marital conflict - cicero and atticus - texts 4 and 5

Question 1

quod ad me scribis de sorore tua

Answer 1

as for what you write to me about your sister,

Question 2

testis erit tibi ipsa quantae mihi curae fuerit

Answer 2

she will bear witness to you how much effort I have made

Question 3

ut Quinti fratris animus in eam esset is qui esse deberet

Answer 3

that my brother Quintus has her on his mind- as he ought to !

Question 4

quem cum esse offensiorem abritrarer

Answer 4

since I thought that he was more at fault,

Question 5

eas litteras ad eum misi

Answer 5

I sent this letter to him

Question 6

quibus et placarem ut fratrem et monerum ut minorem

Answer 6

to appease him as my brother, to advise him as my junior

Question 7

et obiurgarem ut errantem

Answer 7

and to scold him as a wrongdoer

Question 8

itque ex iis quae postea saepe ab eo ad me scripta sunt

Answer 8

therefore from (the letters) which have often since been written by him to me

Question 9

confido ita esse omnia ut et oporteat et velimus

Answer 9

i trust that everything is both as it should be and as we would wish

Question 10

postridie ex Arpinati profecti sumus . . .

Answer 10

On the next day, we set off from Arpinum

Question 11

prandimus in Arcano (nosti hunc fundum).

Answer 11

We had lunch at Arcanum (you remember this farm)

Question 12

quo ut venimus, humanissime Quintus,

Answer 12

When we arrived there, most compassionate Quintus,

Question 13

‘Pomponia,’ inquit, ‘tu invita mulieres, ego vero accivero pueros’;

Answer 13

‘Pomponia’ he said ‘you invite the women, I will send for the slaves.’

Question 14

nihil potuit, mihi quidem ut visum est,

Answer 14

Nothing could, at least it seemed so to me,

Question 15

dulcius idque verbis tum etiam animo ac vultu.

Answer 15

be sweeter not only in words but also in his thoughts and his expression.

Question 16

at illa audientibus nobis ‘ego ipsa sum’ inquit ‘hic hospita’;

Answer 16

But she, with us listening, said ‘I am a guest here myself’;

Question 17

id autem ex eo, ut opinor, quod antecesserat Statius

Answer 17

It is because of this, I think, that Statius had gone ahead

Question 18

ut prandium nobis videret.

Answer 18

to see to lunch for us.

Question 19

tum Quintus, ‘en,’ inquit mihi, ‘haec ego patior cotidie.’

Answer 19

Then Quintus said to me ‘Look- I endure these things every day.’

Question 20

dices ‘quid quaeso istuc erat?’

Answer 20

You will say ‘how bad is that really?’

Question 21

magnum; idque me ipsum commoverat;

Answer 21

Very (bad); she has affected even me.

Question 22

sic absurde et aspere verbis vultuque responderat.

Answer 22

She had responded with such harsh and absurd words and expression;

Question 23

dissimulavi dolens.

Answer 23

I hid my annoyance.

Question 24

discubuimus omnes praeter illam,

Answer 24

We all sat down for dinner except her.

Question 25

cui tamen Quintus de mensa misit; illa reiecit.

Answer 25

Quintus sent (dishes) from the table to her; she refused them.

Question 26

quid multa?

Answer 26

What else can I say?

Question 27

nihil meo fratre lenius, nihil asperius tua sorore mihi visum est . . .

Answer 27

I have never seen anyone more gentle than my brother, nor anyone harsher than your sister.

Question 28

ego inde Aquinum.

Answer 28

Then I went to Aquinum;

Question 29

Quintus in Arcano remansit

Answer 29

Quintus remained in Arcanum,

Question 30

et in Aquinum ad me postridie mane venit

Answer 30

and came to me the next morning in Aquinum.

Question 31

mihique narravit nec secum illam dormire voluisse

Answer 31

And he told me that she did not want to sleep with him

Question 32

et cum discessura esset fuisse eius modi qualem ego vidissem.

Answer 32

and when she was about to leave, she behaved in the same way that I had seen.