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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §4.7.1-4.7.3

Relief over Young Quintus and Metellus's Estate

Passage 84 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero, relieved by Atticus's letter regarding young Quintus, addresses concerns about Apollonius and the late Metellus's estate, while also instructing on his house and noting local rumors about Laterius.

§4.7.1nihil εὐκαιρότερον epistula tua quae me sollicitum de Quinto nostro, puero optimo, valde levavit.
Nothing could be more timely than your letter, which greatly relieved me, anxious as I was about our Quintus, that excellent boy.
venerat horis duabus ante Chaerippus, mera monstra nuntiarat.
Two hours before, Chaerippus had come and reported mere monstrosities.
de Apollonio quod scribis, qui illi di irati! homini Graeco qui conturbat atque idem putat sibi licere quod equitibus Romanis.
As to what you write about Apollonius, may the gods be angry with him! A Greek who goes bankrupt and thinks the same is permitted to him as to Roman knights.
nam Terentius suo iure.
For Terentius acts by his own right.
§4.7.2de Metello "οὐχ ὁσίη φθιμένοισιν," sed tamen multis annis civis nemo erat mortuus qui quidem tibi nummi meo periculo sint.
Concerning Metellus, "it is not holy to boast over the dead," but yet for many years no citizen had died whose money, indeed, is not yours at my risk.
quid enim vereris? quemcumque heredem fecit, nisi Publium fecit, virum fecit, non improbe, quamquam fuit ipse.
For what do you fear? Whomever he made his heir, unless he made Publius, he made a man, not improperly, although he himself was otherwise.
qua re in hoc thecam nummariam non retexeris, in aliis eris cautior.
Therefore, in this case you will not unsew your money-bag; in others you will be more cautious.
§4.7.3mea mandata de domo curabis, praesidia locabis, Milonem admonebis.
You will attend to my commissions about the house, post guards, and advise Milo.
Arpinatium fremitus est incredibilis de Laterio.
The clamor of the Arpinates about Laterius is incredible.
quid quaeris? equidem dolui;
What more would you know?
"ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐμπάζετο" quod superest, etiam puerum Ciceronem curabis et amabis, ut facis.
I indeed was grieved; "but he paid no heed." For the rest, you will look after and love young Cicero, as you do.

Notes

  1. §4.7.1epistula tua — epistula tua is an ablative of comparison, forming a comparative construction with the omitted verb est: 'nothing is more timely (εὐκαιρότερον) than your letter'.
  2. §4.7.2qui quidem tibi nummi meo periculo sint — sint is a present subjunctive in a restrictive relative clause, or a subjunctive of concession/guarantee. meo periculo is an ablative of manner/condition meaning 'at my risk', indicating Cicero's personal guarantee of the recovery of the money.
  3. §4.7.2thecam nummariam non retexeris — retexeris is the future perfect (or perfect subjunctive) of retexo ('to unweave'). Here it is used metaphorically: 'you will not unsew your money-bag', meaning there is no need to open the purse to pay or suffer financial loss.
  4. §4.7.3ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐμπάζετο — A Greek quotation originating from Homer (e.g., Iliad 1.160), meaning 'but he paid no heed' or 'he did not care at all', referring to Laterius's indifference to the local complaints.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §4.7.1-4.7.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:4.7.1-4.7.3

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

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