasure in feeling pain,” or "in grieving." 

in amīcī sinū: “in the embrace of a friend.” 

apud quem lacrimīs tuīs vel laus sit parāta vel venia: “in whose embrace there is either praise or pardon ready for your tears.”