Cicero · Letters to Friends §6.15.1

Congratulations, Pledge of Friendship, and Request for News

Passage 115 of 413 · Latin

Summary

The author congratulates the recipient, expresses his personal joy and affection, promises to look after their interests, and requests mutual affection and regular updates.

§6.15.1tibi gratulor, mihi gaudeo; te amo, tua tueor; a te amari et quid agas quidque agatur certior fieri volo.

I congratulate you, I rejoice for myself; I love you, I protect your interests; I wish to be loved by you and to be informed of what you are doing and what is being done.

Notes

6.15.1mihi — Dative of advantage or interest (or reflexive dative), used with the intransitive verb *gaudeo* to mean 'I rejoice for myself' or 'I am glad on my own account.'
6.15.1tua — Neuter plural accusative substantive of the possessive adjective *tuus* ('your'), acting as the direct object of the transitive verb *tueor* ('I protect'). It refers to 'your affairs,' 'your property,' or 'your interests.'
6.15.1certior fieri — An idiomatic phrase meaning 'to be informed' or 'to be made more certain,' consisting of the passive infinitive *fieri* of *fio* ('to become') and the comparative adjective *certior*. It functions as a complementary infinitive with *volo*, where *certior* remains in the nominative to agree with the implied subject of *volo* ('I').
6.15.1quid agas quidque agatur — Two indirect question clauses in the subjunctive mood (*agas* is present active, *agatur* is present passive). They function as the direct objects of information explaining what one is to be informed of (*certior fieri*).

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §6.15.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:6.15.1

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