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Cornelius Nepos · Atticus §22.1-22.4

Death of Atticus by Fasting and His Simple Funeral

Passage 22 of 22 · Latin

Summary

Atticus remained firm in his decision to end his life by fasting, rejecting the pleas of Agrippa, and passed away on March 31. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried without pomp in his uncle's tomb along the Appian Way.

§22.1Hac oratione habita tanta constantia vocis atque vultus, ut non ex vita, sed ex domo in domum videretur migrare, §22.2cum quidem Agrippa eum flens atque osculans oraret atque obsecraret, ne id quod natura cogeret ipse quoque sibi acceleraret, et, quoniam tum quoque posset temporibus superesse, se sibi suisque reservaret, preces eius taciturna sua obstinatione depressit.
Having delivered this speech with such great firmness of voice and countenance that he seemed not to be departing from life, but migrating from one house to another, when indeed Agrippa, weeping and kissing him, begged and implored him not to hasten for himself that which nature was compelling, and, since even then he could survive the crisis, to preserve himself for his own sake and that of his family, he suppressed his prayers with his silent obstacy.
§22.3sic cum biduum cibo se abstinuisset, subito febris decessit leviorque morbus esse coepit.
In this way, when he had abstained from food for two days, suddenly the fever left him, and the disease began to be milder.
tamen propositum nihilo setius peregit itaque die quinto, postquam id consilium inierat, pridie kal. Apriles Cn. Domitio C. Sosio consulibus decessit.
Nevertheless, he carried out his purpose no less on that account; and so on the fifth day after he had entered upon that plan, on the day before the Kalends of April, in the consulship of Gnaeus Domitius and Gaius Sosius, he departed this life.
§22.4elatus est in lecticula, ut ipse praescripserat, sine ulla pompa funeris, comitantibus omnibus bonis, maxima vulgi frequentia.
He was carried out on a small litter, as he himself had prescribed, without any funeral pomp, with all good men accompanying him, and a very great crowd of the common people.
sepultus est iuxta viam Appiam ad quintum lapidem in monumento Q. Caecilii, avunculi sui.
He was buried near the Appian Way at the fifth milestone, in the tomb of Quintus Caecilius, his uncle.

Notes

  1. §22.2ne id quod natura cogeret ipse quoque sibi acceleraret — The clause introduced by ne is an indirect command depending on oraret atque obsecraret. The subjunctive cogeret is due to suboblique clause within indirect speech. sibi is a dative of disadvantage referring to the subject ipse (Atticus himself).
  2. §22.3pridie kal. Apriles — A Roman date expression, meaning "the day before the Kalends of April," which corresponds to March 31. The adverb pridie governs the accusative case.
  3. §22.3Cn. Domitio C. Sosio consulibus — An ablative absolute construction consisting of nouns ("in the consulship of Gnaeus Domitius and Gaius Sosius"), used as a standard Roman formula to designate the year (32 BC).

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Atticus §22.1-22.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo025.humanitext-lat2:22.1-22.4

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