In his correspondence with his secretary and confidant Tiro, the "strong measures" Marcus Tullius Cicerohints at regarding the debtor Flaminius Flamma involve squeezing or wrenching the money out of him via financial pressure. [1, 2]

The user's query references Fam. XV 2, but the text regarding Flamma actually appears in Book XVI (Ad Familiares 16.24). This letter was written later, around mid-November 44 BCE. [1, 2]

The Latin Text and Context

In Ad Familiares 16.24.1, Cicero writes to Tiro concerning urgent outstanding debts: [1]

"Offilio et Aurelio utique satis fiat. a Flamma, si non potes omne, partem aliquam velim extorqueas, in primisque ut expedita sit pensio Kal. Ian." [1]

English Translation and Meaning

"At all events, let Offilius and Aurelius be satisfied. From Flamma, if you cannot wrench the whole, I should like you to extort some part, and above all see to it that the payment due on the Kalends of January is unencumbered." [1]

Breakdown of the "Strong Measures"

• The Verb Extorqueas: Cicero uses the strong verb extorquere (literally "to twist out," "wrench away," or "extort"). While this is colorful financial metaphors rather than physical violence, it indicates that Tiro should use aggressive, unyielding legal and social pressure to demand the debt. [1, 2, 3]
• The Urgency: Flamma owed money that Cicero desperately needed to satisfy his own creditors (Offilius and Aurelius) by January 1st. Because Cicero's cash flow was tight, he authorizes Tiro to accept partial payment (partem aliquam) as long as Flamma is squeezed for everything he can immediately produce.[1, 2]

Would you like to examine more of Cicero's letters regarding his financial difficulties in 44 BCE, or look closer at Tiro's role as his financial administrator? [1]

 The original Greek passage you are referring to comes from Plutarch’s Life of Pompey, Chapter 60, Section 7. [1]

Plutarch wrote his biographies in Greek, meaning there is no surviving, original classical Latin text written by Plutarch for this quote. To fulfill your request, the original ancient Greek is provided below, alongside a custom, reconstructed classical Latin translation formatted in the style of Roman historians like Cicero or Suetonius.

🏛️ Original Ancient Greek (Plutarch, Pompey 60.7)

Φαβώνιος δέ, ἀνὴρ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα χρηστός, οἰόμενος δὲ τῷ θρασύνεσθαι καὶ ὑλακτεῖν ἀπομιμεῖσθαι τὴν Κάτωνος παρρησίαν...

• Grammatical Breakdown of Key Terms:
  • θρασύνεσθαι (thrasynesthai): to be petulant, rash, blunt, or aggressively bold.
  • ὑλακτεῖν (hylaktein): literally "to bark" or "to talk abusively" (a common metaphor for the behavior of Cynic philosophers).
  • ἀπομιμεῖσθαι (apomimeisthai): to copy, mimic, or counterfeit.
  • παρρησίαν (parrhēsian): frankness, directness, or freedom of speech.

✒️ Reconstructed Classical Latin

Because Plutarch composed this text in Greek, Roman authors contemporary to the events described this dynamic using their own vocabulary (for example, Cicero often referred to Favonius as Cato's ape, or simia Catonis).

The reconstructed Latin translation below captures the exact semantic weight of Plutarch's description:

Favonius autem, homo alioqui probus, qui ferociam et oblatrationem suam Catonis libertatis exemplar esse arbitrabatur...

• Grammatical Breakdown of Reconstructed Latin:
  • homo alioqui probus: a man otherwise honest/of fair character.
  • ferociam (toughness/bluntness/petulance) and oblatrationem (abusive talking/barking): directly corresponding to Plutarch's θρασύνεσθαι καὶ ὑλακτεῖν.
  • exemplar esse arbitrabatur: supposed/imagined it to be a copy or model (οἰόμενος ἀπομιμεῖσθαι).
  • libertatis: frankness or direct freedom of speech (παρρησίαν).

📖 Context of the Passage

This moment occurs just as the Roman Civil War is about to erupt. Pompey boasts to the Senate that he has multiple legions ready and needs only to "stamp his foot upon the ground" to raise an army. Favonius, attempting to copy Cato the Younger's famously uncompromising, blunt style of plain-speaking, mockingly yells at Pompey to go ahead and stamp his foot. Plutarch uses this moment to show that while Cato's frankness came from deep-seated virtue, Favonius's imitation often crossed the line into mere abrasive petulance. [1, 2]

If you are tracking down further descriptions of Favonius, I can also pull the Greek text from the Life of Brutus, where Plutarch elaborates on his aggressive philosophical outbursts. Would you like to explore that parallel passage? [1]

 Yes, Cicero does mention his origin in Ad Familiares 13.11, explicitly introducing him as a Roman knight and framing the entire delegation around their shared origin from Arpinum.

While the Latin text does not give a distinct city of origin for Marcus Faucius individually, it groups him into a three-man municipal commission representing Cicero's own hometown. [1, 2]

The Context and Latin Text

In the letter, Cicero writes to Marcus Junius Brutus (then governor of Cisalpine Gaul) to recommend a delegation sent to collect public land rents owned by the town of Arpinum. [1, 2]

Cicero explicitly states the identity and origin of the group in the following passage:

"...idcirco nos legatos equites Romanos misimus Q. Fufidium Q. f., M. Faucium M. f., Q. Mamercium Q. f." [1]

Translation: "...therefore we have sent as envoys, [who are] Roman knights, Quintus Fufidius, son of Quintus; Marcus Faucius, son of Marcus; and Quintus Mamercius, son of Quintus." [1]

Details of Faucius's Origin Provided in the Letter

• Patronymic (Father's Name): Cicero identifies him as "M. f." (Marci filius), meaning Marcus Faucius, son of Marcus.
• Social Status: He is explicitly designated as a Roman knight (eques Romanus).
• Municipal Origin: He belongs to Arpinum. Cicero opens the letter by reminding Brutus that he is fiercely protective of his fellow townsmen (municipes). Because this corporate embassy is appointed by and sent on behalf of the town administration of Arpinum to manage the res publica of that specific municipium, Faucius and his fellow envoys are local Arpinate elites. [, 2, 3, 4, 5]

If you are researching the specific members of this delegation, would you like to explore Cicero's personal ties to Quintus Fufidius—whom he commends separately in the very next letter (Fam. 13.12)—or look into how Arpinum acquired public estates in Gaul? [1, 2]