Lucia rogat cur censor non divitias, sed vitam civium diligentius spectet.

Because cur censor non divitias, sed vitam civium diligentius spectet is an indirect question after rogat.

In Latin, indirect questions normally take the subjunctive, even though the English translation often just uses a normal indicative form:

• rogat = she asks
• cur ... spectet = why ... examines / is examining

The tense also makes sense: rogat is present, so Latin uses the present subjunctive spectet for action happening at the same time. If the main verb were past, you would often expect spectaret instead.

It is an indirect question.

• cur means why
• The whole clause depends on rogat
• So the structure is literally: Lucia asks why the censor...

A direct question would be something like:

• Cur censor non divitias, sed vitam civium diligentius spectat?

But once that question is reported after rogat, Latin changes the verb into the subjunctive: spectet.

Because both are direct objects of spectet.

The verb spectare here means something like to observe, to examine, or to scrutinize, and it takes an accusative object.

So:

• divitias = the thing not being examined
• vitam = the thing being examined instead

The sentence contrasts two possible objects of the same verb.

non ... sed ... is a very common Latin pattern meaning not ... but ....

Here it contrasts two accusative objects:

• non divitias
• sed vitam civium

So the idea is: the censor examines not wealth, but the life of the citizens.

A useful thing to notice is that both contrasted words or phrases usually have the same grammatical role. Here, both are objects of spectet.

civium is genitive plural of civis.

It goes with vitam, giving:

• vitam civium = the life of the citizens

Depending on context, vita can mean not only life in a basic sense, but also way of life, conduct, or character of life. So this phrase may suggest the citizens' behavior or moral life, which fits the idea of a censor very well.

Because Latin uses these nouns differently.

• divitiae usually appears in the plural and means riches or wealth
• vita is normally singular when it means life or way of life

So the difference is not strange grammatically; it is just how these words are normally used in Latin.

diligentius is a comparative adverb, meaning more carefully, more closely, or more diligently.

It modifies spectet, telling us how the censor examines.

So:

• spectet = examines
• diligentius spectet = examines more carefully

The comparison may be understood from the contrast in the sentence: he examines the citizens' life more carefully than their wealth.

Not merely in the physical sense.

In this sentence, spectare has a broader meaning such as:

• to observe
• to examine
• to inspect
• to scrutinize
• to consider

That is a common thing in Latin: a verb that literally involves seeing can also mean mental or official examination. Here that fits especially well because a censor is someone who evaluates people and their standing.

It may feel unusual to an English speaker, but it is very normal for Latin.

English would probably say something like:

• Lucia asks why the censor examines not wealth but the life of the citizens more carefully.

Latin is freer with word order because endings show the grammatical roles. A few things to notice here:

• rogat comes early, introducing the main clause
• the indirect question follows
• spectet comes at the end, which is very common in Latin
• the contrast non divitias, sed vitam civium is placed before the verb for emphasis

So the order is not random; it helps highlight the contrast.

censor is nominative singular because it is the subject of spectet.

So within the indirect question:

• censor = the one doing the examining
• divitias and vitam civium = what is being examined

It is worth noting too that censor is not just any critic in the modern English sense. In Roman usage, a censor was a magistrate connected with the census and with public morals. That makes the contrast between wealth and the citizens' life/conduct especially meaningful.

Because Latin has no articles like English the or a/an.

So:

• censor can mean the censor or a censor
• civium can mean of the citizens or of citizens

English has to choose an article when translating, but Latin leaves that to context. In this sentence, the censor and the citizens are the most natural translations.