Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. -50 AD|Cicero|AI-assisted
You must certainly be at Rome now. If you are, I am glad of your safe
arrival. So long as you were away from town, you seemed to me to be
further off than if you were in Rome, for I heard less of my own
business and less of the business of the state. So please send plenty of
chatty letters on every kind of subject to meet me, though I hope, when
you read this, I shall be well on my journey home. Above all write me on
the subject I raised in my former letter. From the stuttering hesitation
of my wife’s freedman in our meetings and talks I infer that he has been
cooking his accounts a little in the matter of the sale of the
Crotonian’s goods. Investigate the matter with your usual care, but
pay still more attention to this. When leaving the city of the seven
hills he tendered an account of debts of some £100 and £200 to
Camillus, and put himself down as owing £100 from Milo’s goods and £200
from the property in the Chersonese, and as having inherited two sums of
£2,600, of which not a penny had been paid, though all were due on
the 1st of the second month. Milo’s freedman, Timotheus, the namesake of
Conon’s father, he said, had never given a thought to the matter. Now
first try and secure the whole amount, and secondly don’t overlook the
interest from the afore-mentioned day. All the time I had to endure him,
I was much upset. He came to me to spy out
καί τι σχεδὸν ἐλπίσας· ἀπογνοὺς δ’ ἀλόγως ἀπέστη ἐπειπών “εἴκω· αἰσχρόν
τοι δηρόν τε μένειν”—meque obiurgavit vetere
proverbio τὰ μὲν διδόμενα—. Reliqua vide et, quantum fieri potest,
perspiciamus.
Etsi annuum tempus prope iam emeritum habebamus (dies enim XXXIII erant
reliqui), sollicitudine provinciae tamen vel maxime urgebamur. Cum enim
arderet Syria bello, et Bibulus in tanto maerore suo maximam curam belli
sustineret, ad meque legati eius et quaestor et amici eius litteras
mitterent, ut subsidio venirem, etsi exercitum infirmum habebam, auxilia
sane bona, sed ea Galatarum, Pisidarum, Lyciorum (haec enim sunt nostra
robora), tamen esse officium meum putavi exercitum habere quam proxume
hostem, quoad mihi praeesse provinciae per senatus consultum liceret.
Sed, quo ego maxime delectabar, Bibulus molestus mihi non erat, de
omnibus rebus scribebat ad me potius. Et mihi decessionis dies λεληθότως
obrepebat. Qui cum advenerit, ἄλλο πρόβλημα, quem praeficiam, nisi
Caldus quaestor venerit; de quo adhuc nihil certi habebamus.
Cupiebam mehercule longiorem epistulam facere, sed nec erat res, de qua
scriberem, nec iocari prae cura poteram. Valebis igitur et puellae
salutem Atticulae dices nostraeque Piliae.
the land, and had some hopes. When he lost them, he left without an
explanation, saying: “I give in, ’Twere shame to tarry long,” and
casting in my teeth the old proverb “take the goods the gods provide
you.” Look after the rest, and let us investigate the matter as
thoroughly as possible.
Though I have nearly served my year (for only thirty-three days remain),
still I am greatly concerned about my province. Syria is ablaze with
war, and Bibulus is burdened with its cares in the midst of his own
great sorrow, and his legates, quaestor and friends write to me to
go to his aid: so, although the army I have is weak—the auxiliaries
certainly are good, Galatians, Pisidians, Lycians, the main strength of
my force—I have thought it my duty to keep an army facing the foe, so
long as I am authorized by the Senate’s decree to be in charge of my
province. But what pleases me greatly is that Bibulus gives no trouble.
He writes to me about any other topic by preference, and the day of my
departure creeps on unnoticed. When it arrives, there is the further
problem of my substitute, unless my quaestor Caldus comes, of whom so
far I have no news.
I should like to write a longer letter, but I have no news, and care
keeps me from jesting; so good-bye, and love to your little daughter and
to your wife.
Nunc quidem profecto Romae es. quo te, si ita est, salvum venisse gaudeo; unde quidem quam diu afuisti, magis a me abesse videbare quam si domi esses; minus enim mihi meae notae res erant, minus etiam publicae. qua re velim, etsi ut spero te haec legente aliquantum iam viae processero, tamen obvias mihi litteras quam argutissimas de omnibus rebus crebro mittas, imprimis de quo scripsi ad te antea. tes xunaorou tes emes houxeleutheros edoxe moi thama battarizon kai aluon en tois xullogois kai tais leschais hupo ti pephurakenai tas psephous en tois huparchousin tois tou Krotoniatou. hoc tu indaga, ut soles, et hoc magis. ex asteos heptalophou steichon paredoken mnon kd, me, opheilema toi Kamilloi, heauton te opheilonta mnas kd ek ton Krotoniatikon kai ek ton Cherronesitikon me kai mnas kleronomesai chm, km. touton de mede obolon dieulutesthai, panton opheilethenton tou deuterou menos tei noumeniai. ton de apeleutheron autou, onta homonumon toi Kononos patri, meden holoscheros pephrontikenai. tauta oun proton men hina panta soizetai, deuteron de hina mede ton tokon oligoreseis ton apo tes proekkeimenes hemeras. Hosas auton enenkamen sphodra dedoika: kai gar paren pros hemas kataskepsomenos kai ti schedon elpisas: apognous d' alogos apeste epeipon 'eiko: aischron toi deron te menein'—, meque obiurgavit vetere proverbio ta men didomena—. reliqua vide et quantum fieri potest perspice. [3] nos etsi annuum tempus prope iam emeritum habebamus (dies enim xxxiii erant reliqui), sollicitudine provinciae tamen vel maxime urgebamur. Cum enim arderet Syria bello et Bibulus in tanto maerore suo maximam curam belli sustineret ad meque legati eius quaestor et amici eius litteras mitterent ut subsidio venirem, etsi exercitum infirmum habebam, auxilia sane bona sed ea Galatarum, Pisidarum, Lyciorum (haec enim sunt nostra robora), tamen esse officium meum putavi exercitum habere quam proxime hostem quoad mihi praeesse provinciae per senatus consultum liceret. sed quo ego maxime delectabar, Bibulus molestus mihi non erat, de omnibus rebus scribebat ad me potius. et mihi decessionis dies lelethotos obrepebat. qui cum advenerit, allo problema quem praeficiam, nisi Caldus quaestor venerit; de quo adhuc nihil certi habebamus. [4] cupiebam me hercule longiorem epistulam facere, sed nec erat res de qua scriberem nec iocari prae cura poteram. valebis igitur et puellae salutem Atticulae dices nostraeque Piliae.
◆
You must certainly be at Rome now. If you are, I am glad of your safe arrival. So long as you were away from town, you seemed to me to be further off than if you were in Rome, for I heard less of my own business and less of the business of the state. So please send plenty of chatty letters on every kind of subject to meet me, though I hope, when you read this, I shall be well on my journey home. Above all write me on the subject I raised in my former letter. From the stuttering hesitation of my wife’s freedman in our meetings and talks I infer that he has been cooking his accounts a little in the matter of the sale of the Crotonian’s goods. Investigate the matter with your usual care, but pay still more attention to this. When leaving the city of the seven hills he tendered an account of debts of some £100 and £200 to Camillus, and put himself down as owing £100 from Milo’s goods and £200 from the property in the Chersonese, and as having inherited two sums of £2,600, of which not a penny had been paid, though all were due on the 1st of the second month. Milo’s freedman, Timotheus, the namesake of Conon’s father, he said, had never given a thought to the matter. Now first try and secure the whole amount, and secondly don’t overlook the interest from the afore-mentioned day. All the time I had to endure him, I was much upset. He came to me to spy out
καί τι σχεδὸν ἐλπίσας· ἀπογνοὺς δ’ ἀλόγως ἀπέστη ἐπειπών “εἴκω· αἰσχρόν τοι δηρόν τε μένειν”—meque obiurgavit vetere proverbio τὰ μὲν διδόμενα—. Reliqua vide et, quantum fieri potest, perspiciamus.
Etsi annuum tempus prope iam emeritum habebamus (dies enim XXXIII erant reliqui), sollicitudine provinciae tamen vel maxime urgebamur. Cum enim arderet Syria bello, et Bibulus in tanto maerore suo maximam curam belli sustineret, ad meque legati eius et quaestor et amici eius litteras mitterent, ut subsidio venirem, etsi exercitum infirmum habebam, auxilia sane bona, sed ea Galatarum, Pisidarum, Lyciorum (haec enim sunt nostra robora), tamen esse officium meum putavi exercitum habere quam proxume hostem, quoad mihi praeesse provinciae per senatus consultum liceret. Sed, quo ego maxime delectabar, Bibulus molestus mihi non erat, de omnibus rebus scribebat ad me potius. Et mihi decessionis dies λεληθότως obrepebat. Qui cum advenerit, ἄλλο πρόβλημα, quem praeficiam, nisi Caldus quaestor venerit; de quo adhuc nihil certi habebamus.
Cupiebam mehercule longiorem epistulam facere, sed nec erat res, de qua scriberem, nec iocari prae cura poteram. Valebis igitur et puellae salutem Atticulae dices nostraeque Piliae.
the land, and had some hopes. When he lost them, he left without an explanation, saying: “I give in, ’Twere shame to tarry long,” and casting in my teeth the old proverb “take the goods the gods provide you.” Look after the rest, and let us investigate the matter as thoroughly as possible.
Though I have nearly served my year (for only thirty-three days remain), still I am greatly concerned about my province. Syria is ablaze with war, and Bibulus is burdened with its cares in the midst of his own great sorrow, and his legates, quaestor and friends write to me to go to his aid: so, although the army I have is weak—the auxiliaries certainly are good, Galatians, Pisidians, Lycians, the main strength of my force—I have thought it my duty to keep an army facing the foe, so long as I am authorized by the Senate’s decree to be in charge of my province. But what pleases me greatly is that Bibulus gives no trouble. He writes to me about any other topic by preference, and the day of my departure creeps on unnoticed. When it arrives, there is the further problem of my substitute, unless my quaestor Caldus comes, of whom so far I have no news.
I should like to write a longer letter, but I have no news, and care keeps me from jesting; so good-bye, and love to your little daughter and to your wife.
Latin / Greek Original
Nunc quidem profecto Romae es. quo te, si ita est, salvum venisse gaudeo; unde quidem quam diu afuisti, magis a me abesse videbare quam si domi esses; minus enim mihi meae notae res erant, minus etiam publicae. qua re velim, etsi ut spero te haec legente aliquantum iam viae processero, tamen obvias mihi litteras quam argutissimas de omnibus rebus crebro mittas, imprimis de quo scripsi ad te antea. tes xunaorou tes emes houxeleutheros edoxe moi thama battarizon kai aluon en tois xullogois kai tais leschais hupo ti pephurakenai tas psephous en tois huparchousin tois tou Krotoniatou. hoc tu indaga, ut soles, et hoc magis. ex asteos heptalophou steichon paredoken mnon kd, me, opheilema toi Kamilloi, heauton te opheilonta mnas kd ek ton Krotoniatikon kai ek ton Cherronesitikon me kai mnas kleronomesai chm, km. touton de mede obolon dieulutesthai, panton opheilethenton tou deuterou menos tei noumeniai. ton de apeleutheron autou, onta homonumon toi Kononos patri, meden holoscheros pephrontikenai. tauta oun proton men hina panta soizetai, deuteron de hina mede ton tokon oligoreseis ton apo tes proekkeimenes hemeras. Hosas auton enenkamen sphodra dedoika: kai gar paren pros hemas kataskepsomenos kai ti schedon elpisas: apognous d' alogos apeste epeipon 'eiko: aischron toi deron te menein'—, meque obiurgavit vetere proverbio ta men didomena—. reliqua vide et quantum fieri potest perspice. [3] nos etsi annuum tempus prope iam emeritum habebamus (dies enim xxxiii erant reliqui), sollicitudine provinciae tamen vel maxime urgebamur. Cum enim arderet Syria bello et Bibulus in tanto maerore suo maximam curam belli sustineret ad meque legati eius quaestor et amici eius litteras mitterent ut subsidio venirem, etsi exercitum infirmum habebam, auxilia sane bona sed ea Galatarum, Pisidarum, Lyciorum (haec enim sunt nostra robora), tamen esse officium meum putavi exercitum habere quam proxime hostem quoad mihi praeesse provinciae per senatus consultum liceret. sed quo ego maxime delectabar, Bibulus molestus mihi non erat, de omnibus rebus scribebat ad me potius. et mihi decessionis dies lelethotos obrepebat. qui cum advenerit, allo problema quem praeficiam, nisi Caldus quaestor venerit; de quo adhuc nihil certi habebamus. [4] cupiebam me hercule longiorem epistulam facere, sed nec erat res de qua scriberem nec iocari prae cura poteram. valebis igitur et puellae salutem Atticulae dices nostraeque Piliae.