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Cicero · Letters to Friends §1.5a.1-1.5a.4

Cicero's Support and Vigilance over Cato's Bill

Passage 5 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero assures Lentulus of his loyal efforts on his behalf during his absence, remaining alert to the complications caused by Cato's legislative proposal, and suggests a pragmatic third option regarding the king's affair if forced by circumstances.

§1.5a.1tametsi mihi nihil fuit optatius quam ut primum abs te ipso, deinde a ceteris omnibus quam gratissimus erga te esse cognoscerer tamen adficior summo dolore eius modi tempora post tuam profectionem consecuta esse, ut et meam et ceterorum erga te fidem et benevolentiam absens experirere; te videre et sentire eandem fidem esse hominum in tua dignitate, quam ego in mea salute sum expertus, ex tuis litteris intellexi.
Although nothing was more desirable to me than that I should be recognized, first by yourself and then by all others, as being as grateful as possible towards you, yet I feel the deepest pain that such times have followed your departure that you, in your absence, have had to experience both my loyalty and goodwill and that of others towards you; but I have understood from your letter that you see and feel that there is the same loyalty of men towards your dignity as I experienced towards my own safety.
§1.5a.2nos cum maxime consilio, studio, labore, gratia de causa regia niteremur, subito exorta est nefaria Catonis promulgatio, quae nostra studia impediret et animos a minore cura ad summum timorem traduceret; sed tamen, in eius modi perturbatione rerum quamquam omnia sunt metuenda, nihil magis quam perfidiam timemus et Catoni quidem, quoquo modo se res habet, profecto resistemus.
Just when we were striving with all our counsel, zeal, labor, and influence in the king's cause, suddenly there arose the wicked proposal of Cato, of such a kind as to hinder our efforts and turn our minds from a lesser anxiety to the greatest fear; but nevertheless, although in such a disturbance of affairs everything is to be feared, we fear nothing more than treachery, and indeed we shall certainly resist Cato, in whatever way the matter stands.
§1.5a.3de Alexandrina re causaque regia tantum habeo polliceri, me tibi absenti tuisque praesentibus cumulate satis facturum, sed vereor, ne aut eripiatur causa regia nobis aut deseratur; quorum utrum minus velim, non facile possum existimare.
Concerning the Alexandrian business and the king's cause, I can promise only this: that I will fully satisfy both you in your absence and your friends who are present; but I fear that the king's cause may either be snatched from us or abandoned, and which of these two I would prefer less, I cannot easily judge.
sed, si res coget, est quiddam tertium, quod neque Selicio nec mihi displicebat, ut neque iacere pateremur nec nobis repugnantibus ad eum deferri, ad quem prope iam delatum existimatur.
But if necessity forces us, there is a certain third course, which was displeasing neither to Selicius nor to me: that we should neither allow the matter to lie dormant, nor suffer it to be transferred, against our opposition, to him to whom it is already thought to be almost transferred.
A nobis agentur omnia diligenter, ut neque, si quid obtineri poterit, non contendamus nec, si quid non obtinuerimus, repulsi esse videamur; §1.5a.4tuae sapientiae magnitudinisque animi est omnem amplitudinem et dignitatem tuam in virtute atque in rebus gestis tuis atque in tua gravitate positam existimare; si quid ex iis rebus, quas tibi fortuna largita est, non nullorum hominum perfidia detraxerit, id maiori illis fraudi quam tibi futurum.
Everything will be conducted by us with diligence, so that if anything can be obtained, we shall not fail to strive for it, and if we obtain nothing, we shall not appear to have been rejected; It belongs to your wisdom and greatness of mind to consider that all your grandeur and dignity are based upon virtue, upon your past achievements, and upon your personal weight; if from those things which fortune has lavished upon you, the treachery of certain men should detract anything, that will be a greater injury to them than to you.
A me nullum tempus praetermittitur de tuis rebus et agendi et cogitandi;
No time is allowed by me to pass without both acting and thinking about your affairs; I employ Q.
utor ad omnia Q. Selicio, neque enim prudentiorem quemquam ex tuis neque fide maiore esse iudico neque amantiorem tui
Selicius for everything, nor do I judge anyone among your friends to be either more prudent, or of greater loyalty, or more attached to you.

Notes

  1. §1.5a.1experirere — An archaic form of the second-person singular imperfect subjunctive of the deponent verb `experior` (ordinarily `experireris`), standing in a consecutive clause introduced by `eius modi ... ut`.
  2. §1.5a.2quae nostra studia impediret — The relative clause uses the imperfect subjunctive (`impediret` and `traduceret`) to express the characteristic or result of the antecedent `promulgatio` ("of such a kind as to...").
  3. §1.5a.3ut neque iacere pateremur — The `ut` clause is an appositive noun clause explaining the specific content of `quiddam tertium`. The verb `pateremur` ("we should allow") governs the infinitives `iacere` ("to lie dormant") and `deferri` ("to be transferred").
  4. §1.5a.4tuae sapientiae — Genitive of characteristic, meaning "it belongs to..." or "it is a mark of...". The subject of the sentence is the following infinitive phrase `existimare`.
  5. §1.5a.4maiori illis fraudi — A double dative construction. `maiori ... fraudi` is the dative of purpose (result of disadvantage), and `illis` is the dative of reference (person affected). Serving as the complement to `futurum (esse)`, it means "it will be a greater detriment to them."

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §1.5a.1-1.5a.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:1.5a.1-1.5a.4

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