vacillo
νήπιοι, οἷς ταύτῃ κεῖται νόος, οὐδὲ ἴσασιν ὡς χρόνος ἔσθ᾿ ἥβης καὶ βιότου ὀλίγος θνητοῖς. ἀλλὰ σὺ ταῦτα μαθὼν βιότου ποτὶ τέρμα ψυχῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τλῆθι χαριζόμενος → fools, to think like that and not realise that mortals' time for youth and life is brief: you must take note of this, and since you are near the end of your life endure, indulging yourself with good things | Poor fools they to think so and not to know that the time of youth and life is but short for such as be mortal! Wherefore be thou wise in time, and fail not when the end is near to give thy soul freely of the best.
Latin > English (Lewis & Short)
văcillo: (
I a scanned long, Lucr. 3, 502), āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. cf. Sanscr. vak-, to roll; vank-, to shake, to sway to and fro; to waddle, stagger, reel, totter, waver, vacillate (class.; a favorite word with Cic.; cf.: nuto, titubo).
I Lit., of drunken persons: quosdam ex vino vacillantes, quosdam hesternā potatione oscitantes, Cic. Fragm. ap. Quint. 8, 3, 66: videre quosdam ex vino vacillantis, Quint. 11, 3, 165: praepediuntur crure vacillanti, Lucr. 3, 479; cf. Ruhnk. ad Rutil. Lup. 2, 7, p. 164 Frotsch.: in utramque partem toto corpore vacillans, Cic. Brut. 60, 216: arbor ventis pulsa vacillans aestuat, Lucr. 5, 1096; so, ambusta, id. 1, 806: vacillant omnia tecta, id. 6, 575: sub pedibus tellus cum tota vacillat, id. 5, 1236: accepi tuam epistulam vacillantibus litterulis, Cic. Fam. 16, 15, 2.—
II Trop., to waver, hesitate, stagger, be untrustworthy, to vacillate: tota res vacillat et claudicat, Cic. N. D. 1, 38, 107: Erotem ad ista expedienda factum mihi videbar reliquisse, cujus non sine magnā culpā vacillarunt, have fallen into confusion, id. Att. 14, 18, 2: justitia vacillat vel jacet potius, id. Off. 3, 33, 118: stabilitas amicitiae vacillat, id. Fin. 1, 20, 66: legio vacillans, wavering in fidelity, id. Phil. 3, 12, 31: γεροντικώτερον est memoriola vacillare, id. Att. 12, 1, 2: partim sumptibus in vetere aere alieno vacillant, are staggering beneath a load of old debts, id. Cat. 2, 10, 21: aegrotat fama vacillans, Lucr. 4, 1124: gentes vacillantes, Vell. 2, 130, 3: cum animus paulum vacillavit, Sen. Ep. 114, 22: testes, qui adversus fidem testationis suae vacillant, audiendi non sunt, Dig. 22, 5, 2: cujus (testis) ita anceps fides vacillat, ib. 48, 10, 27.
Latin > French (Gaffiot 2016)
văcillō,¹² āvī, ātum, āre, intr., vaciller, branler, chanceler [pr. et fig.] : ex vino Cic. d. Quint. 8, 3, 66, chanceler sous le coup de l’ivresse ; in utramque partem Cic. Br. 216, se balancer de gauche à droite ; vacillantibus litterulis Cic. Fam. 16, 15, 2, en écriture toute tremblée || justitia vacillat Cic. Off. 3, 118, la justice chancelle, cf. Cic. Nat. 1, 107 ; Fin. 1, 66 ; Phil. 3, 31 ; sumptibus in vetere alieno vacillant Cic. Cat. 2, 21, par suite de leurs dépenses ils trébuchent dans de vieilles dettes [ils ne peuvent retrouver leur équilibre].
