[2] Worthy of honor—Clarus. "A person may be called clarus either on account of his great actions and merits; or on account of some honor which he has obtained, as the consuls were called clarissimi viri; or on account of great expectations which are formed from him. But since the worth of him who is clarus is known by all, it appears that the mind is here called clarus because its nature is such that pre-eminence is generally attributed to it, and the attention of all directed toward it." Dietsch.
[3] Abandons itself—Pessum datus est. Is altogether sunk and overwhelmed.
[4] Impute their delinquency to circumstances, etc.—Suam quisque culpam ad negotia transferunt. Men excuse their indolence and inactivity, by saying that the weakness of their faculties, or the circumstances in which they are placed, render them unable to accomplish any thing of importance. But, says Seneca, Satis natura, homini dedit roboris, si illo utamur;—nolle in causâ, non posse praetenditur. "Nature has given men sufficient powers, if they will but use them; but they pretend that they can not when the truth is that they will not." "Negotia is a common word with Sallust, for which other writers would use res, facta." Gerlach. "Cajus rei nos ipsi sumus auctores, ejus culpam rebus externis attribuimus." Muller. "Auctores" is the same as the [Greek: aitioi].
[5] Useless—Aliena. Unsuitable, not to the purpose, not contributing to the improvement of life.
[6] Instead of being mortal—Pro mortalibus. There are two senses in which these words may be taken: as far as mortals can, and instead of being mortals. Kritz and Dietsch say that the latter is undoubtedly the true sense. Other commentators are either silent or say little to the purpose. As for the translators, they have studied only how to get over the passage delicately. The latter sense is perhaps favored by what is said in c. 2, that "the illustrious achievements of the mind are, like the mind itself, immortal."
[7] II. They all rise and fall, etc.—Omnia orta occidunt, et aucta senescunt. This is true of things in general, but is here spoken only of the qualities of the body, as De Brosses clearly perceived.
[8] Has power over all things—Habet cuncta. "All things are in its power." Dietsch. "Sub ditione tenet. So Jupiter, Ov. Met. i. 197: Quum mihi qui fulmen, qui vos habeoque regoque." Burnouf. So Aristippus said, Habeo Laidem, non habeor a Laide, [Greek: echo ouk echomai]. Cic. Epist. ad Fam. ix. 26.
[9] III. Civil and military offices—Magistratus et imperia. "Illo vocabule civilia, hoc militaria munera, significantur." Dietsch.
[10] To rule our country or subjects, etc.—Nam vi quidem regere patriam aut parentes, etc. Cortius, Gerlach, Kritz, Dietsch, and Muller are unanimous in understanding parentes as the participle of the verb pareo. That this is the sense, says Gerlach, is sufficiently proved by the conjunction aut; for if Sallust had meant parents, he would have used ut; and in this opinion Allen coincides. Doubtless, also, this sense of the word suits extremely well with the rest of the sentence, in which changes in government are mentioned. But Burnouf, with Crispinus, prefers to follow Aldus Manutius, who took the word in the other signification, supposing that Sallust borrowed the sentiment from Plato, who says in his Epistle ad Dionis Propinquos: [Greek: Patera de hae maetera ouch osion haegoumai prosbiazesthai, mae noso paraphrosunaes hechomenous. Bian de patridi politeias metabolaes aeae prospherein, otan aneu phugon, kai sphagaes andron, mae dunaton hae ginesthae taen ariostaen.] And he makes a similar observation in his Crito: [Greek: Pantachou poiaetaen, o an keleuoi hae polis te, kai hae patris.—Biazesthai de ouch osion oute maetera, oute patera poly de touton eti aetton taen patrida.] On which sentiments Cicero, ad Fam. i. 9, thus comments: Id enim jubet idem ille Plato, quem ego auctorem vehementer sequor; tantum contendere in republica quantum probare tuis civibus possis: vim neque parenti, neque patriae afferre oportere. There is also another passage in Cicero, Cat. i. 3, which seems to favor this sense of the word: Si te parentes timerent atque odissent tui, neque eos ullâ ratione placare posses, ut opinor, ab eorum oculis aliquò concederes; nunc te patria, quae communis est omnium nostrum parens odit ac metuit, etc. Of the first passage cited from Plato, indeed, Sallust's words may seem to be almost a translation. Yet, as the majority of commentators have followed Cortius, I have also followed him. Sallust has the word in this sense in Jug., c. 102; Parentes abunde habemus. So Vell. Pat. ii. 108: Principatis constans ex voluntate parentium.
[11] Lead to—Portendant. "Portendere in a pregnant sense, meaning not merely to indicate, but quasi secum ferre, to carry along with them." Kritzius.