Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §13.32.1-13.32.2

Recommendation of the Clodius Brothers of Halaesa

Passage 329 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero emphasizes his deep friendship with the Clodius brothers of Halaesa and, while noting his concern over recommending many people, requests special favor from the governor on their behalf.

§13.32.1in Halaesina civitate tam lauta tamque nobili coniunctissimos habeo et hospitio et familiaritate M. et C. Clodios Archagathum et Philonem.
In the state of Halaesa, which is so wealthy and so noble, I have Marcus and Gaius Clodius, namely Archagathus and Philo, most closely bound to me both by hospitality and by intimacy.
sed vereor ne, quia compluris tibi praecipue commendo, exaequare videar ambitione quadam commendationes meas; quamquam a te quidem cumulate satis fit et mihi et meis omnibus.
But I fear lest, because I recommend so many to you particularly, I may seem from some sort of self-seeking to make all my recommendations of equal weight; although, indeed, full satisfaction is already being given by you both to me and to all my people.
§13.32.2sed velim sic existimes, hanc familiam et hos mihi maxime esse coniunctos vetustate, officiis, benevolentia.
But I would like you to think thus: that this family and these men are most closely connected to me by long-standing acquaintance, mutual services, and goodwill.
quam ob rem peto a te in maiorem modum ut iis omnibus in rebus, quantum tua fides dignitasque patietur, commodes.
Therefore, I beg of you more than ordinarily that you accommodate them in all these matters as far as your good faith and dignity will allow.
id si feceris, erit mihi vehementissime gratum.
If you do this, it will be most highly gratifying to me.

Notes

  1. 13.32.1coniunctissimos habeo — A double accusative-like construction where habeo takes the accusative object (M. et C. Clodios...) and the superlative adjective in the accusative (coniunctissimos) as a predicate, meaning "to keep someone as most closely bound," i.e., "to be on extremely intimate terms with."
  2. 13.32.1exaequare videar ambitione quadam commendationes meas — The main predicate of the subjunctive clause introduced by vereor ne (I fear lest). exaequare (to level, make equal) implies making all recommendations of equal (and thus lesser) weight by calling everyone "specially recommended." ambitione quadam is an ablative of means or cause, meaning "by a kind of self-seeking" or "desire to please everyone."
  3. 13.32.1satis fit — The impersonal passive voice of the phrase satis facere (to satisfy, do enough). The agent is expressed by the ablative a te, while the recipients of the benefit are in the dative et mihi et meis omnibus ("both to me and to all my people"). It literally means "satisfaction is being made by you."
  4. 13.32.2velim sic existimes — A construction where the subjunctive of polite wish velim ("I should like") is followed by another subjunctive existimes ("that you think"), with the conjunction ut omitted. It means "I would like you to think thus."

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §13.32.1-13.32.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:13.32.1-13.32.2

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