I’ve recently been reading a book called The US Constitution and Other Writings. It contains a lot of classic American writings that helped shape our great country, some of which are Benjamin Franklin’s Silence Dogood letters. One of the things I enjoyed about the letters was Franklin’s capacity to engage in Shakespearean style double truths, where there is a banal surface meaning, but another metaphorical meaning. Another thing that interested me about the Silence Dogood Letters were Franklin’s Latin/Cicero proverbs. For convenience, since I couldn’t find another quick source, I thought that I’d add translations here.
Note that there no latin epigraphs in letters #1-#3.
Letter #4
Latin: An sum etiam nunc vel Graecè loqui vel Latinè docendus?
English: Do I still need to be taught to speak either Greek or Latin?
Letter #5
Latin: Mulier Mulieri magis congruet.
English: A woman is more suited to a woman.
Note: The “Ter.” at the end of this epigraph is Terence (the Roman Playright).
Letter #6
Latin: Quem Dies videt veniens Superbum, Hunc Dies viditfugiens jacentem.
English: He whom the coming day beholds in pride, the departing day beholds laid low.
Note that there are no latin epigraphs in letters 7-8.
Letter #9
Latin: Corruptio optimi est pessima.
English: The corruption of the best is the worst.
Note: This epigraph isn’t cited.
Letter #10
Latin: Optimè societas hominum servabitur.
English: Human society will be best preserved.
Letter #11
Latin: Neque licitum interea est meam amicam visere.
English: Nor is it permitted, meanwhile, to visit my girlfriend.
Letter #12
Latin: Quod est in cordi sobrii, est in ore ebrii.
English: What is in the heart of the sober is on the lips of the drunk.
Note: Like Letter #9, this epigraph isn’t sourced.
Letter #14
Latin: Earum causarum quantum quaeque valeat, videamus.
English: Let us consider the relative weight of each of those causes.
Note: No epigraph for Letter #13.
Letter #14 (Quote #2)
Latin: Video meliore proboque, Deteriora sequor
English: I see and approve the better course, but I follow the worse.
Note: This quote is not an epigraph, but instead appears within the letter.
I wish I had this list of translations handy as I was reading through the Dogood letters. Hopefully this helped you.