Letter 419

On the 5th I received two letters from you, one dated the first, the other a day earlier. So I am answering the earlier first. I am glad you like my book, from which you quoted the very gems; and they seemed to me all the more sparkling for your judgment on them. For I was afraid of those red pencils of yours. As for Sicca, it is as you say: I could hardly hold myself in about Antony's lust. So I will touch on it lightly without any opprobrium for Sicca and Septimia, and only let our children's sine φαλλῷ Luciliano eum ex C. Fadi filia liberos habuisse. Atque utinam eum diem videam, cum ista oratio ita libere vagetur, ut etiam in Siccae domum introeat! Sed "illo tempore opus est, quod fuit illis III viris." Moriar, nisi facete! Tu vero leges Sexto eiusque iudicium mihi perscribes. "Εἷς ἐμοὶ μύριοι." Caleni interventum et Calvenae cavebis. Quod vereris, ne ἀδόλεσχος mihi tu, quis minus? Cui, ut Aristophani Archilochi iambus, sic epistula tua longissima quaeque optima videtur. Quod me admones, tu vero etiamsi reprenderes, non modo facile paterer, sed etiam laetarer, quippe cum in reprensione sit prudentia cum εὐμενεία. Ita libenter ea corrigam, quae a te animadversa sunt, "eodem iure quo Rubriana" potius quam "quo Scipionis," et de laudibus Dolabellae deruam cumulum. Ac tamen est isto loco bella, ut mihi videtur, εἰρωνεία, quod eum ter contra cives in acie. Illud etiam malo: "indignissimum est hunc vivere" quam "quid indignius?" Πεπλογραφίαν Varronis tibi probari non moleste fero; children know, without taking Lucilian licence, that Antony had children by a daughter of Fadius. I only wish I could see the day when my second _Philippic_ could be sufficiently freely circulated to enter even Sicca's door. "But we want back the days of freedom under the triumvirs." Upon my life that was a neat touch of yours. Please read my book to Sextus and let me know his opinion. I would take his word against all the world. Keep your eyes open for the appearance of Calenus and Calvena. You fear I may think you a gas-bag. Who is less of one? I am like Aristophanes with Archilochus' iambics—the longest letter of yours ever seems the best to me. As for your giving me advice, why, if you found fault with me, I should not only put up with it cheerfully, but even be glad of it, since in your fault-finding there is both wisdom and kindly purpose. So I will willingly correct the point you mention, and write "by the same right as you did the property of Rubrius" instead of "the property of Scipio"; and I will take the pinnacle off my praises of Dolabella. And yet to my thinking there is fine irony in the passage where I say he had thrice stood up in arms against his fellow-citizens. Again I prefer your "it is most unjust that such a man should live" to "what can be more unjust?" I am not sorry to hear you praise the _Peplographia_ a quo adhuc Ἡρακλείδειον illud non abstuli. Quod me hortaris ad scribendum, amice tu quidem, sed me scito agere nihil aliud. Gravedo tua mihi molesta est. Quaeso, adhibe, quam soles diligentiam. "O Tite" tibi prodesse laetor. "Anagnini" sunt Mustela ταξιάρχης et Laco, qui plurimum bibit. Librum, quem rogas, perpoliam et mittam. Haec ad posteriorem. "Τὰ περὶ τοῦ καθήκοντος," quatenus Panaetius, absolvi duobus. Illius tres sunt; sed, cum initio divisisset ita, tria genera exquirendi officii esse, unum, cum deliberemus, honestum an turpe sit, alterum, utile an inutile, tertium, cum haec inter se pugnare videantur, quo modo iudicandum sit, qualis causa Reguli, redire honestum, manere utile, de duobus primis praeclare disseruit, de tertio pollicetur se deinceps, sed nihil scripsit. Eum locum Posidonius persecutus est. Ego autem et eius librum accersivi et ad Athenodorum Calvum scripsi, ut ad me τὰ κεφάλαια mitteret; quae exspecto. Quem velim cohortere et roges, ut quam primum. In eo est περὶ τοῦ κατὰ περίστασιν καθήκοντος. Quod de inscriptione quaeris, non dubito, quin καθῆκον "officium" sit, nisi quid tu aliud; sed inscriptio plenior "de officiis." Προσφωνῶ autem Ciceroni filio. Visum est non ἀνοίκειον. of Varro; I have not yet managed to get the book in the style of Heracleides from him. You exhort me to go on writing. That is friendly of you; but let me tell you I do nothing else. I am sorry to hear of your cold. Please take as much care as usual of it. I am glad my book _On Old Age_ does you good. The "men of Anagnia" are Mustela, the swashbuckler, and Laco, the champion toper. The book you ask for I will polish up and send. Now for the second letter. The _De Officiis_, so far as Panaetius is concerned, I have finished in two books. He has three: but, though at the beginning he makes a three-fold division of cases in which duty has to be determined, one when the question is between right or wrong, another when it is between expediency and inexpediency, and the third, how we are to decide when it is a conflict between duty and expediency—for example, in Regulus' case to return would be right, to stay expedient—he treated of the first two brilliantly; the third he promises to add, but never wrote it. Posidonius took up that topic: but I have ordered his book and written to Athenodorus Calvus to send me an analysis of it, and that I am expecting. I wish you would spur him on and beg him to let me have it as soon as possible. In it duties under given circumstances are handled. As to your query about the title, I have no doubt that καθῆκον (duty) corresponds with _officium_, unless you have any other suggestion to make. But the fuller title is _De Officiis_. I am dedicating it to my son. It seems to me not inappropriate. De Myrtilo dilucide. O quales tu semper istos! Itane? in D. Brutum? Di istis! Ego me, ut scripseram, in Pompeianum non abdidi, primo tempestatibus, quibus nil taetrius; deinde ab Octaviano cotidie litterae, ut negotium susciperem, Capuam venirem, iterum rem publicam servarem, Romam utique statim. "Αἴδεσθεν μὲν ἀνήνασθαι, δεῖσαν δ' ὑποδέχθαι." Is tamen egit sane strenue et agit. Romam veniet cum manu magna, sed est plane puer. Putat senatum statim. Quis veniet? Si venerit, quis incertis rebus offendet Antonium? Kal. Ianuar. erit fortasse praesidio, aut quidem ante depugnabitur. Puero municipia mire favent. Iter enim faciens in Samnium venit Cales, mansit Teani. Mirifica ἀπάντησις et cohortatio. Hoc tu putares? Ob hoc ego citius Romam, quam constitueram. Simul et constituero, scribam. Etsi nondum stipulationes legeram (nec enim Eros venerat), tamen rem pridie Idus velim conficias. Epistulas Catinam, Tauromenium, Syracusas commodius mittere potero, si Valerius interpres ad me nomina gratiosorum scripserit. Alii enim sunt alias, nostrique familiares fere demortui. Publice tamen scripsi, si uti vellet eis Valerius; aut mihi nomina mitteret. You make it as plain as daylight about Myrtilus. How well you can always take that lot off! Is it so? Do they accuse D. Brutus? A malison on them! I have not hidden myself in Pompeii, as I said I should; first because of the weather, which has been abominable, and secondly because I get a letter from Octavian every day, asking me to take a hand in affairs, to come to Capua, to save the Republic again, and anyhow to go to Rome at once. It is a case of "ashamed to shirk, but yet afraid to take." He, however, has been acting, and still is acting, with great vigour. He will come to Rome with a big army; but he is such a boy. He thinks he can call a Senate at once. Who will come? If anyone comes, who will offend Antony in this uncertainty? Perhaps he may act as a safeguard on the 1st of January, or the battle may be over before then. The country towns are wonderfully enthusiastic for the boy. For, as he was making his way to Samnium, he came to Cales and stopped at Teanum. There was a marvellous crowd to meet him and cheers for him. Should you have thought it? That will make me come to Rome sooner than I had intended. As soon as I have arranged, I will write. Though I have not yet read the agreements—for Eros has not come yet—still I wish you would get the business settled on the 12th. It will make it easier for me to send letters to Catina, Tauromenium, and Syracuse, if Valerius the interpreter will let me know the names of the influential people. For such people vary with the times, and most of my particular friends are dead. However, I have written general letters, if Valerius will content himself with them; otherwise he must send me names. De Lepidianis feriis Balbus ad me usque ad III Kal. Exspectabo tuas litteras meque de Torquati negotiolo sciturum puto. Quinti litteras ad te misi, ut scires, quam valde eum amaret, quem dolet a te minus amari. Atticae, quoniam, quod optimum in pueris est, hilarula est, meis verbis suavium des volo.

Nonis accepi a te duas epistulas quarum alteram Kal. dederas, alteram pridie. igitur prius ad superiorem. nostrum opus tibi probari laetor; ex quo a)/nqh ipsa posuisti. quae mihi florentiora sunt visa tuo iudicio; cerulas enim tuas miniatulas illas extimescebam. de Sicca ita est ut scribis; <ab> asta ea aegre me tenui. itaque perstringam sine ulla contumelia Siccae aut Septimiae, tantum ut sciant ' pai=dej pai/dwn ' sine fallw=? Luciliano eum ex C. Fadi filia liberos habuisse. atque utinam eum diem videam cum ista oratio ita libere vagetur <ut> etiam in Siccae domum introeat! sed illo tempore opus est quod fuit illis iiiviris. moriar nisi facete! tu vero leges Sexto eiusque iudicium mihi perscribes. ' Ei(=j e)moi\ mu/rioi .' Caleni interventum et Calvenae cavebis. [2] quod vereris ne a)do/lesxoj mihi tu, quis minus? cui, ut Aristophani Archilochi iambus, sic epistula <tua> longissima quaeque optima videtur. quod me admones, tu vero etiam si reprenderes, non modo facile paterer sed etiam laetarer, quippe cum in reprensione sit prudentia cum eu)menei/a? . ita libenter ea corrigam quae a te animadversa sunt, 'eodem iure quo Rubriana' potius quam 'quo Scipionis,' et de laudibus Dolabellae deruam cumulum. ac tamen est isto loco bella, ut mihi videtur, ei)rwnai/a , quod eum ter contra civis in acie. illud etiam malo 'indignissimum est hunc vivere' quam 'quid indignius?' [3] Peplografi/an Varronis tibi probari non moleste fero; a quo adhuc (Hraklei/deion illud non abstuli. quod me hortaris ad scribendum, amice tu quidem, sed me scito agere nihil aliud. gravedo tua mihi molesta est. quaeso, adhibe quam soles diligentiam. 'O Tite' tibi prodesse laetor. 'Anagnini' sunt mustela tacia/rxhj et Laco qui plurimum bibit. Librum quem rogas perpoliam et mittam. [4] haec ad posteriorem. ta\ peri\ tou= kaqh/kontoj quatenus Panaetius, absolvi duobus. illius tres sunt; sed cum initio divisisset ita, tria genera exquirendi offici esse, unum, cum deliberemus honestum an turpe sit, alterum, utile an inutile, tertium, cum haec inter se pugnare videantur, quo modo iudicandum sit, qualis causa Reguli, redire honestum, manere utile, de duobus primis praeclare disseruit, de tertio pollicetur se deinceps sed nihil scripsit. Eum locum Posidonius persecutus <est>. ego autem et eius librum arcessivi et ad Athenodorum Calvum scripsi ut ad me ta\ kefa\laia mitteret; quae exspecto. quem velim cohortere et roges ut quam primum. in eo est peri\ tou= kata\ peri/stasin kaqh/kontoj . quod de inscriptione quaeris, non dubito quin kaqh=kon 'officium' sit, nisi quid tu aliud; sed inscriptio plenior 'de officiis.' Prosfwnw= autem Ciceroni filio. visum est non a)noi/keion . [5] de Myrtilo dilucide. O qualis tu semper istos! itane? in D. Brutum? di istis! [6] ego me, ut scripseram, in Pompeianum non abdidi primo tempestatibus quibus nil taetrius; deinde ab Octaviano cotidie litterae ut negotium susciperem, Capuam venirem, iterum rem publicam servarem, Romam utique statim. ai)/desqen me\n a)nh/nasqai, dei=san d' u(pode/xqai. is tamen egit sane strenue et agit. Romam veniet cum manu magna, sed est plane puer. putat senatum statim. quis veniet? si venerit, quis incertis rebus offendet Antonium? Kal. Ianuar. erit fortasse praesidio aut quidem ante depugnabitur. puero municipia mire favent. iter enim faciens in Samnium venit cales, mansit Teani. mirifica a)pa/nthsij et cohortatio. hoc tu putares? ob hoc ego citius Romam quam constitueram. simul et constituero scribam. [7] etsi nondum stipulationes legeram (nec enim Eros venerat), tamen rem pridie Idus velim conficias. epistulas Catinam, Tauromenium, Syracusas commodius mittere potero si Valerius interpres ad me nomina gratiosorum scripserit. Alii enim sunt alias, nostrique familiares fere demortui. publice tamen scripsi, si uti vellet eis Valerius; aut mihi nomina mitteret. [8] de Lepidianis feriis Balbus ad me usque ad iii Kal. Exspectabo tuas litteras meque <de> Torquati negotiolo sciturum puto. Quinti litteras ad te misi ut scires quam valde eum amaret quem dolet a te minus amari. Atticae, quoniam, quod optimum in pueris est, hilarula est, meis verbis suavium des volo.