I
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Rome, June_, B.C. _60_]
On the 1st of June I met your boy as I was on my way to Antium and glad
to get away from M. Metellus’s gladiatorial exhibition. He delivered
your letter, and a memorial of my consulship written in Greek. I felt
very glad that I gave L. Cossinius the book I had written in Greek on
the same subject to take to you some time ago. For, if I had read yours
first you would say that I had plagiarized from you. Though yours (which
I read with pleasure) seemed to me a trifle rough and unadorned, yet its
very lack of ornament is an ornament in itself, just as women were
thought to have the best scent who used no scent. My book, on the other
hand, has exhausted all the scent box of Isocrates, and all the
rouge-pots of his pupils, and some of Aristotle’s colours too. You
scanned it through, as you tell me in another letter, at Corcyra, before
you had received it from Cossinius, I suppose. I should never have dared
to send it to you, if I had not revised it with leisure and care. I sent
the memoir to Posidonius too, asking him to write something more
elaborate on the same subject; but he tells me that, far from being
inspired to write by the perusal of it, he was decidedly put off. In
fact, I have flabbergasted the whole Greek nation: so I have ceased to
be plagued by the people who were always hanging about asking me to give
them something of mine to polish up. If you like the
liber, curabis, ut et Athenis sit et in ceteris oppidis Graeciae;
videtur enim posse aliquid nostris rebus lucis adferre. Oratiunculas
autem, et quas postulas, et plures etiam mittam, quoniam quidem ea, quae
nos scribimus adulescentulorum studiis excitati, te etiam delectant.
Fuit enim mihi commodum, quod in eis orationibus, quae Philippicae
nominantur, enituerat civis ille tuus Demosthenes, et quod se ab hoc
refractariolo iudiciali dicendi genere abiunxerat, ut σεμνότερός τις καὶ
πολιτικώτερος videretur, curare, et meae quoque essent orationes, quae
consulares nominarentur. Quarum una est in senatu Kal. Ianuariis, altera
ad populum de lege agraria, tertia de Othone, quarta pro Rabirio, quinta
de proscriptorum filiis, sexta, cum provinciam in contione deposui,
septima, cum Catilinam emisi, octava, quam habui ad populum, postridie
quam Catilina profugit, nona in contione, quo die Allobroges indicarunt,
decima in senatu Nonis Decembribus. Sunt praeterea duae breves, quasi
ἀποσπασμάτια legis agrariae. Hoc totum σῶμα curabo ut habeas; et,
quoniam te cum scripta tum res meae delectant, isdem ex libris
perspicies, et quae gesserim et quae dixerim; aut ne poposcisses; ego
enim tibi me non offerebam.
Quod quaeris, quid sit, quo te arcessam, ac simul impeditum te negotiis
esse significas neque recusas, quin, non modo si opus sit, sed etiam si
velim, accurras, nihil sane est necesse, verum tamen videbare mihi
tempora peregrinationis commodius posse discribere. Nimis abes diu,
praesertim cum sis in propinquis
book, you will see to it that Athens and other Greek towns have it in
stock; for I think it may add some lustre to my achievements. I will
send you the bits of speeches you ask for and some more too, as you find
some interest in things which I write to satisfy young admirers. Your
fellow-citizen, Demosthenes, gained a reputation by the speeches called
the Philippics, in which he departed from the quibbling style of
pleading we use in the law-courts, and appeared in the role of a serious
politician. So I took a fancy to leave behind me also some speeches
which may be called consular. One was delivered in the House on the 1st
of January, another to the people on the agrarian law, the third on
Otho, the fourth for Rabirius, the fifth for the sons of the proscribed,
the sixth when I declined a province in a public assembly, the seventh
when I drove Catiline out, the eighth before the people the day after
Catiline fled, the ninth in an assembly on the day when the Allobroges
gave their information, the tenth in the House on the 5th of December.
There are two more short ones, mere scraps of the agrarian law. I will
see that you have the whole _corpus_; and, since both my writing and my
achievements interest you, you will see from them what I have done, and
what I have written. Or else you should not have asked for them: I was
not the one to obtrude them.
You inquire why I ask you to come back, and hint that you are hindered
by business. Still you don’t refuse to come, if there is any need, or
even if I wish it. There is no real necessity; but it does seem to me
that you could arrange your times for going away more conveniently. You
are away too long, especially when you are quite near, and
locis, neque nos te fruimur, et tu nobis cares. Ac nunc quidem otium
est, sed, si paulo plus furor Pulchelli progredi posset, valde ego te
istim excitarem. Verum praeclare Metellus impedit et impediet. Quid
quaeris? est consul φιλόπατρις et, ut semper iudicavi, natura bonus.
Ille autem non simulat, sed plane tribunus pl. fieri cupit. Qua de re
cum in senatu ageretur, fregi hominem et inconstantiam eius reprehendi,
qui Romae tribunatum pl. peteret, cum in Sicilia hereditatem se petere
dictitasset, neque magno opere dixi esse nobis laborandum, quod nihilo
magis ei liciturum esset plebeio rem publicam perdere, quam similibus
eius me consule patriciis esset licitum. Iam, cum se ille septimo die
venisse a freto, neque sibi obviam quemquam prodire potuisse, et noctu
se introisse dixisset, in eoque se in contione iactasset, nihil ei novi
dixi accidisse. “Ex Sicilia septimo die Romam; ante tribus horis Roma
Interamnam. Noctu introisse; idem ante. Non est itum obviam; ne tum
quidem, cum iri maxime debuit.” Quid quaeris? hominem petulantem
modestum reddo non solum perpetua gravitate orationis, sed etiam hoc
genere dictorum. Itaque iam familiariter cum ipso cavillor ac iocor;
quin etiam, rum candidatum deduceremus, quaerit ex me, num consuessem
Siculis locum gladiatoribus dare. Negavi. “At ego,” inquit, “novus
so I have no chance of enjoying your society and you lack mine. Just at
present things are peaceful: but if that little beauty[47] should be
strong enough to indulge in any wilder freaks I should certainly be
routing you out of your retreat. However, Metellus is holding him in
nobly and will continue to do so. Most assuredly he is a thoroughly
patriotic consul, and, as I always thought, an excellent fellow. Clodius
does not beat about the bush, he is quite plainly aiming at the
tribunate. When the point was discussed in the Senate, I sat on him,
accusing him of inconsistency, for seeking the tribunate now in Rome,
when in Sicily he did nothing but repeat that what he wanted was an
inheritance. However, I added, we need not put ourselves about on that
point, as he would not be allowed to ruin the country if he becomes a
plebeian any more than patricians of his kidney were allowed to in my
consulship. Then, when he said he had come from the straits in a week,
so that no one could go to meet him, and had entered the city at night,
and boasted of the fact in a public speech, I said there was nothing new
in that. “Seven days from Sicily to Rome: the other time three hours
from Rome to Interamna. He came in at night: so he did before. No one
met him now: nor did anyone meet him last time, when they certainly
ought to have done so.” In fact, I am taking the cheek out of him, not
only by serious set speeches, but by quips of this kind too. So nowadays
I bandy jests and banter with him quite familiarly. For instance, when
we were escorting a candidate, he asked me whether I used to give the
Sicilians seats at the gladiatorial shows. I said, “No.” “Well,” said
he,
Footnote 47:
P. Clodius Pulcher.
patronus instituam; sed soror, quae tantum habeat consularis loci, unum
mihi solum pedem dat.” “Noli,” inquam “de uno pede sororis queri; licet
etiam alterum tollas.” Non consulare, inquies, dictum. Fateor; sed ego
illam odi male consularem. “Ea est enim seditiosa, ea cum viro bellum
gerit” neque solum cum Metello, sed etiam cum Fabio, quod eos[48] in hoc
esse moleste fert.
Quod de agraria lege quaeris, sane iam videtur refrixisse. Quod me
quodam modo molli brachio de Pompei familiaritate obiurgas, nolim ita
existimes, me mei praesidii causa cum illo coniunctum esse, sed ita res
erat instituta, ut, si inter nos esset aliqua forte dissensio, maximas
in re publica discordias versari esset necesse. Quod a me ita praecautum
atque provisum est, non ut ego de optima illa mea ratione decederem, sed
ut ille esset melior et aliquid de populari levitate deponeret. Quem de
meis rebus, in quas eum multi incitarant, multo scito gloriosius quam de
suis praedicare; sibi enim bene gestae, mihi conservatae rei publicae
dat testimonium. Hoc facere illum mihi quam prosit, nescio; rei publicae
certe prodest. Quid? si etiam Caesarem, cuius nunc venti valde sunt
secundi, reddo meliorem, num tantum obsum rei publicae? Quin etiam, si
mihi nemo invideret, si omnes, ut erat aequum, faverent, tamen non minus
esset probanda medicina, quae sanaret vitiosas partes rei publicae, quam
quae exsecaret.
Footnote 48:
eos esse in hoc esse _MSS._
“now I am their new patron, I intend to begin the practice: though my
sister, who, as the consul’s wife, has such a lot of room, will not give
me more than standing room.” “Oh, don’t grumble about standing room with
your sister,” I answered. “You can always lie with her.” You will say it
was not the remark for a consular to make. I confess it was not; but I
hate the woman, so unworthy of a consul. “For she’s a shrew and wrangles
with her mate,” and not only with Metellus, but with Fabius too, because
she is annoyed at their interference in this affair.
You ask about the agrarian law. Interest in it seems to have cooled
down. You give me a gentle fillip for my familiarity with Pompey. Please
don’t imagine I have allied myself to him solely to save my skin: the
position of affairs is such that, if we had had any disagreement, there
would of necessity have been great discord in the State. Against that I
have taken precautions and made provision without wavering from my own
excellent policy, while making him more loyal and less the people’s
weathercock. He speaks, I may tell you, far more glowingly about my
achievements than about his own, though many have tried to set him
against me, saying that he did his duty to the country, but I saved it.
What good his statements will do me, I fail to see: but they will
certainly do the country good. Well! If I can make Caesar, who is now
sailing gaily before the breeze, a better patriot too, shall I be doing
so poor a service to the country? And, even if none were to envy me and
all supported me, as they ought, still a remedy which cures the diseased
parts of the State should be preferable to one which amputates them.
Nunc vero, cum equitatus ille, quem ego in clivo Capitolino te signifero
ac principe collocaram, senatum deseruerit, nostri autem principes
digito se caelum putent attingere, si mulli barbati in piscinis sint,
qui ad manum accedant, alia autem neglegant, nonne tibi satis prodesse
videor, si perficio, ut nolint obesse, qui possunt? Nam Catonem nostrum
non tu amas plus quam ego; sed tamen ille optimo animo utens et summa
fide nocet interdum rei publicae; dicit enim tamquam in Platonis
πολιτείᾳ, non tamquam in Romuli faece sententiam. Quid verius quam in
iudicium venire, qui ob rem iudicandam pecuniam acceperit? Censuit hoc
Cato, adsensit senatus; equites curiae bellum, non mihi; nam ego
dissensi. Quid impudentius publicanis renuntiantibus? fuit tamen
retinendi ordinis causa faciunda iactura. Restitit et pervicit Cato.
Itaque nunc consule in carcere incluso, saepe item seditione commota
aspiravit nemo eorum, quorum ego concursu itemque ii consules, qui post
me fuerunt, rem publicam defendere solebant. “Quid ergo? istos,”
inquies, “mercede conductos habebimus?” Quid faciemus, si aliter non
possumus? An libertinis atque etiam servis serviamus? Sed, ut tu ais,
ἅλις σπουδῆς.
But as it is, when the knights, whom I once stationed on the Capitoline
hill with you as their standard-bearer and leader, have deserted the
Senate, and our great men think themselves in the seventh heaven, if
they have bearded mullet in their fish-ponds that will feed from their
hand, and don’t care about anything else, surely you must allow that I
have done my best, if I manage to take the will to do harm from those
who have the power to do it. For our friend Cato is not more to you than
to me: but still with the best of intentions and unimpeachable honesty
at times he does harm to the country: for the opinions he delivers would
be more in place in Plato’s Republic than among the dregs of humanity
collected by Romulus.[49] That a man who accepts a bribe for the verdict
he returns at a trial should be put on trial himself is as fair a
principle as one could wish. Cato voted for it and won the House’s
assent. Result, a war of the knights with the Senate, but not with me. I
was against it. That the tax-collectors should repudiate their bargain
was a most shameless proceeding. But we ought to have put up with the
loss in order to keep their good-will. Cato resisted and carried the
day. Result, though we’ve had a consul in prison, and frequent riots,
not a breath of encouragement from one of those, who in my own
consulship and that of my successors used to rally round us to defend
the country. “Must we then bribe them for their support?” you will ask.
What help is there, if we cannot get it otherwise? Are we to be slaves
of freedmen and slaves? But, as you say, enough of the _grand sérieux_.
Footnote 49:
Possibly “among the dregs of [the city] of Romulus”; but Plutarch, who
translates it ἐν Ῥωμύλου ὑποστάθμῃ, (_Phoc._ 3), is against that
rendering.
Favonius meam tribum tulit honestius quam suam, Luccei perdidit.
Accusavit Nasicam inhoneste ac modeste tamen. Dixit ita, ut Rhodi
videretur molis potius quam Moloni operam dedisse. Mihi, quod
defendissem, leviter suscensuit. Nunc tamen petit iterum rei publicae
causa. Lucceius quid agat, scribam ad te, cum Caesarem videro, qui
aderit biduo. Quod Sicyonii te laedunt, Catoni et eius aemulatori
attribuis Servilio. Quid? ea plaga nonne ad multos bonos viros pertinet?
Sed, si ita placuit, laudemus, deinde in discessionibus soli
relinquamur.
Amalthea mea te exspectat et indiget tui. Tusculanum et Pompeianum valde
me delectant, nisi quod me, illum ipsum vindicem aeris alieni, aere non
Corinthio, sed hoc circumforaneo obruerunt. In Gallia speramus esse
otium. Prognostica mea cum oratiunculis prope diem exspecta et tamen,
quid cogites de adventu tuo, scribe ad nos. Nam mihi Pomponia nuntiari
iussit te mense Quintili Romae fore. Id a tuis litteris, quas ad me de
censu tuo miseras, discrepabat.
Paetus, ut antea ad te scripsi, omnes libros, quos frater suus
reliquisset, mihi donavit. Hoc illius munus in tua diligentia positum
est. Si me amas, cura, ut conserventur et ad me perferantur; hoc mihi
nihil potest esse gratius. Et cum Graecos tum vero
Favonius carried my tribe with even more credit than his own, but lost
that of Lucceius. His accusation of Nasica was nothing to be proud of;
however he conducted it very moderately. He spoke so badly that one
would think he devoted more time at Rhodes to grinding in the mills than
at Molo’s lectures. I got into his bad books for undertaking the
defence; however he is standing again now on public grounds. How
Lucceius is getting on I will write and tell you, when I have seen
Caesar, who will be here in a couple of days’ time. The wrong the
Sicyonians have done you, you attribute to Cato and his imitator
Servilius. But does not the blow affect many good citizens? However, if
it so pleases them, let us acquiesce, and be utterly deserted at the
next question put to the vote.
My Amalthea is waiting and longing for you. I am delighted with my
places at Tusculum and Pompeii, except that, champion of creditors as I
am, they have overwhelmed me not so much with Corinthian bronze as with
debts in the common copper coin of the realm. We hope things have
settled down in Gaul. Expect my Prognostics[50] and my bits of speeches
very shortly: but for all that write and tell me your plans about
coming. Pomponia has sent a message that you will be in Rome in July:
but that disagrees with the letter you sent to me about placing your
name on the census list.
Paetus, as I have already mentioned, has given me the books left him by
his brother: but this gift depends on your kind services. As you love
me, see that they are preserved and brought to me. You could do me no
greater favour: and I should like the
Footnote 50:
A translation of Aratus’ Διοσημεῖα.
diligenter Latinos ut conserves velim. Tuum esse hoc munusculum putabo.
Ad Octavium dedi litteras; cum ipso nihil eram locutus; neque enim ista
tua negotia provincialia esse putabam neque te in tocullionibus habebam.
Sed scripsi, ut debui, diligenter.
II
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. ad villam m. Dec., ut videtur, a. 694_]
Cura, amabo te, Ciceronem nostrum. Ei nos συννοσεῖν videmur. Πελληναίων
in manibus tenebam et hercule magnum acervum Dicaearchi mihi ante pedes
exstruxeram. O magnum hominem, et unde multo plura didiceris quam de
Procilio! Κορινθίων et Ἀθηναίων puto me Romae habere. Mihi crede, si
leges haec, dices[51]: mirabilis vir est. Ἡρώδης, si homo esset, eum
potius legeret quam unam litteram scriberet. Qui me epistula petivit, ad
te, ut video, comminus accessit. Coniurasse mallem quam restitisse
coniurationi, si illum mihi audiendum putassem. De lolio[52] sanus non
es; de vino laudo.
Sed heus tu, ecquid vides Kalendas venire, Antonium non venire? iudices
cogi? Nam ita ad me mittunt, Nigidium minari in contione se iudicem, qui
non adfuerit, compellaturum. Velim tamen, si quid est, de
Footnote 51:
crede, si leges haec, dices _Boot_: credes leges haec doceo _Z_:
hredes lege hec doceo _M_.
Footnote 52:
_The MSS. read_ Lollio; _but_ lolio, _the reading of the ed.
Jensoniana_ (_Venice_, 1470) _is supported by Reid with a reference to
Pliny_ H.N. xxii, 160, _where_ lolium _is recommended for gout_.
Latin books kept as well as the Greek. I shall count them a present from
yourself. I have written to Octavius, but not spoken to him about it:
for I did not know that your business extended to the provinces, nor did
I count you among the Shylocks. But I have written as punctiliously as
duty bade.
II
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _At his country house, Dec. (?)_, B.C. _60_]
Look well after my little namesake. I am ill with him by sympathy. I
have in hand my treatise on the constitution of Pellene, and you should
see the huge heap of Dicaearchus that I have piled at my feet. What a
great man! You could learn a lot more from him than from Procilius. I
believe I have got his works on the constitutions of Corinth and Athens
at Rome: and you may take my word for it that, if you read them, you
will exclaim “The man is a wonder.” If Herodes had any sense in him, he
would spend his time reading him and never write a single letter of the
alphabet. He has attacked me by post, and you, as I see, in person. I
would far rather have joined in the conspiracy than opposed it, if I had
thought I should have to pay for it by listening to him. As regards the
darnel, you must be losing your senses: but about the wine I quite agree
with you.
But, I say, have you noticed the Kalends are coming, and there is no
Antonius? Though the jury is being empanelled,—at least they tell me so,
and that Nigidius is threatening in a public meeting to serve a summons
on any juror who does not attend. If you
Antoni adventu quod audieris, scribas ad me et, quoniam huc non venis,
cenes apud nos utique pridie Kal. Cave aliter facias. Cura, ut valeas.
III
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. ad villam m. Dec. a. 694_]
Primum, ut opinor, εὐαγγέλια. Valerius absolutus est Hortensio
defendente. Id iudicium Auli filio condonatum putabatur; et
Iphicratem[53] suspicor, ut scribis, lascivum fuisse. Etenim mihi
caligae eius et fasciae cretatae non placebant. Quid sit, sciemus, cum
veneris.
Fenestrarum angustias quod reprehendis, scito te Κύρου παιδείαν
reprehendere. Nam, cum ego idem istuc dicerem, Cyrus aiebat viridariorum
διαφάσεις latis luminibus non tam esse suaves; etenim ἔστω ὄψις μὲν ἡ
¯α¯, τὸ δὲ ὁρώμενον ¯β¯, ¯γ¯, ἀκτῖνες δὲ ¯δ¯ καὶ ¯ε¯. Vides enim cetera.
Nam, si κατ’ εἰδώλων ἐμπτώσεις videremus, valde laborarent εἴδωλα in
angustiis. Nunc fit lepide illa ἔκχυσις radiorum. Cetera si
reprehenderis, non feres tacitum, nisi si quid erit eius modi, quod sine
sumptu corrigi possit.
Footnote 53:
Epicrates _MSS._: Iphicrates _Tyrrell_.
should happen to get any news of Antonius’ coming, please let me know:
and, as you won’t come here, dine with me anyhow on the 29th at my town
house. Be sure you do; and take care of yourself.
III
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _At his country house, Dec. (?)_, B.C. _60_]
First a trifle please for good news. Valerius has been acquitted, with
Hortensius as his advocate. The verdict is generally thought to be a
concession to Aulus’ son; and I expect Iphicrates[54] has been up to
some tricks, as you suggest. I didn’t like the look of his military
boots and puttees. We shall know what it was, when you arrive.
In finding fault with the narrowness of my windows, let me tell you, you
are finding fault with the Education of Cyrus[55]: for, when I made the
same remark to Cyrus, he said that the view of gardens was not so
pleasant, if the windows were broad. For, let _a_ be the point of
vision, and _b, c_ the object, and _d, e_ the rays,—you see what
follows. If our sight resulted from the impact of images,[56] the images
would be horribly squeezed in the narrow space: but, as it is, the
emission of rays goes on merrily. If you have any other faults to find,
you will find me ready with an answer, unless they are such as can be
put to rights without expense.
Footnote 54:
Obviously a nickname for Pompey, and, in view of the next sentence,
the name of Iphicrates, who invented a military boot, seems more
likely than Epicrates, which would mean “our influential friend.”
Footnote 55:
A play on the title of Xenophon’s book the _Cyropaedeia_ and the name
of Cicero’s architect.
Footnote 56:
Democritus and the Epicureans held that sight resulted from the
incidence of images cast by external things upon the eyes. The view
supported by Cicero, that it resulted from rays sent out from the
eyes, was that held by Plato.
Venio nunc ad mensem Ianuarium et ad ὑπόστασιν nostram ac πολιτείαν, in
qua Σωκρατικῶς εἰς ἑκάτερον, sed tamen ad extremum, ut illi solebant,
τὴν ἀρέσκουσαν. Est res sane magni consilii; nam aut fortiter
resistendum est legi agrariae, in quo est quaedam dimicatio, sed plena
laudis, aut quiescendum, quod est non dissimile atque ire in Solonium
aut Antium, aut etiam adiuvandum, quod a me aiunt Caesarem sic
exspectare, ut non dubitet. Nam fuit apud me Cornelius, hunc dico
Balbum, Caesaris familiarem. Is adfirmabat illum omnibus in rebus meo et
Pompei consilio usurum daturumque operam, ut cum Pompeio Crassum
coniungeret. Hic sunt haec, coniunctio mihi summa cum Pompeio, si
placet, etiam cum Caesare, reditus in gratiam cum inimicis, pax cum
multitudine, senectutis otium. Sed me κατακλεὶς mea illa commovet, quae
est in libro tertio:
“Interea cursus, quos prima a parte iuventae
Quosque adeo consul virtute animoque petisti,
Hos retine atque auge famam laudesque bonorum.”
Haec mihi cum in eo libro, in quo multa sunt scripta ἀριστοκρατικῶς,
Calliope ipsa praescripserit, non opinor esse dubitandum, quin semper
nobis videatur
εἷς οἰωνὸς ἄριστος ἀμύνεσθαι περὶ πάτρης.
Sed haec ambulationibus Compitaliciis reservemus. Tu pridie Compitalia
memento. Balineum calfieri iubebo. Et Pomponiam Terentia rogat; matrem
Now I come to January and my political attitude; and I shall follow the
fashion of the Socratic schools in giving both sides of the question,
ending, however, as they do, with the one which I prefer. It really is a
point that requires much consideration. For either I have got to resist
the agrarian measure strongly, which would mean something of a fight,
though I should gain prestige by it; or I must hold my peace, which is
equivalent to retiring to Solonium or Antium; or else I must assist the
measure, and that is what they say Caesar expects me to do beyond a
doubt. For Cornelius paid me a visit—I mean Balbus, Caesar’s great
friend. He assured me that Caesar will take my own and Pompey’s opinion
on everything, and that he will make an effort to reconcile Pompey and
Crassus. On this side of the sheet may be placed an intimate connection
with Pompey and, if I like, with Caesar too, reconciliation with my
enemies, peace with the populace, and ease in my old age. But my blood
is still stirred by the _finale_ I laid down for myself in the 3rd book
of my poem:[57]
“Meantime the course you chose in youth’s first spring
And held to, heart and soul, ’mid civic strife
Keep still, with growing fame and good report.”
Since Calliope herself dictated those verses to me in a book full of
passages in lordly vein, I ought not to have the least hesitation in
holding “no omen, better [Sidenote: Iliad xii, 243] than to right one’s
country’s wrongs.”
But this point must be reserved for our strolls at the Compitalia. Do
you remember the day before the festival. I will order the bath to be
heated, and Terentia is going to invite Pomponia. We will make
Footnote 57:
On his consulship.
adiungemus. Θεοφράστου περὶ φιλοτιμίας adfer mihi de libris Quinti
fratris.
IV
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Antium. Aprili a. 695_]
Fecisti mihi pergratum, quod Serapionis librum ad me misisti; ex quo
quidem ego, quod inter nos liceat dicere, millesimam partem vix
intellego. Pro eo tibi praesentem pecuniam solvi imperavi, ne tu
expensum muneribus ferres. Sed, quoniam nummorum mentio facta est, amabo
te, cura, ut cum Titinio, quoquo modo poteris, transigas. Si in eo, quod
ostenderat, non stat, mihi maxime placet ea, quae male empta sunt,
reddi, si voluntate Pomponiae fieri poterit; si ne id quidem, nummi
potius reddantur, quam ullus sit scrupulus. Valde hoc velim, antequam
proficiscare, amanter, ut soles, diligenterque conficias.
Clodius ergo, ut ais, ad Tigranem! Velim Scepsii condicione; sed facile
patior. Accommodatius enim nobis est ad liberam legationem tempus illud,
cum et Quintus noster iam, ut speramus, in otio consederit, et, iste
sacerdos Bonae deae cuius modi futurus sit, scierimus. Interea quidem
cum Musis nos delectabimus
your mother one of the party. Bring me from my brother Quintus’ library
Theophrastus’ “Hints for office-seekers.”
IV
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Antium, April_, B.C. _59_]
I am much obliged to you for sending me Serapio’s book, though between
you and me I hardly understand a thousandth part of it. I have given
orders for you to be paid ready money for it, to prevent your entering
it among presentation copies. Since I am mentioning money matters,
please settle up with Titinius as best you can. If he won’t stand by his
agreement, the best plan, so far as I can see, will be to return the
goods for which he made a bad bargain, if Pomponia will consent to that
course: if even that won’t work, then give him his money back rather
than have a fuss. I should be very glad if you would finish the business
before you leave, with your usual kindness and carefulness.
So Clodius is going to Tigranes you say! I wish it were on the same
terms as that Scepsian.[58] But I don’t envy him. It will be a much more
convenient time for me to get a free travelling pass, when my brother
Quintus has settled down in peace, as I hope he will, and when I know
the intentions of that priest of Bona Dea.[59] Meantime I shall settle
down to the enjoyment of the Muses with resignation, indeed
Footnote 58:
Metrodorus of Scepsus was sent by Mithridates to urge Tigranes to wage
war with Rome, but privately spoke against it. He was therefore put to
death by Mithridates.
Footnote 59:
Clodius, on account of his intrusion into the mysteries of Bona Dea.
animo aequo, immo vero etiam gaudenti ac libenti, neque mihi umquam
veniet in mentem Crasso invidere neque paenitere, quod a me ipse non
desciverim.
De geographia dabo operam ut tibi satis faciam; sed nihil certi
polliceor. Magnum opus est, sed tamen, ut iubes, curabo, ut huius
peregrinationis aliquod tibi opus exstet. Tu quicquid indagaris de re
publica, et maxime quos consules futuros putes, facito ut sciam. Tametsi
minus sum curiosus; statui enim nihil iam de re publica cogitare.
Terentiae saltum perspeximus. Quid quaeris? praeter quercum Dodonaeam
nihil desideramus, quo minus Epirum ipsam possidere videamur. Nos
circiter Kal. aut in Formiano erimus aut in Pompeiano. Tu, si in
Formiano non erimus, si nos amas, in Pompeianum venito. Id et nobis erit
periucundum et tibi non sane devium. De muro imperavi Philotimo ne
impediret, quo minus id fieret, quod tibi videretur. Tu censeo tamen
adhibeas Vettium. His temporibus tam dubia vita optimi cuiusque magni
aestimo unius aestatis fructum palaestrae Palatinae, sed ita tamen, ut
nihil minus velim quam Pomponiam et puerum versari in timore ruinae.
V
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Anti m. Apr. a. 695_]
Cupio equidem et iam pridem cupio Alexandream reliquamque Aegyptum
visere et simul ab hac hominum satietate nostri discedere et cum aliquo
with hearty good-will and delight, for it will never enter my head to
envy Crassus, or to repent of not having turned traitor to myself.
For the geography I will endeavour to satisfy you, but I won’t make any
definite promise. It is a big piece of work: still I will do as I am
told, and see to it that this little tour is not entirely unproductive
for you. Let me have any political news you may worm out, especially who
you think are likely to be consuls. However, I am not very anxious. I
have made up my mind to forget politics for the time.
I have had a good look at Terentia’s woodlands, and can only say, that,
if there was a Dodonaean oak there, I should feel as though I possessed
the whole of Epirus. About the first of the month I shall be either in
my place at Formiae, or at Pompeii. If I am not at Formiae, as you love
me, come to Pompeii. I shall be delighted to see you, and it won’t be
far out of your way. With regard to the wall, I have given orders to
Philotimus to let you do anything you like: but I think you ought to
call in Vettius. In these days, when every honest man’s life hangs in
the balance, I set high store by the enjoyment of my Palatine palaestra
for a summer, but not to the extent of wishing Pomponia and her boy to
live in terror of a tottering ruin.
V
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Antium, April_, B.C. _59_]
I am eager, and have long been eager to pay a visit to Alexandria and
the rest of Egypt, and also to get away from here, where people are sick
of seeing me, and return when they miss me a little: but
desiderio reverti; sed hoc tempore et his mittentibus
αἰδέομαι Τρῶας καὶ Τρῳάδας ἑλκεσιπέπλους.
Quid enim nostri optimates, si qui reliqui sunt, loquentur? an me aliquo
praemio de sententia esse deductum?
Πουλυδάμας μοι πρῶτος ἐλεγχείην ἀναθήσει,
Cato ille noster, qui mihi unus est pro centum milibus. Quid vero
historiae de nobis ad annos D C praedicarint? Quas quidem ego multo
magis vereor quam eorum hominum, qui hodie vivunt, rumusculos. Sed,
opinor, excipiamus et exspectemus. Si enim deferetur, erit quaedam
nostra potestas, et tum deliberabimus. Etiam hercule est in non
accipiendo non nulla gloria. Quare, si quid Θεοφάνης tecum forte
contulerit, ne omnino repudiaris.
De istis rebus exspecto tuas litteras, quid Arrius narret, quo animo se
destitutum ferat, et qui consules parentur, utrum, ut populi sermo,
Pompeius et Crassus an, ut mihi scribitur, cum Gabinio Servius
Sulpicius, et num quae novae leges et num quid novi omnino, et, quoniam
Nepos proficiscitur, cuinam auguratus deferatur; quo quidem uno ego ab
istis capi possum. Videte vilitatem[60] meam. Sed quid ego haec, quae
cupio deponere et toto animo atque omni cura φιλοσοφεῖν? Sic, inquam, in
animo est; vellem ab initio, nunc vero, quoniam, quae putavi esse
praeclara,
Footnote 60:
vilitatem _Meuntz_: civitatem _M_: vitam _Z_.
considering the circumstances, and the people who are sending me.
[Sidenote: Iliad vi, 442]
“I fear the men and long-gowned dames of Troy.”
What will our conservative friends say, if there are any of them left?
That I have been bribed out of my opinions?
[Sidenote: Iliad xxii, 100]
“The first to chide will be Polydamas,”
that friend of ours, Cato, who alone outweighs a hundred thousand in my
eyes. What would history be saying of me six hundred years hence? And
that is a thing I fear much more than the petty gossip of those who are
alive to-day. But I suppose I can only lie low and see what turns up. If
an offer is made to me, the decision will to some extent rest in my own
hands, and then I will consider the question. Upon my word there is some
little glory even in refusing: so, if Theophanes should happen to
consult you, don’t decline point blank.
This is what I am hoping to hear from you in your letter:—what Arrius
has to say for himself, and how he takes Caesar’s desertion of him,
whether popular report is right in speaking of Pompey and Crassus as the
favourites for the consulship, or a correspondent of mine who mentions
Gabinius and Servius Sulpicius, whether there are any new laws or any
news at all, and to whom the augurship will be offered, now that Nepos
is going away. That is the only bait with which they could catch me. You
see how cheap I am going. But this is a forbidden subject. I mean to
forget it, and devote myself heart and soul to philosophy. That, I
assure you, is my intention; and I only wish I had always practised it.
Now that I have sampled the vanity of what I once thought
expertus sum quam essent inania, cum omnibus Musis rationem habere
cogito. Tu tamen de Curtio ad me rescribe certius, et nunc quis in eius
locum paretur, et quid de P. Clodio fiat, et omnia, quem ad modum
polliceris, ἐπὶ σχολῆς scribe, et, quo die Roma te exiturum putes, velim
ad me scribas, ut certiorem te faciam, quibus in locis futurus sim,
epistulamque statim des de iis rebus, de quibus ad te scripsi. Valde
enim exspecto tuas litteras.
VI
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Anti m. Apr. a. 695_]
Quod tibi superioribus litteris promiseram, fore ut opus exstaret huius
peregrinationis, nihil iam magno opere confirmo; sic enim sum complexus
otium, ut ab eo divelli non queam. Itaque aut libris me delecto, quorum
habeo Anti festivam copiam, aut fluctus numero (nam ad lacertas
captandas tempestates non sunt idoneae); a scribendo prorsus abhorret
animus. Etenim γεωγραφικά, quae constitueram, magnum opus est. Ita valde
Eratosthenes, quem mihi proposueram, a Serapione et ab Hipparcho
reprehenditur. Quid censes, si Tyrannio accesserit? Et hercule sunt res
difficiles ad explicandum et ὁμοειδεῖς nec tam possunt ἀνθηρογραφεῖσθαι,
quam videbantur, et, quod caput est, mihi quaevis satis iusta causa
cessandi est, qui etiam dubitem, an hic Anti considam et hoc tempus omne
consumam, ubi quidem ego mallem duumvirum
glory, I am thinking of confining my attention exclusively to the Muses.
For all that you must post me up in news of Curtius and who will succeed
to his position, and what is happening about P. Clodius. Take your time,
and write fully about things in general, as you promise. Please let me
know on what day you are leaving Rome, so that I can tell you where I
shall be: and let me have a letter at once on the points I have
mentioned, for I look forward to your letters very eagerly.
VI
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Antium April_ B.C. _59_]
I am not so certain now about fulfilling the promises I made in former
letters to produce some work in this tour: for I have fallen so in love
with idleness, that I can’t tear myself from it. So I either enjoy
myself with my books, of which I have a jolly good lot at Antium, or
else count the waves: the rough weather won’t allow me to catch shads.
At writing my soul rebels utterly. The geographical work I had planned
is a big undertaking. Eratosthenes, whom I had taken as my authority, is
severely criticized by Serapion and Hipparchus; and, if I take
Tyrannio’s views too, there is no telling what the result would be.
Besides the subject is confoundedly hard to explain and monotonous, nor
does it give one as many opportunities for flowers of fancy as I
imagined: besides—and this is the chief point—I find any excuse for
idleness good enough. I am even debating settling down at Antium, and
spending the rest of my life here: and I really wish I had been a
magistrate here
quam Romae fuisse. Tu vero sapientior Buthroti domum parasti. Sed, mihi
crede, proxima est illi municipio haec Antiatium civitas. Esse locum tam
prope Romam, ubi multi sint, qui Vatinium numquam viderint, ubi nemo sit
praeter me, qui quemquam ex viginti viris vivum et salvum velit, ubi me
interpellet nemo, diligant omnes! Hic, hic nimirum πολιτευτέον; nam
istic non solum non licet, sed etiam taedet. Itaque ἀνέκδοτα, quae tibi
uni legamus, Theopompio genere aut etiam asperiore multo pangentur.
Neque aliud iam quicquam πολιτεύομαι nisi odisse improbos et id ipsum
nullo cum stomacho, sed potius cum aliqua scribendi voluptate.
Sed ut ad rem, scripsi ad quaestores urbanos de Quinti fratris negotio.
Vide, quid narrent, ecquae spes sit denarii, an cistophoro Pompeiano
iaceamus. Praeterea de muro statue quid faciendum sit. Aliud quid?
Etiam. Quando te proficisci istinc putes, fac ut sciam.
rather than in Rome. You have been wiser in your generation and made a
home for yourself at Buthrotum: but you may take my word for it that
this township of Antium runs your borough very close. To think of there
being a place so near Rome, where there are lots of people who have
never seen Vatinius, where there is not a single soul save myself who
cares whether any of our new commissioners are alive or dead, where no
one intrudes upon me, though every one is fond of me. This, this is the
very place for me to play the politician: for there in Rome, besides
being shut out of politics, I am sick of them. So I will compose a
private memoir, which I will read only to you, in the style of
Theopompus, or even a still bitterer vein. My only policy now is hatred
of the radicals: and that without rancour, indeed with some pleasure in
expressing it.
But to return to business, I have written to the city quaestors about my
brother Quintus’ affairs. See what they have to say, and whether there
is any hope of our getting current coin, or whether we must put up with
Pompey’s pice.[61] Also decide what is to be done with the wall. Is
there anything else I meant to say? Yes. Let me know when you think of
going away.
Footnote 61:
The _cistophorus_ was an Asiatic coin, of which Pompey had deposited a
large quantity in the treasury. Apparently there was some idea of
using them for paying Quintus during his proconsulship.
VII
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Anti m. Apr. a. 695_]
De geographia etiam atque etiam deliberabimus. Orationes autem a me duas
postulas; quarum alteram non libebat mihi scribere, quia abscideram,[62]
alteram, ne laudarem eum, quem non amabam. Sed id quoque videbimus.
Denique aliquid exstabit, ne tibi plane cessasse videamur.
De Publio quae ad me scribis sane mihi iucunda sunt, eaque etiam velim
omnibus vestigiis indagata ad me adferas, cum venies, et interea
scribas, si quid intelleges aut suspicabere, et maxime de legatione quid
sit acturus. Equidem, antequam tuas legi litteras, hominem[63] ire
cupiebam, non mehercule ut differrem cum eo vadimonium (nam mira sum
alacritate ad litigandum), sed videbatur mihi, si quid esset in eo
populare, quod plebeius factus esset, id amissurus. “Quid enim? ad
plebem transisti, ut Tigranem ires salutatum? Narra mihi, reges Armenii
patricios resalutare non solent?” Quid quaeris? acueram me ad
exagitandam hanc eius legationem. Quam si ille contemnit, et si, ut
scribis, bilem id commovet et latoribus et auspicibus legis curiatae,
spectaculum egregium. Hercule, verum ut loquamur, subcontumeliose
tractatur noster Publius, primum qui, cum
Footnote 62:
quia abscideram _most editors_: qui absciram _M_.
Footnote 63:
hominem _Lambinus_, in hominem _M_, _R_, _I_.
VII
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Antium, April_, B.C. _59_]
I will give the geography further consideration. As to the two speeches
you ask for, one I did not want to write down, because I had broken off
in the middle, the other, because I had no desire to praise a man whom I
did not like. But that too I will see about. Something shall appear
anyhow, to convince you that I have not idled all my time away.
I am highly delighted with the news about Publius, please investigate
all the details thoroughly, and bring a full account with you when you
come. Meantime, if you pick up any hints, or draw any inferences, write
to me, especially as to what he is going to do about the embassy. For my
part, before 1 read your letter, I wished the man would go, not, I
assure you, through any desire to postpone his impeachment—for I am
extraordinarily anxious to conduct the case—but because I thought that
he would lose any popularity he had gained by turning plebeian. “Why did
you transfer yourself to the plebs? Was it to pay a visit to Tigranes?
Pray tell me: don’t the kings of Armenia return the visit of a
patrician?” As you see, I had sharpened my wits up to rally him on the
subject of his embassy. But if he rejects it with scorn, and, as you
say, thereby rouses the indignation of the proposers and augurs of the
bill of adoption, it will be a grand sight. To speak the honest truth,
you know, our friend Publius is being treated with very scant courtesy.
In the first place, though he was once the only man in
domi Caesaris quandam unus vir fuerit, nunc ne in viginti quidem esse
potuerit; deinde alia legatio dicta erat, alia data est. Illa opima ad
exigendas pecunias Druso, ut opinor, Pisaurensi an epuloni Vatinio
reservatur; haec ieiuna tabellarii legatio datur ei, cuius tribunatus ad
istorum tempora reservatur. Incende hominem, amabo te, quod potes. Una
spes est salutis istorum inter ipsos dissensio; cuius ego quaedam initia
sensi ex Curione. Iam vero Arrius consulatum sibi ereptum fremit;
Megabocchus et haec sanguinaria iuventus inimicissima est. Accedat vero,
accedat etiam ista rixa auguratus. Spero me praeclaras de istis rebus
epistulas ad te saepe missurum.
Sed illud quid sit, scire cupio, quod iacis obscure iam etiam ex ipsis
quinque viris loqui quosdam. Quidnam id est? Si est enim aliquid, plus
est boni, quam putaram. Atque haec sic velim existimes non me abs te
κατὰ τὸ πρακτικὸν quaerere, quod gestiat animus aliquid agere in re
publica. Iam pridem gubernare me taedebat, etiam cum licebat; nunc vero
cum cogar exire de navi non abiectis, sed ereptis gubernaculis, cupio
istorum naufragia ex terra intueri, cupio, ut ait tuus amicus Sophocles,
κἂν ὑπὸ στέγῃ
πυκνῆς ἀκούειν ψακάδος εὑδούσῃ φρενί.
De muro quid opus sit, videbis. Castricianum
Caesar’s house, now he has not a footing even among twenty; and in the
second place, one embassy is talked of, and another is given to him.
That fat post for levying money is reserved for Drusus of Pisaurum, I
suppose, or for the gourmand Vatinius, while this barren messenger’s job
is given to him, and his tribunate too has to wait their convenience.
Fire the fellow’s resentment please, as much as you can. My one hope of
safety lies in their mutual disagreement: and from Curio I gather that
there is a hint of such a thing. Arrius is beginning to rage at being
robbed of his consulship: Megabocchus and the rest of that bloodthirsty
band of youths are at daggers drawn with them. And God grant there may
come a dispute about this augurship on the top. I hope I shall have
occasion to send you some of my very best letters and plenty of them on
these topics.
But I am anxious to know the meaning of that dark hint of yours, that
even some of the board of five commissioners are speaking their minds.
What on earth can it be? If there really is anything in it, things are
in a better way than I thought. Please don’t imagine that I ask the
question with a view to action, because my soul is yearning to take part
in politics. I have long been sick of holding the helm, even when I was
allowed to do so: and now, when I have been marooned and the helm torn
from my grasp without waiting for me to surrender it, my only desire is
to watch their shipwreck from the dry land. I could wish, as your friend
Sophocles says,
“In peaceful slumber sunk
To hear the pattering raindrops on the roof.”
About the wall you will see what is necessary. I
mendum nos corrigemus, et tamen ad me Quintus HS CCIↃↃ IↃↃ scripserat,
nunc[64] ad sororem tuam HS ¯XXX¯. Terentia tibi salutem dicit. Cicero
tibi mandat, ut Aristodemo idem de se respondeas, quod de fratre suo,
sororis tuae filio, respondisti. De Ἀμαλθείᾳ quod me admones, non
neglegemus. Cura, ut valeas.
VIII
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Anti medio m. Apr. a. 695_]
Epistulam cum a te avide exspectarem ad vesperum, ut soleo, ecce tibi
nuntius pueros venisse Roma! Voco, quaero, ecquid litterarum. Negant.
“Quid ais?” inquam, “nihilne a Pomponio?” Perterriti voce et vultu
confessi sunt se accepisse, sed excidisse in via. Quid quaeris?
permoleste tuli; nulla enim abs te per hos dies epistula inanis aliqua
re utili et suavi venerat. Nunc, si quid in ea epistula, quam ante diem
XVI Kal. Maias dedisti, fuit historia dignum, scribe quam primum, ne
ignoremus; sin nihil praeter iocationem, redde id ipsum.
Et scito Curionem adulescentem venisse ad me salutatum. Valde eius sermo
de Publio cum tuis litteris congruebat; ipse vero mirandum in modum
“reges odisse superbos.” Peraeque narrabat incensam
Footnote 64:
non _M_.
will set the mistake about Castricius right; and yet Quintus wrote about
£130[65] to me, though now to your sister he makes it nearly £260.[66]
Terentia sends her love; and my little boy commissions you to give
Aristodemus the same answer for him as you gave for his cousin, your
sister’s son. I won’t forget your reminder about your Amalthea. Take
care of yourself.
VIII
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Antium, April_, B.C. _59_]
When I was looking forward eagerly to a letter of yours towards evening,
as usual, lo and behold a message that some slaves had come from Rome. I
called them, and inquired if they had any letters. “No,” they said.
“What’s that,” said I, “nothing from Pomponius?” Frightened to death by
my voice and look they confessed they had been given one, but it had
been lost on the way. As you may suppose, I was wild with annoyance. For
every letter you have sent me these last few days has contained
something of importance or entertainment. So, if there was anything
worth saying in the letter of the 15th of April, write at once and let
me know it: if there was nothing but nonsense, you owe me a repetition
of it.
Let me tell you that young Curio has come and paid his respects to me:
and what he said about Publius agreed very closely with your letter. It
is astonishing too how he “holds proud kings in hate,” and he tells me
that the younger generation in
Footnote 65:
15,000 sesterces.
Footnote 66:
30,000 sesterces.
esse iuventutem neque ferre haec posse. Bene habemus. Nos, si in his
spes est, opinor, aliud agamus. Ego me do historiae. Quamquam licet me
Saufeium putes esse, nihil me est inertius.
Sed cognosce itinera nostra, ut statuas, ubi nos visurus sis. In
Formianum volumus venire Parilibus; inde, quoniam putas praetermittendum
nobis esse hoc tempore Cratera illum delicatum, Kal. Maiis de Formiano
proficiscemur, ut Anti simus a. d. V Nonas Maias. Ludi enim Anti futuri
sunt a IIII ad pr. Nonas Maias. Eos Tullia spectare vult. Inde cogito in
Tusculanum, deinde Arpinum, Romam ad Kal. Iunias. Te aut in Formiano aut
Anti aut in Tusculano cura ut videamus. Epistulam superiorem restitue
nobis et adpinge aliquid novi.
IX
CCICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Anti medio m. Apr. a. 695_]
Subito cum mihi dixisset Caecilius quaestor puerum se Romam mittere,
haec scripsi raptim, ut tuos elicerem mirificos cum Publio dialogos cum
eos, de quibus scribis, tum illum, quem abdis et ais longum esse, quae
ad ea responderis, perscribere; illum vero, qui nondum habitus est, quem
illa βοῶπις, cum e Solonio redierit, ad te est relatura. Sic velim
putes, nihil hoc posse mihi esse iucundius. Si vero, quae
general holds equally strong views, and cannot put up with the present
state of affairs. We are all right. If we can put our trust in them, we
need not trouble ourselves, so far as I can see. I am devoting myself to
history. But, though you think me as energetic as Saufeius, I am the
laziest mortal alive.
But get clear about my journeys, so that you may settle where you will
see me. I am intending to get to my place at Formiae on the feast of
Pales; and then, since you think I ought not to stop at the delightful
Crater[67] on this occasion, I shall leave Formiae on the 1st of May, so
as to reach Antium on the 3rd. There are games at Antium from the 4th to
the 6th of May, and Tullia wants to see them. Then I am thinking of
going to Tusculum, and from there to Arpinum, reaching Rome on the 1st
of June. Be sure you pay me a visit either at Formiae or at Antium, or
at my place at Tusculum. Reproduce your former letter for me, and add
something new to it.
IX
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Antium, April_, B.C. _59_]
Caecilius the quaestor having suddenly told me that he was sending a man
to Rome, I write this note in haste to extract from you all your
wonderful dialogues with Publius, those you mention in your note, and
the one you keep dark, saying that your answers were too long to write;
and besides the one which has not yet been held, but which that Juno[68]
is going to report to you, when she returns from Solonium. Pray believe
me when I say there is nothing that would please me more. If the compact
about
Footnote 67:
The bay of Naples, where Cicero’s Pompeian villa was.
Footnote 68:
Clodia.
de me pacta sunt, ea non servantur, in caelo sum, ut sciat hic nosier
Hierosolymarius traductor ad plebem, quam bonam meis putissimis
orationibus gratiam rettulerit. Quarum exspecta divinam παλινῳδίαν.
Etenim, quantum coniectura auguramur, si erit nebulo iste cum his
dynastis in gratia, non modo de cynico consulari, sed ne de istis quidem
piscinarum Tritonibus poterit se iactare. Non enim poterimus ulla esse
invidia spoliati opibus et illa senatoria potentia. Sin autem ab iis
dissentiet, erit absurdum in nos invehi. Verum tamen invehatur.
Festive, mihi crede, et minore sonitu, quam putaram. orbis hic in re
publica est conversus; citius omnino, quam potuit, idque[69] culpa
Catonis, sed rursus improbitate istorum, qui auspicia, qui Aeliam legem.
qui Iuniam et Liciniam, qui Caeciliam et Didiam neglexerunt, qui omnia
remedia rei publicae effuderunt, qui regna quasi praedia tetrarchis, qui
immanes pecunias paucis dederunt. Video iam, quo invidia transeat et ubi
sit habitatura. Nihil me existimaris neque usu neque a Theophrasto
didicisse, nisi brevi tempore desiderari nostra illa tempora videris.
Etenim, si fuit invidiosa senatus potentia, cum ed non ad populum, sed
ad tres homines immoderatos redacta sit, quid iam censes fore? Proinde
isti licet faciant, quos
Footnote 69:
idque _Wesenberg_: id _M_.
me is not kept, I am in the seventh heaven with delight at thinking how
that Jerusalemite plebeian-monger will learn what a pretty return he has
made for all my choicest panegyrics: and you may expect recantation of
eclipsing brilliancy; for, so far as I can see, if that good-for-nothing
is in favour with our sovereigns, he will have to give up crowing over
the “ex-consul with a cynic’s tongue” and those “Tritons of the
fish-ponds” together: for there will be nothing to envy me for, when I
have been robbed of my power and my influence in the Senate. If on the
other hand he quarrels with them, then any attack on me would be absurd.
However let him attack, if he likes.
Upon my word the wheel of State has turned round gaily and with less
noise than I had expected: more quickly to be sure than it might have
done. That is Cato’s fault, but it is still more through the villainy of
those who have disregarded auspices and the Aelian law, the Iunian and
Licinian law and the Caecilian and Didian law, who have thrown out of
the window all the physic for the State, who have given kingdoms to
tetrarchs as though they were farms and immense sums of money to one or
two people. I can see already which way jealousy is tending and where it
will come home to roost. Count me too big a dunce to have learned
anything by experience or from Theophrastus, if you do not see very
shortly men mourning for the days of my government. For if the power of
the Senate was unpopular, you can imagine what things will be like now,
when the power has been transferred not to the people, but to three
unbridled men. So let them make anyone they like consuls and tribunes,
volent, consules, tribunos pl., denique etiam Vatini strumam sacerdotii
διβάφῳ vestiant, videbis brevi tempore magnos non modo eos, qui nihil
titubarunt, sed etiam illum ipsum, qui peccavit, Catonem. Nam nos
quidem, si per istum tuum sodalem Publium licebit, σοφιστεύειν
cogitamus, si ille cogit, tum[70] dumtaxat nos defendere, et, quod est
proprium artis huius, ἐπαγγέλλομαι
ἄνδρ’ ἀπαμύνεσθαι, ὅτε τις πρότερος χαλεπήνῃ.
Patria propitia sit. Habet a nobis, etiamsi non plus, quam debitum est;
plus certe, quam postulatum est. Male vehi malo alio gubernante quam tam
ingratis vectoribus bene gubernare. Sed haec coram commodius.
Nunc audi, quod quaeris. Antium me ex Formiano recipere cogito a. d. V
Nonas Maias; Antio volo Nonis Maiis proficisci in Tusculanum. Sed, cum e
Formiano rediero (ibi esse usque ad pr. K. Maias volo), faciam statim te
certiorem. Terentia tibi salutem, καὶ Κικέρων ὁ μικρὸς ἀσπάζεται Τίτον
Ἀθηναῖον.
X
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. in Appi Foro XII K. Apr. a. 695_]
Volo ames meam constantiam. Ludos Anti spectare non placet; est enim
ὑποσόλοικον, cum velim vitare omnium deliciarum suspicionem, repente
ἀναφαίνεσθαι non solum delicate, sed etiam inepte peregrinantem.
Footnote 70:
cogit, tum _Orelli_: cogitat tantum _M_.
let them cloak Vatinius’ wen with the double-dyed purple gown of the
augur, you will see very soon not only those who have made no slip, but
even Cato himself for all his mistakes exalted, to the skies. As for me,
I am thinking of playing the sophist, if your comrade Publius will allow
me: I shall defend myself only if he compels me. Using the ordinary
trick of the trade, I shall put up a notice that I am ready to
[Sidenote: Iliad xxiv, 369]
Give blow for blow, if any rouse me first.
If only the country will be on my side. Certainly it has had from me
more than it ever asked for, if not more than I owe to it. I would
rather have a bad passage with another at the helm than steer safely
myself for such ungrateful passengers. But of this we can talk better
when we meet.
Now listen to my answer to your question. I am thinking of betaking
myself to Antium from Formiae on May the 3rd: and I hope to start from
Antium for Tusculum on May the 7th. But, as soon as I have returned from
Formiae—and I intend to stay there till the last of April—I will send
you definite news. Terentia sends her love, and little Cicero his
greeting to Titus the Athenian.
X
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Appi Forum, March 21_, B.C. _59_]
I hope you will admire my consistency. I have decided not to see the
games at Antium. For it would be rather noticeably inconsistent at a
time when I am trying to avoid the suspicion of taking a pleasure trip,
suddenly to appear in the character of one travelling not only for
pleasure, but for very
Quare usque ad Nonas Maias te in Formiano exspectabo. Nunc fac ut sciam,
quo die te visuri simus. Ab Appi Foro hora quarta. Dederam aliam paulo
ante a Tribus Tabernis.
XI
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. in Formiano m. Apr. a. 695_]
Narro tibi, plane relegatus mihi videor, posteaquam in Formiano sum.
Dies enim nullus erat, Anti cum essem, quo die non melius scirem, Romae
quid ageretur, quam ii, qui erant Romae. Etenim litterae tuae, non solum
quid Romae, sed etiam quid in re publica, neque solum quid fieret, verum
etiam quid futurum esset, indicabant. Nunc, nisi si quid ex praetereunte
viatore exceptum est, scire nihil possumus. Quare, quamquam iam te ipsum
exspecto, tamen isti puero, quem ad me statim iussi recurrere, da
ponderosam aliquam epistulam plenam omnium non modo actorum, sed etiam
opinionum tuarum, ac diem, quo Roma sis exiturus, cura ut sciam. Nos in
Formiano esse volumus usque ad prid. Nonas Maias. Eo si ante eam diem
non veneris, Romae te fortasse videbo; nam Arpinum quid ego te invitem?
Τρηχεῖ’, ἀλλ’ ἀγαθὴ κουροτρόφος, οὔτ’ ἄρ’ ἔγωγε
ἧς γαίης δύναμαι γλυκερώτερον ἄλλο ἰδέσθαι.
Haec igitur. Cura, ut valeas.
foolish pleasure too. So I shall wait for you till the 7th of May at
Formiae. Now let me know what day I shall see you. From Appi Forum at 10
o’clock. I sent another letter a little earlier from the Three Taverns.
XI
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Formiae, April_, B.C. _59_]
I assure you I feel an absolute exile since I have been at Formiae.
There never was a day when I was at Antium that I was not better up in
the news of Rome than those who were living there. The fact is your
letters used to set before me not only the city news, but all the
political news, and not only what was happening, but what was going to
happen too. Now I can’t get to know anything, unless I pick up chance
news from a passing traveller. So, although I am expecting you here very
soon, give this man of mine, who is under orders to return at once, a
bulky missive, full of news of all that has happened and what you think
about it: and don’t forget to say what day you are leaving Rome. I
intend to stay at Formiae till the 6th of May. If you can’t get here
before that date, perhaps I shall see you at Rome, for I can hardly
invite you to Arpinum.
[Sidenote: Odyssey ix. 27]
My rugged native land, good nurse for men;
None other would mine eyes so gladly see.
That is all then. Take care of yourself.
XII
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. Tribus Tabernis XIII K. Mai. a. 695_]
Negent illi Publium plebeium factum esse? Hoc vero regnum est et ferri
nullo pacto potest. Emittat ad me Publius, qui obsignent; iurabo Gnaeum
nostrum, collegam Balbi, Anti mihi narrasse se in auspicio fuisse.
O suaves epistulas tuas uno tempore mihi datas duas! Quibus εὐαγγέλια
quae reddam, nescio; deberi quidem plane fateor. Sed vide συγκύρημα.
Emerseram commodum ex Antiati in Appiam ad Tris Tabernas ipsis
Cerialibus, cum in me incurrit Roma veniens Curio meus. Ibidem ilico
puer abs te cum epistulis. Ille ex me, nihilne audissem novi. Ego
negare. “Publius,” inquit, “tribunatum pl. petit.” “Quid ais?” “Et
inimicissimus quidem Caesaris, et ut omnia,” inquit, “ista rescindat.”
“Quid Caesar?” inquam. “Negat se quicquam de illius adoptione tulisse.”
Deinde suum, Memmi, Metelli Nepotis exprompsit odium. Complexus iuvenem
dimisi properans ad epistulas. Ubi sunt, qui aiunt “ζώσης φωνῆς”? quanto
magis vidi ex tuis litteris quam ex illius sermone, quid ageretur, de
ruminatione cotidiana, de cogitatione Publi, de lituis βοώπιδος, de
signifero Athenione, de litteris missis ad Gnaeum, de
XII
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Tres Tabernae, Apr. 18_, B.C. _59_]
So they deny that Publius has been made a plebeian, do they? This is
certainly sheer tyranny and not to be borne. Let Publius send some one
to witness my affidavit. I will take my oath that my friend Gnaeus,
Balbus’ colleague, told me at Antium that he had himself assisted at
taking the auspices.
Fancy two such delightful letters of yours being delivered at one and
the same time! I don’t know how to pay you back for your good news,
though I candidly confess my debt. Here’s a coincidence. I had just
taken the turn off the road to Antium on to the Appian Way at the Three
Taverns on the very day of the Cerealia, when my friend Curio met me,
fresh from Rome: and at the very same moment your man with a letter.
Curio inquired whether I hadn’t heard the news. “No,” said I. “Publius
is standing for the tribuneship,” says he. “You don’t say so!” “And he
is at deadly enmity with Caesar,” he replies, “and wants to annul all
those laws of his.” “And what is Caesar doing?” I inquired. “He is
denying that he ever proposed Clodius’ adoption.” Then he emptied the
vials of his own wrath and that of Memmius and Metellus Nepos. I
embraced the youth and said good-bye, being in a hurry to get to your
letters. What a lot of nonsense is talked about “viva vox”? Why, I
learned a dozen times as much about affairs from your letter as from his
talk—the daily chit-chat, the designs of Publius, Juno’s war-cries, how
Athenio[71] is raising the standard, his letter
Footnote 71:
_Juno_ = Clodia, while it is probably Sex. Clodius who is referred to
as _Athenio_. Athenio was one of the leaders in the insurrection of
slaves in Sicily 103–101 B.C.
Theophanis Memmique sermone; quantam porro mihi exspectationem dedisti
convivii istius ἀσελγοῦς! Sum in curiositate ὀξύπεινος, sed tamen facile
patior te id ad me συμπόσιον non scribere; praesentem audire malo.
Quod me, ut scribam aliquid, hortaris, crescit mihi quidem materies, ut
dicis, sed tota res etiam nunc fluctuat, κατ’ ὀπώρην τρύξ. Quae si
desederit, magis erunt iam liquata,[72] quae scribam. Quae si statim a
me ferre non potueris, primus habebis tamen et aliquamdiu solus.
Dicaearchum recte amas; luculentus homo est et civis haud paulo melior
quam isti nostri ἀδικαίαρχοι; Litteras scripsi hora decima Cerialibus,
statim ut tuas legeram, sed eas eram daturus, ut putaram, postridie ei,
qui mihi primus obviam venisset. Terentia delectata est tuis litteris;
impertit tibi multam salutem, καὶ Κικέρων ὁ φιλόσοφος τὸν πολιτικὸν
Τίτον ἀσπάζεται.
XIII
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. in Formiano m. Apr. circ. a. d. VIII K. Mai. a. 695_]
Facinus indignum! epistulam αὐθωρεὶ tibi a Tribus Tabernis rescriptam ad
tuas suavissimas epistulas neminem reddidisse! At scito eum fasciculum,
quo illam conieceram, domum eo ipso die latum esse, quo ego dederam, et
ad me in Formianum relatum esse. Itaque tibi tuam epistulam iussi
referri, ex qua intellegeres, quam mihi tum illae gratae fuissent. Romae
Footnote 72:
iudicata _MSS._; liquata _Orelli_; iam liquata _Kayser_.
to Gnaeus, the conversation with Theophanes and Memmius: and you have
made me wild with inquisitiveness about that “fast” dinner. My curiosity
is insatiable: but I have no grievance at your omitting to write an
account of the dinner. I would much rather hear it by word of mouth.
As for your exhortations to write something, my material certainly is
increasing, as you say; but everything is still in a state of ferment,
like must in autumn. When things have settled down, my writing will be
more clarified. Though you may not get anything from me at once, you
shall be the first to have it however, and no one else for a long time.
You are right in admiring Dicaearchus. He is a splendid fellow and a far
better patriot than any of these great men of ours to whom his name
would certainly not apply.[73] I write this on the day of the Cerealia
at four o’clock, as soon as I read yours: but I am thinking of giving it
to the first person I meet to-morrow. Terentia is delighted with your
letters. She sends you her warmest greetings, and Cicero in his new rôle
of philosopher salutes Titus the politician.
XIII
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Formiae, circa April 23_, B.C. _59_]
What a shame! The letter I wrote on the spur of the moment at the Three
Taverns in answer to your delightful notes never reached you! The reason
was that the packet in which I had put it was taken to my town house the
same day, and brought back to me at Formiae. So I have had the letter
sent back to show you how pleased I was with yours.
Footnote 73:
Cicero puns on the name Dicaearchus (= “just ruler”).
quod scribis sileri, ita putabam; at hercule in agris non siletur, nec
iam ipsi agri regnum vestrum ferre possunt. Si vero in hanc Τηλέπυλον
veneris Λαιστρυγονίην, Formias dico, qui fremitus hominum! quam irati
animi? quanto in odio noster amicus Magnus! cuius cognomen una cum
Crassi Divitis cognomine consenescit. Credas mihi velim, neminem adhuc
offendi, qui haec tam lente, quam ego fero, ferret. Quare, mihi crede,
φιλοσοφῶμεν. Iuratus tibi possum dicere nihil esse tanti. Tu si litteras
ad Sicyonios habes, advola in Formianum, unde nos pridie Nonas Maias
cogitamus.
XIV
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
[Sidenote: _Scr. in Formiano inter XI et III K. Mai. a. 695_]
Quantam tu mihi moves exspectationem de sermone Bibuli, quantam de
colloquio βοώπιδος, quantam etiam de illo delicato convivio! Proinde ita
fac venias ut ad sitientes aures. Quamquam nihil est iam, quod magis
timendum nobis putem, quam ne ille noster Sampsiceramus, cum se omnium
sermonibus sentiet vapulare, et cum has actiones εὐανατρέπτους videbit,
ruere incipiat. Ego autem usque eo sum enervatus, ut hoc otio, quo nunc
tabescimus, malim ἐντυραννεῖσθαι quam cum optima spe dimicare.
De pangendo quod me crebro adhortaris, fieri nihil potest. Basilicam
habeo, non villam, frequentia Formianorum
Your news that the uproar has died down in Rome does not surprise me:
but I can assure you it has not died down in the country, and the very
country cannot endure that despotism you endure. If you come to this
“Laestrygonia of the far gates,”—Formiae [Sidenote: Odyssey x. 81] I
mean—you will find the people raging with indignation, and our friend
Magnus—a name which is now growing as obsolete as Crassus’ surname
Dives—held in the deepest abhorrence. You may not believe me, but I have
not met anyone here who takes the matter as coolly as myself. So follow
my advice and let us stick to philosophy. I can take my oath there is
nothing like it. If you have a letter to send to the Sicyonians, hasten
to Formiae. I am thinking of leaving on the 6th of May.
XIV
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.
[Sidenote: _Formiae, between April 20 and 28_, B.C. _59_]