Ad Antoninum Imp* et invicem, liber I - Commentary
Epistula 1.3
pullulos: from pullulus, i, m. “little chickadee”. Typically used as a term of endearment.
libentissime: “most gladly, cheerfully”.
prorsus: syncopated adverb from proversus. “straightway”.
compendium: “shortening, short cut”.
Lorium: Lorium was an ancient village in Etruria, 12 miles west of Rome on the Via Aurelia. Emperor Antonius Pius was educated and built a palace there. Lorium also became a favorite spot for Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Fronto himself also seems to have had a villa there (cf. ad Caesarem 3.21).
lubricae: from lubricus, a, um. “slippery, dangerous”.
clivorum: from clivus, i, m. “an ascending road, ascent”.
exadvorsum: archaic spelling of exadversus, an adverb meaning “opposite to, facing”. This seems to be a reference to Fronto seeing Antonius in front of him in the form of a letter. For more on the epistolary trope of the letter as the physical presence of the sender, see Stowers (1986) pp.29, 35, 38, 58-60, 65-69, 78, 144. Cf. also Seneca Ep. 40.1, Cicero ad Fam. 3.11.2
locupletius: from locuples, locupletis. “more richly”. The sense here is that Fronto can ‘see’ Antonius more richly than simply in Antonius’ letter because wherever he looks, he sees Antonius’ children, who resemble Antonius.
salubri: from salubris, e. “healthy, sound”.
alter . . . alter: “the one . . . the other”.
panem candidum . . . cibarium: panis candidus was a white bread made from wheatmeal, whereas panis cibarius was a tougher bread made from barley.
regius: adj. “regal, royal”
prognatus: adj. “descended”
sator: from sator, satoris, m. “begetter, father”
salva: 2nd, sing., present, imperative, from salvo, salvare: to save.
sata: perfect, passive, participle from sero, serere: to sow.
seges: from seges, segetis, f. “soil, ground”.
voculas: diminutive from vox, vocis. Diminutives in Latin are formed by adding the suffixes –ulus, -olus (after a vowel), culus, ellus, or illus to the stem of the noun (Allen and Greenough §243).
quo pacto: “how”
pipulo: from pipulum, i, n. “chirping, peeping”.
adgnoscerem: from adgnosco, ere: to recognize.
experiere: syncopated 2nd singular for experieris.
pro te: “in place of you”
pullulos: from pullulus, i, m. “little chickadee”. Typically used as a term of endearment.
libentissime: “most gladly, cheerfully”.
prorsus: syncopated adverb from proversus. “straightway”.
compendium: “shortening, short cut”.
Lorium: Lorium was an ancient village in Etruria, 12 miles west of Rome on the Via Aurelia. Emperor Antonius Pius was educated and built a palace there. Lorium also became a favorite spot for Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Fronto himself also seems to have had a villa there (cf. ad Caesarem 3.21).
lubricae: from lubricus, a, um. “slippery, dangerous”.
clivorum: from clivus, i, m. “an ascending road, ascent”.
exadvorsum: archaic spelling of exadversus, an adverb meaning “opposite to, facing”. This seems to be a reference to Fronto seeing Antonius in front of him in the form of a letter. For more on the epistolary trope of the letter as the physical presence of the sender, see Stowers (1986) pp.29, 35, 38, 58-60, 65-69, 78, 144. Cf. also Seneca Ep. 40.1, Cicero ad Fam. 3.11.2
locupletius: from locuples, locupletis. “more richly”. The sense here is that Fronto can ‘see’ Antonius more richly than simply in Antonius’ letter because wherever he looks, he sees Antonius’ children, who resemble Antonius.
salubri: from salubris, e. “healthy, sound”.
alter . . . alter: “the one . . . the other”.
panem candidum . . . cibarium: panis candidus was a white bread made from wheatmeal, whereas panis cibarius was a tougher bread made from barley.
regius: adj. “regal, royal”
prognatus: adj. “descended”
sator: from sator, satoris, m. “begetter, father”
salva: 2nd, sing., present, imperative, from salvo, salvare: to save.
sata: perfect, passive, participle from sero, serere: to sow.
seges: from seges, segetis, f. “soil, ground”.
voculas: diminutive from vox, vocis. Diminutives in Latin are formed by adding the suffixes –ulus, -olus (after a vowel), culus, ellus, or illus to the stem of the noun (Allen and Greenough §243).
quo pacto: “how”
pipulo: from pipulum, i, n. “chirping, peeping”.
adgnoscerem: from adgnosco, ere: to recognize.
experiere: syncopated 2nd singular for experieris.
pro te: “in place of you”
Epistula 1.4
filiolos: diminutive of filius, i, m. Diminutives in Latin are formed by adding the suffixes –ulus, -olus (after a vowel), culus, ellus, or illus to the stem of the noun (Allen and Greenough §243).
mi: irregular vocative of the adjective meus, a, um.
parvolos: diminutive of the adjective parvus, a, um. For the formation, see above note on filiolos.
amasti: syncopated perfect of ama(vi)sti.
scriptites: Iterative form of the verb scribo, scribere. Iterative verbs denote a repeated action and can be translated “keep ____ing”. They are formed by adding the infixes –to (after a vowel) or –ito to the supine stem of the verb (Allen and Greenough §263.2). In this instance the –ito infix is attached to the supine script-um.
volt: archaic form of vult.
impetrem: from impetro, impetrare: to get, obtain.
nepotem: from nepos, nepotis, m. “grandson”.
saluta: 2nd, sing., present, imperative, from saluto, salutare: to greet, say ‘hi’ to.
filiolos: diminutive of filius, i, m. Diminutives in Latin are formed by adding the suffixes –ulus, -olus (after a vowel), culus, ellus, or illus to the stem of the noun (Allen and Greenough §243).
mi: irregular vocative of the adjective meus, a, um.
parvolos: diminutive of the adjective parvus, a, um. For the formation, see above note on filiolos.
amasti: syncopated perfect of ama(vi)sti.
scriptites: Iterative form of the verb scribo, scribere. Iterative verbs denote a repeated action and can be translated “keep ____ing”. They are formed by adding the infixes –to (after a vowel) or –ito to the supine stem of the verb (Allen and Greenough §263.2). In this instance the –ito infix is attached to the supine script-um.
volt: archaic form of vult.
impetrem: from impetro, impetrare: to get, obtain.
nepotem: from nepos, nepotis, m. “grandson”.
saluta: 2nd, sing., present, imperative, from saluto, salutare: to greet, say ‘hi’ to.