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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §7.16.1-7.16.3

Caesar and Pompey's Moves and the Family's Safety

Passage 156 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero acknowledges receipt of Atticus's letters and outlines two key concerns: Caesar's reaction to the peace terms and Pompey's military preparations. He also agrees with Atticus that Terentia and Tullia should not move until the situation becomes clearer.

§7.16.1omnis arbitror mihi tuas litteras redditas esse sed primas praepostere, reliquas ordine quo sunt missae per Terentiam.
I think that all your letters have been delivered to me, but the first one out of order, and the rest in the order in which they were sent, through Terentia.
de mandatis Caesaris adventuque Labieni et responsis consulum ac Pompei scripsi ad te litteris iis quas a. d. v Kal. Capua dedi pluraque praeterea in eandem epistulam conleci.
Concerning Caesar's demands, the arrival of Labienus, and the replies of the consuls and Pompey, I wrote to you in detail in that letter which I dispatched from Capua on January 28, and I collected many other matters besides into the same epistle.
§7.16.2nunc has exspectationes habemus duas, unam quid Caesar acturus sit cum acceperit ea quae referenda ad illum data sunt L. Caesari, alteram quid Pompeius agat.
At present we have these two expectations: one, what Caesar will do when he receives what was given to Lucius Caesar to be referred back to him; the other, what Pompey is doing.
qui quidem ad me scribit paucis diebus se firmum exercitum habiturum spemque adfert, si in Picenum agrum ipse venerit, nos Romam redituros esse.
The latter indeed writes to me that in a few days he will have a strong army, and holds out the hope that if he himself goes into the Picene territory, we shall return to Rome.
Labienum secum habet non dubitantem de imbecillitate Caesaris copiarum; cuius adventu Gnaeus noster multo animi plus habet.
He has Labienus with him, who has no doubt about the weakness of Caesar's forces; by whose arrival our Gnaeus has much more spirit.
nos a consulibus Capuam venire iussi sumus ad Nonas Febr.
We have been ordered by the consuls to come to Capua by February 5.
Capua profectus sum Formias a. d. iii Kal.
I set out from Capua for Formiae on January 30.
eo die cum Calibus tuas litteras hora fere nona accepissem, has statim dedi.
Having received your letter at Cales on that day about the ninth hour, I immediately dispatched this one.
de Terentia et Tullia tibi adsentior.
Concerning Terentia and Tullia, I agree with you.
§7.16.3ad quas scripseram ad te ut referrent.
I had written to you concerning them, that they should refer to me.
si nondum profectae sunt, nihil est quod se moveant, quoad perspiciamus quo loci sit res.
If they have not yet set out, there is no reason why they should move until we can see how matters stand.

Notes

  1. §7.16.1ordine quo sunt missae — The antecedent `eo` (or `in eo`) is omitted, presenting the structure `reliquas (redditas esse) eo ordine, quo [ordine] sunt missae` ('the rest were delivered in that order, in which order they were sent').
  2. §7.16.2referenda — A gerundive (future passive participle) modifying `ea quae`. `L. Caesari` is the indirect object of `data sunt` (were given to Lucius Caesar), not a dative of agent. `referenda` means 'to be referred back' or 'to be carried back' to Caesar.
  3. §7.16.2animi plus — `animi` is a partitive genitive qualifying the neuter comparative `plus`. `multo` is an ablative of degree of difference, meaning 'much more of courage (spirit)' as a whole.
  4. §7.16.3ad quas — A relative connection (linking relative) at the beginning of the sentence, pointing to `Terentia et Tullia` in the feminine plural accusative. The preposition `ad` signifies 'concerning' or 'in regard to.'
  5. §7.16.3ut referrent — An intransitive use of `referrent` (or with the omission of the reflexive pronoun `se`), meaning 'to refer (to Cicero) for advice/decisions.' The subject is the third-person plural (referring to the women).

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §7.16.1-7.16.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:7.16.1-7.16.3

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