Cicero · Letters to Atticus §13.8.1

Requests for Land Inquiries and Sending Books

Passage 339 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero writes to Atticus immediately after his departure, asking him to deliver a packet, inquire about Staberius' land, and send him Brutus' epitome and Panaetius' work, before looking forward to meeting on the Ides.

§13.8.1plane nihil erat quod ad te scriberem; modo enim discesseras et paulo post triplicis remiseras.

There was absolutely nothing for me to write to you; for you had only just departed and shortly afterwards you had sent back the three-leaved tablets.

velim cures fasciculum ad Vestorium deferendum et aliquoi des negotium qui quaerat. Q. Staberi fundus num quis in Pompeiano Nolanove venalis sit.

I would like you to see to the delivery of the packet to Vestorius and give someone the task of inquiring whether any land of Quintus Staberius in the district of Pompeii or Nola is for sale.

epitomen Bruti Caelianorum velim mihi mittas et a Philoxeno Παναιτίου περὶ Προνοίασ.

I would like you to send me Brutus' epitome of Caelius' history, and, from Philoxenus, Panaetius' *On Providence*.

te Idibus videbo cum tuis.

I shall see you and yours on the Ides.

Notes

13.8.1nihil erat quod ad te scriberem — An instance of the epistolary past, where the writer uses the past tense (erat, scriberem) to describe the present moment from the perspective of the recipient. The subjunctive 'scriberem' is a generic/characteristic relative clause.
13.8.1triplicis — An alternative spelling for the accusative plural 'triplices'. The noun 'tabellas' (writing-tablets) is understood, referring to three-leaved tablets used for letters.
13.8.1Q. Staberi fundus num quis in Pompeiano Nolanove venalis sit — A proleptic construction where the subject 'Q. Staberi fundus' is anticipated and placed before the indirect question clause 'num quis... venalis sit'. 'num quis' acts as an indefinite pronoun, meaning 'whether any (of Staberius' estate)'.
13.8.1Caelianorum — A neuter plural genitive referring to the historical work on the Second Punic War (Coeliana) written by L. Coelius Antipater. Brutus made an epitome of this work.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §13.8.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:13.8.1

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