Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §7.10.1-7.10.4

Teasing Trebatius and Inquiring After His Winter Camp

Passage 132 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero playfully teases Trebatius for being highly regarded as a lawyer by Caesar, expresses concern for his well-being in the winter camp, and urges him to write back with updates on his plans.

§7.10.1legi tuas litteras ex quibus intellexi te Caesari nostro valde iure consultum videri.
I read your letter, from which I understood that you appear to our Caesar to be highly skilled in the law.
est quod gaudeas te in ista loca venisse, ubi aliquid sapere viderere.
There is reason for you to rejoice that you have gone to those parts, where you might seem to know something.
quod si in Britanniam quoque profectus esses, profecto nemo in illa tanta insula peritior te fuisset.
But if you had also set out for Britain, surely no one in that so great an island would have been more experienced than you.
verum tamen (rideamus licet; sum enim a te invitatus) subinvideo tibi ultro etiam accersitum ab eo, ad quem ceteri non propter superbiam eius sed propter occupationem aspirare non possunt.
Nevertheless (we may laugh; for I have been invited by you to do so), I am rather envious of you for being even voluntarily summoned by him, whom others cannot approach, not because of his pride, but because of his busyness.
§7.10.2sed tu in ista epistula nihil mihi scripsisti de tuis rebus, quae me hercule mihi non minori curae sunt quam meae.
But in that letter of yours, you wrote nothing to me about your own affairs, which, by Hercules, are of no less concern to me than my own.
valde metuo ne frigeas in hibernis.
I am very much afraid that you are freezing in your winter quarters.
quam ob rem camino luculento utendum censeo (idem Mucio et Manilio placebat), praesertim qui sagis non abundares.
Therefore, I think you ought to use a bright hearth (the same was pleasing to Mucius and Manilius), especially since you do not abound in military cloaks.
quamquam vos nunc istic satis calere audio; quo quidem nuntio valde me hercule de te timueram.
Although I hear that you are all warm enough there now; by which news, indeed, by Hercules, I had feared greatly for you.
sed tu in re militari multo es cautior quam in advocationibus, qui neque in Oceano natare volueris studiosissimus homo natandi neque spectare essedarios, quem antea ne andabata quidem defraudare poteramus.
But you are much more cautious in military matters than in court-pleadings, since you, a man most fond of swimming, neither wished to swim in the Ocean nor to watch the charioteers, whom previously we could not have defrauded even of a blindfolded gladiator.
sed iam satis iocati sumus.
But now we have joked enough.
§7.10.3ego de te ad Caesarem quam diligenter scripserim, tute scis, quam saepe, ego;
How diligently I wrote about you to Caesar, you yourself know; how often, I do.
sed me hercule iam intermiseram, ne viderer liberalissimi hominis meique amantissimi voluntati erga me diffidere.
But, by Hercules, I had already paused, lest I should seem to distrust the goodwill toward me of a most generous man who is most fond of me.
sed tamen iis litteris, quas proxime dedi, putavi esse hominem commonendum.
But nevertheless, in the letter which I sent most recently, I thought the man ought to be reminded.
id feci; quid profecerim, facias me velim certiorem et simul de toto statu tuo consiliisque omnibus; scire enim cupio quid agas, quid exspectes, quam longum istum tuum discessum a nobis futurum putes.
I did so; what I have accomplished, I would like you to make me aware, and at the same time of your whole condition and all your plans; for I desire to know what you are doing, what you expect, how long you think that departure of yours from us will be.
§7.10.4sic enim tibi persuadeas velim, unum mihi esse solacium qua re facilius possim pati te esse sine nobis, si tibi esse id emolumento sciam; sin autem id non est, nihil duobus nobis est 'stultius, me, qui te non Romam attraham, te, qui non huc advoles.
For I would like you to convince yourself of this, that I have one consolation by which I can more easily bear your being without us, if I know that this is of benefit to you; but if it is not so, nothing is sillier than the two of us, me for not drawing you to Rome, you for not flying hither.
una me hercule nostra vel severa vel iocosa congressio pluris erit quam non modo hostes, sed etiam fratres nostri Haedui.
By Hercules, our single meeting, whether serious or jocular, will be of more value than not only the enemies, but even our "brothers" the Haedui.
qua re omnibus de rebus fac ut quam primum sciam.
Therefore, make sure that I know about all things as soon as possible.
" aut consolando aut consilio aut re iuvero. "
"I will assist you either by consoling, or by counsel, or in deed."

Notes

  1. 7.10.1sapere viderere — sapere is the present infinitive of sapio (to be wise, to know). viderere is the second-person singular imperfect subjunctive of videor (to seem) (the alternative form of videreris), functioning in a relative clause of characteristic describing "ista loca" ("such places where you might seem to know something").
  2. 7.10.1accersitum — This participle follows subinvideo tibi ("I slightly envy you"). accersitum is the accusative masculine singular perfect passive participle of accerso ("to summon"). Here, it functions as an accusative-and-infinitive construction with an omitted subject accusative te ([te] accersitum [esse]), representing the fact "that you have been summoned" as the object of envy.
  3. 7.10.2non minori curae — A double dative construction in quae... mihi non minori curae sunt. Here, mihi is the dative of reference ("to me"), and minori curae ("of less concern") is the dative of purpose or service (predicative dative).
  4. 7.10.2qui sagis non abundares — A relative clause of cause consisting of the relative pronoun qui (referring to the second-person singular "you") followed by the imperfect subjunctive abundares (from abundo). Together with praesertim ("especially"), it expresses the reason: "especially since you did not abound [in military cloaks]."
  5. 7.10.2qui neque in Oceano natare volueris — A relative clause of cause in sed tu in re militari multo es cautior... qui... volueris. The relative pronoun qui is followed by the perfect subjunctive volueris (from volo), indicating the logical connection: "since you did not wish [to swim in the Ocean], you are much more cautious in military matters."
  6. 7.10.4pluris — A genitive of value. The genitive form pluris (from plus) is used with the copula erit to function as a predicate meaning "will be of more value" or "will be worth more."

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §7.10.1-7.10.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:7.10.1-7.10.4

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