Page 112 - Manual of Roman Everyday Writing Volume 2: Writing Equipment

112| MANUAL OF ROMAN EVERYDAY WRITING
Catullus 1.1–2:
Cui dono lepidum novum libellum / arido modo pumice expolitum?
To whom am I to present my pretty new book, freshly smoothed
off with dry pumice-stone?
(Transl. F. W. Cornish, J. P. Postgate, J. W. Mackail. Loeb)
Catullus 14.17–20:
Nam, si luxerit, ad librariorum / curram scrinia, Caesios, Aquinos, /
Suffenum, omnia colligam venena, / ac te his suppliciis remunerabor.
For let the morning only come—I will be off to the shelves of
the booksellers, sweep together Caesii, Aquini, Suffenus, and
all such poisonous stuff, and with these penalties will I pay you
back for your gift.
(Transl. F. W. Cornish, J. P. Postgate, J. W. Mackail. Loeb)
Catullus 22.4–8:
Puto esse ego illi milia aut decem aut plura / perscripta, nec sic ut fit
in palimpsesto / relata: chartae regiae, novi libri, / novi umbilici, lora
rubra, membranae, / derecta plumbo, et pumice omnia aequata.
I suppose he has got some ten thousand or even more written
out in full, and not, as is often done, put down on used sheets;
imperial paper, new rolls, new bosses, red ties, parchment
wrappers; all ruled with lead and smoothed with pumice.
(Transl. F. W. Cornish, J. P. Postgate, J. W. Mackail. Loeb)
Catullus 68.33–36:
Nam, quod scriptorum non magna est copia apud me, / hoc fit, quod
Romae vivimus: illa domus, / illa mihi sedes, illic mea carpitur aetas; /
huc una ex multis capsula me sequitur.
For as for my not having plenty of authors at hand, that is
because I live at Rome: that is my home, that is my abode, there
my life is spent; when I come here only one small box out of
many attends me.
(Transl. F. W. Cornish, J. P. Postgate, J. W. Mackail. Loeb)
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Cicero, Letters to Atticus 4.4a.1:
Perbelle feceris si ad nos veneris. offendes dissignationem Tyrannionis
mirificam librorum meorum, quorum reliquiae multo meliores sunt
quam putaram. et velim mihi mittas de tuis librariolis duos aliquos
quibus Tyrannio utatur glutinatoribus, ad cetera administris, iisque
imperes ut sumant membranulam ex qua indices fiant, quos vos Graeci,
ut opinor, σιττύβας appellatis.
It will be delightful of you to pay us a visit. You will find that
Tyrannio has made a wonderful job of arranging my books. What
is left of them is much better than I had expected. And I should
be grateful if you would send me a couple of your library clerks
to help Tyrannio with the gluing and other operations, and tell
them to bring a bit of parchment for the labels, sittybae as I
believe you Greeks call them.
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb)
Cicero, Letters to Atticus 4.5.4:
Bibliothecam mihi tui pinxerunt cum structione et sittybis. eos velim
laudes.
Your people have painted my library together with the bookcases
and labels. Please commend them.
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb)
Cicero, Letters to Quintus 2.13.2:
Modo mihi date Britanniam, quam pingam coloribus tuis, penicillo
meo.
All you have to do is to give me Britain to paint. I’ll use your
colours with my brush.
(Transl. D. R. Shackleton Bailey, Loeb)
Cicero, Letters to Quintus 2.14 [15b].1:
Calamo bono et atramento temperato, charta etiam dentata, res agetur;
scribis enim te meas litteras superiores vix legere potuisse, in quo nihil
eorum, mi frater, fuit, quae putas; neque enim occupatus eram neque
perturbatus nec iratus alicui, sed hoc facio semper, ut, quicunque
calamus in manus meas venerit, eo sic utar, tamquam bono.
This time it will be quality pen and well-mixed ink and ivory-