He has told us the sum of misery in a few words. The mother was a widow, and had no further hope of having children, she had no one upon whom she might look in the place of him that was dead. To him alone she had given suck, he alone made her home cheerful. All that is sweet and precious to a mother, was he alone to her.
Reproduced in full. Translation: Oxford 1841 (Newman), public domain (Public domain).
Also cites: de hom. Opif. c. 25.