2.18

Pliny writes to Junius Mauricus about helping him find a rhetoric teacher for his nephews (who are also Mauricus' adopted sons). This letter emphasizes the importance that Pliny places on education. 

mihi iūcundius: “sweeter to me.”

iniungī: “to be enjoined upon,” “to be tasked with.” Take with ā tē.

quam ut ... quaererem: “than that I find.” Quam follows iūcundius.

praeceptōrem: i.e., a public teacher of rhetoric, not a private tutor (Wescott).

The children, evidently boys, have finished with the grammaticus and need the services of a rhetor latinus. They are probably about thirteen years old (S-W).

frātris tuī līberīs: “for the children of your brother.” Junius Mauricus is both the boys’ uncle and their adoptive father.

beneficiō tuō: “thanks to you.” Ablative of cause.

et ... quasi resūmō: “even as if I am reliving.”

quantum apud illōs auctōritātis ex studiīs habeam: “what great authority I hold over those [students] because of my scholarly pursuits.” Take as the object of experior.

ex studiīs: supply eloquentiae, as commonly in the letters (S-W).

(2)

proximē: “recently.”

frequentī audītōriō: ablative of place where, “in a crowded classroom.”

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Set declamations, like those of Isaeas, and the extant Controversiae of the Elder Seneca, composed as models or for practice, formed a large part of the course. Hence the appearance of the elder men in the “school.” The rhetors, like the grammatici, kept school either in simple booths or under the colonnades and in the exedra of the Roman fora. Later Hadrian made the schola Fori Traiani the official center (S-W).

inter sē: take with clārē iocābantur.

cōram multīs ōrdinis nostrī: “in the presence of several people of our order.” The implication is that adults of senatorial rank are in the school in addition to Pliny.  

clārē iocābantur: i.e. "loudly" (S-W).

quod: “a thing which,” or “a (story) which.”

referrem: “mention,” “recount,” LS refero II.B.3.

nisi ad illōrum magis laudem quam ad meam pertinēret: “if it did not pertain to their praise more than to my praise.” 

ad meam: supply laudem.

nisi ... vellem: after the protasis of a present contrary to fact condition in the last clause (nisi pertinēret), you might expect an apodosis, but instead you get another present contrary to fact protasis after ac.

Order: ac nisi vellem tē spērāre fīliōs frātris tuī posse probē discere.

spērāre tē: indirect statement after vellem.

posse frātris tuī fīliōs probē discere: another indirect statement, this time after spērāre. Probē discere: “to learn appropriately,” i.e. in hōc audītōriō.

(3) 

Quod superest: “what is more,” “moreover.”

omnēs quī profitentur: "everyone who is a professor," LS profiteor II B.  Direct object of audierō. 

quid dē quōque sentiam: object of scrībam.

efficiamque ... ut ... videāris: “I will make it so that you seem.”

quantum tamen: “as far as however.”

epistulā: ablative of place where, or ablative of means.

ipse: intensifies the subject of videāris.

(4) 

hanc fidem, hoc studium: direct objects of the latter dēbeō.

super tantā rē: “concerning so important (a topic),” i.e., something as important as education.

Nam quid magis interest vestra quam ut: correlatives, “For what could possibly concern you more than that ....”

dīcerem tuī, nisi nunc illōs magis amārēs: present contrary to fact condition with imperfect tense verbs. 

nisi amārēs: "if you did not love them more than if they were your own"; hyperbole (Wescott).

illō patre: abl. after dignī, as usual. Take reperiantur with this clause as well.

tē patruō: abl. after dignī.

mandāssēs, vindicāssem: syncopated forms of pluperfect subjunctive in a past contrary to fact condition.

(5) 

suscipiendās offēnsās: supply esse, “that one must incur offense,” i.e., “offend someone.” Passive periphrastic in indirect statement after ignōrō.

in ēligendō praeceptōre: “in choosing a teacher,” i.e., “by choosing a teacher.”

oportet mē: impersonal construction + infin., looking forward to subīre.

nōn modo ... vērum etiam: "not just ... but even."

tam aequō animō ... quam:  "as calmly as," "as patiently as," OLD aequus 8.