Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. -45 AD|Cicero|AI-assisted
First health to Attica (who I suppose is now in the country, so I wish
her a full return to health) and to Pilia too. Let me know about
Tigellius, if there is any news. According to a letter of Fadius Gallus,
he is very down on me most unjustly for deserting Phamea, when I had
undertaken his
Quam quidem receperam contra pueros Octavios Cn. filios non libenter;
sed Phameae causa volebam. Erat enim, si meministi, in consulatus
petitione per te mihi pollicitus, si quid opus esset; quod ego perinde
tuebar, ac si usus essem. Is ad me venit dixitque iudicem operam dare
sibi constituisse eo die ipso, quo de Sestio nostro lege Pompeia in
consilium iri necesse erat. Scis enim dies illorum iudiciorum
praestitutos fuisse. Respondi non ignorare eum, quid ego deberem Sestio.
Quem vellet alium diem si sumpsisset, me ei non defuturum. Ita tum ille
discessit iratus. Puto me tibi narrasse. Non laboravi scilicet nec
hominis alieni iniustissimam iracundiam mihi curandam putavi. Gallo
autem narravi, cum proxime Romae fui, quid audissem, neque nominavi
Balbum minorem. Habuit suum negotium Gallus, ut scribit. Ait illum me
animi conscientia, quod Phameam destituissem, de se suspicari. Quare
tibi hactenus mando, de illo nostro, si quid poteris, exquiras, de me ne
quid labores. Est bellum aliquem libenter odisse et, quem ad modum non
omnibus dormire, ita non omnibus servire. Etsi mehercule, ut tu
intellegis, magis mihi isti serviunt, si observare servire est.
case. It went against the grain with me to take it at all against the
sons of Cn. Octavius; but for Phamea's sake I agreed. For, if you
remember, when I was standing for the consulship, he sent a promise of
any assistance he could render through you; and I appreciated it as much
as if I had used it. He came to me and said the judge had undertaken to
hear his case on the very same day that the jury were bound by the
Pompeian law to settle that of our friend Sestius. For you know the days
of those cases have been fixed by law. I answered that he could not but
be aware of my obligations to Sestius. If he would choose any other day,
I would not fail him. So then he left me in a temper. I think I told you
about it. I did not bother myself about it of course, not thinking that
a perfectly unwarrantable fit of anger of a stranger concerned me.
However I told Gallus the next time I was in town what I had heard,
without mentioning young Balbus. Gallus took the matter up, as he tells
me. He says Tigellius asserts that I suspect him because of my bad
conscience about my desertion of Phamea. Accordingly I commission you to
find out what you can from young Balbus, but not to bother your head
about me. It is quite a good thing to have somebody to hate with a will,
and not to pander to everybody any more than to be asleep for
everybody. Though upon my word, as you know, Caesar's party are
obsequious to me more than I to them, if attention is obsequiousness.
'postea quam abs te, Agamemno,' non 'ut venirem' (nam id quoque fecissem nisi Torquatus esset) sed ut scriberem 'tetigit auris nuntius, extemplo' instituta omisi; ea quae in manibus habebam abieci, quod iusseras edolavi. tu velim e Pollice cognoscas rationes nostras sumptuarias. turpe est enim nobis illum, qualiscumque est, hoc primo anno egere. post moderabimur diligentius. idem Pollex remittendus ATTICO SAL. Lepidus ad me heri vesperi litteras misit Antio. nam ibi erat. habet enim domum quam nos vendidimus. rogat magno opere ut sim Kal. in senatu; me et sibi et Caesari vehementer gratum esse facturum. puto equidem nihil esse. dixisset enim tibi fortasse aliquid Oppius, quoniam Balbus est aeger. sed tamen malui venire frustra quam desiderari, si opus esset. moleste ferrem postea. itaque hodie Anti cras ante meridiem domi. tu velim, nisi te impedivisti, apud nos pr. Kal. cum Pilia. [2] te spero cum Publilio confecisse. equidem Kal. in Tusculanum recurram; me enim absente omnia cum illis transigi malo. Quinti fratris epistulam ad te misi non satis humane illam quidem respondentem meis litteris sed tamen quod tibi satis sit, ut equidem existimo. tu videbis.
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First health to Attica (who I suppose is now in the country, so I wish her a full return to health) and to Pilia too. Let me know about Tigellius, if there is any news. According to a letter of Fadius Gallus, he is very down on me most unjustly for deserting Phamea, when I had undertaken his
Quam quidem receperam contra pueros Octavios Cn. filios non libenter; sed Phameae causa volebam. Erat enim, si meministi, in consulatus petitione per te mihi pollicitus, si quid opus esset; quod ego perinde tuebar, ac si usus essem. Is ad me venit dixitque iudicem operam dare sibi constituisse eo die ipso, quo de Sestio nostro lege Pompeia in consilium iri necesse erat. Scis enim dies illorum iudiciorum praestitutos fuisse. Respondi non ignorare eum, quid ego deberem Sestio. Quem vellet alium diem si sumpsisset, me ei non defuturum. Ita tum ille discessit iratus. Puto me tibi narrasse. Non laboravi scilicet nec hominis alieni iniustissimam iracundiam mihi curandam putavi. Gallo autem narravi, cum proxime Romae fui, quid audissem, neque nominavi Balbum minorem. Habuit suum negotium Gallus, ut scribit. Ait illum me animi conscientia, quod Phameam destituissem, de se suspicari. Quare tibi hactenus mando, de illo nostro, si quid poteris, exquiras, de me ne quid labores. Est bellum aliquem libenter odisse et, quem ad modum non omnibus dormire, ita non omnibus servire. Etsi mehercule, ut tu intellegis, magis mihi isti serviunt, si observare servire est.
case. It went against the grain with me to take it at all against the sons of Cn. Octavius; but for Phamea's sake I agreed. For, if you remember, when I was standing for the consulship, he sent a promise of any assistance he could render through you; and I appreciated it as much as if I had used it. He came to me and said the judge had undertaken to hear his case on the very same day that the jury were bound by the Pompeian law to settle that of our friend Sestius. For you know the days of those cases have been fixed by law. I answered that he could not but be aware of my obligations to Sestius. If he would choose any other day, I would not fail him. So then he left me in a temper. I think I told you about it. I did not bother myself about it of course, not thinking that a perfectly unwarrantable fit of anger of a stranger concerned me. However I told Gallus the next time I was in town what I had heard, without mentioning young Balbus. Gallus took the matter up, as he tells me. He says Tigellius asserts that I suspect him because of my bad conscience about my desertion of Phamea. Accordingly I commission you to find out what you can from young Balbus, but not to bother your head about me. It is quite a good thing to have somebody to hate with a will, and not to pander to everybody any more than to be asleep for everybody. Though upon my word, as you know, Caesar's party are obsequious to me more than I to them, if attention is obsequiousness.
Latin / Greek Original
'postea quam abs te, Agamemno,' non 'ut venirem' (nam id quoque fecissem nisi Torquatus esset) sed ut scriberem 'tetigit auris nuntius, extemplo' instituta omisi; ea quae in manibus habebam abieci, quod iusseras edolavi. tu velim e Pollice cognoscas rationes nostras sumptuarias. turpe est enim nobis illum, qualiscumque est, hoc primo anno egere. post moderabimur diligentius. idem Pollex remittendus ATTICO SAL. Lepidus ad me heri vesperi litteras misit Antio. nam ibi erat. habet enim domum quam nos vendidimus. rogat magno opere ut sim Kal. in senatu; me et sibi et Caesari vehementer gratum esse facturum. puto equidem nihil esse. dixisset enim tibi fortasse aliquid Oppius, quoniam Balbus est aeger. sed tamen malui venire frustra quam desiderari, si opus esset. moleste ferrem postea. itaque hodie Anti cras ante meridiem domi. tu velim, nisi te impedivisti, apud nos pr. Kal. cum Pilia. [2] te spero cum Publilio confecisse. equidem Kal. in Tusculanum recurram; me enim absente omnia cum illis transigi malo. Quinti fratris epistulam ad te misi non satis humane illam quidem respondentem meis litteris sed tamen quod tibi satis sit, ut equidem existimo. tu videbis.