*

tum habētō, nisi ille veterānos celeriter conscripsisset legiōnēsque duae de exercitù *Antōni ad eius sē auctōritātem contulissent atque is * oppositus esset terror Antonio, nihil Antonium sceleris nihil crūdēlitātis prae5 teriturum fuisse. Haec tibi, etsi audita esse arbitrabar, volui tamen nōtiōra esse. Plūra scribam, sī plūs ōti habuerō.

NOTES.

SELECTION I.

PAGE 1. Cicero Attico Sal. The most common form of epistolary greeting consisted of the writer's cognomen in the nominative, as here (Cicero), the receiver's cognomen in the dative (Attico), and the word Salutem, commonly abbreviated to Sal., or S., an accusative, object of the verb dicit, which was usually omitted. This was but one of the many forms of greeting, all having the writer's name in the nominative and the receiver's name in the dative, but marked by a different choice or combination of nomen, praenomen, cognomen, and by the use of additional words and titles in the address, according to the degree of formality or intimacy which the writer desired to express. Illustrations of this difference will be observed in the greetings occurring in this book.

1. L. Iulio Caesare . . . Terentia: On the day that Lucius Julius Caesar and Gaius Marcius Figulus were elected consuls be it known that I was blessed with a little son and Terentia is doing well. The apparent meaning of the passage is "in the consulship of Caesar and Figulus," i.e. in the year 64 B.C.; but the following statements concerning the trial of Catiline and Cicero's own canvass help to show that the events belong to the year 65 and that designatis is omitted after consulibus, i.e. consuls-elect.

Atticus, of course, knew the particular day in July that had been set for the consular election that year and was eagerly awaiting the returns. Cicero, therefore, humorously announces, in one brief sentence, the results of the election and the birth of his son. The omission of designatis, under the circumstances, adds to the humor, without leaving the meaning ambiguous.

2. Terentia: Cicero's wife Terentia was a lady of distinguished ancestry and considerable wealth, and in marrying her, when he was still young (possibly only 26) and not yet distinguished or rich,

Cicero doubtless felt that he had made a good match. Her dowry is stated at 120,000 drachmae (over $20,000), and she had houses at Rome and acres at Tusculum. She proved a virtuous and practical wife. When they had been married a very few years, she had presented Cicero with a daughter, Tullia, who grew to rare accomplishments. Tullia was old enough to be betrothed to Piso in 66 B.C., the year before the birth of the little son, her brother, announced in this letter. For eight or nine years more Cicero and Terentia seem to have lived in comfort and content, but after Cicero's exile and return (57 B.C.) occasions of dissatisfaction come to light, and early in 46, after thirty years or more of married life, when they had grandchildren, Cicero and Terentia were divorced. Cicero remarried; Terentia is said to have lived to be over a hundred years old, and to have remarried thrice. 3. rationibus: business and political affairs.

4. competitorem: More than a year before the date of this letter Catiline had returned from his propraetorship in Africa to run for the consulship and had been made ineligible for the office by being accused of extortion in Africa, the law being that no man under such charges could be a candidate. At the election of L. Caesar and Figulus, Catiline had not yet come to trial and was still ineligible; but he was hoping for acquittal, as his trial was approaching, the jury was packed, and the accusator, P. Clodius, was working in the interests of the accused, which could be done by challenging such jurors as were likely to vote for conviction and by making half-hearted complaint. If Catiline should be acquitted, then Cicero might well expect to find him a competitor in the election still nearly a year ahead.

5. defendere cogitamus: There is no evidence that Cicero actually delivered such an oration, but the indications are to the contrary, that he changed his mind about the matter before the day of trial.

iudices: jurymen.

6. absolutus: acquitted.

7. coniunctiorem . . . nobis

...

:

petitionis more closely united with me in my canvass. Since two consuls were chosen from among the candidates at every consular election, it was not uncommon for two candidates to join forces and play into each other's

hands, as seems to have been Cicero's design here with regard to Catiline.

8. sin aliter . . . feremus: but if it turns out otherwise I shall bear it manfully. Quite "manfully," no doubt, for in that case Catiline, not being acquitted, could not be Cicero's competitor at all. Atticus would appreciate the spirit of Cicero's humorous resolve to endure.

9. adventu: with opus est.

nobis: for the case see A. & G. 373 (231); B. 190; G. 406; H. 477 III (414, N. 2); HB. 374.

10. tuos familiares: personal friends, probably Crassus and Caesar, Hortensius and Lucullus.

11. honori nostro: to my preferment.

12. voluntatem: favor: literally, will, i.e. good will. usui: dative of service.

13. Ianuario: Cicero had previously arranged with his friends for their support in this canvass. Born in 106 B.C., he looked forward to the election for 63 B.c. as the first at which his age would enable him to be a candidate. We know the result of the election. Cicero was triumphantly elected, with C. Antonius as his colleague. His alliance with Catiline, hinted at in this letter, was not brought about, and Catiline was defeated, along with Publius Galba and others.

B. 21, c; G. 29, R. 2; H. 78, 4, 48, 4; HB. 66, 5.

SELECTION II.

During the seven years which elapsed between the date of the last letter and the date of this Cicero had been consul, had crushed the Catiline conspiracy, delivered some of his most famous orations, quarreled with Clodius, and in return been banished from Rome through Clodius's efforts. The enactment qui civem Romanum indemnatum interemisset, et aqua et igni interdiceretur was adopted between March 20th and 25th, 58 B.C. Cicero foresaw it, and with

out attempting violent resistance he left the city shortly before the bill was passed.

As exile he tarried in the south of Italy for some weeks until driven by a further enactment "400 miles from Rome." In the city his enemies wrought havoc to Cicero's possessions. His house

on the Palatine was torn down and the ruin was spread to his villas at Tusculum and Formiae. His wife Terentia was annoyed and obliged to seek help of his friends and hers, who were still many and powerful.

Cicero in exile felt keenly his country's ingratitude, and his letters during its whole duration are broken-hearted.

PAGE 2. 2. vivo miserrimus: I live a most wretched man. vivo is here almost equivalent to sum.

3. quid scribam: indirect question of deliberation. 4. adsequi: overtake.

in via: on the road.

8. me ipsum: my own self, as opposed to (mea) my circumstances and possessions. A stoical reflection! In stoic philosophy, some views of which he shared, Cicero often found a source of comfort to his tried and wounded spirit.

Cura ut valeas: a common polite close. Such expressions at the close of letters are very frequent and varied and need not be taken in much more literal spirit than our "Yours truly," etc.

9. Data: sc. haec epistola.

VIII: The use of figures to express dates appears to have been as common with the Romans as with us. The figure is read as an ordinal (octavum) in the acc., as if agreeing with diem, in the phrase ante diem, which was often expressed in abbreviation, a.d., or else understood.

:

Idus acc. pl. A fuller form of expression for this date is ante diem octavum Idus Apriles or die octavo ante Idus Apriles. For the case see A. & G. 424, g (259, e); B. 371, 4, 5; G. Appendix; H. 754 III ff. (642, 2); HB. 667.

April. abbreviation of Apriles, adjective in agreement with Idus.