Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §13.22.1-13.22.2

Recommendation of T. Manlius, a Trader in Thespiae

Passage 319 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero commends T. Manlius, a businessman in Thespiae, mentioning the support of Varro Murena, and requests the recipient to favor him as much as possible.

§13.22.1T. Manlium, qui negotiatur Thespiis, vehementer diligo; nam et semper me coluit diligentissimeque observavit et a studiis nostris non abhorret.
I love Titus Manlius, who does business in Thespiae, very dearly; for he has always respected me and observed me most diligently, and he is not averse to our studies.
accedit eo quod Varro Murena magno opere eius causa vult omnia; qui tamen existimavit, etsi suis litteris, quibus tibi Manlium commendabat, valde confideret, tamen mea commendatione aliquid accessionis fore.
Added to this is the fact that Varro Murena greatly wishes all things to go well for his sake; who, however, thought that, although he had great confidence in his own letter in which he recommended Manlius to you, yet there would be some addition made by my recommendation.
me quidem cum Manli familiaritas tum Varronis studium commovit ut ad te quam accuratissime scriberem.
Indeed, both my intimacy with Manlius and the zeal of Varro have moved me to write to you as carefully as possible.
§13.22.2gratissimum igitur mihi feceris, si huic commendationi meae tantum tribueris quantum cui tribuisti plurimum, id est, si T. Manlium quam maxime, quibuscumque rebus honeste ac pro tua dignitate poteris, iuveris atque ornaveris; ex ipsiusque praeterea gratissimis et humanissimis moribus confirmo tibi te eum, quem soles fructum a bonorum virorum officiis exspectare, esse capturum.
Therefore, you will do me a most agreeable favor if you give as much weight to this recommendation of mine as you have ever given to anyone's most highly, that is, if you assist and honor T. Manlius as much as possible, by whatever means you can, honorably and consistently with your dignity; and, moreover, from his own most agreeable and courteous character, I assure you that you will reap that fruit which you are accustomed to expect from the services of good men.

Notes

  1. §13.22.1accedit eo quod — The impersonal expression accedit (it is added) is combined with the ablative demonstrative pronoun eo, with the quod-clause functioning as the subject (noun clause). Together they mean "added to this is the fact that..."
  2. §13.22.1aliquid accessionis — accessionis is a partitive genitive qualifying the neuter pronoun aliquid ("something of an addition", i.e., "some addition/further effect"). The following fore is the contracted form of the future infinitive futurum esse, forming an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on existimavit.
  3. §13.22.2quantum cui — cui is used here either as an indefinite pronoun in place of alicui ("to anyone"), or as a relative pronoun with its antecedent omitted ("to the person to whom"). The phrase means "as much weight as you have ever given most highly to anyone (or to any recommendation)."
  4. §13.22.2eum, quem soles fructum ... esse capturum — In the structure te eum fructum quem soles... esse capturum, the antecedent noun fructum is attracted into the relative clause quem soles..., separated from the demonstrative pronoun eum (hyperbaton). capturum (esse) is the future infinitive forming an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on confirmo.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §13.22.1-13.22.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:13.22.1-13.22.2

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