Epistulae ad Atticum I.2

Written in Rome in the month Quintilis (July) in the year 689 (65 BCE)

Cicero to Atticus, Greetings:

The first part of the letter starts with a traditional opening with the sender in the nominative and receiver in dative along with some form of greeting. Cicero's announcement of the consuls serve the dual purpose of identifying the time when he composed the letter as well as letting Atticus know the results of the recent consular election. I am not entirely sure what all the nos's are referring to, I take some of them to simply mean Cicero himself and the others to him and his associates.

The prosecutor of Catiline was a good friend of his so Cicero is happy that he managed to get some of his men in on the jury whom the prosecutor approved of.

(I) With Lucius Julius Caesar and Gaius Marcus Figulus as consuls know that my little boy has been born [filiolo me auctum] and that Terentia is in good health. For so long there have been no letters from you! I wrote diligently to you before concerning my affairs. At this time I [nos] think that I should defend my [nos] competitor for office Catiline. We have the judges whom we wanted, with great approval of the prosecutor. I hope, if it will be absolved, that that conspirator of ours will be included in the reckoning of the petition; if it does not happen otherwise, we shall bear ourselves with equanimity.

This section was a bit troublesome in the wording: summa hominum est opinio tuos familiaris nobilis homines adversarios honori nostro fore. I took summa as agreeing with opinio and hominum as the plural genitive of them both. tuos familiaris nobilis homines came together as a chunk meaning Atticus' friends who came from senatorial families and adversaries as being what they WOULD be concerning Cicero's election.

(II) There is need for your speedy arrival to me [nos]; for certainly it is the greatest opinion of man that your noble men of Rome [famliaris] will be adversaries to my election. I see that you will be the greatest use to me at winning over their desire for me. Therefore in January, as you desired, take care that you are in Rome.