Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. -45 AD|Cicero|AI-assisted
As for the letter to Caesar, I was always ready to let your friends read
it first. If I had not been, I should not have done my duty by them, and
should very nearly have imperilled myself, if I were likely to offend
him. But they have acted frankly, and I am thankful to them for not
concealing their feelings; but the best thing of all is that they want
to make so many alterations that there is no sense in my writing it all
over again. However, what view ought I to have taken of the Parthian war
except what I thought he wanted? Indeed what other purpose had my letter
save to kowtow to him? Do you suppose I should have been at a loss for
words, if I had wanted to give him the advice which I really thought
best? So the whole letter is unnecessary. For, when I cannot make a
_coup_, and a fiasco, however slight, would be unpleasant, why should I
run unnecessary risk? Especially as it occurs to me that, as I have not
written before, he would think I should not have written until the whole
war were over. Besides I am afraid he may think it is to sugar the pill
of my Cato. In fact I am very sorry I wrote it, and nothing could suit
my wishes better than that they do disapprove of my zeal. I should have
fallen foul of Caesar's party, and among them your relative.
Sed redeo ad hortos. Plane illuc te ire nisi tuo magno commodo nolo;
nihil enim urget. Quicquid erit, operam in Faberio ponamus. De die tamen
auctionis, si quid scies. Eum, qui e Cumano venerat, quod et plane
valere Atticam nuntiabat et litteras se habere aiebat, statim ad te
misi.
de Andromene ut scribis ita putaram. Scisses enim mihique dixisses. tu tamen ita mihi de Bruto scribis ut de te nihil. quando autem illum putas? nam ego Romam pridie Idus. Bruto ita volui scribere (sed quoniam tu te legisse scribis, fui fortasse a)safe/steroj ) me ex tuis litteris intellexisse nolle eum me quasi prosequendi sui causa Romam nunc venire. sed, quoniam iam adest meus adventus, fac, quaeso, ne quid eum Idus impediant quo minus suo commodo in Tusculano sit. nec enim ad tabulam eum desideraturus eram (in tali enim negotio cur tu unus non satis es?) sed ad testamentum volebam, quod iam malo alio die ne ob eam causam Romam venisse videar. scripsi igitur ad Brutum iam illud, quod putassem, Idibus nihil opus esse. velim ergo totum hoc ita gubernes ut ne minima quidem re ulla Bruti commodum impediamus. [3] sed quid est tandem quod perhorrescas quia tuo periculo iubeam libros dari Varroni? etiam nunc si dubitas, fac ut sciamus. nihil est enim illis elegantius. volo Varronem, praesertim cum ille desideret; sed est, ut scis, deino\j a)nh/r: ta/xa ken kai\ a)nai/tion ai)tio/w?to. ita mihi saepe occurrit vultus eius querentis fortasse vel hoc, meas partis in iis libris copiosius defensas esse quam suas, quod me hercule non esse intelleges, si quando in Epirum veneris. nam nunc Alexionis epistulis cedimus. sed tamen ego non despero probatum iri Varroni et id, quoniam impensam fecimus in macrocolla, facile patior teneri. sed etiam atque etiam dico, tuo periculo fiet. qua re si addubitas, ad Brutum transeamus; est enim is quoque Antiochius. O Academiam volaticam et sui similem! modo huc, modo illuc. sed, quaeso, epistula mea ad Varronem valdene tibi placuit? male mi sit si umquam quicquam tam enitar. ergo ne Tironi quidem dictavi qui totas perioxa\j persequi solet sed Spintharo syllabatim.
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As for the letter to Caesar, I was always ready to let your friends read it first. If I had not been, I should not have done my duty by them, and should very nearly have imperilled myself, if I were likely to offend him. But they have acted frankly, and I am thankful to them for not concealing their feelings; but the best thing of all is that they want to make so many alterations that there is no sense in my writing it all over again. However, what view ought I to have taken of the Parthian war except what I thought he wanted? Indeed what other purpose had my letter save to kowtow to him? Do you suppose I should have been at a loss for words, if I had wanted to give him the advice which I really thought best? So the whole letter is unnecessary. For, when I cannot make a _coup_, and a fiasco, however slight, would be unpleasant, why should I run unnecessary risk? Especially as it occurs to me that, as I have not written before, he would think I should not have written until the whole war were over. Besides I am afraid he may think it is to sugar the pill of my Cato. In fact I am very sorry I wrote it, and nothing could suit my wishes better than that they do disapprove of my zeal. I should have fallen foul of Caesar's party, and among them your relative.
Sed redeo ad hortos. Plane illuc te ire nisi tuo magno commodo nolo; nihil enim urget. Quicquid erit, operam in Faberio ponamus. De die tamen auctionis, si quid scies. Eum, qui e Cumano venerat, quod et plane valere Atticam nuntiabat et litteras se habere aiebat, statim ad te misi.
Latin / Greek Original
de Andromene ut scribis ita putaram. Scisses enim mihique dixisses. tu tamen ita mihi de Bruto scribis ut de te nihil. quando autem illum putas? nam ego Romam pridie Idus. Bruto ita volui scribere (sed quoniam tu te legisse scribis, fui fortasse a)safe/steroj ) me ex tuis litteris intellexisse nolle eum me quasi prosequendi sui causa Romam nunc venire. sed, quoniam iam adest meus adventus, fac, quaeso, ne quid eum Idus impediant quo minus suo commodo in Tusculano sit. nec enim ad tabulam eum desideraturus eram (in tali enim negotio cur tu unus non satis es?) sed ad testamentum volebam, quod iam malo alio die ne ob eam causam Romam venisse videar. scripsi igitur ad Brutum iam illud, quod putassem, Idibus nihil opus esse. velim ergo totum hoc ita gubernes ut ne minima quidem re ulla Bruti commodum impediamus. [3] sed quid est tandem quod perhorrescas quia tuo periculo iubeam libros dari Varroni? etiam nunc si dubitas, fac ut sciamus. nihil est enim illis elegantius. volo Varronem, praesertim cum ille desideret; sed est, ut scis, deino\j a)nh/r: ta/xa ken kai\ a)nai/tion ai)tio/w?to. ita mihi saepe occurrit vultus eius querentis fortasse vel hoc, meas partis in iis libris copiosius defensas esse quam suas, quod me hercule non esse intelleges, si quando in Epirum veneris. nam nunc Alexionis epistulis cedimus. sed tamen ego non despero probatum iri Varroni et id, quoniam impensam fecimus in macrocolla, facile patior teneri. sed etiam atque etiam dico, tuo periculo fiet. qua re si addubitas, ad Brutum transeamus; est enim is quoque Antiochius. O Academiam volaticam et sui similem! modo huc, modo illuc. sed, quaeso, epistula mea ad Varronem valdene tibi placuit? male mi sit si umquam quicquam tam enitar. ergo ne Tironi quidem dictavi qui totas perioxa\j persequi solet sed Spintharo syllabatim.