Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §16.14.1-16.14.2

Anxiety for Tiro's Health and Urging His Full Recovery

Passage 403 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero expresses his deep anxiety regarding Tiro's delayed arrival and health, urging him to prioritize mental and physical recovery, spare no expense on a doctor, and keep his servant.

§16.14.1Andricus postridie ad me venit quam exspectaram; itaque habui noctem plenam timoris ac miseriae.
Andricus came to me the day after I had expected him; therefore I had a night full of fear and misery.
tuis litteris nihilo sum factus certior quo modo te haberes, sed tamen sum recreatus.
By your letter I was made not a whit more certain how you were, but nevertheless I was reassured.
ego omni delectatione litterisque omnibus careo, quas ante quam te videro attingere non possum.
I am without all pleasure and all literature, which I cannot touch before I see you.
§16.14.2Medico, mercedis quantum poscet, promitti iubeto.
Order that there be promised to the physician as much of a fee as he shall demand.
id scripsi ad Ummium.
I have written this to Ummius.
audio te animo angi et medicum dicere ex eo te laborare.
I hear that you are anxious in mind and that the physician says you are suffering from this.
si me diligis, excita ex somno tuas litteras humanitatemque, propter quam mihi es carissimus.
If you love me, rouse from sleep your learning and refinement, on account of which you are most dear to me.
nunc opus est te animo valere, ut corpore possis.
Now there is need for you to be well in mind, so that you may be able to be so in body.
id cum tua tum mea causa facias a te peto.
I beg of you that you do this, as much for your own sake as for mine.
Acastum retine, quo commodius tibi ministretur.
Keep Acastus, so that you may be served more conveniently.
conserva te mihi.
Keep yourself well for my sake.
dies promissorum adest, quem etiam repraesentabo, si adveneris.
The day of promises is at hand, which I will even fulfill in advance, if you arrive.
etiam atque etiam vale.
Farewell again and again.
iii Idus h. vi.
Three days before the Ides, at the sixth hour.

Notes

  1. §16.14.1postridie... quam — The adverb postridie (on the day after) and the conjunction quam (than) are used correlatively to introduce a clause, meaning 'the day after [something happened]'. Here it governs exspectaram (I had expected), meaning 'the day after I had expected him'.
  2. §16.14.1quo modo te haberes — An indirect question clause introduced by quo modo, dependent on nihilo... certior in the main clause. The verb haberes is in the imperfect subjunctive due to the sequence of tenses after the historical perfect factus sum. The reflexive phrase se habere is an idiom meaning 'to be in a certain state/condition'.
  3. §16.14.2quantum poscet — A relative clause introduced by quantum. The logical antecedent is the partitive genitive mercedis (of reward/fee), meaning 'as much of a fee as he shall demand'. The verb poscet is in the future indicative.
  4. §16.14.2animo angi et medicum dicere ex eo te laborare — The entire segment is an accusative-with-infinitive (AcI) construction dependent on the main verb audio (I hear). The primary parallel AcI clauses are te angi (that you are anxious) and medicum dicere (that the physician says), with dicere taking a subordinate AcI te laborare ex eo (that you are suffering from this). animo is an ablative of specification ('in mind'), and ex eo is an ablative of cause ('from this [mental anxiety]').
  5. §16.14.2quo commodius tibi ministretur — The conjunction quo (= ut eo) is used to introduce a purpose clause containing a comparative adverb (commodius). The verb ministretur is used impersonally in the passive voice with the dative of reference tibi ('that it may be served to you more conveniently', i.e., 'that you may be served more conveniently').

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §16.14.1-16.14.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:16.14.1-16.14.2

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

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