Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §7.22.1-7.22.2

Fears over Caesar's Advance and Advice on the Future

Passage 162 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero laments that Italy is largely under Caesar's control and worries about Pompey's flight. Fearing a potential massacre by Caesar's associates, he asks Atticus for advice on his own future course of action.

§7.22.1pedem in Italia video nullum esse qui non in istius potestate sit.
I see that there is not a foot of land in Italy that is not in his power.
de Pompeio scio nihil eumque, nisi in navim se contulerit, exceptum iri puto.
Of Pompey I know nothing, and I think that, unless he has taken to ship, he will be captured.
o celeritatem incredibilem! huius autem nostri—sed non possum sine dolore accusare eum de quo angor et crucior.
Oh, incredible speed! But of this man of ours—and yet I cannot without pain accuse him for whom I am anxious and tormented.
tu caedem non sine causa times, non quo minus quicquam Caesari expediat ad diuturnitatem victoriae et dominationis sed video quorum arbitrio sit acturus.
You do not fear a massacre without cause, not because anything of the sort would be expedient for Caesar to prolong his victory and domination, but because I see by whose arbitrament he will act.
§7.22.2†recte sit censeo cedendum de oppidis iis egeo consili†. quod optimum factu videbitur facies.
†May all go well. I think we must withdraw from these towns; I am in need of advice.† You will do what seems best to be done.
cum Philotimo loquere atque adeo Terentiam habebis Idibus.
Speak with Philotimus, and indeed you will have Terentia by the Ides.
ego quid agam? qua aut terra aut mari persequar eum qui ubi sit nescio? etsi terra quidem qui possum? mari quo? tradam igitur isti me? fac posse tuto (multi enim hortantur), num etiam honeste? nullo modo.
What shall I do? By what land or sea shall I pursue him when I do not know where he is? Although by land indeed, how can I? By sea, whither? Shall I then surrender myself to that fellow? Suppose it can be done safely (for many advise it), but can it also be done honorably? By no means.
equidem a te petam consilium, ut soleo.
I indeed shall seek advice from you, as I am wont.
explicari res non potest; sed tamen si quid in mentem venit velim scribas et ipse quid sis acturus.
The matter cannot be untangled; but yet if anything comes into your mind, I would have you write, and also what you himself are going to do.

Notes

  1. §7.22.1pedem in Italia video nullum esse — The noun 'pedem' (foot) is used figuratively here to mean 'a foot of land' or 'a single step,' serving as the subject of the accusative and infinitive construction 'nullum esse' dependent on 'video'.
  2. §7.22.1exceptum iri — The future passive infinitive of the verb 'excipio' (to capture). It forms an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on 'puto' and functions as the apodosis to the conditional clause 'nisi in navim se contulerit'.
  3. §7.22.1non quo minus quicquam Caesari expediat — The construction 'non quo' followed by the subjunctive ('expediat') is used to introduce a rejected reason ('not because...'). The word 'minus' here, without a comparative context, acts as a soft negative ('not at all' or 'not in any way').
  4. §7.22.2†recte sit censeo cedendum de oppidis iis egeo consili† — A highly corrupted passage marked with daggers (crux). It is commonly emended and read as: a main clause of wish 'recte sit' ('may all go well'), 'censeo' governing the gerundive 'cedendum [esse] de oppidis' ('I think we must withdraw from the towns'), and 'iis [rebus] egeo consili' ('I am in need of advice in these matters'), with 'egeo' taking the genitive 'consili'.
  5. §7.22.2fac posse tuto — The imperative form 'fac' (from 'facio') is used to mean 'suppose' or 'assume'. It is followed by an accusative and infinitive construction '[id fieri] posse tuto' ('suppose that it is possible to do so safely').

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §7.22.1-7.22.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:7.22.1-7.22.2

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

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.