Letter coll=A:book=4:letter=4b Letter XVII: ad Atticum 4.4b
Antium, June, 56 B.C.
[sect. 1]
perbelle: upon per in compounds, cf. Intr. 77. Bellefacis, bene facis, etc., are colloquial phrases to express gratitude. Cf. bene benigneque arbitror te facere, Plaut. Most. 816; bene hercle factum et habeo vobis gratiam, Plaut. Rud. 835.
Tyrannionis: a grammarian and teacher who was brought to Rome as a prisoner by L. Lucullus. He was at one time tutor of the young Cicero. His services in arranging Cicero's books are mentioned inAtt. 4.8A; Q. fr. 3.4.5, and Ep. XXIII. 6 also. The place in which this letter was written is determined by comparing it with Att. 4.8 A.
tuis librariolis: cf. Intr. 58. Some of Cicero's works were probably published by Atticus; cf. Att. 2.1.2 tu, si tibi placuerit liber, curabis ut et Athenis sit et in ceteris oppidis Graeciae.
duos aliquos: an indefinite small number; cf. Cic. de Fin. 2.62 tres aliqui aut quattuor.
glutinatoribus: strips of papyrus from 8 to 14 inches long and 3 to 12 inches wide were pasted together glutinare) at the sides in the proper order after they had been written upon. A stick was fastened to the last sheet, and on this the book was rolled into a volumen. The ends of the stick were furnished with knobs (cornua); to the upper one was attached a strip of parchment containing the title (index). Cf. Birt, Das antike Buchwesen, 242.
glutinatoribus [gap in text] administris: for the asyndeton, cf. Intr. 94, and Draeg. Hist. Syn. II. '93 f.
