Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §4.10.1

Urging Marcellus to Return Promptly for His Affairs

Passage 67 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero informs Marcellus that although there is no new information, he is eagerly expecting his return, and urges him to come home as soon as possible for the sake of his private affairs and everyone's expectations.

§4.10.1etsi nihil erat novi, quod ad te scriberem, magisque litteras tuas iam exspectare incipiebam vel te potius ipsum, tamen, cum Theophilus proficisceretur, non potui nihil ei litterarum dare.
Although there was nothing new for me to write to you, and I was rather beginning to expect your letter, or rather you yourself, yet, when Theophilus was setting out, I could not fail to give him some letter.
cura igitur ut quam primum venias venies enim, mihi crede, exspectatus, neque solum nobis, id est tuis, sed prorsus omnibus.
Therefore, take care to come as soon as possible; for you will come, believe me, expected, and not only by us, that is, your family, but absolutely by everyone.
venit enim mihi in mentem subvereri interdum, ne te delectet tarda decessio.
For it occurs to me to fear sometimes lest a late departure should please you.
quod nullum haberes sensum nisi oculorum, prorsus tibi ignoscerem, si quosdam nolles videre; sed, cum leviora non multo essent, quae audirentur, quam quae viderentur, suspicarer autem multum interesse rei familiaris tuae te quam primum venire, idque in omnis partis valeret, putavi ea de re te esse admonendum.
If you had no sense but that of the eyes, I would altogether forgive you if you did not wish to see certain people; but, since the things that are heard are not much lighter than those that are seen, and since I suspect that it is of great importance to your private property that you come as soon as possible, and that this would be of value in every direction, I thought you ought to be admonished about that matter.
sed quoniam, quid mihi placeret, ostendi, reliqua tu pro tua prudentia considerabis; me tamen velim, quod ad tempus te exspectemus, certiorem facias.
But since I have shown what would please me, you, in accordance with your wisdom, will consider the rest; I would, however, wish you to inform me at what time we should expect you.

Notes

  1. §4.10.1quod — Where we would normally expect `quod si` ('but if'), `si` may have been omitted in the manuscript tradition, or `quod` itself acts with a conditional force here. Together with the following imperfect subjunctives `haberes` and `ignoscerem`, it forms a conditional sentence contrary to present fact.
  2. §4.10.1multum interesse rei familiaris tuae te quam primum venire — A construction of the impersonal verb `interest` (here in the infinitive `interesse`). The person to whom it is of importance is expressed by the genitive `rei familiaris tuae`, and the subject of interest is the accusative and infinitive clause `te quam primum venire`. The adverb `multum` denotes the degree of importance.
  3. §4.10.1me tamen velim... certiorem facias — The independent subjunctive `velim` (expressing a polite or softened wish, 'I would like') governs the subjunctive `facias` (with the omission of the conjunction `ut`) as its object clause. `me certiorem facere` is a standard Latin idiom meaning 'to inform me' or 'to make me more certain'.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §4.10.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:4.10.1

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