Translation Request

[David Hinson]

Hello everyone--I have been doing some self-study in _Wheelock's Latin_
and find myself stymied by one of the "Sententiae Antiquae". From
Pliny, it goes

Aiunt enim multum legendum esse, non multa.

I get something like " For they say much should be read/chosen, not
many." This doesn't seem to make sense. Can anyone help? Thanks a
lot.

David Hinson

[Grant Hicks]

Post by David Hinson
Hello everyone--I have been doing some self-study in _Wheelock's Latin_
and find myself stymied by one of the "Sententiae Antiquae". From
Pliny, it goes
Aiunt enim multum legendum esse, non multa.
I get something like " For they say much should be read/chosen, not
many." This doesn't seem to make sense. Can anyone help? Thanks a
lot.

Somebody who read, say, the Bible (or certain Steven King novels, e.g., the
Stand in the author's expanded version) cover to cover would have read much,
but not many.

Post by David Hinson
David Hinson

[Johannes Patruus]

Post by David Hinson
Hello everyone--I have been doing some self-study in _Wheelock's Latin_
and find myself stymied by one of the "Sententiae Antiquae". From
Pliny, it goes
Aiunt enim multum legendum esse, non multa.
I get something like " For they say much should be read/chosen, not
many." This doesn't seem to make sense. Can anyone help? Thanks a
lot.
David Hinson

It is possible that the contrast between "multum" and "multa" in your
quotation is comparable to that in the following illustration from
Bradley's Arnold §143 Note 3 -

Ne multa discas, sed multum.
Do not learn many things, but learn deeply.

Cf. also http://tinyurl.com/s4t9b

Patruus

[Ed Cryer]

Post by David Hinson
Hello everyone--I have been doing some self-study in _Wheelock's Latin_
and find myself stymied by one of the "Sententiae Antiquae". From
Pliny, it goes
Aiunt enim multum legendum esse, non multa.
I get something like " For they say much should be read/chosen, not
many." This doesn't seem to make sense. Can anyone help? Thanks a
lot.
David Hinson

15 Habes plura etiam fortasse quam requirebas; unum tamen omisi. Non enim
dixi quae legenda arbitrarer: quamquam dixi, cum dicerem quae scribenda. Tu
memineris sui cuiusque generis auctores diligenter eligere. Aiunt enim
multum legendum esse, non multa. 16 Qui sint hi adeo notum probatumque est,
ut demonstratione non egeat; et alioqui tam immodice epistulam extendi, ut
dum tibi quemadmodum studere debeas suadeo, studendi tempus abstulerim. Quin
ergo pugillares resumis, et aliquid ex his vel istud ipsum quod coeperas
scribis? Vale.
(Letter of Pliny the Younger; 7.9)

Now maybe you've got more than you asked for, but one thing I left out. I
didn't say what I thought should be read, although I did when talking about
what should be written. Remember to choose carefully authors of each
respective class. For they say one should read much, not many. Who these are
is so well known and tried that it does not need pointing out .............

This saying is also discussed by Hiram Corson in his book on Robert
Browning, although he attributes it to Quintilian.
http://tinyurl.com/kessn

Ed

[David Hinson]

Thanks for the help. I may have to come back soon, Wheelock is starting
to get a little difficult.

David Hinson