Select Letters; Ed., with Notes and a Vocabulary (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1905. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... NOTES. SELECTION I. Page 1. Cicero Attico Sal. The most common form of epistolary greeting consisted of the writer's cognomen in the nominative, as here (Cicero), the receiver's cognomen in the dative (Attico), and the word Salutem, commonly abbreviated to Sal., or S., an accusative, object of the verb dicit, which was usually omitted. This was but one of the many forms of greeting, all having the writer's name in the nominative and the receiver's name in the dative, but marked by a different choice or combination of nomen, praenomen, cognomen, and by the use of additional words and titles in the address, according to the degree of formality or intimacy which the writer desired to express. Illustrations of this difference will be observed in the greetings occurring in this book. 1. L. Iulio Caesare . . . Terentia: On the day that Lucius Julius Caesar and Gaius Marcius Figulus were elected consuls be it known that I was blessed with a little son and Terentia is doing well. The apparent meaning of the passage is "in the consulship of Caesar and Figulus," i.e. in the year 64 B.c.; but the following statements concerning the trial of Catiline and Cicero's own canvass help to show that the events belong to the year 05 and that designates is omitted after consulibus, i.e. consuls-elect. Atticus, of course, knew the particular day in July that had been set for the consular election that year and was eagerly awaiting the returns. Cicero, therefore, humorously announces, in one brief sentence, the results of the election and the birth of his son. The omission of designatis, under the circumstances, adds to the humor, without leaving the meaning ambiguous. 2. Terentia: Cicero's wife Terentia was a lady of distinguished ancestry and considerable wealth, and in marrying her...