Letter coll=F:book=7:letter=24 Letter LXXXI: ad familiares 7.24
Tusculum, about Aug. 20, 45 B.C.
For Fadius, see Ep. IV. introd. note.
[sect. 1]
vestigia: sc. sunt.
vel, for instance.
Tigellio: the singer whom Horace dubs Sardus Tigellius (Sat. 1.3.3) from his birthplace, Sardinia, a favorite of Julius Caesar in Cicero's time, and later of Octavianus. Cf. Hor. Sat. 1.2 and 3.
Cipius [gap in text] dormio: Cipius, as the story goes (cf. Festus), was in the habit of feigning sleep, but when on a certain occasion a slave attempted to steal one of his master's cups, Cipius started up, saying, non omnibus dormio.
opinor: probably a case of genuine uncertainty concerning the name, but cf. Hector Naevianus, Ep. XVIII.7n.
olim, once upon a time.
sic [gap in text] servio: he may find it necessary to be Caesar's slave, but he will not be the slave of every one of Caesar's household. Cicero apparently uses the same story in the same connection inAtt. 13. 49.2 (written about the same time as this letter), where, however, the name of Cipius is omitted.
olim: sc. before Caesar's assumption of power.
ab ullis: sc. observabar, from observor.
a familiarissimis: Gallus had evidently expressed the fear that Tigellius, who was angry at Cicero, might use his influence with Caesar against him. Cicero therefore assures Gallus that there has been no change in Caesar's attitude to him. Cicero's remark here harmonizes with statements made a year before; cf. Ep. LXI. 2.
pestilentiorem patria sua: cf. Ep. XVI. (end) n.
eumque praeconio, and I think he has by this time been disposed of at the Hipponactean estimate put upon him by Calvus Licinius.
Calvi Licini: Gaius Licinius Macer Calvus was known equally well as an orator (cf., e.g., Cic. Brut. 280, 283) and as a poet (cf., e.g., Sen. Contr. 7.4.7). The different tendencies in oratory which Cicero and Calvus represented led apparently to a correspondence between them (cf. Tac. Dial. 18). As a poet, Calvus belonged to the νεώτεροι, (Att. 7.2. 1), and was an intimate friend of Catullus, the leading representative of that school. He died about 47 B.C.
; cf. Fam. 15.21.4. Calvus had assailed Tigellius in a poem, the first verse of which, preserved by Porphyrio (Hor. Sat. 1.3.4), is as follows: Sardi Tigelli putidum caput venit (from veneo). On the order Calvi Licini, cf. Galli Canini, Ep. XIX.4n.
Hipponacteo: Hipponax was a Greek writer of lampoons.
praeconio: the setting forth by an auctioneer of the merits of his wares; suggested by the line from Calvus.