Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. -49 AD|Cicero|AI-assisted
Your letter was very pleasing to my daughter and of course to me, for
your correspondence always brings a gleam of hope. So please write,
and, if you can be hopeful, don't fail to be so. Don't be too much
afraid of Antony's lions. He is a jovial fellow. Just hear
Plutarch and Pliny state that after Pharsalia Antony had a
chariot drawn by lions: but from this passage it appears that the story
was current earlier.
Evocavit litteris e municipiis decem primos et IIII viros. Venerunt ad
villam eius mane. Primum dormiit ad h. III, deinde, cum esset nuntiatum
venisse Neapolitanos et Cumanos (his enim est Caesar iratus), postridie
redire iussit; lavari se velle et περὶ κοιλιολυσίαν γίνεσθαι. Hoc here
effecit. Hodie autem in Aenariam transire constituit. Exsulibus reditum
pollicetur.
Sed haec omittamus, de nobis aliquid agamas. A Q. Axio accepi litteras.
De Tirone gratum. Vettienum diligo. Vestorio reddidi. Servius pr.
Nonas Maias Menturnis mansisse dicitur, hodie in Liternino mansurus
apud C. Marcellum. Cras igitur nos mature videbit mihique dabit
argumentum ad te epistulae. Iam enim non reperio, quod tibi scribam.
Illud admiror, quod Antonius ad me ne nuntium quidem, cum praesertim me
valde observarit. Videlicet aliquid atrocius de me imperatum est. Coram
negare mihi non vult, quod ego nec rogaturus eram nec, si impetrassem,
crediturus. Nos tamen aliquid excogitabimus. Tu, quaeso, si quid in
Hispaniis. Iam enim poterit audiri, et omnes ita exspectant, ut, si
recte fuerit, nihil negotii futurum putent. Ego autem nec retentis iis
confectam rem puto, neque amissis desperatam. Silium et Ocellam et
ceteros credo retardatos. Te quoque a Curtio impediri video. Etsi, ut
opinor, habes ἔκπλουν.
ἔκπλουν _Baiter_: εκιταονον _MSS._
how he plays the statesman. He summoned by letter ten leading men and
the board of four from the municipal towns. They came to his country
house in the morning. First he slept till nine. Then, when he heard the
men had come from Naples and Cumae (for Caesar is angry with them),
he bade them return on the next day, saying that he wished to take a
bath and a laxative. This he did yesterday. But to-day he has arranged
to cross to Aenaria. He is promising the exiles that they shall
return.
Banished under Pompey's law _de ambitu_ in 52 B.C.
But let us pass over this and talk about ourselves. I got a letter
from Q. Axius. As for Tiro, thanks. I like Vettienus. I have repaid
Vestorius. Servius is said to have stopped at Menturnae on the 6th of
May. To-day he will stop with C. Marcellus in his villa at Liternum.
To-morrow early he will see me, and will give me a subject for a letter
to you. Just now I can find nothing to write. I am much astonished that
Antony has not even sent a messenger to me, especially when he has paid
me much attention. I suppose he has some more truculent order about me.
He does not wish to refuse me to my face, but I was not going to ask
the favour, nor, if I had got it, should I have believed him. However
I will think out some plan. Let me know if anything has happened in
Spain; for now there is time for news to have come, and everybody
awaits it with the idea, that, if all go well there, there will be no
more trouble. But I do not think the business is over, if Spain be
kept, nor yet hopeless, if it be lost. Silius and Ocella and the rest
I suppose are detained. I see that you too are hindered by Curtius,
though I think you have a passport.
[1] exanimatus tuis litteris, quibus te nihil nisi triste cogitare ostendisti neque id quid esset perscripsisti neque non tamen quale esset quod cogitares aperuisti, has ad te ilico litteras scripsi. per fortunas tuas, Cicero, per liberos te oro et obsecro ne quid gravius de salute et incolumitate tua consulas. nam deos hominesque amicitiamque nostram testificor me tibi praedixisse neque temere monuisse sed, postquam Caesarem convenerim sententiamque eius qualis futura esset parta victoria cognorim, te certiorem fecisse. si existimas eandem rationem fore Caesaris in dimittendis adversariis et condicionibus ferendis, erras; nihil nisi atrox et saevum cogitat atque etiam loquitur; iratus senatui exiit, his intercessionibus plane incitatus est; non me hercules erit deprecationi locus. [2] qua re si tibi tu, si filius unicus, si domus, si spes tuae reliquae tibi carae sunt, si aliquid apud te nos, si vir optimus gener tuus valemus, quorum fortunam non debes velle conturbare, ut eam causam in quoius victoria salus nostra est odisse aut relinquere cogamur aut impiam cupiditatem contra salutem tuam habeamus—denique illud cogita, quod offensae fuerit in ista cunctatione te subisse. nunc te contra victorem Caesarem facere, quem dubiis rebus laedere noluisti, et ad eos fugatos accedere, quos resistentis sequi nolueris, summae stultitiae est. vide ne, dum pudet te parum optimatem esse, parum diligenter quid optimum sit eligas. quod si totum tibi persuadere non possum, saltem, dum quid de Hispaniis agamus scitur, exspecta; quas tibi nuntio adventu Caesaris fore nostras. quam isti spem habeant amissis Hispaniis nescio; quod porro tuum consilium sit ad desperatos accedere non medius fidius reperio. [4] hoc quod tu non dicendo mihi significasti Caesar audierat ac, simul atque 'have' mihi dixit, statim quid de te audisset exposuit. negavi me scire, sed tamen ab eo petii ut ad te litteras mitteret, quibus maxime ad remanendum commoveri posses. me secum in Hispaniam ducit; nam nisi ita faceret, ego, prius quam ad urbem accederem, ubicumque esses, ad te percucurrissem et hoc a te praesens contendissem atque omni vi te retinuissem. etiam atque etiam, Cicero, cogita ne te tuosque omnis funditus evertas, ne te sciens prudensque eo demittas unde exitum vides nullum esse. quod si te aut voces optimatium commovent aut non nullorum hominum insolentiam et iactationem ferre non potes, eligas censeo aliquod oppidum vacuum a bello, dum haec decernuntur; quae iam erunt confecta. id si feceris, et ego te sapienter fecisse iudicabo et Caesarem non offendes.
◆
Your letter was very pleasing to my daughter and of course to me, for your correspondence always brings a gleam of hope. So please write, and, if you can be hopeful, don't fail to be so. Don't be too much afraid of Antony's lions. He is a jovial fellow. Just hear
Plutarch and Pliny state that after Pharsalia Antony had a chariot drawn by lions: but from this passage it appears that the story was current earlier.
Evocavit litteris e municipiis decem primos et IIII viros. Venerunt ad villam eius mane. Primum dormiit ad h. III, deinde, cum esset nuntiatum venisse Neapolitanos et Cumanos (his enim est Caesar iratus), postridie redire iussit; lavari se velle et περὶ κοιλιολυσίαν γίνεσθαι. Hoc here effecit. Hodie autem in Aenariam transire constituit. Exsulibus reditum pollicetur.
Sed haec omittamus, de nobis aliquid agamas. A Q. Axio accepi litteras. De Tirone gratum. Vettienum diligo. Vestorio reddidi. Servius pr. Nonas Maias Menturnis mansisse dicitur, hodie in Liternino mansurus apud C. Marcellum. Cras igitur nos mature videbit mihique dabit argumentum ad te epistulae. Iam enim non reperio, quod tibi scribam. Illud admiror, quod Antonius ad me ne nuntium quidem, cum praesertim me valde observarit. Videlicet aliquid atrocius de me imperatum est. Coram negare mihi non vult, quod ego nec rogaturus eram nec, si impetrassem, crediturus. Nos tamen aliquid excogitabimus. Tu, quaeso, si quid in Hispaniis. Iam enim poterit audiri, et omnes ita exspectant, ut, si recte fuerit, nihil negotii futurum putent. Ego autem nec retentis iis confectam rem puto, neque amissis desperatam. Silium et Ocellam et ceteros credo retardatos. Te quoque a Curtio impediri video. Etsi, ut opinor, habes ἔκπλουν.
ἔκπλουν _Baiter_: εκιταονον _MSS._
how he plays the statesman. He summoned by letter ten leading men and the board of four from the municipal towns. They came to his country house in the morning. First he slept till nine. Then, when he heard the men had come from Naples and Cumae (for Caesar is angry with them), he bade them return on the next day, saying that he wished to take a bath and a laxative. This he did yesterday. But to-day he has arranged to cross to Aenaria. He is promising the exiles that they shall return.
Banished under Pompey's law _de ambitu_ in 52 B.C.
But let us pass over this and talk about ourselves. I got a letter from Q. Axius. As for Tiro, thanks. I like Vettienus. I have repaid Vestorius. Servius is said to have stopped at Menturnae on the 6th of May. To-day he will stop with C. Marcellus in his villa at Liternum. To-morrow early he will see me, and will give me a subject for a letter to you. Just now I can find nothing to write. I am much astonished that Antony has not even sent a messenger to me, especially when he has paid me much attention. I suppose he has some more truculent order about me. He does not wish to refuse me to my face, but I was not going to ask the favour, nor, if I had got it, should I have believed him. However I will think out some plan. Let me know if anything has happened in Spain; for now there is time for news to have come, and everybody awaits it with the idea, that, if all go well there, there will be no more trouble. But I do not think the business is over, if Spain be kept, nor yet hopeless, if it be lost. Silius and Ocella and the rest I suppose are detained. I see that you too are hindered by Curtius, though I think you have a passport.
Latin / Greek Original
[1] exanimatus tuis litteris, quibus te nihil nisi triste cogitare ostendisti neque id quid esset perscripsisti neque non tamen quale esset quod cogitares aperuisti, has ad te ilico litteras scripsi. per fortunas tuas, Cicero, per liberos te oro et obsecro ne quid gravius de salute et incolumitate tua consulas. nam deos hominesque amicitiamque nostram testificor me tibi praedixisse neque temere monuisse sed, postquam Caesarem convenerim sententiamque eius qualis futura esset parta victoria cognorim, te certiorem fecisse. si existimas eandem rationem fore Caesaris in dimittendis adversariis et condicionibus ferendis, erras; nihil nisi atrox et saevum cogitat atque etiam loquitur; iratus senatui exiit, his intercessionibus plane incitatus est; non me hercules erit deprecationi locus. [2] qua re si tibi tu, si filius unicus, si domus, si spes tuae reliquae tibi carae sunt, si aliquid apud te nos, si vir optimus gener tuus valemus, quorum fortunam non debes velle conturbare, ut eam causam in quoius victoria salus nostra est odisse aut relinquere cogamur aut impiam cupiditatem contra salutem tuam habeamus—denique illud cogita, quod offensae fuerit in ista cunctatione te subisse. nunc te contra victorem Caesarem facere, quem dubiis rebus laedere noluisti, et ad eos fugatos accedere, quos resistentis sequi nolueris, summae stultitiae est. vide ne, dum pudet te parum optimatem esse, parum diligenter quid optimum sit eligas. quod si totum tibi persuadere non possum, saltem, dum quid de Hispaniis agamus scitur, exspecta; quas tibi nuntio adventu Caesaris fore nostras. quam isti spem habeant amissis Hispaniis nescio; quod porro tuum consilium sit ad desperatos accedere non medius fidius reperio. [4] hoc quod tu non dicendo mihi significasti Caesar audierat ac, simul atque 'have' mihi dixit, statim quid de te audisset exposuit. negavi me scire, sed tamen ab eo petii ut ad te litteras mitteret, quibus maxime ad remanendum commoveri posses. me secum in Hispaniam ducit; nam nisi ita faceret, ego, prius quam ad urbem accederem, ubicumque esses, ad te percucurrissem et hoc a te praesens contendissem atque omni vi te retinuissem. etiam atque etiam, Cicero, cogita ne te tuosque omnis funditus evertas, ne te sciens prudensque eo demittas unde exitum vides nullum esse. quod si te aut voces optimatium commovent aut non nullorum hominum insolentiam et iactationem ferre non potes, eligas censeo aliquod oppidum vacuum a bello, dum haec decernuntur; quae iam erunt confecta. id si feceris, et ego te sapienter fecisse iudicabo et Caesarem non offendes.