Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §4.12.1

Private Business, Dinner Plans, and Support for Milo

Passage 90 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero writes about his negotiation with Egnatius at Antium, his inability to assist Macron due to an auction at Larinum, and his dinner plans around the Kalends to support Milo.

§4.12.1Egnatius Romae est.
Egnatius is in Rome.
sed ego cum eo de re Halimeti vehementer Anti egi.
But I discussed the matter of Halimetus with him earnestly at Antium.
graviter se acturum cum Aquilio confirmavit.
He assured me that he would deal with Aquilius seriously.
videbis ergo hominem si voles.
Therefore you will see the man if you wish.
Macroni vix videor praesto esse posse; Idibus enim auctionem Larini video et biduum praeterea.
I scarcely seem to be able to be at Macron's disposal; for I see an auction at Larinum on the Ides, and two days besides.
id tu, quoniam Macronem tanti facis, ignoscas mihi velim.
I would like you to forgive me for this, since you value Macron so highly.
sed si me diligis, postridie Kal. cena apud me cum Pilia.
But if you love me, dine at my house with Pilia on the day after the Kalends.
prorsus id facies.
You will certainly do so.
Kalendis cogito in hortis Crassipedis quasi in deversorio cenare.
On the Kalends, I plan to dine in the gardens of Crassipes as if in an inn.
facio fraudem senatus consulto.
I am evading the decree of the senate.
inde domum cenatus, ut sim mane praesto Miloni.
From there [I shall go] home, having dined, so that I may be at Milo's disposal in the morning.
ibi te igitur videbo et permanebo.
I shall see you there, then, and I shall remain.
domus te nostra tota salutat.
Our whole household greets you.

Notes

  1. §4.12.1Anti — Locative case of the place name Antium, meaning "at Antium."
  2. §4.12.1Macroni vix videor praesto esse posse — The verb videor ("I seem") is used personally with the nominative and infinitive construction (with the subject "I" implied). Macroni is a dative governed by the phrase praesto esse ("to be at someone's disposal/service").
  3. §4.12.1tanti facis — Tanti is a genitive of value, used with facere to mean "to value so highly" or "to esteem so much."
  4. §4.12.1cena — This is not the noun cena ("dinner") but the second-person singular present imperative of the first-conjugation verb cenare ("to dine").
  5. §4.12.1facio fraudem senatus consulto — The idiom fraudem facere with the dative (here senatus consulto) means "to evade, circumvent, or violate" a law or decree.
  6. §4.12.1inde domum cenatus — A verb of motion (such as ibo or redibo) is omitted before the accusative of direction domum ("home"). The perfect participle cenatus ("having dined") agrees in gender, number, and case with the implied first-person singular subject.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §4.12.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:4.12.1

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