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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §8.12D.1-8.12D.2

Caesar at Corfinium and Urging Domitius to Escape

Passage 188 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Upon hearing that Caesar has encamped near Corfinium, Pompey expresses concern over the loyalty and readiness of his own troops and strongly urges Domitius to extricate himself and join him immediately.

§8.12D.1litterae mihi a te redditae sunt a. d. XIII Kal. Martias in quibus scribis Caesarem apud Corfinium castra posuisse.
A letter from you was delivered to me on the seventeenth day before the Kalends of March, in which you write that Caesar has pitched his camp near Corfinium.
quod putavi et praemonui fit, ut nec in praesentia committere tecum proelium velit et omnibus copiis conductis te implicet, ne ad me iter tibi expeditum sit atque istas copias coniungere optimorum civium possis cum his legionibus de quarum voluntate dubitamus.
What I foresaw and forewarned is happening: namely, that he does not wish to join battle with you at present, but is entangling you by bringing together all his forces, so that your path to me may not be unimpeded, and you may not be able to unite those forces of the best citizens with these legions whose loyalty I doubt.
quo etiam magis tuis litteris sum commotus.
For this reason, I am even more disturbed by your letter.
neque enim eorum militum quos mecum habeo voluntate satis confido ut de omnibus fortunis rei publicae dimicem neque etiam qui ex dilectibus conscripti sunt consulibus convenerunt.
For I do not sufficiently trust the goodwill of those soldiers whom I have with me to fight a decisive battle for the entire fortune of the republic, nor have those who were enrolled from the levies yet assembled for the consuls.
§8.12D.2qua re da operam, si ulla ratione etiam nunc efficere potes, ut te explices, hoc quam primum venias, ante quam omnes copiae ad adversarium conveniant.
Therefore, make every effort, if by any means you can even now manage to extricate yourself, to come here as soon as possible, before all the forces assemble to the opponent.
neque enim celeriter ex dilectibus hoc homines convenire possunt et, si convenirent, quantum iis committendum sit qui inter se ne noti quidem sunt contra veteranas legiones non te praeterit.
For men from the levies cannot assemble here quickly, and even if they were to assemble, how much trust should be placed in those who are not even known to one another against veteran legions is not hidden from you.

Notes

  1. 8.12D.1quod putavi et praemonui fit, ut — The ut clause functions as a noun clause of result completing the meaning of the verb fit, explaining the specific content of the preceding relative clause quod putavi et praemonui ('what I foresaw and forewarned').
  2. 8.12D.2hoc — The adverb hoc is used here in the sense of huc ('hither', 'to this place'), referring to Luceria where Pompey is stationed.
  3. 8.12D.2si convenirent, quantum iis committendum sit — si convenirent is a subjunctive imperfect expressing a condition contrary to present fact, as the recruits have not actually assembled. quantum... sit is an indirect question, where the gerundive committendum conveys the idea of obligation or feasibility ('how much trust should/can be placed').

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §8.12D.1-8.12D.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:8.12D.1-8.12D.2

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