Page 113 - Manual of Roman Everyday Writing Volume 2: Writing Equipment

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