Self-restraint (<b> <i>bathutēs</i> </b>) and Personal Reconciliation in Cicero’s Letters

Abstract This paper examines the role of bathutēs (“verbal self-restraint” or “forbearance”) in Cicero’s handling of personal disputes and grievances. In a letter to Atticus ( Att . 5.10.3), Cicero suggests that such restraint can help to ease the minor tensions that often arise in a provincial governor’s day-to-day business. Linguistic caution can also defuse disputes between acquaintances and family members, as evident in Cicero’s dealings with Hortensius Hortalus ( Att . 4.6.3) and estranged nephew Quintus ( Att . 13.42). In both cases Cicero overlooks valid grievances in order to facilitate reconciliation in the future.