10.34

Trajan rejects Pliny’s idea of a fire department for Nicomedia.

Tibi ... in mentem vēnit: impersonal verb construction and common Latin idiom. Literally, “It came into your mind," i.e. “it occurred to you.” Introduces indirect statement.

complūrium: “of many" other cities.

collēgium: in this case, a guild of firemen, but collēgia also included burial societies and religious organizations.

Nīcomēdēnsēs: the inhabitants of Nicomedia, the former name of Izmit, Turkey, and capital of the Roman province of Bithynia-Pontus. Nicomedia is also mentioned in the previous letter (10.33) and in Pliny’s letter about aqueducts (10.37).

meminerimus: hort. subj., "we must remember."

prōvinciam … vexātās: indirect statement dependent on meminerimus.

eius modī factiōnibus: “political factions of that kind,” i.e., guilds. Private associations and clubs were heavily involved in politics in this region. See Dio Chrysostom, Orations 45.7-10, with reference to Prusa.

ex quācumque causā: “for whatever reason.”

dederimus: potential subj.

quī in idem contractī fuerint: "those who have assembled together for a common purpose." The verb is probably best seen as perfect passive subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic, rather than future perfect indicative. Fuerint for sint is an example of the so-called "shifted perfect," which is seen in Plautus and becomes common in later Latin.

hetaeriae: clubs, often political and secret in character. In many cases their members only aimed at assisting one another as candidates for public office or in lawsuits. Disputes among them were apt to turn violent.

brevī: (adv.) "in short order."

(2) comparārī ea: indirect statement dependent on the impersonal construction satius est.

quae … possint: relative clause of characteristic.

auxiliō: “helpful, useful.” Dative of purpose. Take with esse possint. It sets up ad coercendōs ignēs. 

ad coercendōs ignēs: gerundive of purpose.

admonērīque … praediōrum: indirect statement. Dependent on the impersonal construction satius est.

ut … inhibeant: purpose clause. Supply ignēs.

adcursū: ablative object of ūtī.

ad hoc: “for this (purpose)."