Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §7.25.1-7.25.2

To Gallus on Caution regarding Caesar and Praise of His Writing

Passage 147 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero reassures Gallus about the safety of his letter and thanks him for his advice, while warning of Caesar's imminent arrival. He also praises a passage of Gallus's letter and strongly encourages him to continue writing.

§7.25.1quod epistulam conscissam doles, noli laborare, salva est;
As for your grieving that the letter was torn up, do not worry; it is safe.
domo petes, cum libebit.
You can fetch it from my house whenever you please.
quod autem me mones, valde gratum est, idque ut semper facias rogo; videris enim mihi vereri, †nisi istum habuerimus, rideamus ge/lwta sarda/nion. sed heus tu, manum de tabula! magister adest citius quam putaramus;
Moreover, that you advise me is very gratifying, and I ask that you always do so; for you seem to me to fear that, †unless we keep that fellow on our side, we may laugh a "Sardonic laugh." But look here, hand off the tablet!
vereor ne in catomum Catonianos.
The master is coming sooner than we thought; I fear lest the Catonians be hoisted onto the shoulders for a whipping.
§7.25.2mi Galle, cave putes quicquam melius quam epistulae tuae partem ab eo loco: 'cetera labuntur. ' secreto hoc audi, tecum habeto, ne Apellae quidem, liberto tuo, dixeris.
My dear Gallus, mind you do not think anything is better than that part of your letter from the passage: "the rest is slipping away." Hear this in secret, keep it to yourself, and do not tell even your freedman Apelles.
praeter duo nos loquitur isto modo nemo; bene malene videro, sed, quicquid est, nostrum est.
Except for the two of us, no one speaks in that manner; whether well or ill I shall see, but, whatever it is, it is our own.
urge igitur nec 'transversum unguem,' quod aiunt, a stilo; is enim est dicendi opifex.
Therefore, press on and do not depart, as they say, "a transverse nail's breadth" from the pen; for that is the creator of eloquence.
atque equidem aliquantum iam etiam noctis adsumo.
And indeed, I myself am now taking up some portion of the night as well for it.

Notes

  1. 7.25.1rideamus ge/lwta sarda/nion — The verb rideamus (subjunctive, here serving as the object clause of fearing after vereri, with ne potentially omitted or corrupted) is combined with the Greek cognate accusative ge/lwta sarda/nion (γέλωτα σαρδάνιον, 'Sardonic laugh', i.e., a bitter or forced laugh). Despite the textual corruption indicated by the daggers (†), the phrase conveys the fear of being made a laughingstock or having to laugh bitterly.
  2. 7.25.1in catomum Catonianos — An ellipsis where a verb of motion or punishment (such as eant or mittantur) is omitted after vereor ne. in catomum (derived from Greek κατ' ὦμον, 'on the shoulders') refers to the school punishment of hoisting a boy onto someone's shoulders to be whipped. It forms a wordplay with Catonianos (supporters of Cato, who had written praises of him).
  3. 7.25.2cave putes — A standard classical prohibition where the imperative cave (from cavere, 'to beware') is followed by the subjunctive putes without ut, meaning 'mind you do not think' or 'do not imagine.'
  4. 7.25.2transversum unguem — Meaning 'a transverse fingernail's breadth', this is an accusative of extent/degree used adverbially ('even by a hair's breadth'). A verb of departure (such as discedas) is omitted before the prepositional phrase a stilo ('from the pen'), forming a proverbial expression meaning 'do not depart a single inch from writing.'

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §7.25.1-7.25.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:7.25.1-7.25.2

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