Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §15.18.1-15.18.2

Distress over Politics and Lighthearted Talk with Cassius

Passage 387 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero writes to Cassius about the danger of speaking seriously under the tense political situation, discusses distraction through philosophy and humor, and concludes with a brief farewell.

§15.18.1longior epistula fuisset, nisi eo ipso tempore petita esset a me, cum iam iretur ad te; longior autem flu/aron aliquem habuisset nam spouda/zein sine periculo vix possumus.
The letter would have been longer, if it had not been demanded of me at that very moment when someone was already setting out to you; moreover, a longer one would have contained some silly chatter, for we can scarcely talk seriously without danger.
'ridere igitur,' inquies 'possumus?' non me hercule facillime; verum tamen aliam aberrationem a molestiis nullam habemus.
"Can we, then, laugh?" you will say. Not very easily, by Hercules; but nevertheless we have no other distraction from our troubles.
'Ubi igitur,' inquies, 'philosophia?' tua quidem in culina, mea molesta est; pudet enim servire; itaque facio me alias res agere, ne convicium Platonis audiam.
"Where, then," you will say, "is philosophy?" Yours indeed is in the kitchen, mine is troublesome; for I am ashamed to serve; and so I pretend that I am doing other things, lest I hear the reproach of Plato.
§15.18.2de Hispania nihil adhuc certi, nihil omnino novi.
Concerning Spain, nothing certain yet, nothing new at all.
te abesse mea causa moleste fero, tua gaudeo.
I am sorry for my sake that you are away, but for yours I am glad.
sed flagitat tabellarius.
But the courier is demanding.
valebis igitur meque, ut a puero fecisti, amabis.
You will keep well, therefore, and love me as you have done since boyhood.

Notes

  1. §15.18.1iretur — Impersonal passive of the intransitive verb *ire* in the imperfect tense, describing the situation where 'someone was in the process of setting out to you.'
  2. §15.18.1facio me alias res agere — The verb *facere* with an accusative and infinitive construction is used here in a colloquial or epistolary sense meaning 'to pretend to do' or 'to make as if one is doing.'
  3. §15.18.2mea causa ... tua — Contrast between *mea causa* (for my sake) and the omitted *tua (causa)* (for your sake). It contrasts Cicero's own perspective on Cassius's absence (unfortunate for Cicero) with Cassius's own situation (fortunate for Cassius).
  4. §15.18.2valebis ... amabis — The future indicative is used in the closing of a friendly letter to express a mild command or exhortation ('keep well', 'love me').

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §15.18.1-15.18.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:15.18.1-15.18.2

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.