Cicero · Letters to Atticus §13.11.1-13.11.2

Absence of Atticus and Consideration for Brutus

Passage 342 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero explains the changes felt since separating from Atticus and his reasons for moving to avoid burdening Brutus, while asking Atticus to write to him about various political developments and news.

§13.11.1"οὐ ταὐτὸν εἶδοσ. " credebam esse facile; totum est aliud postea quam sum a te diiunctior.

"The appearance is not the same." I believed it to be easy; everything is entirely different since I have been further separated from you.

sed fuit faciendum ut et constituerem mercedulas praediorum et ne magnum onus observantiae Bruto nostro imponerem.

But it had to be done, both so that I might settle the small rents of my estates, and so that I might not impose a heavy burden of respect upon our Brutus.

posthac enim poterimus commodius colere inter nos in Tusculano.

For hereafter we shall be able to cultivate our relationship more conveniently in the Tusculan villa.

hoc autem tempore, cum ille me cotidie videre vellet, ego ad illum ire non possem, privabatur omni delectatione Tusculani.

But at this time, since he wanted to see me every day and I was unable to go to him, he was being deprived of all the enjoyment of the Tusculan villa.

§13.11.2tu igitur si Servilia venerit, si Brutus quid egerit, etiam si constituerit quando obviam, quicquid denique erit quod scire me oporteat scribes.

You, therefore, if Servilia comes, if Brutus does anything, and even if he decides when to go to meet him—in short, whatever there is that I ought to know, you will write.

Pisonem, si poteris, convenies.

You will meet Piso, if you can.

vides quam maturum sit.

You see how ripe it is.

sed tamen quod commodo tuo fiat.

But yet only so far as may be done with your convenience.

Notes

13.11.1οὐ ταὐτὸν εἶδοσ — A Greek quotation, likely originating from Greek tragedy (e.g., Euripides, *Ion* 965). It expresses that the situation or state of mind is not the same as before.
13.11.1postea quam sum a te diiunctior — *postea quam* is synonymous with the conjunction *postquam*. *diiunctior* is the comparative of *diiunctus*, used here absolutely to denote being "rather far apart" or "more separated than usual" from Atticus.
13.11.1privabatur — Third-person singular imperfect passive. The subject is Brutus from the context. It explains that if Cicero were nearby, Brutus would feel obliged to visit him daily out of politeness, thus depriving Brutus of the enjoyment of his own villa.
13.11.2quod commodo tuo fiat — *quod* is a restrictive relative pronoun, and *fiat* is a present subjunctive expressing restriction or proviso. A proverbial expression meaning "so far as may be done with your convenience."

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §13.11.1-13.11.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:13.11.1-13.11.2

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