Letter 327

On the 28th in the morning Demeas delivered a letter dated the day before, from which I ought to expect you either to-day or to-morrow. But, I suppose, I who am looking forward to your coming, shall be the very person who will delay it. For I don't expect the business with Faberius will be so far settled, even if it is to be settled, that it will not ut non habeat aliquid morae. Cum poteris igitur. Quoniam etiamnum abes, Dicaearchi, quos scribis, libros sane velim mi mittas, addas etiam κατάβασεως. De epistula ad Caesarem κέκρικα; atqui id ipsum, quod isti aiunt illum scribere, se nisi constitutis rebus non iturum in Parthos, idem ego suadebam in illa epistula. Utrum liberet, facere posse auctore me. Hoc enim ille exspectat videlicet neque est facturus quicquam nisi de meo consilio. Obsecro, abiciamus ista et semiliberi saltem simus; quod adsequemur et tacendo et latendo. Sed adgredere Othonem, ut scribis. Confice, mi Attice, istam rem. Nihil enim aliud reperio, ubi et in foro non sim et tecum esse possim. Quanti autem, hoc mihi venit in mentem. C. Albanius proximus est vicinus. Is CIↃ iugerum de M. Pilio emit, ut mea memoria est, HS ¯CXV¯. Omnia scilicet nunc minoris. Sed accedit cupiditas, in qua praeter Othonem non puto nos ullum adversarium habituros. Sed eum ipsum tu poteris movere, facilius etiam, si Canum haberes. O gulam insulsam! Pudet me patris. Rescribes, si quid voles. cause some delay. So come when you can. Since you are still away, I should like you to send me the books of Dicaearchus, which you mention, with the _Descent_. As for the letter to Caesar I have made up my mind; and yet precisely what they say he says in his letter, that he will not go against the Parthians until affairs are arranged here, is what I advised in my letter. I told him he could do whichever he chose with my full leave. For of course he wants that and won't do anything without my advice. For heaven's sake let us give up flattery and be at least half-free; and that we can manage by keeping quiet and out of sight. But approach Otho, as you say, and finish that business, my dear Atticus. For I don't see any other way of keeping away from the forum and yet being with you. As to the price, this has just occurred to me. The nearest neighbour is C. Albanius. He bought some 600 acres of M. Pilius, so far as I can recollect for £110,000. Of course everything has gone down in value now. But on the other side counts our eagerness to purchase, though I don't suppose we shall have anyone bidding against us except Otho. Him however you can influence personally, and could still more easily, if you had Canus with you. What senseless gluttony! Shame on his father! Answer, if you want to say anything.

de hortis ex tuis litteris cognovi et <ex> Chrysippo. in villa cuius insulsitatem bene noram video nihil aut pauca mutata; balnearia tamen laudat maiora, de minoribus ait hiberna effici posse. tecta igitur ambulatiuncula addenda est; quam ut tantam faciamus quantam in Tusculano fecimus prope dimidio minoris constabit isto loco. ad id autem quod volumus a)fi/druma nihil aptius videtur quam lucus quem ego noram; sed celebritatem nullam tum habebat, nunc audio maximam. nihil est quod ego malim. in hoc to\n tu=fo/n mou pro\j qew=n tropofo/rhson . reliquum est, si Faberius nobis nomen illud explicat, noli quaerere quanti; Othonem vincas volo. nec tamen insaniturum illum puto; nosse enim mihi hominem videor. ita male autem audio ipsum esse tractatum ut mihi ille emptor non esse videatur. quid enim? pateretur? sed quid argumentor? [2] si Faberianum explicas, emamus vel magno; si minus, ne parvo quidem possumus. Clodiam igitur. A qua ipsa ob eam causam sperare videor, quod et multo minoris sunt et Dolabellae nomen tam expeditum videtur ut etiam repraesentatione confidam. de hortis satis. cras aut te aut causam; quam quidem <puto> futuram Faberianam. sed si poteris. Ciceronis epistulam tibi remisi. [3] O te ferreum qui illius periculis non moveris! me quoque accusat. eam tibi epistulam misissem . nam illam alteram de rebus gestis eodem exemplo <puto>. in Cumanum hodie misi tabellarium. ei dedi tuas ad Vestorium quas Pharnaci dederas.