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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §2.23.1-2.23.3

Pompey's Regret and the Plea for Atticus's Return

Passage 51 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero explains that he is dictating the letter due to his busyness, reports Pompey's regret over his current situation and Clodius's threats, and urgently entreats Atticus to return to Rome as soon as possible.

§2.23.1numquam ante arbitror te epistulam meam legisse nisi mea manu scriptam.
I think you have never before read a letter of mine except written by my own hand.
ex eo colligere poteris quanta occupatione distinear.
From this you will be able to gather by how much occupation I am distracted.
nam cum vacui temporis nihil haberem, et cum recreandae voculae causa necesse esset mihi ambulare, haec dictavi ambulans.
For since I had no free time, and since it was necessary for me to walk for the sake of restoring my poor voice, I dictated these things while walking.
§2.23.2primum igitur illud te scire volo, Sampsiceramum nostrum amicum vehementer sui status paenitere restituique in eum locum cupere ex quo decidit, doloremque suum impertire nobis et medicinam interdum aperte quaerere, quam ego possum invenire nullam; deinde omnis illius partis auctores ac socios nullo adversario consenescere, consensionem universorum nec voluntatis nec sermonis maiorem umquam fuisse.
First, therefore, I want you to know this, that our friend Sampsiceramus vehemently repents of his status and desires to be restored to that position from which he fell, and shares his pain with us and sometimes openly seeks a remedy, of which I can find none; secondly, that the authors and allies of all that party are growing feeble with no adversary, and that the agreement of all, both of will and of speech, has never been greater.
§2.23.3nos autem (nam id te scire cupere certo scio) publicis consiliis nullis intersumus totosque nos ad forensem operam laboremque contulimus.
We, however, (for I know for certain that you desire to know this) take part in no public deliberations and have betaken ourselves entirely to forensic work and labor.
ex quo, quod facile intellegi possit, in multa commemoratione earum rerum quas gessimus desiderioque versamur.
From which, as can be easily understood, we are involved in much recollection and longing for those things which we did.
sed βοῶπιδοσ nostrae consanguineus non mediocris terrores iacit atque denuntiat et Sampsiceramo negat, ceteris prae se fert et ostentat.
But the brother of our ox-eyed one throws and threatens no small terrors, and denies them to Sampsiceramus, but displays and boasts of them to the rest.
quam ob rem si me amas tantum quantum profecto amas, si dormis expergiscere, si stas ingredere, si ingrederis curre, si curris advola.
Therefore, if you love me as much as you certainly do love me, if you are sleeping, wake up; if you are standing, walk; if you are walking, run; if you are running, fly here.
credibile non est quantum ego in consiliis et prudentia tua, quodque maximum est, quantum in amore et fide ponam.
It is incredible how much I place in your counsels and wisdom, and, what is greatest, how much in your love and fidelity.
magnitudo rei longam orationem fortasse desiderat, coniunctio vero nostrorum animorum brevitate contenta est.
The magnitude of the matter perhaps desires a long speech, but the union of our minds is content with brevity.
permagni nostra interest te, si comitiis non potueris, at declarato illo esse Romae.
It is of very great importance to us that you should be in Rome, if you cannot be there for the comitia, at least when he has been declared.
cura ut valeas.
Take care to be well.

Notes

  1. §2.23.2Sampsiceramum nostrum amicum vehementer sui status paenitere — The construction of the impersonal verb `paenitet` (to repent/regret), where the person who regrets is in the accusative (`Sampsiceramum... amicum`) and the cause of regret is in the genitive (`sui status`). This entire clause is part of the accusative-with-infinitive (AcI) construction dependent on `volo te scire`.
  2. §2.23.3βοῶπιδοσ nostrae consanguineus — `βοῶπιδοσ` (correctly `βοώπιδος`) is the Greek genitive form of 'ox-eyed' (an epithet of Hera). Here used as Cicero's nickname for Clodia, and her 'blood relation' (`consanguineus`) refers to her brother Publius Clodius Pulcher. The Latin possessive adjective `nostrae` modifies the Greek genitive noun.
  3. §2.23.3permagni nostra interest — The construction of the impersonal verb `interest` (it is important), using the genitive of value/degree (`permagni`), the ablative feminine singular of the possessive adjective of the personal pronoun (`nostra`) to denote the person concerned, and the accusative-with-infinitive clause (`te... esse Romae`) to express the subject matter.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §2.23.1-2.23.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:2.23.1-2.23.3

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

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