[1876.] Explanatory cum is also used in the sense of since, although, or even though. In these meanings it introduces the indicative in old Latin ([1878]): as,
Denoting cause: istō tū pauper es, quom nimis sānctē piu ’s, Pl. R. 1234, that’s why you are poor yourself, since you are over-scrupulously good. quom hoc nōn possum, illud minus possem, T. Ph. 208, since this I can’t, that even less could I. Adversative cause: īnsānīre mē aiunt, quom ipsī īnsāniunt, Pl. Men. 831, they say I’m mad, whereas they are mad themselves. Concession: sat sīc suspectus sum, quom careō noxiā, Pl. B. 1005, I am enough distrusted as it is, even though I’m void of wrong.
[1877.] cum, since, although, even though, usually introduces the subjunctive: as,
Denoting cause: cum in commūnibus suggestīs cōnsistere nōn audēret, contiōnārī ex turrī altā solēbat, TD. 5, 59, since he did not dare to stand up on an ordinary platform, he always did his speaking from a lofty tower, of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse. Aeduī cum sē dēfendere nōn possent, lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittunt, 1, 11, 2, since the Aeduans could not defend themselves, they sent ambassadors to Caesar. Adversative cause: fuit perpetuō pauper, cum dīvitissimus esse posset, N. 19, 1, 2, he was always poor, whereas he might have been very rich, of Phocion. Pyladēs cum sīs, dīcēs tē esse Orestēn? Fin. 2, 79, whereas you are Pylades, will you declare yourself Orestes? Concession: ipse Cicerō, cum tenuissimā valētūdine esset, nē nocturnum quidem sibī̆ tempus ad quiētem relinquēbat, 5, 40, 7, Cicero himself, though he was in extremely delicate health, did not allow himself even the night-time for rest. ille Catō, cum esset Tusculī nātus, in populī Rōmānī cīvitātem susceptus est, Leg. 2, 5, the great Cato, though born at Tusculum, was received into the citizenship of the Roman nation.
[1878.] This use of the subjunctive is not found in Plautus. It is thought to have begun in the time of Terence, who may have a couple of instances (disputed). Thereafter, it grew common and was the regular mood used with explanatory and causal cum in the classical period.
[1879.] Explanatory cum is sometimes introduced by quippe, rarely by ut pote, naturally: as,
tum vērō gravior cūra patribus incessit, quippe cum prōdī causam ab suīs cernerent, L. 4, 57, 10, then the senators were still more seriously concerned, and naturally enough, since they beheld their cause betrayed by their own people. valētūdō, ē quā iam ēmerseram, ut pote cum sine febrī labōrāssem, Att. 5, 8, 1, an illness from which I had already recovered, naturally, since it was unaccompanied by fever. quippe cum occurs in Cicero, Nepos, and Livy; ut pote cum is used once in Cicero’s letters, once by Pollio to Cicero, and in late writers. For quippe and ut pote with a causal relative, see [1827].
[1880.] The adversative idea is often emphasized by the use of tamen in the main clause: as, cum prīmī ōrdinēs hostium concidissent, tamen ācerrimē reliquī resistēbant, 7, 62, 4, though the front ranks of the enemy had fallen, yet the rest made a most spirited resistance.
(C.) cum . . . tum.