Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §7.16.1-7.16.3

Advising Trebatius in His Gallic Winter Quarters

Passage 138 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero urges Trebatius, who is staying in winter quarters in Gaul, to be wise by quoting theatrical lines, and shares news and rumors, including a playful reminder that Trebatius is the only jurist in Samarobriva.

§7.16.1in 'Equo Troiano' scis esse in extremo 'sero sapiunt. ' tu tamen, mi vetule, non sero.
You know that at the end of 'The Trojan Horse' there is the line: 'They are wise too late.' Yet you, my old friend, are not too late.
primas illas rabiosulas sat fatuas dedisti; deinde quod in Britannia non nimis filoqe/wron te praebuisti, plane non reprehendo.
You played those first rather frantic, quite foolish parts; then, as for your not showing yourself too much of a sightseer in Britain, I plainly do not blame you.
nunc vero in hibernis iniectus mihi videris itaque te commovere non curas.
But now indeed you seem to me to have settled down in winter quarters, and so you do not care to stir yourself.
" Usquequaque sapere oportet; id erit telum acerrimum. " §7.16.2ego si foris cenitarem, Cn. Octavio, familiari tuo, non defuissem; cui tamen dixi, cum me aliquotiens invitaret: 'oro te, quis tu es?' sed me hercules extra iocum homo bellus est; vellem eum tecum abduxisses.
"One must be wise everywhere; that will be the sharpest weapon." If I were in the habit of dining out, I would not have failed your friend Gnaeus Octavius; to whom, however, when he invited me several times, I said: 'I pray you, who are you?' But by Hercules, joking aside, he is a fine fellow; I wish you had taken him away with you.
§7.16.3quid agatis et ecquid in Italiam venturi sitis hac hieme fac plane sciam.
Make sure I know clearly what you are doing and whether you are at all likely to come to Italy this winter.
Balbus mihi confirmavit te divitem futurum.
Balbus assured me that you would be rich.
id utrum Romano more locutus sit, bene nummatum te futurum, an quo modo Stoici dicunt, omnis esse divites qui caelo et terra frui possint, postea videbo.
Whether he said this in the Roman fashion, meaning that you would be well moneyed, or as the Stoics say, that all are rich who can enjoy heaven and earth, I shall see later.
qui istinc veniunt, superbiam tuam accusant, quod negent te percontantibus respondere.
Those who come from there accuse you of pride, because they say you do not answer those who consult you.
sed tamen est quod gaudeas; constat enim inter omnis neminem te uno Samarobrivae iuris peritiorem esse.
But yet you have reason to rejoice; for it is agreed among all that there is no one in Samarobriva more skilled in the law than you alone.

Notes

  1. 7.16.1primas illas rabiosulas sat fatuas dedisti — The object of the verb dedisti (gave, played) is omitted in the Latin text, where either partes (roles/parts) or epistulas (letters) is understood. Given the preceding theatrical reference, it is most natural to interpret this metaphorically as 'you played those first parts', referring to Trebatius's frantic attitude upon his initial arrival in Gaul.
  2. 7.16.1filoqe/wron — The accusative of the Greek word φιλοθέωρον ('fond of sightseeing', 'spectator-loving'). Cicero uses it humorously to refer to Trebatius's reluctance to cross over to Britain with Caesar, or his lack of 'sightseeing' curiosity during the expedition.
  3. 7.16.2vellem eum tecum abduxisses — A standard construction where the verb of wishing vellem (imperfect subjunctive) is followed directly by the pluperfect subjunctive abduxisses to express an unfulfilled wish in the past ('I wish you had taken him away with you').
  4. 7.16.3neminem te uno Samarobrivae iuris peritiorem esse — The phrase te uno is an ablative of comparison ('than you alone'). This is a characteristic piece of Ciceronian banter, mockingly praising Trebatius as the most skilled lawyer in Samarobriva (a remote winter camp in Gaul) simply because there are no other jurists available there to compete with him.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §7.16.1-7.16.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:7.16.1-7.16.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

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