Marcus Tullius Cicero→Unknown|c. -58 AD|Cicero|AI-assisted
Concerning all matters that pertain to you — what has been done, what has been decided, what Pompey has undertaken — you will learn best from Marcus Plaetorius, who was not only present at these proceedings but presided over them, and who neglected no duty of a most devoted, most prudent, and most diligent friend toward you. From him you will also learn about the entire state of public affairs; what condition these are in is not easy to write: they are certainly in the power of our friends, and so thoroughly that it seems no change will occur in our lifetime. For my part, as I ought, as you yourself instructed me, and as both duty and advantage compel me, I attach myself to the cause of the man whom you judged should be attached to yours; but it does not escape you how difficult it is to set aside one's convictions in politics, especially when they are right and firmly held. Nevertheless, I shape myself to the will of the man from whom I cannot honorably dissent, nor do I do this, as it may perhaps seem to some, through pretense — for such is the force of my conviction and, by Hercules, my affection for Pompey, that whatever is useful to him and whatever he wishes now seems to me entirely right and true. Nor, in my judgment, would even his opponents be wrong if, when they cannot be his equals, they ceased to fight. I am also consoled by the fact that I am someone to whom all would most readily grant the right either to defend what Pompey wishes, or to remain silent, or even — what pleases me most — to return to my literary studies; which I shall certainly do, if his friendship permits it. For the goals that had been set before me, after I had attained the highest honors and endured the greatest labors — dignity in expressing opinions, liberty in engaging in public life — these have been entirely swept away, and not more for me than for everyone. For one must either assent without any weight to a few men, or dissent to no purpose. I write these things to you chiefly for this reason: that you too may now reflect on your own course. The entire system of the senate, the courts, and the whole republic has been transformed. We must hope for peace, which those who hold power seem likely to provide, if certain men can bear their dominance more patiently. As for that consular dignity of a brave and steadfast senator, there is no reason to think of it: it has been lost through the fault of those who alienated from the senate both a most closely allied order and a most distinguished man. But to return to matters more closely connected with your affairs: I have learned that Pompey is very well disposed toward you, and with him as consul, as far as I can see, you will obtain everything you wish. In these matters he will have me firmly at his side, and nothing that pertains to you will be neglected by me. Nor shall I fear being a nuisance to him, since it will be pleasing to him even for its own sake when he sees that I am grateful. I would have you be assured of this: there is no matter, however small, that pertains to you, that is not dearer to me than all my own affairs. And while I feel this way, I can satisfy myself in diligence, but in actual results I cannot satisfy myself, because I am unable to match any part of your services to me — not merely in repaying, but even in contemplating an adequate return. There was a rumor that you had conducted your affairs very successfully; your dispatches were awaited, about which we had already spoken with Pompey. If they arrive, our zeal will be evident in meeting with the magistrates and senators, and in all other matters pertaining to you — though even if we exert ourselves beyond our capacity, we shall still do less than we owe.
VIII. Scr. Romae mense Ianuario a.u.c. 699. M. CICERO S. D. P. LENTULO PROCOS.
De omnibus rebus, quae ad te pertinent, quid actum, quid constitutum sit, quid Pompeius susceperit, optime ex M. Plaetorio cognosces, qui non solum interfuit his rebus, sed etiam praefuit neque ullum officium erga te hominis amantissimi, prudentissimi, diligentissimi praetermisit. Ex eodem de toto statu rerum communium cognosces; quae quales sint, non facile est scribere: sunt quidem certe in amicorum nostrorum potestate, atque ita, ut nullam mutationem umquam hac hominum aetate habitura res esse videatur. Ego quidem, ut debeo et ut tute mihi praecepisti et ut me pietas utilitasque cogit, me ad eius rationes adiungo, quem tu in meis rationibus tibi esse adiungendum putasti; sed te non praeterit, quam sit difficile sensum in re publica, praesertim rectum et confirmatum, deponere. Verumtamen ipse me conformo ad eius voluntatem, a quo honeste dissentire non possum, neque id facio, ut forsitan quibusdam videar, simulatione, tantum enim animi inductio et mehercule amor erga Pompeium apud me valet, ut, quae illi utilia sunt et quae ille vult, ea mihi omnia iam et recta et vera videantur, neque, ut ego arbitror, errarent ne adversarii quidem eius, si, cum pares esse non possent, pugnare desisterent. Me quidem etiam illa res consolatur, quod ego is sum, cui vel maxime concedant omnes, ut vel ea defendam, quae Pompeius velit, vel taceam vel etiam, id quod mihi maxime libet, ad nostra me studia referam litterarum: quod profecto faciam, si mihi per eiusdem amicitiam licebit; quae enim proposita fuerant nobis, cum et honoribus amplissimis et laboribus maximis perfuncti essemus, dignitas in sententiis dicendis, libertas in re publica capessenda, ea sublata tota sunt, nec mihi magis quam omnibus, nam aut assentiendum est nulla cum gravitate paucis aut frustra dissentiendum. Haec ego ad te ob eam causam maxime scribo, ut iam de tua quoque ratione meditere. Commutata tota ratio est senatus, iudiciorum, rei totius publicae: otium nobis exoptandum est, quod ii, qui potiuntur rerum, praestaturi videntur, si quidam homines patientius eorum potentiam ferre potuerint; dignitatem quidem illam consularem fortis et constantis senatoris nihil est quod cogitemus: amissa culpa est eorum, qui a senatu et ordinem coniunctissimum et hominem clarissimum abalienarunt. Sed, ut ad ea, quae coniunctiora rebus tuis sunt, revertar, Pompeium tibi valde amicum esse cognovi et eo tu consule, quantum ego perspicio, omnia, quae voles, obtinebis, quibus in rebus me sibi ille affixum habebit neque a me ulla res, quae ad te pertineat, negligetur, neque enim verebor, ne sim ei molestus, cui iucundum erit etiam propter se ipsum, cum me esse gratum videbit. Tu velim tibi ita persuadeas, nullam rem esse minimam, quae ad te pertineat, quae mihi non carior sit quam meae res omnes, idque cum sentiam, sedulitate mihimet ipse satisfacere possum, re quidem ipsa ideo mihi non satisfacio, quod nullam partem tuorum meritorum non modo referenda, sed ne cogitanda quidem gratia consequi possum. Rem te valde bene gessisse rumor erat; exspectabantur litterae tuae, de quibus eramus iam cum Pompeio locuti, quae si erunt allatae, nostrum studium exstabit in conveniendis magistratibus et senatoribus, ceteraque, quae ad te pertinebunt, cum etiam plus contenderimus, quam possumus, minus tamen faciemus, quam debemus.
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Concerning all matters that pertain to you — what has been done, what has been decided, what Pompey has undertaken — you will learn best from Marcus Plaetorius, who was not only present at these proceedings but presided over them, and who neglected no duty of a most devoted, most prudent, and most diligent friend toward you. From him you will also learn about the entire state of public affairs; what condition these are in is not easy to write: they are certainly in the power of our friends, and so thoroughly that it seems no change will occur in our lifetime. For my part, as I ought, as you yourself instructed me, and as both duty and advantage compel me, I attach myself to the cause of the man whom you judged should be attached to yours; but it does not escape you how difficult it is to set aside one's convictions in politics, especially when they are right and firmly held. Nevertheless, I shape myself to the will of the man from whom I cannot honorably dissent, nor do I do this, as it may perhaps seem to some, through pretense — for such is the force of my conviction and, by Hercules, my affection for Pompey, that whatever is useful to him and whatever he wishes now seems to me entirely right and true. Nor, in my judgment, would even his opponents be wrong if, when they cannot be his equals, they ceased to fight. I am also consoled by the fact that I am someone to whom all would most readily grant the right either to defend what Pompey wishes, or to remain silent, or even — what pleases me most — to return to my literary studies; which I shall certainly do, if his friendship permits it. For the goals that had been set before me, after I had attained the highest honors and endured the greatest labors — dignity in expressing opinions, liberty in engaging in public life — these have been entirely swept away, and not more for me than for everyone. For one must either assent without any weight to a few men, or dissent to no purpose. I write these things to you chiefly for this reason: that you too may now reflect on your own course. The entire system of the senate, the courts, and the whole republic has been transformed. We must hope for peace, which those who hold power seem likely to provide, if certain men can bear their dominance more patiently. As for that consular dignity of a brave and steadfast senator, there is no reason to think of it: it has been lost through the fault of those who alienated from the senate both a most closely allied order and a most distinguished man. But to return to matters more closely connected with your affairs: I have learned that Pompey is very well disposed toward you, and with him as consul, as far as I can see, you will obtain everything you wish. In these matters he will have me firmly at his side, and nothing that pertains to you will be neglected by me. Nor shall I fear being a nuisance to him, since it will be pleasing to him even for its own sake when he sees that I am grateful. I would have you be assured of this: there is no matter, however small, that pertains to you, that is not dearer to me than all my own affairs. And while I feel this way, I can satisfy myself in diligence, but in actual results I cannot satisfy myself, because I am unable to match any part of your services to me — not merely in repaying, but even in contemplating an adequate return. There was a rumor that you had conducted your affairs very successfully; your dispatches were awaited, about which we had already spoken with Pompey. If they arrive, our zeal will be evident in meeting with the magistrates and senators, and in all other matters pertaining to you — though even if we exert ourselves beyond our capacity, we shall still do less than we owe.
Latin / Greek Original
VIII. Scr. Romae mense Ianuario a.u.c. 699. M. CICERO S. D. P. LENTULO PROCOS.
De omnibus rebus, quae ad te pertinent, quid actum, quid constitutum sit, quid Pompeius susceperit, optime ex M. Plaetorio cognosces, qui non solum interfuit his rebus, sed etiam praefuit neque ullum officium erga te hominis amantissimi, prudentissimi, diligentissimi praetermisit. Ex eodem de toto statu rerum communium cognosces; quae quales sint, non facile est scribere: sunt quidem certe in amicorum nostrorum potestate, atque ita, ut nullam mutationem umquam hac hominum aetate habitura res esse videatur. Ego quidem, ut debeo et ut tute mihi praecepisti et ut me pietas utilitasque cogit, me ad eius rationes adiungo, quem tu in meis rationibus tibi esse adiungendum putasti; sed te non praeterit, quam sit difficile sensum in re publica, praesertim rectum et confirmatum, deponere. Verumtamen ipse me conformo ad eius voluntatem, a quo honeste dissentire non possum, neque id facio, ut forsitan quibusdam videar, simulatione, tantum enim animi inductio et mehercule amor erga Pompeium apud me valet, ut, quae illi utilia sunt et quae ille vult, ea mihi omnia iam et recta et vera videantur, neque, ut ego arbitror, errarent ne adversarii quidem eius, si, cum pares esse non possent, pugnare desisterent. Me quidem etiam illa res consolatur, quod ego is sum, cui vel maxime concedant omnes, ut vel ea defendam, quae Pompeius velit, vel taceam vel etiam, id quod mihi maxime libet, ad nostra me studia referam litterarum: quod profecto faciam, si mihi per eiusdem amicitiam licebit; quae enim proposita fuerant nobis, cum et honoribus amplissimis et laboribus maximis perfuncti essemus, dignitas in sententiis dicendis, libertas in re publica capessenda, ea sublata tota sunt, nec mihi magis quam omnibus, nam aut assentiendum est nulla cum gravitate paucis aut frustra dissentiendum. Haec ego ad te ob eam causam maxime scribo, ut iam de tua quoque ratione meditere. Commutata tota ratio est senatus, iudiciorum, rei totius publicae: otium nobis exoptandum est, quod ii, qui potiuntur rerum, praestaturi videntur, si quidam homines patientius eorum potentiam ferre potuerint; dignitatem quidem illam consularem fortis et constantis senatoris nihil est quod cogitemus: amissa culpa est eorum, qui a senatu et ordinem coniunctissimum et hominem clarissimum abalienarunt. Sed, ut ad ea, quae coniunctiora rebus tuis sunt, revertar, Pompeium tibi valde amicum esse cognovi et eo tu consule, quantum ego perspicio, omnia, quae voles, obtinebis, quibus in rebus me sibi ille affixum habebit neque a me ulla res, quae ad te pertineat, negligetur, neque enim verebor, ne sim ei molestus, cui iucundum erit etiam propter se ipsum, cum me esse gratum videbit. Tu velim tibi ita persuadeas, nullam rem esse minimam, quae ad te pertineat, quae mihi non carior sit quam meae res omnes, idque cum sentiam, sedulitate mihimet ipse satisfacere possum, re quidem ipsa ideo mihi non satisfacio, quod nullam partem tuorum meritorum non modo referenda, sed ne cogitanda quidem gratia consequi possum. Rem te valde bene gessisse rumor erat; exspectabantur litterae tuae, de quibus eramus iam cum Pompeio locuti, quae si erunt allatae, nostrum studium exstabit in conveniendis magistratibus et senatoribus, ceteraque, quae ad te pertinebunt, cum etiam plus contenderimus, quam possumus, minus tamen faciemus, quam debemus.