Letter · 12 June 44 BC · in Antiati

Ad Atticum 15.16

Ad Atticum 15.16

Headnote

Cicero to Atticus, written at Antium on 11 or 12 June 44 BC — Perseus dateline Scr. in Antiati iii aut prid. Id. Iun. a. 710 (44), the editors uncertain whether the day is the eleventh or the twelfth. A very short note, almost wholly about young Marcus Cicero, who is studying philosophy in Athens. A letter-carrier has at last come from him, and the letter itself is well written — a sign of progress; the tutors’ reports are mixed, with Leonides still cool but Herodes enthusiastic. Cicero, anxious for the boy and easy to flatter on his behalf, declares himself happy even to be deceived in the matter. He closes with a request to be told anything that Statius (Quintus Cicero’s freedman, a busy informant) has written that touches on him.

The works.yaml entry’s location field “in Antiati iii aut” is OCR-bleed: the Perseus dateline reads Scr. in Antiati iii aut prid. Id. Iun., and the date numerals iii aut (alternative reading of the day) have leaked into the location field. The true location is Antium.

At last, a letter-carrier from Cicero, and by Hercules a letter elegantly pepinomenos composed — which fact in itself signifies some progress prokope; and the others write splendid things of him as well. Leonides, however, still holds to his old line; Herodes is full of the highest praise. What more? In this matter I am quite content even to be deceived, and gladly give myself out as credulous. Please let me know if anything has been written to you by Statius which bears on me.
tandem a Cicerone tabellarius et me hercule litterae πεπινωμένωσ scriptae, quod ipsum προκοπὴν aliquam significat, itemque ceteri praeclara scribunt; Leonides tamen retinet suum illud adhuc, summis vero laudibus Herodes. quid quaeris? vel verba mihi dari facile patior in hoc meque libenter praebeo credulum. tu velim, si quid tibi est a Statio scriptum quod pertineat ad me, certiorem me facias.

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Ad Atticum 15.16

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