Moral Letters to Lucilius Section 33

Deinde Ennianos colligit versus et in primis illos de Africano scriptos: cui nemo civis neque hostis Quibit pro factis reddere opis pretium. Ex eo se ait intellegere, opem aput antiquos non tantum auxilium significasse, sed operam. Ait enim Ennius neminem potuisse Scipioni neque civem neque hostem reddere operae pretium.

Puis il recueille les vers d’Ennius, et surtout son épitaphe de Scipion l’Africain :

Nul n’a pu, soit Romain, soit ennemi de Rome,

Répondre dignement aux bienfaits du grand homme.

D’où il appert, à son sens, qu’autrefois opera, de même que le pluriel d’opus, avait la signification d’auxilium, Ennius ayant écrit operæ pretium pour exprimer que, citoyen ou ennemi, nul n’a pu rendre à Scipion le prix de l’aide reçue.

Again, he puts together some verses by Ennius, especially those which referred to Africanus: A man to whom nor friend nor foe could give Due meed for all his efforts and his deed. From this passage the scholar declares that he infers the word opem to have meant formerly not merely assistance, but efforts. For Ennius must mean that neither friend nor foe could pay Scipio a reward worthy of his efforts.