PUTARENT: 'they considered life to be not
life at all'. For _vitam nullam_ cf. Lael. 86 _sine amicitia vitam esse
nullam_; also the Greek phrase [Greek: bios abiotos]; and below, 77 _vitam
quae est sola vita nominanda_; also 82. A. 239; H. 373, 1, n. 2. _Putarent_
= 'thought, as they said'. -- ID QUOD ESSET ACCUSANDUM: the subjunctive
_esset_ is used because a _class_ of things is referred to, 'nothing of a
nature to deserve complaint'; _id quod erat_, etc. would have meant merely
'that one thing which was matter for complaint'. A. 320; G. 634, Rem. 1; H.
503, I. -- USU VENIRENT: the phrase _usu venire_ differs very little in
meaning from _accidere_. _Usu_ is commonly explained as an ablative ('in
practice', 'in experience'), but is quite as likely to be a dative of the
sort generally called predicative ('to come as matter of experience'); cf.
Verg. Aen. 1, 22 _venire excidio_; Plin. N.H. 28, 106 _odio_; Caes. B.G. 5,
27 _subsidio_. -- QUORUM ... MULTORUM: the first genitive is dependent on
the second, so that _quorum = e quibus_. Notice the separation of _quorum_
from _multorum_ and of _multorum_ from _senectutem_. -- SINE QUERELLA:
attribute of _senectutem_. A. 217, Rem.; H. 359, n. 1, 4), and n. 3. This
form of attributive phrase, consisting of a preposition with a noun, is
common; cf. 24 _ex agro Sabino rusticos Romanos_; 40 _cum hostibus
clandestina colloquia_. _Querella_ is better spelling than _querela_. See
Roby, 177, 2. -- QUI: 'men of such nature as to ...'. -- ET ... NEC: Roby
2241. The reason for the departure from the ordinary sequence of particles
lies in the words _non moleste_. _Nec ...et _ is common; see 51, 53. --
LIBIDINUM VINCULIS etc.: Cic. is here thinking of the conversation between
Socrates and Cephalus in Plato, Rep. 329 D, for which see Introd. --
MODERATI: 'self-controlled'; cf. n. on 1 _moderationem_; _difficiles_,
'peevish'; _inhumani_, 'unkindly'; _importunitas_, 'perversity'.
_Importunitas_ seems to be used as the substantive corresponding in sense
with the adjective _difficilis_. _Difficultas_, in the sense of
'peevishness', probably occurs only in Mur. 19.

8. DIXERIT QUISPIAM: 'some one will say presently'; a gentle way of
introducing one's own objection. The mood of _dixerit_ is probably
indicative, not subjunctive; see the thorough discussion in Roby, Gram.,
Vol. 2, Pref., p. CIV. _et seq_. -- OPES ET COPIAS: 'resources and means'.
_Opes_ has a wider meaning than _copias_ (mere materia