gratissimum. Ego vivo miserrimus et maximō dolōre conficior. Ad te quid scribam, nesciō; si enim es Rōmae, iam mē assequi nōn potes, sin es in via, cum eris mē assecūtus, cōram agē5 mus, quae erunt agenda: tantum tē ōrō, ut, quoniam mē ipsum semper amāstī, ut eōdem amōre sīs; ego enim idem sum: inimīcī mei mea mihi, nōn mē ipsum adēmērunt. Cūrā, ut valeās. Data VIII Idūs April. Thuriis. 8 (Att. 3. 6) Scr. in Tarentinō XIV K. Māi. a. 696 (58) CICERO ATTICŌ SAL. Nōn fuerat mihi dubium, quin të Tarenti aut Brundisii vīsūrus essem, idque ad multa pertinuit, in eis, ut et in Epirō cōnsisterēmus et dē reliquīs rēbus tuō cōnsiliō ūterēmur: quoniam id non contigit, erit hoc quoque in magnō numerō nostrōrum 5 malōrum. Nōbis iter est in Asiam, maximē Cyzicum; meōs ably written to him of some kind and generous acts of Atticus. agit gratias: 'expresses gratitude' (so in Ep. 6. 1). Gratia is commonly plural with ago and singular with habeo (but see Mar. 11. 2); gratiam habeo='I feel thankful,' gratias ago I express my thanks.' What does gratiam refero mean? See on IV. 2. 6. gratissimum: for meaning see on IV. 1. 4. 3. quid scribam: 'what to write.' 5-8. quae: what kind of pronoun? 8 Regret at not seeing Atticus; plans for residence during exile. INTRODUCTORY NOTE: Written near Tarentum, on the road from Thurii to Brundisium, to Atticus in Rome, on the 18th of April. Cicero had waited here several days for letters from Atticus, and seems to have learned that Atticus could not join him before he left Italy. 1-3. fuerat (= erat): see R. C. §15. id .. pertinuit: 'was desirable for many reasons.' in eis: among them.' in Epiro: where Atticus made his home when not in Italy. essem, consisteremus, uteremur: notice the use of singular and plural verbs (subjects ego and nos editorial) in the same sentence; the same confusion is seen in 1. 5 in nobis and meos. 5-7. maxime: 'in particular.' Cyzi tibi commendō; mē vix misereque sustentō. Data XIIII Kal. Māiās dē Tarentinō. 9 (Fam. 14. 4) Scr. Brundisio prīdiē K. Māi. a. 696 (58) TULLIUS S. D. TERENTIAE ET TULLIAE ET CICERŌNĪ SUĪS Ego minus saepe dō ad vōs litteras, quam possum, propterea 1 quod cum omnia mihi tempora sunt misera, tum vērō, cum aut scrībō ad vōs aut vestrās legō, cōnficior lacrimīs sīc, ut ferre Grief and despair at separation; departure from Italy; business matters; some good friends; an agonized farewell. INTRODUCTORY NOTE: Written to his wife, daughter and son at Rome from Brundisium, April 30. He had arrived there April 18, and had remained, awaiting a good opportunity to sail for Greece. SALUTATION: Tullius, the nomen: see R. C. §12. In addressing his brother he always employed their praenomina (Marcus Quinto sal.), and to Atticus wrote simply his cognomen. Terentiae: Not much is known of her. She came of a good and wealthy family and was married to Cicero in 77. Without sharing his literary tastes she was of assistance to him in his political career. She was conspicuous for the purity of her character, the painstaking with which she managed his household affairs, and the courage and devotion with which she supported him in his failing fortunes. She seems at all times to have taken a leading part in the management of his property, and it is supposed that her love of speculation caused the growing She was difor the name coolness between them. vorced in 46. Tulliae: see A. 108, b; H. 354, 9; H.-B. 678, 5. She was born on the 5th of August, 76, resembled her father in looks, language and disposition, and was tenderly loved by him. She was married between 64 and 63 to C. Calpurnius Piso Frugi, a man of good family, whose devotion to his wife and her family testifies to his nobility of character; he died before Cicero's recall. In 56 Tullia was married to Furius Crassipes, but they soon separated. In 50 she was married to P. Cornelius Dolabella. In 45 she was divorced and died soon after. Ciceroni: M. Tullius Cicero was born in 65 (see Ep. 1, introductory note). He was carefully educated, at home under his father's care and abroad under the best teachers of the time. He was, however, inclined to extravagance and dissipation. In 44 he was at Athens, and one of the first to respond to Brutus' call to arms; he distinguished himself as a subordinate officer in the civil war. He was consul in 30, and later proconsul in Asia. But the spirit of his father had not descended to him, and he died of over-indulgence soon after his proconsulship. suis: see R. C. §12. 1-6. vos: the plural throughout the letter means all to whom it is addressed, the singular is used of Terentia only. vestras: sc.-? quod utinam: as non possim. Quod utinam minus vītae cupidi fuissēmus! certē 5 nihil aut nōn multum in vītā malī vīdissēmus. Quod si nōs ad aliquam alicuius commodi aliquando recuperandi spem fortūna reservavit, minus est erratum à nōbīs; si haec mala fixa sunt, ego vērō tē quam primum, mea vīta, cupio videre et in tuō complexu ēmorī, quoniam neque di, quōs tū castissimē coluistī, 10 neque homines, quibus ego semper servivi, nōbīs grātiam rettulērunt. Nōs Brundisii apud M. Laenium Flaccum dies 2 XIII fuimus, virum optimum, qui periculum fortūnārum et capitis sui prae meā salūte neglexit neque lēgis improbissimae poenā dēductus est, quo minus hospitii et amicitiae ius officium15 que praestaret: huic utinam aliquandō grātiam referre possimus! habēbimus quidem semper. Brundisiō profecti sumus 3 a. d. II. K. Mãi.: per Macedoniam Cyzicum petēbāmus. Ō mē perditum! ō afflictum! Quid enim? Rogem te, ut veniās? Mulierem aegram, et corpore et animō cōnfectam. Nōn rogem? 20 Sine tē igitur sim? Opinor, sīc agam: si est spēs nostrī reditūs, eam cōnfirmēs et rem adiuvēs; sin, ut ego metuō, transāctum est, in quod si (e. g., I. 12. 9) the quod is a mere connective, 'but;' case? mali: partitive with nihil. Cicero constantly repeats his expressions of regret at not having fought it out at Rome or taken his own life (cf. Ep. 6. 2). aliquam, alicuius, aliquando: the indefinites are purposely piled up to emphasize his hopelessness (cf. Verr. 14. 1, 2). 8. mea vita: as a term of affection (cf. Byron's on μov). 9, 10. di, quos tu . . . homines, quibus ego: these words show clearly that Cicero himself had no faith in the national gods. 11. dies XIII: how counted? 13-15. capitis sui: not necessarily 'life,' but his standing and rights as a citizen. In sheltering an outlaw he risked deminutio capitis. legis . . poena: 'the punishment fixed by the shameful law;' subjective gen. deductus est quo minus: 'deterred from ' (see on III. 6. 39). hospitii: see on IV. 11. 4. gratiam referre . . . habebimus: cf. 1. 10, and distinguish the meaning of these phrases; see on Ep. 7. 1; what does gratias ago mean? possimus: how does this wish differ from that in l. 4? See on I. 9. 3 and II. 2. 19. 16-21. profecti sumus a. d. II K. Mai. (=proficiscimur hodie), 'we start to-day;' see R. C. $15. a. d. II: here only for pridie; explain the date and the translation given above. petebamus (=petimus), 'we are going to.' Rogem: for mood cf. I. 9. 21; M. L. 12. 5. sic agam: 'I will arrange it thus.' confirmes, adiuves: 'strengthen it and aid its realization.' This use of the 2d sing. present subjunctive for a command addressed to a definite person is found in Cicero in his letters only; elsewhere he uses always the imperative. transactum est: 'all is over,' more commonly actum est. quoquo modo potes ad me fac venias. Unum hoc scito: sī tē habēbō, nōn mihi vidēbor plānē perisse. Sed quid Tulliolā mea fiet? iam id vōs vidēte; mihi deest consilium. Sed certē, 25 quòquō modō sē rēs habēbit, illīus misellae et matrimōniō et famae serviendum est. Quid ? Cicerō meus quid aget? iste vērō sit in sinu semper et complexu meō. Nōn queō plūra iam scribere: impedit maeror. Tu quid egeris, nescio: utrum aliquid teneas an, quod metuo, plānē sis spoliata. Pisōnem, ut 4 sīs 30 scribis, spērō fore semper nostrum. De familia liberandā nihil est quod te moveat: prīmum tuīs ita prōmissum est, tē factūram esse, ut quisque esset meritus; est autem in officio adhuc Orpheus, praeterea magnō opere nēmō; cēterōrum servōrum ea causa est, ut, sī rēs ā nōbīs abisset, liberti nostrī essent, si obti35 nēre potuissent, sin ad nos pertineret, servirent praeterquam 22. fac venias: see A. 565 and note 1; B. 295, 5, 8; H. 565, 4; H.-B. 502, 3, a. 23-29. quid filet: a question that he thinks Terentia will raise; sc. in thought; 'if you come to me.' Tulliola: the name by which Cicero usually speaks of her; for case see on M. L. 20. 3. Sed certe ... serviendum est: For construction cf. III. 12. 9; translate: 'But at any cost, no matter how things turn out, the poor girl's marriage and good name must be regarded.' He means that if her husband prefers that she remain at Rome she must not cause scandal by leaving him. se habebit: 'have itself,' 'be.' misellae: the affectionate diminutive in Tulliola is repeated in the adjective. Quid . aget: another anticipated objection of Terentia. The boy is to come with his mother to his father. sinu et complexu: cf. II. 10. 19. Non queo: Cicero does not use the 1st sing., nequeo, though he does employ other forms of that verb freely. aliquid: sc. rei familiaris. Pisonem: see Int. Note, Tullia. 30, 31. nostrum: 'devoted to us.' De familia: 'our slaves.' Notice that the phrase is independent of the rest of the sentence, merely announcing its subject-matter. primum, etc.: 'In the first place, what was promised to yours was that you would act towards them as each deserved. Now, except Orpheus, there is none of them who shows at present much sense of duty. With regard to the others the condition made is that if we lost our property they should be my freedmen, if they could obtain permission; but if it (the property) still belonged to me they should continue in slavery, except a very few.' That is, Cicero had not freed them at all, but had arranged a mock manumission in the event of the loss of his property. The correlative deinde, which should stand before ceterorum, 1. 33, is omitted. 33, 34. magno opere: used for the lacking adverb of magnus; magno opere nemo-hardly anyone.' a nobis abisset: a phrase taken from the auctionroom, meaning the loss of property by being outbid. All Cicero's property that was 'in sight' would be confiscated and sold at auction, but he could, through his friends, buy in such as his reduced means or credit permitted. oppido pauci. Sed haec minōra sunt. Tu quod mē hortāris, 5 ut animō sim magnō et spem habeam recuperandae salūtis, id velim sit eiusmodi, ut rēctē spērāre possimus. Nunc miser quando tuas iam litteras accipiam? quis ad me perferet? 40 quas ego exspectāssem Brundisiī, sī esset licitum per nautās, qui tempestatem praetermittere noluerunt. Quod reliquum est, sustentā tē, mea Terentia, ut potes. Honestissimē vīximus, flōruimus: non vitium nostrum, sed virtūs nostra nōs afflixit; peccatum est nullum, nisi quod nōn ūnā animam cum 45 ōrnāmentīs āmīsimus; sed, sĩ hoc fuit liberis nostrīs grātius, nōs vivere, cētera, quamquam ferenda nōn sunt, ferāmus. Atqui ego, qui te confirmō, ipse me non possum. Clōdium 6 Philetaerum, quod valetudine oculōrum impediēbātur, hominem fidēlem, remīsī. Sallustius officio vincit omnēs. Pescennius 50 est perbenevolus nobis, quem semper spērō tui fore observantem. Sicca dixerat sẽ mēcum fore, sed Brundisiō discessit. Cūrā, quoad potes, ut valeas et sic existimēs, mē vehementius tua miseria quam mea commovērī. Mea Terentia, fidissima atque optima uxor, et mea cărissima filiola ct spēs reliqua nostra, 55 Cicero, valēte. Pr. K. Mãi. Brundisio. 36-41. quod hortaris: 'as to what you urge' (cf. quod reliquum est, 1. 41, and II. 12. 18). Such a clause is commonly used in these letters to introduce a topic mentioned by a correspondent. velim sit: For velim see A. 447, 1; B. 280, 2, a; H. 556; H.-B. 519, 1, b. For sit see A. 442, b; B. 296, 1; H. 558, 4; H.-B. 511, 2. exspectassem Brundisii = exspectarem hic; for tense see R. C. §15, and cf. l. 16. esset licitum: the alternative, 'semideponent,' form for licuisset. tempestatem: a vox media. see on IV. 6. 35; what kind of weather here? ... 44-46. nisi quod: what is nisi? Cf. Ep. 4. 1. ornamentis: 'honors.' nos vivere: appositive to hoc. quamquam . feramus: cf. I. 7. 30, 31. 47-55. Clodium Philetaerum, Sallustius, Pescennius: freedmen or clients of Cicero. valetudine: a vox media: what here? remisi: to Rome. Sicca: at whose house he had stopped near Vibo. Cura ut valeas: cf. fac venias, 1. 22, and note. sic: anticipates the infinitive clause (cf. M. L. 10. 11). Pr. K.: the regular abbreviation: notice again the irregular expression substituted for it in l. 17. |