Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §16.17.1-16.17.2

Criticism of Tiro's Latin Diction and Travel Plans

Passage 406 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero perceives Tiro's intention to publish his own letters, playfully criticizes a certain word usage in Tiro's writing, and details his own travel plans while urging Tiro to prioritize his health.

§16.17.1video quid agas; tuas quoque epistulas vis referri in volumina.
I see what you are up to; you also want your letters to be collected into volumes.
sed heus tu, qui kanw/n esse meorum scriptorum soles, unde illud tam a)/kuron 'valetudini fideliter inserviendo'? unde in istum locum 'fideliter' venit? cui verbo domicilium est proprium in officio, migrationes in alienum multae; nam et doctrina et domus et ars et ager etiam. 'fidelis' dici potest, ut sit, quo modo Theophrasto placet, verecunda tralatio.
But look here, you who are usually the canon of my writings, where did that highly improper "by faithfully ministering to your health" come from? How did "faithfully" get into that place? The proper home of this word is in the sphere of duty, though its migrations into foreign territory are numerous; for even instruction, a house, an art, and even a field can be called "faithful." This is so that it may be, as Theophrastus likes to put it, a modest metaphor.
sed haec coram.
But we shall discuss this in person.
§16.17.2Demetrius venit ad me a quo quidem comitatu a)fwmi/lhsa satis scite.
Demetrius came to see me, and indeed I shook off his company quite tactfully.
tu eum videlicet non potuisti videre.
You, obviously, were unable to see him.
cras aderit; videbis igitur; nam ego hinc perendie mane cogito.
He will be there tomorrow; so you will see him; for I am planning to leave here the morning after tomorrow.
valetudo tua me valde sollicitat; sed inservi et fac omnia.
Your health worries me greatly; but minister to it and do everything possible.
tum te mecum esse, tum mihi cumulatissime satis facere putato.
Consider that you are with me then, and that you are satisfying me most abundantly then.
Cuspio quod operam dedisti mihi gratum est; valde enim eius causa volo.
I am grateful that you have taken pains for Cuspius; for I am very much well-disposed to his cause.
vale.
Farewell.

Notes

  1. 16.17.1cui verbo — The relative pronoun `cui` in the dative can be construed either with the adjective `proprium` ("proper to which word") or as a dative of possession with `est` ("for which word there is..."). The meaning is practically the same, indicating that the natural home of this word lies in the sphere of duty.
  2. 16.17.1ut sit, quo modo Theophrasto placet, verecunda tralatio — `ut sit` is a purpose clause ("so that it may be") with `tralatio` (metaphor) as its complement. The inserted clause `quo modo Theophrasto placet` ("as pleases Theophrastus") refers to the rhetorical theory of Theophrastus (Aristotle's pupil), who recommended making metaphors modest (`verecunda`) or tempered when applying terms to inanimate objects.
  3. 16.17.2cogito — The verb of thinking `cogito` is used here in the sense of "I intend [to set out/to leave]," with the infinitive of motion (such as `proficisci` or `abire`) omitted. Such omissions of verbs of motion are highly common in epistolary style.
  4. 16.17.2tum te mecum esse, tum mihi cumulatissime satis facere putato — The imperative verb `putato` (second-person singular future imperative) governs two accusative-with-infinitive clauses, `te mecum esse` and `te... satis facere`, as its direct objects. `tum... tum...` correlates the two states: "at that time [you are] with me, and at that time [you] satisfy me."

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §16.17.1-16.17.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:16.17.1-16.17.2

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