libertis minus lautis servisque

itaque

Member

I am translating a letter from Cicero to Atticus (13.52), which contains the following:
praetera tribus tricliniis accepti comites eius valde copiose. libertis minus lautis servisque nihil defuit. nam lautiores eleganter accepi. ... hospes tamen non is cui diceres 'amabo te, eodem ad me cum revertere'
Here is my attempted translation:
Moreover, the companions of his [were] received in three triclinia, very lavishly. Nothing was left wanting by the freedman and the grand servants. For I received the more fashionable [ones] elegantly. ... But he (Caesar) [is] not a guest to whom you would say, "Please, when you return, [come] to me by the same [way]."
Here are my questions:
  1. I inserted a number of words to complete Cicero's sentences: does this seem correct?
  2. Is comites eius ("companions of his") equivalent to ei comites ("his companions")? I have had this question a long time.
  3. Is "grand servants" correct, or am I missing something?
  4. I neglected the word minus here; how is this to be translated?
 

Laurentius

Civis Illustris

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Location:
Lago Duria
Minus lautis in opposed to laudiores, it basically means the opposite. The thread title sentence means that they didn't lack anything, not that they were serving and didn't leave anything to be desired. Ei comites doesn't mean his companions. Servants here has no adjective. About the words you added, I don't know what you are talking about.
 

itaque

Member

Minus lautis in opposed to laudiores, it basically means the opposite. The thread title sentence means that they didn't lack anything, not that they were serving and didn't leave anything to be desired. Ei comites doesn't mean his companions. Servants here has no adjective. About the words you added, I don't know what you are talking about.
Could you explain more? What is the literal translation of libertis minus lautis servisque? Is the adjective lautis attached to libertis?

Also, what is the meaning of ei comites? Can ei not be used as an adjective?
 

Laurentius

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Lago Duria
Could you explain more? What is the literal translation of libertis minus lautis servisque? Is the adjective lautis attached to libertis?

Also, what is the meaning of ei comites? Can ei not be used as an adjective?
Yes it refers to libertis, not sure what it means but in general I'd take it as "noble, elegant, sumptuous". Ei comites is not present in the text, not sure why you are so fixated on that but ei can be a masculine plural of is ea id.
 
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