Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §15.8.1-15.8.2

Request for a Lieutenancy and Rising Veteran Unrest

Passage 417 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero discusses the letters received from Balbus and Hirtius, reflecting on the veterans' anger, his arrangements for a lieutenancy, and safety concerns reported by Graeceius about Cassius gathering armed men.

§15.8.1post tuum discessum binas a Balbo (nihil novi) itemque ab Hirtio, qui se scribit vehementer offensum esse veteranis.
After your departure, [I received] two letters from Balbus (nothing new), and likewise from Hirtius, who writes that he is vehemently disliked by the veterans.
exspectat animus quidnam agam de K..
My mind is waiting to see what I should do about the Kalends.
misi igitur Tironem et cum Tirone pluris quibus singulis, ut quidque accidisset, dares litteras, atque etiam scripsi ad Antonium de legatione, ne, si ad Dolabellam solum scripsissem, iracundus homo commoveretur.
I have therefore sent Tiro, and with Tiro several others, so that you might give letters to each of them as things happen. And I also wrote to Antony about the lieutenancy, lest, if I had written to Dolabella alone, that irascible man should be provoked.
quod autem aditus ad eum difficilior esse dicitur, scripsi ad Eutrapelum ut is ei meas litteras redderet; legatione mihi opus esse.
Since, however, access to him is said to be rather difficult, I wrote to Eutrapelus so that he might deliver my letter to him, stating that I need a lieutenancy.
honestior est votiva, sed licet uti utraque.
A votive one is more honorable, but it is permitted to use either.
§15.8.2de te, quaeso, etiam atque etiam vide.
Concerning yourself, I beg you, look to it again and again.
velim possis coram; si minus, litteris idem consequemur.
I wish you could do so in person; if not, we shall achieve the same by letter.
Graeceius ad me scripsit C. Cassium sibi scripsisse homines comparari qui armati in Tusculanum mitterentur. †id quidem mihi videbatur†; sed cavendum tamen †ut ille que† plures videndae.
Graeceius wrote to me that C. Cassius had written to him that men were being got together to be sent armed to Tusculum. †That indeed seemed so to me†; but we must nevertheless be on our guard, †...† and more things must be looked to.
sed aliquid crastinus dies ad cogitandum nobis †dare†.
But tomorrow's day will †give† us something to think about.

Notes

  1. 15.8.1vehementer offensum esse veteranis — The word "veteranis" is a dative (or ablative) of agent or reference used with the perfect participle "offensus" (disliked, offensive), meaning that Hirtius is vehemently disliked by the veterans, rather than Hirtius himself being offended by them.
  2. 15.8.1quibus singulis... dares litteras — "quibus singulis" is a relative pronoun in the dative, referring back to the antecedent "pluris" (several others). The verb "dares" is in the imperfect subjunctive, establishing a relative clause of purpose ("so that you might give letters to each of them").
  3. 15.8.1legatione mihi opus esse — The impersonal construction "opus est" + ablative ("legatione") is cast into the accusative and infinitive ("opus esse") in indirect speech, dependent on the implied message of "scripsi" (I wrote that I need a lieutenancy).
  4. 15.8.2†ut ille que† plures videndae — A corrupted passage marked with daggers in the MS tradition. Since the gerundive "videndae" (to be seen/looked after) is feminine plural, it strongly suggests that a feminine plural noun, such as "villae" (villas) or "vigiliae" (watches/guards), has been omitted or lost.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §15.8.1-15.8.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:15.8.1-15.8.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

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