Letters to Atticus Passage 2

litterae vero tuae cum amantissime tum honorificentissime scriptae sic me adfecerunt ut non dare tibi beneficium viderer sed accipere a te ita petente ut inimicum meum, necessarium tuum me invito servare nolles, cum id nullo negotio facere posses.

Your letter, written with the utmost affection and respect, affected me so deeply that I seemed not to be granting you a favour but receiving one from you. You asked in such a way that you were unwilling, against my wishes, to save an enemy of mine who is your associate, although you could have done so without difficulty.

Ta lettre, écrite avec autant d’affection que de respect, m’a touché au point qu’en t’accordant cette faveur il me semblait non pas te donner, mais recevoir de toi, puisque tu me demandais de telle manière que tu refusais, malgré le pouvoir que tu en avais, de sauver contre ma volonté mon ennemi, qui est ton proche.