{"id":690,"date":"2024-12-21T10:57:14","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T15:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/?page_id=690"},"modified":"2025-01-20T07:31:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T12:31:00","slug":"cicero9-26-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/cicero9-26-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Cicero, Ad Familiares 9.26.1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=&#8221;Cicero, Ad Familiares 9.26.1&#8243; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; title_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; title_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#7db3e0&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; title_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; title_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; title_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; content_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; subhead_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; subhead_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; subhead_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; content_link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; content_ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; content_ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; content_quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; content_quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; button_one_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_one_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_one_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; button_two_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_two_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_two_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_style_image=&#8221;preset6&#8243; box_shadow_blur_image_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_button_one_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_button_one_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_button_one_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_button_one_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_button_two_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_button_two_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_button_two_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_button_two_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_shadow_style=&#8221;preset5&#8243; text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>translation and commentary by William Tune (&#8217;24)<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=&#8221;Introduction&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_text_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; content_text_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; content_link_text_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) was a Roman politician, orator, and philosopher. Cicero was born in Arpinum, in Latium. Upon his entry into Roman politics, he was considered a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">novus homo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: a chip on his shoulder for the rest of his career. He is most famous for the defeat of the Catilinarian Conspiracy in 63 BCE, where he gave a series of speeches against the head conspirator, Lucius Sergius Catilina. Cicero was an experienced jurist and was famed for his eloquence in court. Throughout his career, Cicero was an adamant supporter of the Republic, which found him opposed to Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius in the 40s BCE. In 43 BCE, after the publishing of his derisive anti-dictatorial speeches, the Philippics (directed against Marcus Antionius), Cicero was assassinated. Cicero\u2019s reputation has survived throughout the centuries and he is considered one of the foundational political thinkers and philosophers of modern civilization (Grant 1971).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Among a plethora of works, Cicero often wrote letters to his close friends and family. Many of these letters have been preserved and published as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Epistulae Ad Familiares<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Cicero wrote many letters about many different subjects, but some of his most interesting works are those concerning the mundane and conventional elements of Roman life. Two of these letters are IX.24 and IX.26. These two letters were written in 43 and 46 BCE, shortly after the conclusion of the catastrophic Civil War between Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. They are addressed to Paetus, who was evidently a friend of Cicero\u2019s, but not much is known about the man outside of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Epistulae Ad Familiares<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In these letters Cicero calls Paetus out of a self-imposed isolation and consults him regarding how he should spend his days now that Rome is under the thumb of Caesar\u2019s dictatorship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; inner_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Trans. Title&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Translation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Translation&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; height=&#8221;450px&#8221; overflow-x=&#8221;scroll&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;10px|10px|10px|10px&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">I had just reclined at 2:30 when I carved a draft of this note to you in my wax tablet<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">. You say \u201cwhere?\u201d I\u2019m at the house of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Volumnius Eutrapelus<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">, and your friends <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Atticus and Verrius<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> are sitting next to me<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">, Atticus to my right and Verrius to my left. Yo<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">u might be wondering why we are celebrating <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">now that we are slaves<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">? What else is there to do? I\u2019m asking you because you listen to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">philosophers. Am I sup<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">posed to not do anything, or am I supposed to torture myself? What can I even do? You say that I should <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cLive in my books.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"> Do you think that there is anything else for me to do or do you think I\u2019d be able to live if I were not living in my books? But even literary study can reach its limit, not that I&#8217;d ever be done with it. So, when I\u2019ve stopped literary work, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">for me, there is little fun in dinner. It\u2019s that one question you asked the philosopher Dio, yet what better thing should I do before I carry myself to bed, I don\u2019t know.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Commentary Title&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Commentary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; height=&#8221;450px&#8221; overflow-x=&#8221;scroll&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;10px|10px|10px|10px&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><strong><i>I had just reclined &#8211; <\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cicero is referring to the practice at the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">convivium<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of reclining while eating. Dinner guests would lie with their weight on their left arm and their body facing towards the table. Later, Cicero will have Verrius to his left and Atticus to his right. On the seating arrangement of Roman couches this would mean that Atticus was a more familiar or esteemed guest at Volumnius Eutrapelus\u2019 house and Verrius was less so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>tablet &#8211; <\/strong><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Romans and Greeks would use small wax tablets to carve brief temporary messages or draft copies (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exempla<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) of letters that would be copied later. Apparently it was not bad manners to write one whilst attending a dinner party. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/473393\">Click here<\/a> for an example of a wooden framed wax tablet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Volumnius Eutrapelus &#8211; <\/strong><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not much is known about this host. His full name was Publius Volumnius Eutrapelus and apparently gave shelter to Cicero\u2019s friend Atticus after the battle of Phillipi as the latter had been allied with Brutus and Cassius, the losing side (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Life of Atticus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Cornelius Nepos).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Atticus and Verrius &#8211; <\/strong><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cicero refers to Atticus and Verrius as \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">familiares tui\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; \u201cyour friends.\u201d However, from Cicero\u2019s other correspondence, both men were close friends of Cicero as well. Atticus was Cicero\u2019s closest friend and confidant. It is through him that we have Cicero\u2019s letters. Verrius may have been a Marcus Verrius Flaccus, the later Augustan grammarian (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elvers 2006<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>now that we are slaves &#8211; <\/strong><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here Cicero is referring to the recent victory at the Battle of Thapsus of Julius Caesar, over the remaining Republican forces, which subsequently resulted in Caesar declaring himself dictator for ten years in 46 BCE: the year this letter was written. Cicero, ever the staunch republican, regards any autocratic form of government as unjust; those under it, as in the rule of the Achemenid Persian emperors, were slaves <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Shackleton Bailey 1977). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/news-photo\/colorized-illustration-depicts-julius-caesar-wearing-a-news-photo\/1348122399\">Click here<\/a> for an engraving of Caesar holding the fasces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Live in my books<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cicero is famous for his immens<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e literary output. However, in the later years of his life, and especially under the dictatorship of Caesar, Cicero wrote many philosophical works and withdrew from public life, possibly in despair of the loss of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mos maiorum<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the way of the ancestors &#8211; the Republic. These works include <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Tusculan Disputations, On the Good life, On Old Age,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> et al. (Grant 1971).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>the philosopher Dio &#8211; <\/strong><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dio was apparently a Epicurean philosopher, but does not enjoy a reputation that has survived to the modern period <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Shackleton Bailey 1977).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><i>yet what better thing should I do &#8211; <\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In writing this letter to Paetus, Cicero finds himself impotent. He is tired, for the moment, of writing and reading. To make matters worse, he can&#8217;t seem to enjoy dinner anymore either. Therefore, neither pleasure nor work gives Cicero purpose. It may be that this complaint reflects Cicero\u2019s feelings of political impotence. The elder statesmen may have been dismayed at the crumbling of Republican institutions before his very eyes, against which he could not have done much against a popular and strong militarily minded new dictator: Caesar. Perhaps Cicero is longing for the days where he was able to make grand political moves like his defeat of Catiline\u2019s conspiracy nearly two decades earlier. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cesare_Maccari#\/media\/File:Cicero_Denounces_Catiline_in_the_Roman_Senate_by_Cesare_Maccari.png\">Click here<\/a> for a painting of Cicero denouncing Catiline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; vertical_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index_tablet=&#8221;0&#8243; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carter, John. 1996. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Appian: The Civil Wars. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">London: Penguin Books<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clough, Arthur H. 2001. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plutarch:<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parallel Lives<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Translated by John Dryden. New York: <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Modern Library.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Elvers, Karl-Ludwig (Bochum), and Peter Lebrecht Schmidt.2006. &#8220;Verrius&#8221;. In <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px\">Brill&#8217;s New Pauly Online<\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">. Leiden: Brill. doi: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1163\/1574-9347_bnp_e12201660\" style=\"font-size: 14px\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1163\/1574-9347_bnp_e12201660<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Grant, Michael 1971. <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px\">Cicero: Selected Political Speeches<\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">. Translated with an Introduction by <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Michael Grant. London: Penguin Books.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Grant, Michael 1971. <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px\">Cicero: On the Good Life<\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">. Translated with an Introduction by Michael <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Grant. London: Penguin Books.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grant, Michael 1971. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cicero: Selected Works<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Translated with an Introduction by Michael Grant. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">London and New York: Penguin Books.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">McConnell, Sean. \u201cPhilosophical Role-Playing in Cicero\u2019s Letters to Paetus, 46 Bc.\u201d <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px\">Antichthon <\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">56 (2022): 121\u201339.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Shackleton Bailey, D.R. 1977. <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px\">Cicero: Epistulae Ad Familiares. <\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px\">Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watson, J.S. 1853. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cornelius Nepos:<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Life of Atticus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Translated by J.S.Watson. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>translation and commentary by William Tune (&#8217;24)Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) was a Roman politician, orator, and philosopher. Cicero was born in Arpinum, in Latium. Upon his entry into Roman politics, he was considered a novus homo: a chip on his shoulder for the rest of his career. He is most famous for the defeat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6547,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-690","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6547"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":792,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/690\/revisions\/792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/romandining\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}