Friday, April 20, 2012

Disce sed a doctis...

Here is today's distich by Cato (so-called), 4.23, with English translations by Duff and Chase.

Disce sed a doctis, indoctos ipse doceto:
Propaganda etenim est rerum doctrina bonarum.


Learn only of the learned: teach th' untaught;
Knowledge of truth must to all men be brought.
(Chase)

Learn from the learned, but the unlettered teach:
Far should the spread of wholesome knowledge reach.
(Duff)

Here is the vocabulary:

disco - learn
sed - but
a - from
doctus - learned
indoctus - ignorant, not learned
ipse - emphatic adj/pronoun
doceo - teach
propago - extend, enlarge, spread
etenim - because, since
res - thing
doctrina - teaching, learning, education
bonus - good