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Cicero · Letters to Atticus §9.7C.1-9.7C.2

Caesar on His Clemency and the Release of Captives

Passage 205 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Caesar rejoices that Cicero's friends approve of his actions at Corfinium, explains his new policy of securing victory through mercy and generosity, and reports the immediate release of Pompey's captured officers.

§9.7C.1gaudeo me hercule vos significare litteris quam valde probetis ea quae apud Corfinium sunt gesta.
\nBy Hercules, I am glad that you indicate in your letter how strongly you approve of what was done at Corfinium.
consilio vestro utar libenter et hoc libentius quod mea sponte facere constitueram ut quam lenissimum me praeberem et Pompeium darem operam ut reconciliarem.
I will gladly follow your advice, and all the more gladly because I had resolved of my own accord to show myself as lenient as possible and to do my utmost to reconcile Pompey.
temptemus hoc modo si possimus omnium voluntates reciperare et diuturna victoria uti, quoniam reliqui crudelitate odium effugere non potuerunt neque victoriam diutius tenere praeter unum L. Sullam quem imitaturus non sum.
Let us try in this way if we can win back the goodwill of all and enjoy a lasting victory, since others, with the single exception of Lucius Sulla, whom I do not intend to imitate, were unable to escape hatred by cruelty or to hold their victory for long.
haec nova sit ratio vincendi ut misericordia et liberalitate nos muniamus.
Let this be a new method of conquering, that we fortify ourselves with mercy and generosity.
id quem ad modum fieri possit non nulla mi in mentem veniunt et multa reperiri possunt.
As to how this can be done, some ideas occur to my mind, and many can be found.
de his rebus rogo vos ut cogitationem suscipiatis.
I ask you to direct your thoughts to these matters.
N. Magium Pompei praefectum deprehendi. §9.7C.2scilicet meo instituto usus sum et eum statim missum feci.
I have captured Numerius Magius, Pompey's prefect.\n\nOf course, I followed my usual practice and set him free immediately.
iam duo praefecti fabrum Pompei in meam potestatem venerunt et a me missi sunt.
Already two of Pompey's prefects of engineers have fallen into my power and have been set free by me.
si volent grati esse, debebunt Pompeium hortari ut malit mihi esse amicus quam iis qui et illi et mihi semper fuerunt inimicissimi, quorum artificiis effectum est ut res publica in hunc statum perveniret.
If they wish to be grateful, they ought to urge Pompey to prefer to be a friend to me rather than to those who have always been most hostile both to him and to me, by whose intrigues it has come about that the republic has reached this state.

Notes

  1. §9.7C.1hoc libentius quod — `hoc` is an ablative of degree of difference modifying the comparative `libentius` ('the more gladly'). `quod` introduces a causal clause, meaning 'all the more gladly because...'.
  2. §9.7C.1si possimus — The `si` clause following the subjunctive of exhortation `temptemus` expresses an indirect question ('to try whether we can') or a conditional idea ('to try if we can'). It takes the present subjunctive `possimus`.
  3. §9.7C.1ut misericordia et liberalitate nos muniamus — An `ut` clause acting as an appositive to the noun phrase `haec nova... ratio vincendi` ('this new method of conquering'), explaining what that method consists of ('that we fortify ourselves with mercy and generosity').
  4. §9.7C.2debebunt Pompeium hortari ut malit mihi esse amicus quam iis — The infinitive `hortari` (to urge), as the complement of `debebunt`, takes `Pompeium` as its object and introduces an indirect command with `ut malit` ('that he prefer'). `malit` (from `magis velit`) is followed by `quam iis` ('rather than to those').

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §9.7C.1-9.7C.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:9.7C.1-9.7C.2

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