Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §6.1.1-6.1.3

Consolation to Torquatus in Exile and Appeal to Virtue

Passage 99 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero comforts Torquatus regarding his absence from Rome, advising him not to despair over his family or assets. He encourages him to find strength in moral rectitude and duties fulfilled, pointing out that regardless of the war's outcome, inner virtue is the ultimate source of solace.

§6.1.1etsi ea perturbatio est omnium rerum, ut suae quemque fortunae maxime paeniteat nemoque sit quin ubivis quam ibi, ubi sit, esse malit, tamen mihi dubium non est quin hoc tempore bono viro Romae esse miserrimum sit.
Although there is such confusion in all matters that everyone is highly dissatisfied with his own fortune and there is no one who would not rather be anywhere else than where he is, yet to me there is no doubt that in these times it is most miserable for a good man to be in Rome.
nam, etsi, quocumque in loco quisque est, idem est ei sensus et eadem acerbitas ex interitu rerum et publicarum et suarum, tamen oculi augent dolorem, qui ea, quae ceteri audiunt, intueri cogunt nec avertere a miseriis cogitationem sinunt.
For although, in whatever place each person is, the feeling is the same for him and the same bitterness arises from the ruin of both public and private affairs, yet the eyes increase the grief, which force us to gaze upon those things which others only hear of, and do not allow us to turn our thoughts away from miseries.
qua re, etsi multarum rerum desiderio te angi necesse est, tamen illo dolore, quo maxime te confici audio, quod Romae non sis, animum tuum libera.
Therefore, although it is necessary that you be tormented by the longing for many things, yet free your mind from that grief by which I hear you are most worn out—namely, that you are not in Rome.
etsi enim cum magna molestia tuos tuaque desideras, tamen illa quidem, quae requiris, suum statum tenent nec melius, si tu adesses, tenerent nec sunt ullo in proprio periculo; nec debes tu, cum de tuis cogitas, aut praecipuam aliquam fortunam postulare aut communem recusare.
For although you long for your loved ones and your possessions with great distress, yet those very things which you miss maintain their own state, nor would they be maintained any better if you were present, nor are they in any special danger; nor ought you, when you think of your own, either to demand any special fortune or to refuse the common one.
§6.1.2de te autem ipso, Torquate, est tuum sic agitare animo, ut non adhibeas in consilium cogitationum tuarum desperationem aut timorem.
But concerning yourself, Torquatus, it is your duty so to ponder in your mind that you do not admit despair or fear into the consultation of your thoughts.
nec enim is, qui in te adhuc iniustior quam tua dignitas postulabat fuit, non magna signa dedit animi erga te mitigati, nec tamen is ipse, a quo salus petitur, habet explicatam aut exploratam rationem salutis suae; cumque omnium bellorum exitus incerti sint, ab altera victoria tibi periculum nullum esse perspicio, quod quidem seiunctum sit ab omnium interitu, ab altera te ipsum numquam timuisse certo scio.
For neither has he, who has hitherto been more unjust to you than your dignity demanded, failed to give great signs of a mind softened towards you, nor yet does he himself, from whom safety is sought, possess a settled or assured plan for his own safety; and since the outcomes of all wars are uncertain, I perceive no danger to you from the victory of the one side, at least so far as it may be separated from the general ruin of all, while from the victory of the other side I know for certain that you yourself have never been afraid.
§6.1.3reliquum est ut te id ipsum, quod ego quasi consolationis loco pono, maxime excruciet, commune periculum rei publicae.
It remains that the very thing which I present by way of consolation should torment you most, namely, the common danger of the republic.
cuius tanti mali, quamvis docti viri multa dicant, tamen vereor ne consolatio nulla possit vera reperiri praeter illam, quae tanta est, quantum in cuiusque animo roboris est atque nervorum.
Concerning this so great an evil, although learned men say many things, yet I fear that no true consolation can be found except that which is as great as the strength and sinews in each person's mind.
si enim bene sentire recteque facere satis est ad bene beateque vivendum, vereor ne eum, qui se optimorum consiliorum conscientia sustentare possit, miserum esse nefas sit dicere.
For if to feel rightly and to act correctly is sufficient for living well and happily, I fear it is wrong to say that he who can sustain himself by the consciousness of the best counsels is miserable.
nec enim nos arbitror victoriae praemiis ductos patriam olim et liberos et fortunas reliquisse; sed quoddam nobis officium iustum et pium et debitum rei p. nostraeque dignitati videbamur sequi nec, cum id faciebamus, tam eramus amentes, ut explorata nobis
For I do not think that we, led by the rewards of victory, once left our fatherland, our children, and our fortunes; but we seemed to ourselves to follow a certain duty, just, dutiful, and owed to the republic and to our dignity, nor, when we did this, were we so senseless that, things being assured to us...

Notes

  1. §6.1.1suae quemque fortunae maxime paeniteat — Syntax of the impersonal verb `paenitet` (to cause regret/dissatisfaction), where the person feeling dissatisfied is in the accusative (`quemque`) and the cause of dissatisfaction is in the genitive (`suae fortunae`). Here it is in the present subjunctive inside the `ut` clause (consecutive clause).
  2. §6.1.1nemoque sit quin ubivis quam ibi, ubi sit, esse malit — Double negative construction `nemo est quin` (there is no one who does not...). The clause introduced by `quin` takes the subjunctive (`malit`). `ubivis` is an adverb meaning "anywhere you will," contrasted with `quam ibi, ubi sit` (than there, where he is).
  3. §6.1.1nec melius, si tu adesses, tenerent — Apodosis of a conditional sentence. The imperfect subjunctive `tenerent` corresponds to the protasis in the imperfect subjunctive `adesses` (if you were present [which you are not]), representing a condition contrary to present fact. The subject is the preceding `illa` (the things you seek).
  4. §6.1.2nec enim is ... non magna signa dedit — Double negation with `nec ... non`, expressing a strong affirmation ("nor indeed did he fail to give great signs," meaning "he did indeed give great signs"). `is` (he, referring to Caesar) is the subject.
  5. §6.1.2quod quidem seiunctum sit ab omnium interitu — Restrictive relative clause. The subjunctive `sit` is used in the clause introduced by the relative pronoun `quod` (referring back to `periculum`), expressing a nuance of condition or limitation ("at least so far as it is separated...").
  6. §6.1.3reliquum est ut te id ipsum ... maxime excruciet — Syntax where the `ut` clause (with the subjunctive `excruciet`) serves as the subject of the impersonal expression `reliquum est` (it remains that...). `id ipsum` stands in apposition to the subsequent `commune periculum`.
  7. §6.1.3explorata nobis — This chunk cuts off at `explorata nobis`. Due to a lacuna in the transmitted text, the verb of the consecutive `ut` clause (likely `esset` or `foret`) and the expected noun or adjective functioning as its complement are lost. The translation preserves this incomplete structure.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §6.1.1-6.1.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:6.1.1-6.1.3

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