Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §13.3.1-13.3.2

Approval of Debtors and News of Brutus' Arrival

Passage 332 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero approves of the debtors proposed by Atticus, praising his caution and the exclusion of Caelius. He also mentions receiving news of Brutus' arrival via a letter brought by Aegypta.

§13.3.1ego vero ista nomina sic probo ut nihil aliud me moveat nisi quod tu videris dubitare.
Indeed, I so approve of those debtors that nothing else would cause me hesitation except the fact that you seem to doubt.
illud enim non accipio in bonam partem, quod ad me refers; qui si ipse negotium meum gererem, nihil gererem nisi consilio tuo.
For I do not take it in good part that you refer the matter to me; since, even if I were managing my own business myself, I would manage nothing except by your advice.
sed tamen intellego magis te id facere diligentia qua semper uteris quam quod dubites de nominibus istis.
But yet I understand that you do this more out of the diligence you always employ than because you doubt those debtors.
etenim Caelium non probas, plura non vis.
For indeed you do not approve of Caelius, and you do not want more.
utrumque laudo.
I praise both decisions.
his igitur utendum †espraes† aliquando factus esset in his quidem tabulis.
Therefore, we must use these. †espraes† Even if a surety had once been made in these accounts.
a me igitur omnia.
Everything, therefore, from me.
quod dies longior est (teneamus modo quod volumus), puto fore istam etiam a praecone diem, certe ab heredibus.
As for the date of payment being further off (let us only hold what we want), I think that extension of time will be granted even by the auctioneer, certainly by the heirs.
§13.3.2de Crispo et Mustela videbis, et velim scire quae sit pars duorum.
You will look into the matter of Crispus and Mustela, and I should like to know what is the share of the two.
de Bruti adventu eram factus certior.
I had been informed of Brutus' arrival.
attulerat enim ab eo Aegypta libertus litteras.
For his freedman Aegypta had brought a letter from him.
misi ad te epistulam, quia commode scripta erat.
I sent the letter to you, because it was conveniently written.

Notes

  1. §13.3.1nomina — The word 'nomen' (literally 'name') in commercial and financial contexts refers to an entry in an account book, and by extension, to a 'debt' or 'debtor'. Here, it indicates the list of debtors proposed by Atticus for the payment.
  2. §13.3.1†espraes† — A corrupted passage in the manuscripts. Generally, a sentence break is placed after 'his igitur utendum' ('therefore, these must be used'), and various emendations like 'es praes', 'est praes', or 'sed si praes' have been proposed. 'praes' means 'surety' or 'bondsman', suggesting that a guarantor might have been registered in these accounts, but the exact syntax remains uncertain.
  3. §13.3.1quod dies longior est — The word 'quod' is the neuter accusative of the relative pronoun, here introducing a noun clause ('as for the fact that the date is further off') that serves to limit or introduce the topic before the main clause 'puto fore...'.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §13.3.1-13.3.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:13.3.1-13.3.2

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