Letters to Atticus Passage 1

patrem tuum plurimi feci meque ille mirifice et coluit et amavit; nec me hercule umquam mihi dubium fuit quin a te diligerer; ego quidem id facere non destiti. quam ob rem peto a te in maiorem modum ut civitatem Buthrotiam subleves decretumque consulum quod ii secundum Buthrotios fecerunt, cum et lege et senatus consulto statuendi potestatem haberent, des operam ut Plancus noster quam primum confirmet et comprobet. hoc te vehementer, mi Cupienni, etiam atque etiam rogo.

I held your father in the highest regard, and he treated me with extraordinary respect and affection. By Hercules, I have never doubted that you cared for me, and I for my part have never ceased to care for you. I therefore ask you most earnestly to bring relief to the community of Buthrotum and to see that our friend Plancus confirms and approves as soon as possible the decision the consuls made in favor of the people of Buthrotum, since they possessed the power of determination under both a law and a decree of the Senate. My dear Cupiennius, I earnestly ask you again and again to do this.

J’ai tenu ton père en très haute estime, et il m’a témoigné une considération et une affection extraordinaires. Par Hercule, je n’ai jamais douté non plus de ton attachement pour moi ; pour ma part, je n’ai cessé de t’aimer. C’est pourquoi je te demande avec la plus grande insistance de secourir la cité de Buthrote et de veiller à ce que notre cher Plancus confirme et approuve au plus vite le décret rendu en faveur des Buthrotiens par les consuls, qui tenaient de la loi et du sénatus-consulte le pouvoir de statuer. Mon cher Cupiennius, je te le demande instamment, encore et encore.