Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §9.13A.1-9.13A.2

Caesar's Note on Peace and Balbus's Anxiety

Passage 215 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Balbus (or Oppius) shares with Cicero a very brief letter received from Caesar reporting on peace negotiations, and expresses his own intense anxiety and suspense regarding the outcome.

§9.13A.1Caesar nobis litteras perbrevis misit; quarum exemplum subscripsi.
Caesar sent us a very short letter, of which I have copied the text below.
brevitate epistulae scire poteris eum valde esse distentum qui tanta de re tam breviter scripserit.
From the brevity of the letter you will be able to know that he is extremely busy, since he wrote so briefly about so important a matter.
si quid praeterea novi fuerit, statim tibi scribam.
If there is any other news, I will write to you immediately.
"CAESAR OPPIO CORNELIO salutem A. d.
"CAESAR TO OPPIUS AND CORNELIUS, GREETING.
vii Idus Martias Brundisium veni, ad murum castra posui.
On the ninth of March I arrived at Brundisium and pitched camp by the wall.
Pompeius est Brundisi.
Pompey is at Brundisium.
misit ad me N. Magium de pace.
He sent Numerius Magius to me concerning peace.
quae visa sunt respondi.
I replied as seemed appropriate.
hoc vos statim scire volui.
I wanted you to know this immediately.
quom in spem venero de compositione aliquid me conficere, statim vos certiores faciam. " §9.13A.2quo modo me nunc putas, mi Cicero, torqueri, postquam rursus in spem pacis veni, ne qua res eorum compositionem impediat? namque quod absens facere possum opto.
As soon as I have reason to hope that I am achieving something regarding a settlement, I will let you know immediately." How do you think I am being tormented now, my dear Cicero, after I have again conceived hope of peace, lest anything should obstruct their settlement? For indeed, I pray for what I can do while absent.
quod si una essem, aliquid fortasse proficere posse mi viderer.
But if I were there together with them, I should perhaps seem to myself to be able to make some progress.
nunc exspectatione crucior.
Now I am racked with suspense.

Notes

  1. §9.13A.1eum valde esse distentum qui tanta de re tam breviter scripserit — The relative clause `qui ... scripserit` uses the subjunctive to express cause ("since he wrote..."). The participle `distentum` (from `distendere`, literally "stretched out") is used here in the sense of "extremely busy" or "distracted by many affairs."
  2. §9.13A.1quoin spem venero — `quoin` is a manuscript spelling for `quom in` (where `quom` is an archaic form of `cum`). `venero` is a future perfect indicative (`venio`), representing an action that will be completed in the future before the action of the main verb `faciam`.
  3. §9.13A.2ne qua res eorum compositionem impediat — The indefinite pronoun `qua` (the shortened form of `aliqua` used after `si`, `nisi`, `ne`, `num`) modifies `res`. This `ne` clause functions as a clause of fearing or anxiety dependent on the passive infinitive of torment `torqueri` ("tormented... lest anything should...").

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §9.13A.1-9.13A.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:9.13A.1-9.13A.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.