Marcus Tullius CiceroA Selection of Interesting and Easy LettersCicero is so well known that an Introduction is hardly necessary. Politician, orator of note, writer on Greek philosophy, essayist and stylist, Cicero was not only famous in his tumultuous time, but it seems that almost all of his many writing have been preserved. In the German Teubner plain text editions, Cicero takes up a good ten volumes of 500 pages each, an amazing library of all kinds of writing from a time when whole authors were lost to us but for a few scanty scraps of quotation. The part of Cicero least known to Latin readers is the collection of Letters, which take up several thick volumes, and cover many years of correspondence with friends and family. All of these seem pretty genuine with little marks of the touch-up editing pencil, and many of them are prime materials for Roman history of the period. Cicero was indeed a long-winded man, and many of the letters are tedious for the literary reader, who might have hoped for a view of the inner man, the Personal Cicero. In fact if one scans carefully, there are many personal letters, and I have elected a groups of them which show human interest, and at the same time are very easy reading in Latin. The notes top his slave-secretary Tiro are clear and crisp, and clearly not talking-down to him since TIro although slave and foreign-born, was certainly a well educated man, a stenographer who had to know Latin stylistics well, and a personal friend. The Tiro notes show that Marcus T. could talk plain and simple when it was suitable, which suits our reading well. There are many more interesting letters, which you can scrounge from Tyrell and Purser's large editions with elaborate commentary. But for the moment, start with these natural notes, which will get the flow of normal Latinity flowing easily. Ad. Fr. Quintum I, 6: Atque etiam e Graecis ipsis diligenter cavendae sunt quaedam familiaritates praeter hominum perpaucorum, si qui sunt vetere Graecia digni. Sc vero fallaces sunt permulti et leves et diuturna servitute ad nimiam assentationem eruditi, quos ego universos adhiberi liberaliter, optimum quemque hospitio amicitiaque coniungi dico oportere. Nimiae familiaritates eorum neque tam fideles sunt Ñ non enim audent adversari nostris voluntatibus Ñ et invident non nostris solum, verum etiam suis. To his brother Quintus, a curious remark about distancing himself from "the Greeks" who he considers a bad lot in general, surprising in a period when there was such emphasis on Greek life and culture. Perhaps a little like some Americans who read the OT parts of the bible religiously, but are nervous about being familiar with Jews. Book 13 LXXI. Scr. Romae a.u.c. 708. A note of referral with a reference. Note how formal this note actually is, compared to those he is writing to his wife and to Tiro. This is a simple referral of a person, but Cicero injects enough formality to make it look serious, unlike the casual friendliness toward Tiro. VIII. Scr. in castris Pompeii a. d. IV. Non. Iun. a.u.c. 708. Health is always a good point to mention in a Roman personal letter, the formula "si vales..........ego valeo" is almost part of the salutation, but usually something more is nice. But then to business, let me have important information as soon as possible.... IX. Scr. Brundisii mense Decembri a.u.c. 706. Dolabella was Cicero's son in law, a troublemaker and profligate and a great embarrassment to the family. X. Scr. Brundisii VII. Idus Quinctiles a.u.c. 707. A curious note of a common type then and now, in which the other person knows what is meant, while it is felt better to keep the matter in the air and off the paper. Looking empty, this is full of meaning, but not to us! XI. Scr. Brundisii XVII. Kal. Quinctil. a.u.c. 707. The Sallust is not this historian, an unknown person of a common name, but the Cicero is his son. XII. Scr. Brundisii prid. Non. Novemb. a.u.c. 706. Cicero asks his wife for help, but no idea what she can do.....and so she might as well stay there, under the conditions..... XIII. Scr. Brundisi VI. Idus Quinctiles a.u.c. 707. The phrase "de nuntio remittendo" on sending back a notice, is the standard formula for a statement of divorce, with the addition message "tuas res tibi habeto "keep your share" and no further financial connections. Dolabella is threatening some action, but will probably let it go (quiescere)..... you make arrangements. Cicero was deeply distressed by everything bad which touched his dear daughter, here too much to talk about.. XIV. Scr. Minturnis VIII. Kalendas Februarias a.u.c. 705. As Caesar took the city, Cicero was faced with loss of everything from position to home and estate and his financial resources. Everything in the city and in life is going wrong, as he write to wife and daughter, his "animae" and darlings. Quintus is his brother, the others are important men in the political scene, perhaps helping. XVI. Scr. Brundisi prid. Nonas Ianuarias a.u.c. 707. If the previous letter was full of imminent danger, this one is paralyzed with apprehension, we don't know what he was thinking about or even who Volumnia was. Tacit despair. XVII. Scr. Brundisii VI. Kal. Ianuarias a.u.c. 706. Again little to say, or too much to try to write, so Lepta his engineer associate from Asia Minor duty and Trebatius a young lawyer, will tell you the situation. XVIII. Scr. Formiis XI. Kal. Februarias a.u.c. 705. Dolabella it turns out, though a Caesarian, would help them despite the divorce, as guessed before, he would go quietly. Everything is in turmoil, barracade the house in Rome, but maybe at right time leave for the safety of our coutnry home. Get paperwork ready for flight. XX. Scr. de Venusino Kal. Octobribus a.u.c. 707. About to flee to the country house, he remembers the labrum, a large bathtub in the washroom where you would wash off first before going into the heated pool. He is agitated, worried, but remembers the comfort of the jacuzi as soon as gets home. XXI. Scr. m. Dec. a.u.c. 706. When there isn't time for more, "S. v. b. e. e. v.Ê" will say it all, "Si vos bene estis, ego valeo", short and to the point like IMHO or RSVP ASAP or even the humble etc. Civilization does tend to put people in a rush. XXII. Scr. Brundisii Kalendis Septembribus a.u.c. 707. Pathetic to wait on the mail to find out what is your fate, in which with milder spirit we do go to the mailbox each day, anticipating something or other. But in critical times, there is a different emphasis, like waiting for your army draft notice. XXIII. Scr. Brundisii prid. Idus Sextiles a.u.c. 707. The letter came, it was from Caesar, better than it seemed... XXIV. Scr. Brundisii III. Idus Sextiles a.u.c. 707. Yes, it is allright, will let you know. The crisis is over, now take care of yourself. Book 16 Marcus Tullius TIro was a slave of Cicero, who manumitted him around 54 B.C.. He was a man of high intelligence, kept Cicero's speeches, letters and financial affairs in good order, and was apparently on the best levels of friendship with Cicero. Pliny suggested a homosexual relationship but that has been generally ignored because of Cicero's puritanical character and familiar devotion. Tiro wrote several books, a treatise on grammar and even some poetry according to this remark in Book 16 18,3 "Sed tu nullosne tecum libellos? an pangis aliquid Sophocleum? fac opus appareat." Any books there? Writing Sophoclean? Let's see it! Tiro's health was weak and Cicero was continually worried about it, as these letters show. This was partly a personal consideration but also shows how dependent Cicero was on his faithful secretary. Despite health problems, Tiro bought a farm after the master's death and lived on to the great old age of a hundred. We know so little about familiar terms of address among men in this period that we can't tell if Cicero was overdoing the cordiality of his feelings toward Tiro, which do seem to modern taste somewhat excessive to northern manners used to a firm handshake among male friends. But Italy now is different and for Italy then we cannot speak. Tiro was the father of "Tironian Annotation", a system he developed for recording Cicero's speeches real-time, in other words a workable shorthand. We have many MSS in this notation, which can be read with some difficulty, and may yet contain documents which have not survived in Roman letters. The art was lost after the tenth century but studied since l600's and does seem to deserve further attention.
VI. Scr. Actii VII. Idus Novembres a.u.c. 704. TULLIUS ET CICERO ET Q. Q. TIRONI SAL. PLUR. DICUNT. Tertiam ad te hanc epistulam scripsi eodem die, magis instituti mei tenendi causa, quia nactus eram, cui darem, quam quo haberem, quod scriberem. Igitur illa: quantum me diligis, tantum adhibe in te diligentiae. A tua innumerabilia in me officia adde hoc, quod mihi erit gratissimum omnium. Quum valetudinis rationem, ut spero, habueris, habeto etiam navigationis. In Italiam euntibus omnibus ad me litteras dabis, ut ego euntem Patras neminem praetermitto. Cura te, mi Tiro: quoniam non contigit, ut simul navigares, nihil est, quod festines, nec quod quidquam cures, nisi ut valeas. Etiam atque etiam vale. VII Idus Nov. Actio vesperi. The whole family send greeting to Tiro, Cicero ipse and son Cicero and Quintus brother and his son (Q.Q.). "What a charming person you are..." starts off, and then to details of travel, health, spirits, and Tiro can rest assured he is in good hands. X. Scr. in Cumano m. Maio a.u.c. 700. "Litterulae meae sive nostrae" My minor literary efforts.....or actually ours"...is engagingly democratic and familiar, but in one letter Tiro seem annoyed that he is not addressed in the heading of the letter as Marce Tiro, to which Cicero replies: Not necessary, I can even say Tiro meus "my pal, Tiro". Valets do like formalities done right, even today. At the end with the word etumon (Greek letters of course) we have another example of the classical inability to conceive of a decent etymology. He took "fides" to be a compound of fio and dico "Cum fit quod dicitur" Republic IV. but mentions De Officiis I.21 that this is probably not a good derivation. It isn't and Plato did no better with methuein from meta to thuein. XV. Scr. pr. Id. Apr. a.u.c. 700. Scripta iam epistula Hermia venit. Accepi tuam epistulam vacillantibus litterulis. Nec mirum, tam gravi morbo. Ego ad te Aegyptam misi, quod nec inhumanus est et te visus est mihi diligere, ut is tecum esset, et cum eo cocum, quo uterere. Vale. Aegypta and Hermia are mens' names despite the terminal vowel, servants of Cicero. As an afterthought, Cicero notes he had sent along a cook, whom Tiro is to use presumably for diet and regaining health. XIX. Scr. eodem anno, quo Ep. XVIII. A good example of how Tiro was functioning as a financial and legal secretary, straightening out Cicero's complex affairs. The nest continues with more details to be arranged, but only IF Dr. Metrodorus thinks you are well enough to work.
XX. Scr. eodem anno, quo Ep. XVIII. Arrange with the gardener as seems suitable. Since the Romans knew that a light vegetable diet with plenty of salad (olera) was good for regaining health, the gardener (olitor) fits in here naturally. XXIV. Scr. mense Maio a.u.c. 710. De domesticis rebus hactenus. De publicis omnia mihi certa: quid Octavius, quid Antonius, quae hominum opinio, quid futurum putes. Ego vix teneor, quin accurram. Sed sto, litteras tuas exspecto. Et scito Balbum tum fuisse Aquini, quum tibi est dictum, et postridie Hirtium: puto utrumque ad aquas. Sed quid egerint ---. Dolabellae procuratores fac ut admoneantur: appellabis etiam Papiam. Vale. The prora et puppis as "stem and stern of a boat" means the whole rationale of my sending you away was..... It is a Greek phrase and these Romanized words are identical to the Greek. Attributio is assignment of debts, while repraehensio is the actual recovery or repayment.The first paragraph is his personal matters to be cleared up, the second goes on to the public and political situation, which Tiro is to check and report on. But never forget business at hand when it involves money, warn Dolabella's agents (who haven't come up with repaying daughter Tullia's dowry)...get this started also..... How would he get along without Tiro, indeed?
SOME HARDER ONES..... sorry! Cicero and the call girl party XXVI. Scr. Romae mense Octobri a.u.c. 708. This whole letter is replete with nervous badinage, which partly covers Cicero's embarrassment at being at a part with a call girl. He is after all quite a puritan, a Roman trait which balanced their free and luxurious side. The letter is not easy to read, be warned, but a good example of this witty kind of badinage. I am giving more paraphrase than I like because so much of this is tough reading, but VERY interesting. The codicilli are waxed notepads, hence "I grooved this note", arare = plow. Volumnius Eutrapelus is the name of the host, but Cicero is punning on the Greek term "eu-trapeleia" or 'jesting, witty fooling around", which St Paul Ephesians 5.2 warns against, and Aristotle defines as "educated insolence". So the pun is not hard for the educated Roman to get, if somewhat recherche'. Quid ergo faciam? te consulo, qui philosophum audis? Angar? excruciem me? quid assequar? deinde quem ad finem? "Vivas," inquis, "in litteris." An quidquam me aliud egere censes aut possem vivere, nisi in litteris viverem? Sed est earum etiam non satietas, sed quidam modus. A quibus cum discessi, etsi minimum mihi est in cena (quod tu unum zetema Dioni philosopho posuisti) tamen, quid potius faciam, priusquam me dormitum conferam, non reperio. More playing around with words. "You say I should stick with my books, enough of these, how much can I? All right, I stop and skip dinner (this was the question (zetema) for the philosopher) but what else to do before bed?" All this verbiage is nervousness, leading up to the following account of the evening party: Audi reliqua: infra Eutrapelum Cytheris accubuit. "In eo igitur," inquis, "convivio Cicero ille", Next below the host was Cytheris, a loose woman from her position dininge there with the men, reclining on a party couch. "What, the great Cicero there?" says you, and a line probably from a play of Ennius, "to whom all gazed, the Heroes turning their faces". Non mehercule suspicatus sum illam affore. Sed tamen ne Aristippus quidem ille Socraticus erubuit, cum esset obiectum habere eum Laida: "habeo," inquit, "non habeor " Graece hoc melius, tu, si voles, interpretabere. Didn't think she'd be there, but Aristippus (head of the Cyrenaic school, advocating "happiness") was said to have had the famous courtesan Lais! He said" I have her, not had by her", you do it in Greek, it's better. All this quipping in learned literary lore is a cover up for the situation. Me vero nihil istorum ne iuvenem quidem movit umquam, ne nunc senem: convivio delector. Ibi loquor, quod in solum, ut dicitur, et gemitum in risus maximos transfero. An tu id melius, qui etiam philosophum irriseris? cum ille, "si quis quid quaereret" dixisset, cenam te quaerere a mane dixeris? ille baro te putabat quaesiturum, unum caelum esset an innumerabilia? Quid id ad te? At hercule cena num quid at te, ibi praesertim? And you kidding this scholar. When he said "Anyone ask for anything?" you said he was thinking of dinner from morning. Did that boor think you would ask "Is the universe finite..?" Well, what's that to you, or the whole dinner, especially there? Sic igitur vivitur. Quotidie aliquid legitur aut scribitur. Dein, ne amicis nihil tribuamus, epulamur una non modo non contra legem, si ulla nunc lex est, sed etiam intra legem et quidem aliquanto. Quare nihil est, quod adventum nostrum extimescas, non multi cibi hospitem accipies, multi ioci. That's life, reading or writing. And not to fail manners to my friends, we dine together, not only NOT against the (sumptuary) law (if the law is actually there) but even within the law, really somewhat within. You needn't fear my coming, I am not much of a guest of food, but of a lot of fun. The "Law" was Caesar's luxury law of 46 B.C. which aim to restrict lavishness at parties etc., probably as unenforceable as our liquor Prohibition of l925. Wit and jokery is always hard to follow in another language, let alone one a few millennia of years and miles away. But a good test of your mental agility. On the famous VISIT from J. Caesar Scr. in Puteolano xiv K. Ian. a. 709 (45). This use of Greek words in a Latin personal letter is easy and facile, since educated Romans in this age were virtually bilingual, and certain words and phrases came to mind more naturally in Greek. In English we do the same with many foreign words, but consider them "loans", e.g. simpatico, ciao, encore, vis ‡ vis. It looks different with a non Roman alphabet. This words is a-meta-mele-ton which comes apart as "not re-grett-able", and he add it was "really fun". sed cum secundis Saturnalibus ad Philippum vesperi venisset, villa ita completa a militibus est ut vix triclinium ubi cenaturus ipse Caesar esset vacaret. Quippe hominum M M. sane sum commotus quid futurum esset postridie. Ac mihi Barba Cassius subvenit, custodes dedit., castra in agro, villa defensa est. Ille tertiis Saturnalibus apud Philippum ad h. vii nec quemquam admisit, rationes, opinor, cum Balbo. Casius as "aide" fixed up the living quarters, while the great man went into private conference, the rationes being his financianl business, the accounts (not US Armr rations). Inde ambulavit in litore, post h. viii in balneum. tum audivit de Mamurra, vultum non mutavit. unctus est, accubuit. emetiken agebat. itaque et edit et bibit adeos et iucunde, opipare sane et apparate nec id solum sed We don't know the news about Mamurra, death, Sumptuary excesses, or Catullus' attacks in verse...? Greek again, the emetic for his second dinner, and adeos, Greek "enough". Word play of some phonetic sort on food words opipare "good quantity" and apparate "nicely prepared", which calls to mind a well known line from the Satirist Lucilius. This capping of a quotation from famous literature is the kind of insider's wit which citified people do love, like asking the apiarist if "To bee or not to bee " is really a practical question. bene cocto et condito sermone bono et, si quaeris, libenter. praeterea tribus tricliniis accepti oi peri auton valde copiose. libertis minus lautis servisque nihil defuit. nam lautiores eleganter accepi. quid multa? homines visi sumus. hospes tamen non is quoi diceres, 'amabo te, eodem ad me cum revertere.' Semel satis est. The phrase "(h)oi peri auton" is common, for his group, lit. "those around him", not arty at all. The adj.minus lautus means lower-class, of the freedmen. Why (say) more? I (the magisterial we) seemed a fine fellow, actually a mensch. Then the punch line of this mad story: Guest like this you don't say, "Please, do drop in on the way back!" Spoudaion ouden in sermone, filologa multa. quid quaeris? delectatus est et libenter fuit. Puteolis se aiebat unum diem fore, alterum ad Baias. Nothing serious=political (spoudaion Greek again), all literary talk. Habes hospitium sive epistathmeian odiosam mihi, dixi, non molestam. ego paulisper hic, deinde in Tusculanum. Dolabellae villam cum praeteriret, omnis armatorum copia dextra sinistra ad equum nec usquam alibi. hoc ex Nicia. Now he switches back to the man he is writing to: You have the story of this hospitality, or rather "billeting " (epistathmeia is the Greek term for billetting troops on command, said tongue in check), a "bother" but not an "annoyance" as he concludes. And then Caesar leaving took the whole troop past Dolabella's house in military formation, as he did nowhere else. Or so Nicias says..... (Remember Dolaballa was a turncoat Caesarian, also no good son-in-law of Cicero, whom daughter Tullia was about to divorce, dying by childbirth.....a thougthful end to a strange tale.)
About his dear, dear daughter Tullia.... XVIII. Scr. Romae mense Ianuario a.u.c. 709. Me Romae tenuit omnino Tulliae meae partus. Sed, cum ea, quemadmodum spero, satis firma sit, teneor tamen, dum a Dolabellae procuratoribus exigam primam pensionem, et mehercule non tam sum peregrinator iam, quam solebam. Aedificia mea me delectabant et otium. Nunc domus est, quae nulli mearum villarum cedat, otium omni desertissima regione maius. Itaque ne litterae quidem meae impediuntur, in quibus sine ulla interpellatione versor. Quare, ut arbitror, prius hic te nos, quam istic tu nos videbis. Staying in Rome waiting for Tullia to give birth, waiting for first payment of returned dowry from son-in-law, empty hosue and writing, no taste for travel.
A Friend's Condolence on Tullia's death This remarkable letter of "Condolence?" to Cicero on the death of his daughter, is probably a good index of how Romans felt about loss of a loved one. Servius criticizes Cicero's continued sadness for the loss of Tulliola, as unnecessary and to some degree unworthy of a Roman in public affairs. He has no awareness of the psychological impact of a mid-life loss of this sort, especially since Cicero was involved in divorce and soon another divorce. In any case this is an interesting place to compare deep reaching emotional trauma in terms of Roman as compared with modern society, and I will leave you to this remarkable document, which is written with deep conviction and much sensitivity, to read without my intruding commentary. For this one comment is unnecessary, here you should float alone... V. Scr. Athenis mense Aprili a.u.c. 709. Posteaquam mihi renuntiatum est de obitu Tulliae, filiae tuae, sane quam pro eo, ac debui, graviter molesteque tuli communemque eam calamitatem existimavi, qui, si istic affuissem, neque tibi defuissem coramque meum dolorem tibi declarassem. Etsi genus hoc consolationis miserum atque acerbum est, propterea quia, per quos ea confieri debet propinquos ac familiares, ii ipsi pari molestia afficiuntur neque sine lacrimis multis id conari possunt, uti magis ipsi videantur aliorum consolatione indigere quam aliis posse suum officium praestare, tamen, quae in praesentia in mentem mihi venerunt, decrevi brevi ad te perscribere, non quo ea te fugere existimem, sed quod forsitan dolore impeditus minus ea perspicias. Quoties in eam cogitationem necesse est et tu veneris et nos saepe incidimus, hisce temporibus non pessime cum iis esse actum, quibus sine dolore licitum est mortem cum vita commutare? Quid autem fuit, quod illam hoc tempore ad vivendum magno opere invitare posset? quae res? quae spes? quod animi solatium? Ut cum aliquo adolescente primario coniuncta aetatem gereret? licitum est tibi, credo, pro tua dignitate ex hac iuventute generum deligere, cuius fidei liberos tuos te tuto committere putares Ex Asia rediens cum ab Aegina Megaram versus navigarem, coepi regiones circumcirca prospicere: post me erat Aegina, ante me Megara, dextra Piraeeus, sinistra Corinthus, quae oppida quodam tempore florentissima fuerunt, nine prostrata et diruta ante oculos iacent. Coepi egomet mecum sic cogitare: "hem! nos homunculi indignamur, si quis nostrum interiit aut occisus est, quorum vita brevior esse debet, cum uno loco tot oppidum cadavera proiecta iacent? Visne tu te, Servi, cohibere et meminisse hominem te esse natum?" Crede mihi, cogitatione ea non mediocriter sum confirmatus. Hoc idem, si tibi videtur, fac ante oculos tibi proponas: modo uno tempore tot viri clarissimi interierunt, de imperio populi Romani tanta deminutio facta est, omnes provinciae conquassatae sunt. In unius mulierculae animula si iactura facta est, tanto opere commoveris? quae si hoc tempore non diem suum obisset, paucis post annis tamen ei moriendum fuit, quoniam homo nata fuerat.Etiam tu ab hisce rebus animum ac cogitationem tuam avoca atque ea potius reminiscere, quae digna tua persona sunt: illam, quamdiu ei opus fuerit, vixisse, una cum re publica fuisse, te, patrem suum, praetorem, consulem, augurem vidisse, adolescentibus primariis nuptam fuisse, omnibus bonis prope perfunctam esse. Cum res publica occideret, vita excessisse: quid est, quod tu aut illa cum fortuna hoc nomine queri possitis? Denique noli te oblivisci Ciceronem esse et eum, qui aliis consueris praecipere et dare consilium, neque imitari malos medicos, qui in alienis morbis profitentur tenere se medicinae scientiam, ipsi se curare non possunt, sed potius, quae aliis praecipere soles, ea tute tibi subiice atque apud animum propone. Nullus dolor est, quem non longinquitas temporis minuat ac molliat: hoc te exspectare tempus tibi turpe est ac non ei rei sapientia tua te occurrere. Quod si qui etiam inferis sensus est, qui illius in te amor fuit pietasque in omnes suos, hoc certe illa te facere non vult. Da hoc illi mortuae, da ceteris amicis ac familiaribus, qui tuo dolore maerent, da patriae, ut, si qua in re opus sit, opera et consilio tuo uti possit. Denique, quoniam in eam fortunam devenimus, ut etiam huic rei nobis serviendum sit, noli committere, ut quisquam te putet non tam filiam quam rei publicae tempora et aliorum victoriam lugere. Plura me ad te de hac re scribere pudet, ne videar prudentiae tuae diffidere. Qare, si hoc unum proposuero, finem faciam scribendi: vidimus aliquoties secundam pulcherrime te ferre fortunam magnamque ex ea re te laudem apisci. Fac aliquando intelligamus adversam quoque te aeque ferre posse neque id maius, quam debeat, tibi onus videri, ne ex omnibus virtutibus haec una tibi videatur deesse. Quod ad me attinet, cum te tranquilliorem animo esse cognoro, de iis rebus, quae hic geruntur, quemadmodumque se provincia habeat, certiorem faciam. Vale. William Harris |