Topic / Level 4; transport [5]: wheeled vehicles (5) carpentum [ii] the carpentum on the coins

The reference to the carpentum would have had cultural resonance amongst the ancient Romans. As a symbol of honour, it appeared on coins:

Image #1

22-23 AD: first depiction on a sestertius of a decorated carpentum drawn by a pair of mules

The coin refers to Livia, the wife of Augustus:

• S.P.Q.R IVLIAE AVGVST(ae); SPQR indicates that she is honoured by the Senate and the Roman people:

[i] Senatus Populusque Romanus

[ii] Iuliae Augustae: dative; honour given to her; IVLIA AVGVSTA were honorific titles given to her by Augustus

It was minted during the reign of her son Tiberius i.e. the immediate predecessor of Caligula:

• TI(berius) CAESAR DIVI AVG(usti) F(ilius) AVGVST(us) P(ontifex) M(aximus) TR(ibunicia) POT(estate) XXIIII (vicesima quarta) | Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, Augustus, chief priest (Pontifex Maximus), holding tribunician power for the twenty-fourth time.

The coin’s production was authorised by the Senate:

• S(enatus) C(onsulto)

The coin is unlikely to be referring to her death, but to an illness from which she recovered and, in celebration of which, the Senate declared a holiday of thanksgiving.

Image #2

Bearing in mind that, as Suetonius describes, it was Caligula’s aim to reinstate his mother, there is a remarkable similarity in the design of this sestertius commemorating Agrippina the Elder, who had suffered owing to the actions of Tiberius. The coin was minted between AD 37 and 41.

[1] AGRIPPINA M(arci) F(ilia) MAT(er) C(aii) CAESARIS AVGVSTI | Agrippina, daughter of Marcus [Agrippa], mother of Gaius Caesar Augustus

[2] Unlike the previous coin, Agrippina’s image is distributed through currency circulation. In the same way that the ashes of Agrippina were brought to Rome at the busiest time of the day, the coin would have ensured maximium visibility.

[3] S P Q R MEMORIAE AGRIPPINAE | The Senate and People of Rome to the memory of Agrippina; again, there is official recognition of the status of Agrippina.

[4] The same (reversed) depiction of a decorated carpentum pulled by two mules, with its symbolic reverential significance.

What we see here is a physical reinforcement of Suetonius’ account: a deliberate piece of dynastic propaganda, confirming Caligula’s regime as a reversal of Tiberian repression, not unlike the commemorative coin issued by Brutus – with his portrait and its symbols of freedom from oppression – following the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Topic / Level 4; transport [4]: wheeled vehicles (4) carpentum [i] Caligula and the carpentum

 (1) carpentum, -ī [2/n]: a two-wheeled carriage, covered by a canopy or curved roof and sometimes enclosed with curtains; used especially, but not exclusively, by high-ranking Roman women and also employed in grand funeral processions.

(2) Suetonius on the ‘showmanship’ of Caligula:

Caligula’s mother, Agrippina the Elder, and his eldest brother, Nero Julius Caesar, had been persecuted under the Emperor Tiberius, exiled to remote islands, and left to die in confinement, while public mourning for them was suppressed. Immediately upon his accession in 37 AD, the young Caligula sought both to strengthen his legitimacy and symbolically rehabilitate his family by recovering and publicly honouring the ashes of his mother and of Nero, thereby distinguishing his rule from the perceived cruelty of his predecessor.

… cōnfestim Pandateriam et Pontiās ad trānsferendōs mātris frātrisque cinerēs festīnāvit, tempestāte turbidā, quō magis pietās ēminēret, adiitque venerābundus ac per sēmet in urnās condidit; nec minōre scaenā Ōstiam praefīxō in birēmis puppe vēxillō et inde Rōmam Tiberī subvectōs per splendidissimum quemque equestris ōrdinis mediō ac frequentī diē duōbus ferculīs Mausōlēō intulit, īnferiāsque is annuā religiōne pūblicē īnstituit, et eō amplius mātrī circēnsēs carpentumque quō in pompā trādūcerētur.

He immediately hastened to Pandataria and the Pontian islands to transfer the ashes of his mother and brother, in a violent storm, so that his piety might be more conspicuous, and he approached with reverence, and placed the ashes in urns with his own hands; he brought them to Ostia with a flag fastened to the stern of the galley and then up the Tiber to Rome, borne on two biers to the mausoleum by the most illustrious in the equestrian order in the busy middle of the day. And he officially established rites in honour of the dead with an annual religious observance, and furthermore, circus games for his mother, and a ceremonial carriage in which she [i.e. her image] would be escorted in the procession.

(3)

[i] … cōnfestim Pandateriam et Pontiās ad trānsferendōs mātris frātrisque cinerēs festīnāvit, | he immediately hastened to Pandataria and the Pontian islands to transfer the ashes of his mother and brother,

[ii] tempestāte turbidā, | in a violent storm,

[iii] quō magis pietās ēminēret, | so that his piety might be more conspicuous

[iv] adiitque venerābundus | and he approached with reverence,

[v] ac per sēmet in urnās condidit; | and placed the ashes in urns with his own hands;

[vi] nec minōre scaenā | and with no less theatricality

[vii] Ostiam … intulit | he brought them to Ostia

[viii] praefīxō in birēmis puppe vēxillō | with an ensign / a military flag fastened to the stern of the galley [birēmis: specifically, a ship with two banks of oars]

[ix] et inde Rōmam Tiberī, |  and then up the Tiber to Rome,

[x] subvectōs per splendidissimum quemque equestris ōrdinis | (having been) borne by the most illustrious in the equestrian order,

[xi] mediō ac frequentī diē duōbus ferculīs Mausōlēō | on two biers to the mausoleum in the middle of the day [i.e. at the time when Rome would be the most crowded]

[xii] īnferiāsque is annuā religiōne pūblicē īnstituit, | and he officially established rites in honour of the dead with an annual religious observance,

[xiii] et eō amplius | and furthermore,

[xiv] mātrī circēnsēs | games in the circus for his mother,

[xv] carpentumque quō in pompā trādūcerētur. | and a carriage in which she [i.e. her image] would be escorted in the procession.

(4)

One feature of Classical Latin writing can be its intensity. There is nothing superfluous in Suetonius’ description of Caligula’s reverential treatment of the ashes. This is a calculated theatrical display, not only of personal grief but also of imperial power and state-sanctioned family rehabilitation.

[1] Displays of ‘filial duty’, personal grief and determination:

• personal retrieval of the ashes
• undeterred by a violent storm

Bear in mind that  - although Suetonius does not state it - adverse weather conditions could imply dissatisfaction on the part of the gods (a tactic of Tacitus). Likewise, the action could convey Caligula’s manic obsession.

• reverential behaviour
• collecting the ashes personally, a powerful image since the handling of human remains would have been shocking, a cause of religious pollution especially for a Roman of such high rank.

[2] Political and military recognition:

• ashes carried by equestrian knights
• a military flag (vexillum) on, given the context, a military ship (birēmis)
• official announcement of annual public acts of worship

[3] Maximum visibility for the Romans themselves:

• the transferring of the ashes by boat along the Tiber flowing through the centre of Rome
• the timing of the event: at noon when the streets of Rome would be packed
• the celebration of his mother at the most public of events, namely the games
• the transporting of his mother’s image in a luxury carpentum

[4] In his ‘asides’ Suetonius leaves us in no doubt that all of this was carefully planned to achieve a deliberate effect and was taken to its extreme:

quō magis pietās ēminēret, | so that his piety might be more conspicuous,

nec minōre scaenā | and with no less theatricality

et eō amplius | and furthermore,

Level 4; literature; Bread and panthers … without the panthers [5]; Cicero’s reply

Laodiceae; prid. Non. Apr. 50 │ Laodicea, 4 April 50(BC) (see notes)

[1] Dē panthērīs per eōs quī vēnārī sōlent agitur mandātū meō dīligenter.  │ The matter concerning the panthers is, according to my order, being diligently attended to by those who usually hunt.

[i] agitur │ it is being done; impersonal construction = the matter is being attended to

[ii] per eōs ¦ quī vēnarī sōlent; soleō, -ere [2]: be accustomed to; by those ¦ who are accustomed to hunting = those who usually hunt = (less literally) by the usual hunters

[2] Sed mīra paucitās est, │ But there is a remarkable scarcity,

[3] et eās quae sunt valdē aiunt querī  │ and they say that those that there are complain greatly

aiunt: they say; this is known in grammar as a defective verb i.e. a verb that does not have a full set of conjugated forms. The English verb ‘can’ is defective because it has no infinitive; it is not *to can*, but ‘to be able’ i.e. defective. The Latin verb is aiō, aiere (say), but is most commonly found as ait (he/she says or said) and, here, aiunt (they say).

[4] quod nihil cuīquam īnsidiārum in meā prōvinciā nisi sibi fīat. │ because there are no traps for anything / anyone in my province apart from for them

[i] nihil īnsidiārum │ genitive after nihil = no traps; English uses a genitive with abstract nouns e.g. nothing of interest, but its English use is limited; the translation ‘no traps’ could equally be rendered as ‘nothing in the way of traps’ which is the closest equivalent to the Latin

[ii] cuīquam: dative of quisquam; this forms part of the next major topic to be covered at Level 3; quisquam is an indefinite pronoun, the English equivalent being ‘anyone / anything’ and is generally used, as here, in negative constructions: nihil cuīquam īnsidiārum │ no traps for anyone / anything

[iii] it’s a light-hearted response: the panthers are complaining that traps are only set for them i.e. they are referring back to themselves (sibi: reflexive)

[5] Itaque cōnstituisse dīcuntur in Cāriam ex nostrā prōvinciā dēcēdere. │ Therefore, they are said to have decided to depart into Caria from our province.

Cāria, -ae [1/f]: district in SW Asia Minor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caria

[6] Sed tamen sēdulō fit et in prīmīs ā Patiscō. │ Nevertheless, it is being done zealously / with great care, and especially by Patiscus.

sēdūlō: zealously; diligently; carefully

[7] Quicquid erit, tibi erit; │ Literally: whatever there is [ will be], you will have [it will be for you] i.e. However many animals there are, you will have them;

quicquid (or quidquid): whatever;  a further example of an indefinite pronoun

[8] sed quid esset plānē nesciēbāmus. │ but what [i.e. how many] there might be, I obviously don’t know.

See the notes below on this part of the sentence

Notes

[i] PRID. ¦ NON. APR. 50

(1) prid: abbreviation of prīdiē ¦  (2) NON. APR.│ (1) the day before ¦ (2) the Nones of April

See previous post: the Nones is the 5^th of April. Therefore, the letter was written on the day before the Nones / 5^th of April i.e. April 4th

[ii] sed quid esset ¦ plānē nesciēbāmus │ but what / how many there might be, I obviously don’t know

There are three points to note concerning this part of the sentence

(1) nesciēbāmus: Cicero often uses the first person plural to refer to himself

(2) nesciēbāmus: the imperfect tense is used; this is an example of epistolary tense which was discussed here:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/06/011025-level-3-epistolary-tenses-brief.html

The term epistolary tense refers to letters, and – fairly common in the letters of Cicero – it refers to a shift in the uses of tenses. We write letters using the time frame that applies to us, the writers e.g. “I’m not sure how many of those books I have, but, whatever I find, I’ll send them to you.” However, Cicero – as he does here – changes the sentence to the time perspective of the reader, one reasonable interpretation of this style being the lengthy period that would have elapsed from the time the writer in Ancient Rome dispatched the letter until the time the recipient read it i.e. whatever is happening as Cicero writes will have finished by the time the recipient reads about it.

In the example English sentence, Cicero’s epistolary style would most likely change it to “I wasn’t sure (at the time I was writing) how many of those books I had, but, whatever I found, I’ve sent them to you.” Therefore, although the literal translation is “We ( = I) didn’t know …” (because he didn’t know at the point at which the letter was received), the actual translations is “I don’t know …”

The usage isn’t consistent and it only tends to occur when referring to events happening to the speaker at the time of writing.

Both of the points discussed above are also here (refer to the notes at the end of the post):

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/06/041025-level-3-review-irregular-verbs-9.html

(3) sed quid esset ¦ plānē nesciēbāmus │ But how many there might be, I obviously don’t know.

esset is subjunctive; a further use of the subjunctive is with indirect questions e.g. Ubi est templum? │ Where is the temple i.e. a direct question > Nesciō ¦ ubi sit [subjunctive] templum │ I don’t know ¦ where the temple is i.e. an indirect question; English could convey this using an ‘equivalent’ of a subjunctive i.e. “I don’t know where the temple might be” (slightly stilted but correct)

Level 4; literature; Bread and panthers … without the panthers [4]; make a date with a Roman

Scr. Romae iv Non. Sept. a. 703 (51). CAELIVS CICERONI S. ¦ M. CAELIUS RUFUS TO CICERO, Rome, 2^nd September, 51BC

Romae (locative); at Rome

Each Roman month had three principal days:

[i] Kalendae, -ārum (Kal.): the Kalends (Calends); the first day of the month (which involves no thinking at all because it always refers to the first of the month)

[ii] Nōnae, -ārum (Non.): the Nones; [i] seventh day of March, May, July, October; [ii] fifth day of all other months

[iii] Īdūs, -uum (Id.) the Ides; [i] fifteenth day of March, May, July, October; [ii] thirteenth day of all other months; Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March i.e. the 15th

Step-by-step

IV NON. SEPT.

[1] This letter refers to the Nones of September i.e. the 5^th day of the month

[2] The preceding IV [IV NON.] refers to 4 days before and including the Nones itself, and so you start counting backwards from the Nones

Day 1: 5^th │ the Nones of September

> Day 2: 4^th of September

> Day 3: 3^rd of September

> Day 4: 2^nd of September

[3] a(nnō) 703 │ in the year 703

Romans used two different ways of expressing the year, and sometimes both are written in the same text:

[i] Consular dating: two consuls were elected each year, serving together, each with veto power over the other's actions. Roman years were customarily denoted according to the names of the two consuls who held office that year:

C. Fabiō et L. Virgīniō ¦ cōnsulibus │ During the consulship of Gaius Fabius and Lucius Virginius ¦  literally: with GF and LV ¦ (being) consuls  [ablative absolute] = while GF and LV were consuls = during the consulship of GF and LV

L. Genuciō et Q. Servīliō cōnsulibus mortuus est Camillus. │ Camillus died during the consulship of Lucius Genucius and Quintus Servilius.

From the perspective of a 21^st century reader this provides little if any further information; a UK reader may know, for example, what years a person was British Prime Minister but that historical knowledge isn’t guaranteed.

[ii] ab urbe conditā (AUC)│ from the founding of the city

The year was also calculated based on the number of years that had passed since the foundation of Rome i.e. 753BC, and, like the dates, 753 itself is included in the calculation. Therefore, whatever year is expressed, you subtract that from 754: a. 703; 754 – 703 = 51BC

In general, we need to be a little circumspect when dealing with dates referring to events 2000 years ago, and there is not always consistency and / or accuracy in calculation. In the end – despite the date appearing in one of the manuscripts of Pliny’s letter – nobody is really sure when exactly Mount Vesuvius erupted. It is now generally accepted that either Pliny was wrong (there is physical and written evidence that the eruption happened later in the year) or couldn’t remember and felt he had to write something, or a date was added or misinterpreted by a scribe. I have my own thoughts on that one, but I’ll keep them to myself until we look in detail at Pliny’s account of Vesuvius.

Level 4; literature; Bread and panthers … without the panthers [3]; text, translation with accompanying notes to lines [6] – [10]

[6] hoc vehementius labōrō nunc, quod seorsus ā collēgā putō mihi omnia paranda. │ I am all the more concerned about this now, because, apart from my colleague, I think I shall have to prepare everything.

mihi omnia paranda │ all these things (are) to be prepared ¦ by me = I need to / I shall have to prepare everything; gerundive of obligation

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/020625-level-3-gerundive-1.html

[7] amābō tē, imperā tibi hoc. cūrāre solēs libenter, ut ego maiōrem partem nihil cūrāre.  │ Please tell yourself to do this / give yourself that order. You’re usually willing to take care of things, as I for the most part take none.

[8] in hōc negōtiō nūlla tua nisi loquendī cūra est, hoc est imperandī et mandandī; │ In this business there is no concern of yours except speaking  – that is, giving an order and a commission / command.

In hōc negōtiō … │ in this business / matter …

nūlla tua … cūra est │ there is no concern of yours …

nisi loquendī (hoc est) imperandī et mandandī │ apart from that of speaking (that is / i.e.) (of) giving an order and (of) giving a commission

loquendī, imperandī and mandandī are gerunds that indicate the act of doing something

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/270525-level-3-gerund-1.html

"In this matter, you have no concern except for speaking: giving orders and commissions." To put it more casually: “All you’ve got to do is speak, order and command.”

[9] nam simulatque erunt captae, quī alant eās et dēportent ¦ habēs eōs ¦ ... │ For as soon as they (will) have been captured, ¦ you have these (men) ¦ who will feed and transport them …

…quī alant eās et dēportent; again, this is another example of a subjunctive of purpose; with quī it is used when, for example, saying that somebody has been sent to do something; Cicero already has men there ¦ who will feed and transport the animals i.e. that is their purpose

[10] putō etiam, sī ūllam spem mihi litterīs ostenderis, mē istō missūrum aliōs. │ I think also that, if you show [ = will have shown] me any hope in your letters, I shall send others (other men) to where you are / to your place.

[i] putō … mē … missūrum │ I think … ¦ I shall / am going to send; future active infinitive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/06/250925-level-3-grammar-of-things-to.html

[ii] istō: to the place where you are; iste, ista, istud (that) refers to something near the person being addressed

Personal comments:

There’s a sense of frustration on the part of Caelius; this isn’t the first time he’s mentioned the matter. While wild animals have been supplied to him from another source, he clearly doesn’t have enough to stage the extravaganza he has in mind. The political position of curule aedile is not insignificant: does Caelius have his eyes of the prize of a consulship?

One feels that Caelius is pressurising Cicero, referring to a local go-between (Patiscus) who sent panthers to the tribune Curio (one of Cicero’s friends) who, in turn, gave them to Caelius as a gift; in the political machinations of Ancient Rome, ‘gifts’ matter – including (somewhat sarcastically expressed) estates in the countryside – and if others can do all that, why can’t Cicero? Cicero himself, in Caelius’ view, will consider it disgraceful (turpe) that he has been unable not merely to match the number of animals already supplied but, indeed, significantly to increase it, which does read as if Caelius is embarrassing him although others interpret the exchange as light-hearted.

Cicero, according to Caelius, has more than enough authority – and offers a little praise of Cicero’s usual willingness to make arrangements – to order this without taking any direct action himself i.e. no effort required on the part of Cicero and, by his own admission, Caelius is not keen on the idea of sorting things out without assistance (and would possibly prefer not lifting a finger to do anything at all). Nevertheless, there are already men in the vicinity on financial matters (a reference omitted in the excerpt here) who can support Cicero in feeding and transporting the animals: quī alant eās et dēportent ¦ habēs eōs │ you have those men to feed and transport them. And Caelius does offer additional assistance when the panthers are caught.

What I find fascinating about this letter, is the importance attached to the hunting show, that Caelius has referred to the animals several times before and has already considered ways in which they can be looked after – and he knows where they can be caught. Panthers, rather than policy, seem to be the concern of this rather pushy political ladder climber. According to Jones and Sidwell, Caelius had been recently elected to this post which, undoubtedly, made it crucial to give a first-rate impression to the spectators of Rome.

I can’t help feeling that, if British politicians were to stage some freebie gladiatorial shows, their ratings would go up – because, as I write, they couldn’t be any lower! Furthermore, if they gave me an estate in the countryside, they’d get my vote.

Freebies, backhanders, use your mate’s influence, be pushy, get someone else to do it, keep the “mob” happy. Sarcasm alert: of course, they’re all things that happened in the past, right? I mean, they don’t happen now, do they?

Level 4; literature; Bread and panthers … without the panthers [2]; text, translation with accompanying notes to lines [1] – [5]

Scr. Romae iv Non. Sept. a. 703 (51). CAELIVS CICERONI S. ¦ M. CAELIUS RUFUS TO CICERO, Rome, 2^nd September, 51BC

[1] ferē litterīs omnibus tibi dē panthērīs scrīpsī. │ In almost every letter I have written to you about panthers.

[2] turpe tibi erit ¦ Patiscum Cūriōnī decem panthērās mīsisse, ¦ tē nōn multīs partibus plūrīs; │ It will be a disgrace to you ¦ that Patiscus has sent ten panthers to Curio, (and) ¦ that you haven’t (sent) many times more.

[i] mīsisse: to have sent; perfect active infinitive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/07/191025-level-3-spartan-boys-contempt-of.html

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/020925-level-3-sonnenschein-pro-patria.html

[ii] Patiscus: research suggests that Patiscus was an agent working locally for Caelius to obtain panthers and, most likely, other exotic animals

[iii] Curiō i.e. Gaius Scribonius Curio: Roman politician

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Scribonius_Curio_(tribune_50_BC)

[3] quās ipsās Cūriō mihi et aliās Āfricānās decem dōnāvit │ and these very ones (i.e. beasts), as well as ten other African ones, Curio has presented to me,

quās: connecting relative; it starts the sentence and is referring back to something mentioned in the previous one. Therefore, it does not translate as ‘which’ but ‘And these … (i.e. the animals referred to in the earlier statement)

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/270625-level-3-labours-of-hercules-iii.html [note (3)]

[4]  … nē pūtēs ¦ illum tantum praedia rūstica dare scīre. │ so that you don’t think ¦ that he only knows how to give (gifts of) estates in the country

[i] nē + the subjunctive: the subjunctive is used to express the purpose of an action i.e. x does something ¦ in order that / so that y may happen; when nē is included, it indicates a negative purpose i.e. something is done ¦ so that something does not happen

[ii] …illum … scīre; indirect statement

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/05/310825-level-1-readings-18-damocles.html

[5] tū sī modo memoriā tenueris et Cibyrātās arcessieris itemque in Pamphȳliam litterās miseris (nam ibi plūrīs cāpī aiunt), quod volēs efficiēs. │ If only you keep (this) in mind / remember (this) [ = literally: if you will have kept in mind], and send for [ = will have sent for] some (panthers) from Cibyra, and likewise send [ = will have sent]  a letter to Pamphylia – for they say they’re mostly captured there – you’ll achieve what you want.

[i] Note in this section the use of the future perfect tense which emphasises the completion of a future action; in English the literal translation sounds clumsy, but English can convey this idea e.g. If you paint the dining room by Tuesday, we can have the party = If you’ve painted the dining room = If you’ve got the dining room painted … i.e. English can use a present perfect tense to stress completion, whereas Latin uses the future perfect:

[ii] item: likewise

[iii] Pamphȳlia, -ae [1/f]: a region in Asia Minor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphylia

image #1: 15^th century map showing Pamphylia

[iv] Cibyra, -ae [1/f]: a town in SE Asia Minor; also: Kibyra (Gk. Κίβυρα)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cibyra

image #2: the Roman theatre of Cibyra; if the panthers had been there, I wouldn’t have booked a seat on the front row!

Images #3 and #4: the stadium at Cibyra and a representation of a gladiatorial scene

Level 4; literature; Bread and panthers … without the panthers [1]; text and translation

 Caelius is worried. If you want to “get on” in Rome, if you want to climb the political ladder (cursus honōrum), keep the people happy. Give them bread, and give them free shows to let them see what a generous guy you are. Apart from gladiators, the Romans were treated to vēnātiōnes (hunting shows) where men (hunters: vēnātōrēs) would fight wild animals [see image]. The only problem is that, if you don’t have wild animals, you ain’t got no show!

The introduction to this excerpt is from Reading Latin by Jones and Sidwell (pp239ff); the translation, vocabulary and notes are my own. The extensive work by Jones and Sidwell is outstanding: they cover short and manageable excerpts from a wide range of Latin literature of different periods and genres; although there are three separate books, the ‘Text and Vocabulary’ can stand alone. Texts are accompanied by notes which contextualise the excerpts and, by working through the book (which starts with Plautus), you gain insight into significant events. I went through the book from start to finish, and I found it extremely helpful in beginning to find my way through the authors. I would recommend buying the latest edition of this book although an older, and far less detailed edition is at:

https://archive.org/details/jones-peter-sidwell-keith-reading-latin/mode/2up

Image: the text and my own translation

I’ve divided the post itself into three parts:

[i] text and translation

[ii] text, translation with accompanying notes to lines [1] – [5]

[iii] text, translation with accompanying notes to lines [6] – [10]

Links are given to aspects of Level 3 grammar that have been covered earlier. References will be made to the use of the subjunctive without, at this stage, going into detail.

“Caelius was elected curule aedile, an important step on the cursus honōrum. One of his new duties was to stage public games. Caelius became anxious about the animals to appear in the vēnātiōnes (wild animal hunts).  He was eager to increase his prestige by putting on an extravagant show. So he wrote to Cicero requesting help. He had already made several mentions of these animals in earlier letters.” (Jones and Sidwell)

Scr. Romae iv Non. Sept. a. 703 (51). CAELIVS CICERONI S.

ferē litterīs omnibus tibi dē panthērīs scrīpsī. turpe tibi erit Patiscum Cūriōnī decem panthērās mīsisse, tē nōn multīs partibus plūrīs; quās ipsās Cūriō mihi et aliās Āfricānās decem dōnāvit, nē putēs illum tantum praedia rūstica dare scīre. tū sī modo memoriā tenueris et Cibyrātās arcessieris itemque in Pamphȳliam litterās miseris (nam ibi plūrīs cāpī aiunt), quod volēs efficiēs. hoc vehementius labōrō nunc, quod seorsus ā collēgā putō mihi omnia paranda. amābō tē, imperā tibi hoc. cūrāre solēs libenter, ut ego maiōrem partem nihil cūrāre. in hōc negōtiō nūlla tua nisi loquendī cūra est, hoc est imperandī et mandandī; nam simulatque erunt captae, quī alant eās et dēportent habēs eōs… putō etiam, sī ūllam spem mihi litterīs ostenderis, mē istō missūrum aliōs.

M. CAELIUS RUFUS TO CICERO, Rome, 2^nd September, 51BC

I’ve written to you about panthers in almost every letter. You’ll find it disgraceful that Patiscus has sent ten panthers to Curio and you haven’t sent far, far more. And those very beasts, as well as ten others from Africa, Curio’s given to me as a gift, so you don’t think that he only knows how to give gifts of country estates. If only you bear this in mind, and send for some (panthers) from Cybyra, and likewise send a letter to Pamphylia –  for they say they’re mostly captured there – you’ll manage to do what you want. I’m getting increasingly concerned about this now, because, apart from my colleague, I think I’ll have to prepare everything. Please tell yourself to do this. You’re usually willing to take care of things, in the same way that I mostly take none. In this business all you have to do is speak, that is, give an order and a commission, for as soon as they’ve been captured, you have the men to feed and transport them .. If you offer me any hope in your letters, I even think I’ll send others to where you are.