Letter coll=A:book=12:letter=16 Letter LXXII: ad Atticum 12.16
Astura, Mar. 10, 45 B.C.
The death of his only daughter, Tullia, in the latter part of Feb., 45, robbed Cicero of the one person to whom he was deeply attached, and left him inconsolable. He betook himself at once to a house belonging to Atticus, near Rome, and then in a short time to his solitary villa upon the island of Astura, where he remained alone, writing daily letters to Atticus (Att. 12.9-44), and receiving letters of condolence from Sulpicius, Dolabella, and others. Cf. also Intr. 51, 53.
nunc ipsum, at this very moment. With this meaning, precisely or just, ipsum is now and then found with adverbs of time; cf. nunc ipsum non dubitabo rem tantam abicere, Att. 7.3.2; ne tum ipsum accideret, etc., de Or. 1.123.
tuae domi: where he remained for a short time after Tullia's death.
poteram: sc. esse.
Philippus: L. Marcius Philippus, the stepfather of Augustus, had a villa in the neighborhood; cf. Att. 12.18.1.
scriptio et litterae : not letter-writing, but literary work. Cf. Intr. 51.
obturbant: a colloquial substitute for turbare; cf. Intr. 78. In his letters only, according to Stinner, Cicero admits the following compounds of ob-: obduro, oblanifuesco, obtendo, and occalesco.