The date is August 24. Pliny describes his own and his mother's experiences at Misenum, while uncle Pliny was at Stabiae.

2 id... ingressus "after setting out on that [topic]." See end of letter 13.

quos (2) with metus (3) *metus, -us m. fear

3-4 a quotation from Vergil, Aeneid II. 12

5 mox as is usual in Silver Age Latin, "afterward", "next"

6-7 Campaniae solitus usual for Campania

7 invalesco, -ere, invalui become strong

9 area on open courtyard, outside the house

10 This line dates Pliny's birth.

13 illius that is matris

14 corripit chides, scolds

segnius slow sluggish; nihilo/non/haud segnius none the slower, with undiminished zeal

15-17 supply "it was", "we were", "there was"

quatio, -ere, quassum shake, shatter

circumiaceo < iaceo -Ere lie

* tectum roof, house

apertus open angustus narrow

17 * demum at last, finally

visum [est] "it seemed best"

*sequor, sequi, secutus sum follow

18 * vulgus crowd, mob

attonitus thunderstruck, confounded

pavor terror, panic alienus belonging to another

19 abeuntis < abeo, -ire participle, masc., acc. pl. "those going away"

egressi tecta after getting past the houses

22 fulta < fulcio -ire, fulsi, fultum prop, support

eodem < *idem the same

23 * praeterea besides

resorbeo suck back, swallow again

24 siccus dry

25 ignei spiritus genitive

tortis < torqueo, -Ere, torsi, tortum twist

discursus a running in different directions ("flashes")

vibratus shaken, agitated

dehisco gape, yawn, open

26 fulguribus both ablative and dative in a rhetorical device called apo koinou. The dative is with similes, the ablative [of comparison] with mairores "flashes of lightning" [sheet lightning]

28 instantius insistently

29 superstes surviving

30 proinde therefore, in the same way

non commissuros nos "we would not allow ourselves to" + jussive noun clause [ut + subjunctive]

31 nostrae (saluti) dative with consuleremus consider, take thought for

30-1 de salute illius incerti "uncertain about his safety" [his means uncle Pliny's the Elder]

32 effusus disorderly

32-3 descendere, operire (cover) are historical infinitives (translate as past tense indicatives) There are more historical infinitives in line 34.

Capreae = Capri

33-4 Miseni ... abstulerat "removed from sight the promontory of Misenum"

35 iuvenem acc. subject of infinitive. The idea is "since I was young, I could..."

morituram (esse) future infinitive of * morior, mori, mortuus sum die

36 una adverb "together with her"

37 addere gradum "to quicken [her] pace"

aegre with difficulty

pareo, -Ere, parui obey, comply

notice quod with the subjunctive of a cause not the writer’s own.

moretur < moror, -ari delay

38 caligo -inis f. mist, fog, darkness

tergum back

40 strati < sterno-erer, stravi, stratum spread, throw to the ground

comitantium turba the mob of those following

*tenebrae darkness

obtero -ere obtrivi obtritum trample

consido sit down, settle down

41 inlunis moonless

*qualis such as, like, as

42 audires you would have heard

ululatus wailing, howling, yelling

quiritatus wailing, whining

43 parentes is accusative * liberi children

vocibus noscitabant "they were trying to recognize them by their voices"

44 miseror pity, feel sorry for

metu ablative of cause

precor pray for

45 nusquam nowhere

46 mundus world

interpretor explain, understand

47 mentior -iri mentitus lie -- mentitus -a -um false, lying

fictis < fingo fashion, fabricate

48 falso sed credentibus falsely but to people who believed them

paulum a little

49 indicium evidence, sign

50 longius substitit (the fire) stopped some distance away

51 identidem repeatedly, again and again

operti < operio (see line 33)

alioqui in some other way, otherwise

oblido squeeze together, crush to pieces

52 glorior -ari boast

gemitus -us m. groan, sigh

parum too little, not enough

misero, magno with solacio

54 tenuo make thin, rarefy

55 luridus dim, gloomy, murky

56 cum deficit when there is an eclipse

57 nix, nivis, f. snow

obduco draw before, cover over, overwhelm

Misenum to Misenum

58 utcumque whenever, somehow, however it might be, in some way or another > as best we could

suspensus suspended, in suspense, anxious

exigo spend, pass

lymphatus crazed, distracted

vaticinatio, -onis, f. prediction

60 ludificor ridicule, mock, turn into a joke

61 abeundi < abeo -ire

62 nequaquam not at all, by no means

historia, epistula ablative with digna (neuter pl. with haec) "worthy of"