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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §16.16D.1

Appeal to Cupiennius to Assist Buthrotum

Passage 459 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero begs Cupiennius, on the grounds of their mutual affection and his friendship with Cupiennius's father, to assist the Buthrotians and ensure that Plancus quickly confirms the consuls' decree.

§16.16D.1patrem tuum plurimi feci meque ille mirifice et coluit et amavit; nec me hercule umquam mihi dubium fuit quin a te diligerer; ego quidem id facere non destiti.
valued your father very highly, and he respected and loved me wonderfully; nor, by Hercules, was it ever doubtful to me that I was loved by you; and indeed, I have not ceased to do so.
quam ob rem peto a te in maiorem modum ut civitatem Buthrotiam subleves decretumque consulum quod ii secundum Buthrotios fecerunt, cum et lege et senatus consulto statuendi potestatem haberent, des operam ut Plancus noster quam primum confirmet et comprobet.
Therefore, I beg of you most earnestly that you relieve the state of Buthrotum and take care that our Plancus, as soon as possible, confirms and approves the decree of the consuls which they made in favor of the Buthrotians, since they had the power of deciding both by law and by decree of the senate.
hoc te vehementer, mi Cupienni, etiam atque etiam rogo.
This I vehemently ask of you, my Cupiennius, again and again.

Notes

  1. §16.16D.1plurimi — The genitive plurimi used with the verb feci (facio) is a genitive of value, indicating how highly one values or respects someone.
  2. §16.16D.1quin a te diligerer — A quin clause introduced by the negative expression of doubt nec... dubium fuit. Since the main verb is in the past (fuit), the imperfect subjunctive diligerer is used in accordance with the sequence of tenses.
  3. §16.16D.1id facere — The demonstrative pronoun id refers contextually to loving the addressee (te diligere), corresponding to the passive a te diligerer (being loved by you) in the preceding clause.
  4. §16.16D.1decretumque consulum ... des operam ut Plancus ... — Within the ut clause representing the object of peto, civitatem... subleves and decretum... des operam are joined by the conjunction que. In the latter clause, decretum consulum is fronted (or anticipated) as the object of the verbs confirmet and comprobet inside the subordinate ut clause dependent on des operam.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §16.16D.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:16.16D.1

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