Cicero · Letters to Friends §11.11.1-11.11.2

Report on Antony's Movements and Request for Aid in Rome

Passage 247 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Decimus Brutus reports to Cicero on Antony's movements, his designs on Plancus, and the imminent arrival of Gallic envoys, while asking Cicero to oversee matters in Rome and defend him against malevolent critics.

§11.11.1eodem exemplo a te mi litterae redditae sunt, quo pueri mei attulerunt.

A letter was delivered to me from you of the very same copy as that which my boys brought. A letter was delivered to me from you of the very same copy as the one my servants brought.

tantum me tibi debere existimo, quantum persolvere difficile est.

I reckon that I owe you so much that it would be hard to repay.

scripsi tibi quae hic gererentur. in itinere est Antonius, ad Lepidum proficiscitur; ne de Planco quidem spem adhuc abiecit, ut ex libellis eius animadverti qui in me inciderunt; in quibus, quos ad Asinium, quos ad Lepidum, quos ad Plancum mitteret scribebat. ego tamen non habui ambiguum et statim ad Plancum misi et biduo ab Allobrogibus et totius Galliae legatos exspecto; quos confirmatos domum remittam.

I have written to you what is going on here. Antony is on the march, setting out to join Lepidus; he has not even yet given up hope of Plancus, as I noticed from his papers which fell into my hands, in which he set down whom he was sending to Asinius, whom to Lepidus, whom to Plancus. I, for my part, was in no doubt and at once sent word to Plancus, and within two days I expect envoys from the Allobroges and from the whole of Gaul, whom I shall send back home once they are confirmed in their loyalty.

§11.11.2tu quae istic opus erunt administrari prospicies, ut ex tua voluntate reique publicae commodo fiant. malevolentiae hominum in me, si poteris, occurres; si non potueris, hoc consolabere, quod me de statu meo nullis contumeliis deterrere possunt.

You will look to it that what needs to be administered there is done, so that it may happen according to your wish and for the advantage of the republic. You will see to it that whatever needs doing there is carried out, so that it may be done in accordance with your wishes and to the advantage of the republic. The ill-will of men towards me you will counter, if you can; if you cannot, you will console yourself with this, that they can deter me from my resolve by no insults.

Pr. non.

Mai. ex castris finibus Statiellensium.

May, from the camp in the territory of the Statielli. May 6th, from the camp in the territory of the Statielli.

Notes

11.11.1eodem exemplo ... quo — A correlative expression meaning 'of the very same copy [text] as.' exemplo refers to a copy or identical contents of a letter. quo is the relative pronoun in the ablative case, agreeing with its antecedent exemplo.
11.11.1non habui ambiguum — Meaning 'I did not hesitate' or 'I did not hold it as doubtful.' The neuter accusative singular of the adjective ambiguum is used substantively as the object of habere (to hold or consider).
11.11.2quae istic opus erunt administrari — A construction where the impersonal expression opus est (there is need) is combined with the passive infinitive administrari. The relative pronoun quae (neuter plural nominative) forms a noun clause that serves as the direct object of prospicies.
11.11.2consolabere — The second person singular future indicative of the deponent verb consolor, using the suffix -re instead of the standard -ris.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §11.11.1-11.11.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:11.11.1-11.11.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.