Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. -60 AD|Cicero|AI-assisted
When I was eagerly awaiting a letter from you toward evening, as is my habit, suddenly a message that slaves had arrived from Rome! I call them, I ask whether there are any letters. They say no. "What do you mean?" I say. "Nothing from Pomponius?" Terrified by my voice and expression, they confessed they had received one but that it had fallen out along the road. What more need I say? I was exceedingly vexed, for in these past days no letter from you had arrived without containing something useful and pleasant. Now, if there was anything in that letter you sent on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of May worth recording, write it again as soon as possible, so that I am not left in ignorance; but if there was nothing beyond jesting, give me that very thing back. And know that young Curio has come to pay his respects to me. His talk about Publius agreed remarkably with your letter; and he himself was wonderfully disposed to "hate proud kings." He related that the young men were equally inflamed and could not endure the present state of affairs. We are in good shape — if our hope rests on them; but I think we had better occupy ourselves with other matters. I am giving myself over to history, though you may consider me a second Saufeius — no one is more idle than I.
But learn my travel plans, so that you can decide where you will see me. I intend to come to Formiae on the Parilia. From there, since you think I should skip that charming Bay of Craters for now, I shall set out from Formiae on the Kalends of May so as to be at Antium on the fifth day before the Nones of May. For there are games at Antium from the fourth to the day before the Nones of May. Tullia wishes to watch them. From there I am thinking of going to Tusculum, then Arpinum, and back to Rome by the Kalends of June. Make sure I see you either at Formiae or at Antium or at Tusculum. Return my earlier letter to me, and add something new.
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
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.
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 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. [2] 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. Maias 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 appinge aliquid novi.
◆
When I was eagerly awaiting a letter from you toward evening, as is my habit, suddenly a message that slaves had arrived from Rome! I call them, I ask whether there are any letters. They say no. "What do you mean?" I say. "Nothing from Pomponius?" Terrified by my voice and expression, they confessed they had received one but that it had fallen out along the road. What more need I say? I was exceedingly vexed, for in these past days no letter from you had arrived without containing something useful and pleasant. Now, if there was anything in that letter you sent on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of May worth recording, write it again as soon as possible, so that I am not left in ignorance; but if there was nothing beyond jesting, give me that very thing back. And know that young Curio has come to pay his respects to me. His talk about Publius agreed remarkably with your letter; and he himself was wonderfully disposed to "hate proud kings." He related that the young men were equally inflamed and could not endure the present state of affairs. We are in good shape — if our hope rests on them; but I think we had better occupy ourselves with other matters. I am giving myself over to history, though you may consider me a second Saufeius — no one is more idle than I.
But learn my travel plans, so that you can decide where you will see me. I intend to come to Formiae on the Parilia. From there, since you think I should skip that charming Bay of Craters for now, I shall set out from Formiae on the Kalends of May so as to be at Antium on the fifth day before the Nones of May. For there are games at Antium from the fourth to the day before the Nones of May. Tullia wishes to watch them. From there I am thinking of going to Tusculum, then Arpinum, and back to Rome by the Kalends of June. Make sure I see you either at Formiae or at Antium or at Tusculum. Return my earlier letter to me, and add something new.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
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 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. [2] 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. Maias 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 appinge aliquid novi.