39. distinear: distinere, to distract.
41. voculae: vocula, diminutive of vox; here = my weak voice, probably strained from speaking.
dictavi: a slave would take down Cicero’s dictation, typically his much admired scriba, Tiro (see Ad Familiares 16.11 below).
ambulans: walking was considered good for the voice.
43. illud: the following, obj. of scire and explained by the following infs. in IND. STATE.
Sampsiceramum: obj. of paenitere and subj. of cupere. Sampsiceramus was a petty Syrian monarch whom Pompey had defeated; here and elsewhere Cicero applied this and similar oriental names to Pompey in ridiculing his growing arrogance and eastern mannerisms.
AD ATTICUM 2.23
News of Pompey’s political problems and of Clodius’ vicious campaign for the tribuneship. August or September, 59 B.C.
Cicero Attico Sal.
Numquam ante arbitror te epistulam meam legisse nisi mea manu scriptam. Ex eo colligere poteris quanta occupatione distinear. 40 Nam cum vacui temporis nihil haberem et cum recreandae voculae causa necesse esset mihi ambulare, haec dictavi ambulans.
Primum igitur illud te scire volo: Sampsiceramum, nostrum amicum, vehementer sui status paenitere, restituique in eum locum 45 cupere ex quo decidit, doloremque suum impertire nobis et medicinam interdum aperte quaerere, quam ego possum invenire nullam; deinde omnes illius partis auctores ac socios, nullo adversario, consenescere, consensionem universorum nec voluntatis nec sermonis maiorem umquam fuisse.
44. sui status paenitere: the impers. vb. paenitet takes an acc. of the repentant person + a gen. of the thing which causes the regret or displeasure; lit., with Sampsiceramum, it repents Sampsiceramus of his status = Sampsiceramus is sorry about his status. Pompey’s position in 59 B.C. was that of neither general nor politician; he was simply a member of the unofficial triumvirate formed in 60 B.C. with Caesar and Crassus.
locum: i.e., as a general with extensive powers such as he had been in 67–61 B.C.
45. impertire: to impart to, share with.
46. medicinam…quaerere: a common metaphor, applied here to Pompey’s quest for a solution to his political ills.
aperte: adv., openly.
47. nullam: to be translated as an emphatic adv., not at all, in no way, though it is an adj. with quam.
omnes…fuisse (49): both IND. STATES. dependent on te scire volo.
partis: here, (political) party.
48. nullo adversario: ABL. ABS., though there is no opponent, no opposition.
consenescere:to grow very old (figuratively) = to lose power; though the word is not etymologically connected with consensionem, Cicero juxtaposes the two terms and omits the conjunction in order to accentuate their ASSONANCE.
universorum: = omnium.
nec voluntatis nec sermonis (49): i.e., men were never in greater agreement in what they wanted and what they said in their conversations.
50. nos…intersumus (51): I am in the midst of = I take part in.
51. totos: Eng. would employ an adv., entirely.
forensem operam laboremque (52): i.e., legal business in the courts, as opposed to politics.
52. contulimus: here, applied, devoted.
ex quo: = et ex hoc,and as a result of this (situation); conjunctive use of the rel. pron.
53. earum rerum: depends on both commemoratione and desiderio (longing); Cicero had a weakness for dwelling on his own accomplishments, particularly his role in suppressing the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 B.C.
versamur: versari,to be busy, engaged (in), concerned (with).
54. Boopidos: Greek for Ox-eyed (= big-eyed) girl, an allusion to the notorious Clodia (the “Lesbia” of Catullus’ poems), sister of Cicero’s nemesis Clodius Pulcher (see note on line 18 above). Homer applies the term to the goddess Juno, and Cicero’s use of the word, though intended disparagingly, shows that Clodia was famous for her large, lustrous eyes.
consanguineus:of the same blood, related; here, brother.
terrores:terroristic threats. Cicero had exposed Clodius, who was now running a ruthless campaign for election to the tribuneship in order to introduce, among other things, legislation which would lead to Cicero’s banishment; through terrorist tactics he succeeded in both objectives.
55. denuntiat: denuntiare, to announce, declare, threaten (not denounce).
negat…fert…ostentat (56): sc. terrores with each vb.
“The Head of Pompey Presented to Caesar” Bonifazio de’ Pitati, 16th century Coll. Berenson, Florence, Italy
Scala/Art Resource, NY.
50 Nos autem (nam id te scire cupere certo scio) publicis consiliis nullis intersumus totosque nos ad forensem operam laboremque contulimus. Ex quo, quod facile intellegi possit, in multa commemoratione earum rerum quas gessimus desiderioque versamur. Sed Boopidos nostrae consanguineus non mediocres terrores 55 iacit atque denuntiat, et Sampsiceramo negat, ceteris prae se fert et ostentat. Quamobrem, si me amas quantum profecto amas, si dormis, expergiscere; si stas, ingredere; si vero ingrederis, curre; si curris, advola. Credibile non est quantum ego in consiliis et prudentia tua, quodque maximum est, quantum 60 in amore et fide ponam. Magnitudo rei longam orationem fortasse desiderat; coniunctio vero nostrorum animorum brevitate contenta est. Permagni nostra interest te, si comitiis non potueris, at declarato illo esse Romae. Cura ut valeas.
56. quamobrem: adv., wherefore, therefore.
