person
Quintus Cornificius
Cornificius
also: Q. Cornificius, Cornificio, Cornifici
Poet, orator, and soldier; quaestor 48 BC, an augur (Cicero's colleague in the college), and proconsul of Africa Vetus in 44-43 BC. Cicero's friend and the addressee of Ad Familiares book 12; killed in 42 BC defending his province against the Caesarian T. Sextius.
Reading notes
- Ad Atticum 12.17 §1 I stood surety for Cornificius more than twenty-five years ago
Cicero is being dunned over an old sponsio --- a surety bond by which he allegedly guaranteed another man's debt --- supposedly contracted before his aedileship of 69 BC. He doubts the claim and asks Atticus to check the co-sureties' account-books.
- Ad Familiares 12.19 §1 CICERO CORNIFICIO S.
The plainest of Cicero's salutations to Cornificius: S. is salutem (dicit), "sends greetings". Unlike 12.17 and 12.18 it omits CONLEGAE.
- Ad Familiares 12.26 §1 CICERO COR ni FICIO S.
A letter of recommendation from Cicero to Q. Cornificius, proconsul of Africa. The S. is salutem (dicit), "sends greetings"; the broken spacing of CORNIFICIO is a quirk of the manuscript transmission.
- Ad Familiares 12.27 §1 His affairs in Africa I commend to you
Aufidius, one of Q. Turius's heirs (Fam. 12.26), gets a second, dedicated letter of recommendation to Cornificius the proconsul concerning his own business interests in the province of Africa.
- Ad Familiares 12.29 §1 CICERO CORNIFICIO sal.
A recommendation for L. Aelius Lamia to Q. Cornificius, proconsul of Africa. sal. is salutem (dicit), the standard "sends greetings" of a familiar letter.
- Ad Familiares 12.30 §1 CICERO CORNIFICIO S.
Cicero to Q. Cornificius, proconsul of Africa; the longest of the surviving letters to him, answering several of Cornificius's dispatches at once. S. is salutem (dicit), "sends greetings."