Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §13.39.1-13.39.2

Young Quintus's Duplicity and the Reluctant Return to Rome

Passage 369 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero criticizes the hypocrisy and inconsistency of the younger Quintus toward his parents, and decides, following Atticus' advice, to return to Rome reluctantly, while asking for some books to be sent.

§13.39.1o incredibilem vanitatem! ad patrem "domo sibi carendum propter matrem," ad matrem plenam pietatis.
Oh, incredible falsehood! To his father: "that he must do without a home because of his mother," to his mother, a letter full of duty.
hic autem iam languescit et ait sibi illum iure iratum.
But this man is already softening and says that the other is angry with him with good reason.
§13.39.2sed utar tuo consilio; "σκολιὰ" enim tibi video placere.
But I will follow your advice; for I see that "crooked paths" please you.
Romam, ut censes, veniam sed invitus; valde enim in scribendo haereo.
I shall come to Rome, as you think best, though unwillingly; for I am deeply stuck in my writing.
"Brutum" inquis "eadem. " scilicet; sed nisi hoc esset, res me ista non cogeret.
"Brutus," you say, "is in the same case." No doubt; but if this were not so, that business would not compel me.
nec enim inde venit unde mallem neque diu afuit neque ullam litteram ad me.
For he has neither come from where I should have preferred, nor has he been away long, nor has he sent any letter to me.
sed tamen scire aveo qualis ei totius itineris summa fuerit.
But yet I am eager to know what the upshot of his whole journey was.
libros mihi de quibus ad te antea scripsi velim mittas et maxime Φαίδρου περὶ Θεῶν et.
I should like you to send me the books about which I wrote to you before, and especially Phaedrus' "On the Gods" and.

Notes

  1. §13.39.1domo sibi carendum — An impersonal gerundive construction with the dative of agent sibi and the ablative of separation domo required by the verb careo (to lack, do without). esse is omitted in the indirect speech (accusative with infinitive), meaning "that he must do without a home."
  2. §13.39.1ait sibi illum iure iratum — An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect speech with esse omitted. The subject of the main verb (hic, the father Quintus) reports the words of his son (illum, the subject accusative). sibi is the reflexive pronoun referring back to the main subject (the father), modifying iratum ("angry with him").
  3. §13.39.2eadem — An elliptical expression in Atticus' reported speech. eadem can be understood either as a feminine ablative singular with causa understood ("for the same reason"), or as a neuter accusative plural with a verb of action like facere or sentire understood ("does/feels the same things"). In either case, it implies that Brutus is in the same situation.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §13.39.1-13.39.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:13.39.1-13.39.2

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