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Cicero · Letters to Friends §9.23.1

Arrival at Cumae and Planned Visit to Paetus

Passage 196 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero announces his arrival at Cumae and plans to visit his friend, joking that despite the friend's gout, his cook must still be well enough to prepare a simple meal.

§9.23.1Here veni in Cumanum, cras ad te fortasse; sed cum certum sciam, faciam te paulo ante certiorem;
Yesterday I arrived at my villa in Cumae, and tomorrow perhaps I shall come to you; but when I know for certain, I will let you know a little beforehand; although M.
etsi M. Caeparius, cum mihi in silva gallinaria obviam venisset quaesissemque quid ageres, dixit te in lecto esse, quod ex pedibus laborares.
Caeparius, when he met me in the Gallinarian forest and I asked how you were doing, said that you were in bed because you were suffering from your feet.
tuli scilicet moleste, ut debui, sed tamen constitui ad te venire, ut et viderem te et viserem et cenarem etiam; non enim arbitror cocum etiam te arthriticum habere.
I took it hard, of course, as I ought, but nevertheless I resolved to come to you, so that I might both see you and visit you, and even dine with you; for I do not suppose that you have a cook who is also arthritic.
exspecta igitur hospitem cum minime edacem tum inimicum cenis sumptuosis.
Expect therefore a guest who is not only a very small eater but also an enemy to sumptuous dinners.

Notes

  1. 9.23.1laborares — Subjunctive in a 'quod' clause expressing a reported reason. It is in the imperfect tense following the historical tense of the main verb (dixit), showing that it represents the reason given by the informant (Caeparius).
  2. 9.23.1cocum etiam te arthriticum habere — An accusative and infinitive construction dependent on 'arbitror'. 'te' is the subject accusative of the infinitive 'habere', 'cocum' is its object, and 'arthriticum' acts as a predicative accusative qualifying 'cocum'. Literal translation: 'that you have even your cook arthritic'.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §9.23.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:9.23.1

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