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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §11.17.1

Arrival of Tullia and Grief over Her Plight

Passage 262 of 461 · Latin

Summary

In a brief letter sent via someone else's messenger, Cicero reports the arrival of his daughter Tullia and her gratitude to Atticus. However, he expresses immense grief over her wretched situation caused by his own fault, stating that he no longer expects any consolation or advice.

§11.17.1properantibus tabellariis alienis hanc epistulam dedi.
I gave this letter to some messengers of others who were in a hurry.
eo brevior est et quod eram missurus nostros.
It is therefore shorter, and also because I was about to send my own.
Tullia mea venit ad me pr. Idus Iunias deque tua erga se observantia benevolentiaque mihi plurima exposuit litterasque reddidit trinas.
My Tullia came to me on the day before the Ides of June, and explained to me at great length your attention and kindness toward her, and delivered three letters.
ego autem ex ipsius virtute, humanitate, pietate non modo eam voluptatem non cepi quam capere ex singulari filia debui sed etiam incredibili sum dolore adfectus tale ingenium in tam misera fortuna versari idque accidere nullo ipsius delicto summa culpa mea.
But I, from her virtue, humanity, and devotion, not only did not receive that pleasure which I ought to have received from an extraordinary daughter, but was even affected with incredible grief that such a disposition should be involved in so wretched a fortune, and that this should happen through no fault of her own, but by my greatest blame.
itaque a te neque consolationem iam qua cupere te uti video nec consilium quod capi nullum potest exspecto teque omnia cum superioribus saepe litteris tum proximis temptasse intellego.
Therefore I no longer expect from you either consolation, which I see you desire to use, or advice, of which none can be taken; and I understand that you have tried everything, both in your many previous letters and in your most recent ones.

Notes

  1. §11.17.1properantibus tabellariis alienis — An ablative absolute construction with the noun `tabellariis` and the present participle `properantibus` ('since the messengers were in a hurry'). The adjective `alienis` ('others'') indicates that Cicero sent the letter through messengers employed by someone else, rather than his own (`nostros`).
  2. §11.17.1eo ... et quod — `eo` is either an ablative of cause ('therefore') or an ablative of degree of difference modifying the comparative `brevior` ('by so much'). It is paired with `et quod` ('and because') to provide a double explanation for the brevity of the letter (the haste of the foreign messengers and his plan to send his own messengers later).
  3. §11.17.1trinas — Accusative feminine plural of the distributive numeral `trini`. In Latin, when counting nouns that are used only in the plural (pluralia tantum) or have a different meaning in the plural, such as `litterae` ('letters'), distributive numerals are used instead of cardinal numerals (`tres`). Hence, `litteras trinas` means 'three letters.'
  4. §11.17.1tale ingenium in tam misera fortuna versari — An accusative and infinitive (Aci) construction consisting of the subject accusative `tale ingenium` and the infinitive `versari`, followed by `idque accidere`. It expresses the cause of the main verb `adfectus sum` ('I was affected with grief'), meaning 'I was grieved that such a disposition is involved in so wretched a fortune, and that this is happening due to my fault.'

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §11.17.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:11.17.1

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

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.