Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §16.5.1-16.5.2

Advice to Tiro on Relying on Friends and Curius

Passage 395 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero highlights how well-loved Tiro is by others, urges him to prioritize his health above all, and advises him to stay in contact via letters and fully trust the care of Curius.

§16.5.1vide quanta sit in te suavitas.
See how much charm there is in you.
duas horas Thyrrei fuimus.
We were at Thyrreum for two hours.
Xenomenes hospes tam te diligit quam si vixerit tecum.
Our host Xenomenes loves you as much as if he had lived with you.
is omnia pollicitus est quae tibi essent opus; facturum puto.
He has promised everything that might be necessary for you; I think he will do so.
mihi placebat, si firmior esses, ut te Leucadem deportaret, ut ibi te plane confirmares.
It was my pleasure, if you were stronger, that he should convey you to Leucas, so that you might fully recover there.
videbis quid Curio, quid Lysoni, quid medico placeat.
You will see what pleases Curius, what Lyso, and what the doctor.
volebam ad te Marionem remittere quem, cum meliuscule tibi esset, ad me mitteres; sed cogitavi unas litteras Marionem adferre posse, me autem crebras exspectare.
I wanted to send Mario back to you so that, when you were a little better, you might send him to me; but I reflected that Mario could bring only a single letter, whereas I expect frequent ones.
§16.5.2poteris igitur et facies, si me diligis, ut cotidie sit Acastus in portu.
Therefore, you will be able to and will indeed manage, if you love me, to have Acastus at the harbor every day.
multi erunt quibus recte litteras dare possis, qui ad me libenter perferant; equidem Patras euntem neminem praetermittam.
There will be many to whom you can safely give letters, who will gladly carry them to me; for my part, I shall pass by no one going to Patrae.
ego omnem spem tui diligenter curandi in Curio habeo.
I have all my hope of your being carefully looked after in Curius.
nihil potest illo fieri humanius, nihil nostri amantius.
Nothing can be kinder than he, nothing more loving of us.
ei te totum trade.
Entrust yourself entirely to him.
malo te paulo post valentem quam statim imbecillum videre.
I prefer to see you healthy a little later than weak right now.
cura igitur nihil aliud nisi ut valeas; cetera ego curabo.
Therefore, take care of nothing else except that you may be well; I will take care of the rest.
etiam atque etiam vale.
Farewell again and again.
Leucade so proficiscens vii Id. Nov.
November 7, departing from Leucas.

Notes

  1. §16.5.1Thyrrei — The locative singular of the town name Thyrreum (2nd declension neuter). For names of towns and small islands, the locative case (identical in form to the genitive for the 1st and 2nd declensions singular) is used to express 'at' or 'in'.
  2. §16.5.1quae tibi essent opus — Based on the construction 'tibi opus est + nominative' (something is necessary for you). Here, the relative pronoun quae is the subject (neuter plural), tibi is the dative of interest, and essent is the subjunctive imperfect expressing an idealized or indirect thought.
  3. §16.5.1unas litteras — The numeral unus ('one') takes its plural form (here, feminine accusative plural unas) when modifying a noun that is plural in form but singular in meaning (plurale tantum), such as litterae ('a letter'), thus meaning 'one letter'.
  4. §16.5.2tui diligenter curandi — A special gerundive construction with the genitive of a personal pronoun (tui). Regardless of the gender or number of the pronoun, the gerundive takes the neuter singular genitive form ending in -i. Here, curandi agrees with the singular genitive tui, meaning '(hope) of your being carefully cared for.'

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §16.5.1-16.5.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:16.5.1-16.5.2

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