Letters to Atticus Passage 4

haec illo vivo. post interitum autem Caesaris, ut primum ex senatus consulto causas consules cognoscere instituerunt, haec quae supra scripsi ad eos delata sunt. probaverunt causam sine ulla dubitatione seque ad te litteras daturos esse dixerunt. ego autem, mi Plance, etsi non dubitabam quin et senatus consultum et lex et consulum decretum ac litterae apud te plurimum auctoritatis haberent teque ipsius Attici causa velle intellexeram, tamen hoc pro coniunctione et benevolentia nostra mihi sumpsi ut id a te peterem quod tua singularis humanitas suavissimique mores a te essent impetraturi. id autem est ut hoc quod te tua sponte facturum esse certo scio honoris nostri causa libenter, prolixe, celeriter facias.

That was while Caesar lived. After his death, as soon as the consuls began, under a decree of the Senate, to hear the relevant cases, the matters I described above were brought before them. They approved the case without any hesitation and said that they would send you a letter. My dear Plancus, although I did not doubt that the senatorial decree, the law, the consuls' decision, and their letter would carry the greatest authority with you, and although I understood that you wished to act for Atticus' own sake, I have nevertheless taken it upon myself, in view of our close connection and goodwill, to ask of you what your exceptional kindness and most agreeable character would themselves obtain from you. My request is that, out of regard for me, you should gladly, fully, and swiftly do what I know for certain you would do of your own accord.

Voilà ce qui se passa de son vivant. Après la mort de César, dès que les consuls, en vertu du sénatus-consulte, commencèrent à examiner les causes, les faits que je viens d’exposer leur furent soumis. Ils reconnurent sans aucune hésitation le bien-fondé de la cause et dirent qu’ils t’écriraient. Pour ma part, mon cher Plancus, je ne doutais pas que le sénatus-consulte, la loi, le décret et la lettre des consuls eussent auprès de toi la plus grande autorité, et j’avais compris que tu voulais agir ainsi en considération d’Atticus lui-même. J’ai néanmoins cru pouvoir, au nom de notre union et de notre affection, te demander ce que ton humanité singulière et la douceur de ton caractère auraient obtenu de toi à elles seules : accomplis volontiers, généreusement et promptement, par égard pour moi, ce que je sais avec certitude que tu feras spontanément.