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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §12.10.1

Consolation of Atticus and Care for Alexis

Passage 284 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero consoles Atticus over his grief regarding Athamas, urging him to let reason prevail, and proposes moving Alexis to his own vacant upper floor to protect him from the epidemic on the hill.

§12.10.1male me hercule de Athamante.
By Hercules, it is bad news indeed about Athamas.
tuus autem dolor humanus is quidem sed magno opere moderandus.
Your grief, however, is indeed natural, but it must be greatly moderated.
consolationum autem multae viae sed illa rectissima: impetret ratio quod dies impetratura est.
There are indeed many paths of consolation, but that one is the most correct: let reason obtain what time is sure to obtain.
Alexin vero curemus, imaginem Tironis, quem aegrum Romam remisi, et, si quid habet collis ἐπιδήμιον, ad me cum †testamento† transferamus.
But let us take care of Alexis, the very image of Tiro, whom I sent back to Rome sick, and, if the hill has anything epidemic, let us transfer him to my place along with the †testament†.
tota domus vacat superior, ut scis.
The entire upper house is vacant, as you know.
hoc puto valde ad rem pertinere.
I think this is of great relevance.

Notes

  1. 12.10.1male me hercule de Athamante — Elliptical expression. A verb such as accidit or nuntiatum est is omitted after male, meaning 'it is bad news indeed concerning Athamas' or 'I am deeply sorry about Athamas.'
  2. 12.10.1impetret ratio quod dies impetratura est — impetret is a hortatory subjunctive (third-person singular). In the relative clause quod dies impetratura est, dies ('time') is the subject, and impetratura est is an active periphrastic future ('is going to obtain'). The clause contrasts the immediate action of reason with the gradual, inevitable effect of time.
  3. 12.10.1†testamento† — This word is marked with a crux (dagger) indicating corruption in the manuscript tradition. Although emendations like toti familia ('whole household') or contubernio ('companionship') have been suggested, the translation retains the transmitted reading testamento ('will/testament').

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §12.10.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:12.10.1

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