To handle: to touche: to intreate: to vse or exercise: to order or gouerne.

I. To draw violently, to drag, tug, haul, etc. (so, very rare): qui te (Hectorem) sic tractavere? Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Trag. v. 96 Vahl.): tractatus per aequora campi, id. Ann. v. 140 Vahl.: tractata comis antistita Phoebi, Ov. M. 13, 410: malis morsuque ferarum Tractari, to be torn, rent, lacerated, Lucr. 3, 889.—

II. To touch, take in hand, handle, manage, wield; to exercise, practise, transact, perform, etc. (freq. and class.; cf.: tango, ago, perago).

A. Lit.: ut ea, quae gustemus, olfaciamus, tractemus, audiamus, etc., Cic. Tusc. 5, 38, 111: numquam temere tinnit tintinnabulum, nisi qui illud tractat, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 163: aliquid manibus, id. Poen. 1, 2, 103: tractavisti hospitam ante aedes meas, id. Mil. 2, 6, 30: mateilionem Corinthium cupidissime tractans, Cic. Par. 5, 2, 38: volucra, quae non possum tractare sine magno gemitu, id. Att. 12, 22, 1: aret Pellis et ad tactum tractanti dura resistit, Verg. G. 3, 502: puer unctis Tractavit calicem manibus, Hor. S. 2, 4, 79: vitulos consuescere manu tractari, Col. 6, 2, 1: tractat inauratae consona fila lyrae, i. e. strikes, plays upon, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 60: necdum res igni scibant tractare, to prepare, i. e. to cook, dress, Lucr. 5, 953: solum terrae aere, id. 5, 1289; cf.: lutosum agrum, i. e. to till, Col. 2, 4, 5: tractari tuerique vites, Cic. Fin. 5, 14, 39: ceram pollice, Ov. M. 10, 285; cf. id. ib. 8, 196: lanam, Just. 1, 3: lanuginem, Suet. Ner. 34: gubernacula, to manage, Cic. Sest. 9, 20: tela, to wield, Liv. 7, 32, 11; cf.: speciosius arma, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 53: servus, qui meam bibliothecen multorum nummorum tractavit, has taken care of, had charge of, Cic. Fam. 13, 77, 3; cf.: eras tu quaestor; pecuniam publicam tu tractabas, id. Div. in Caecil. 10, 32: rationem Prusensium, Plin. Ep. 10, 28, 5.—

B. Trop., to handle, manage, practise, conduct, lead, etc.

1. In gen.: ut ne res temere tractent turbidas, Enn. ap. Cic. de Or. 1, 45, 199 (Trag. v. 189 Vahl.): suam rem minus caute et cogitate, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 46: causas amicorum tractare atque agere, Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 170: causam difficiliorem, id. Fam. 3, 12, 3: condiciones, Caes. B. C. 3, 28: bellum, to conduct, carry on, Liv. 23, 28, 4; Tac. A. 1, 59; Just. 9, 8, 12; 22, 5, 4: proelia, Sil. 15, 466; cf.: vitam vulgivago more ferarum, to lead, pass, spend, Lucr. 5, 930; so, vitam, Auct. Her. 4, 24, 33 (al. transactam): imperium, Just. 1, 2, 1: regna, id. 2, 4, 20: pauca admodum vi tractata, quo ceteris quies esset, Tac. A. 1, 9 fin.: artem, to practise, Ter. Phorm. prol. 17; Cic. Ac. 2, 7, 22: verba vetera, to employ, Quint. 11, 1, 6: personam in scenā, to perform, act, represent, id. Rosc. Com. 7, 20; so, partes secundas (mimus), Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 14: animos, Cic. Or. 28, 97; cf. Quint. 11, 1, 85.—Reflex.: quo in munere ita se tractavit, ut, etc., has so conducted himself, Cic. Fam. 13, 12, 1; so, ita me in re publicā tractabo, ut meminerim, etc., id. Cat. 3, 12, 29.—

2. In partic.

a. To treat, use, or conduct one's self towards a person in any manner: ego te, ut merita es de me, tractare exsequar, Plaut. As. 1, 3, 8: haec arte tractabat virum, ut, etc., Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 125: omnibus rebus eum ita tractes, ut, etc., Cic. Fam. 1, 3: non tractabo ut consulem, id. Phil. 2, 5, 10: aliquem liberaliter, id. Verr. 1, 8, 23: nec liberalius nec honorificentius potuisse tractari, id. Fam. 13, 27, 2: pater parum pie tractatus a filio, id. Cael. 2, 3: mercatores ac navicularii injuriosius tractati, id. Imp. Pomp. 5, 11: pauloque benignius ipsum Te tractare voles, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 12. —

b. To handle, treat, investigate, discuss any thing, mentally, orally, or in writing (cf.: dissero, disputo, ago). ( a ) With acc.: quem ad modum quamque causam tractare conveniat, Auct. Her. 2, 2, 2: oratori omnia quaesita, audita, lecta, disputata, tractata, agitata esse debent, Cic. de Or. 3, 14, 54: habeat omnes philosophiae notos et tractatos locos, id. Or. 33, 118: causas amicorum, id. de Or. 1, 37, 170: tractata res, id. Rep. 3, 3, 4: definitiones fortitudinis, id. Tusc. 4, 24, 53: partem philosophiae, id. Ac. 1, 8, 30: constantiam, id. Lael. 18, 65; cf. id. ib. 22, 82: ibi consilia decem legatorum tractabantur, Liv. 33, 31, 7: fama fuit ... tractatas inter Eumenen et Persea condiciones amicitiae, id. 44, 13, 9: scrupulosius tractabo ventos, Plin. 2, 46, 45, 118: prima elementa, Quint. prooem. 21; 1, 1, 23: locus, qui copississime a Cicerone tractatur, id. 1, 4, 24; 7, 2, 43: aliquid memori pectore, to ponder, reflect upon, Juv. 11, 28; cf.: tractare proeliorum vias, Tac. A. 2, 5: ut quaestio diligentius tractaretur, Aug. Civ. Dei, 2, 21, 1.—

(b). With de and abl. (mostly postAug.): de officii parte, Sen. Contr. 2, 1 (9), 20 (dub.; Madv. and Kiessl. partem): quoniam de religionibus tractabatur, Tac. A. 3, 71: ubi de figuris orationis tractandum erit, Quint. 1, 5, 5; 2, 13, 14; 2, 20, 10: de negotiis, to discuss, Suet. Aug. 35 fin.—

(g). With interrog.-clause: quo tractatur amicus an inimicus, Quint. 5, 10, 29; 7, 2, 56: utra sit antiquior (lex), id. 7, 7, 8: cum tractaret, quinam adipisci principem locum abnuerent, etc., Tac. A. 1, 13.—

c. To negotiate, treat: dum de condicionibus tractat, Nep. Eum. 5, 7; Suet. Claud. 26: de Asiā, Just. 37, 3, 4: de redimendo filio, id. 31, 7, 7.