Letter 7.32

Because you sent me a letter familiarly, as you had every right to do, without your praenomen, I first wondered whether it might be from Volumnius the senator, with whom I have much association. Then the wit of the letter made me understand it was yours. Everything in it was very pleasant to me except this: as my agent, you are not defending carefully enough my possession of the salt works. You say that, ever since I left, everyone's jokes, even Sestius's, are being attributed to me. What? Do you allow that? Do you not defend me? Do you not resist? I had hoped I had left the types of my jokes so clearly marked that they could be recognized by themselves. But since there is so much scum in the city that nothing is so tasteless that it does not seem elegant to someone, fight for me, if you love me. Unless a sharp ambiguity, an elegant exaggeration, a neat pun, a joke that works by surprise, and all the other techniques of wit that I discussed through Antonius in the second book of On the Orator appear skillful and pointed, swear that they are not mine. As for your complaints about the courts, I am much less concerned. Let all defendants be dragged off by the feet, for all I care. Let even Selius be eloquent enough to prove himself free; I am not troubled. But let us defend my possession of urban wit, please, by every interdict. In that field I fear you alone and despise the rest. Do you think I am laughing at you? Only now do I understand that you have good sense. But, by Hercules, joking aside, your letter seemed to me very witty and elegant. Those stories, though they were funny, did not make me laugh, because I want our friend to carry as much weight as possible in his tribuneship. I want this both for his own sake - as you know, he is very dear to me - and, by Hercules, for the republic's sake too. However ungrateful the republic has been to me, I will not stop loving it. My dear Volumnius, since you have begun and can see that it pleases me, write to me as often as possible about city affairs and public affairs. The conversation of your letters is delightful to me. Besides this, encourage and strengthen Dolabella. I see and judge him to be extremely eager for my regard and deeply attached to me. Make him entirely mine - not, by Hercules, because anything is lacking, but because I care so much about him that I do not think I am being too anxious.

CCXXVIII (Fam. VII, 32) TO P. VOLUMNIUS EUTRAPELUS (AT ROME) CILICIA (DECEMBER) Owing to your having in familiar style, as you were quite entitled to do, dropped your praenomen in your letter to me, I was at first doubtful whether it did not come from Volumnius the senator, with whom I am very intimate, but presently the εὐτραπελία of the letter itself convinced, me that it was yours. In that letter I was delighted with everything except this: you are not showing yourself a very energetic agent in maintaining my rights in my mines of (Attic) salt. For you say that, ever since my departure, everybody's bons mots, and among those even Sestius 's, are fathered on me. What! do you allow that? Don't you stand up for me? Don't you protest? Why, I did hope that I had left my bons mots with such a clear stamp on them, that their style might be recognized at a glance. But as there is so much scum in the city, that nothing can be so graceless as not to seem graceful to some one, do your best, an you love me, to maintain, on your solemn affidavit, that they are none of mine, unless sharp double meaning, subtle hyperbole, neat pun, laughable παρὰ προσδοκίαν — unless everything else, in fact, which I set forth in the person of Antonius in my second book de Oratore , shall appear en regle and really witty. For as to your complaints about the law courts I care much less. Let all the defendants, for what I care, go hang! If Selius himself is eloquent enough to establish his freedom, I don't trouble myself. But my prerogative of wit, please let us defend by any amount of injunctions. In that department you are the only rival I fear: I don't think anything of the rest. Do you suppose I am laughing at you? I never knew before that you were so sharp! But, by Hercules , joking apart, I did think your letter very witty and neatly turned. But those particular stories, laughable as they in fact were, did not, all the same, make me laugh. For I am anxious that the friend to whom you refer should have as much weight as possible in his tribuneship, both for his own sake — for, as you know, he is a great favourite of mine — and also, by Hercules , for that of the Republic, which, however, ungrateful to myself it may be, I shall never cease to love. You, however, my dear Volumnius , since you have begun doing so, and now see also that it gives me pleasure, write to me as often as possible about affairs in the city, about politics. I like the gossiping style of your letter. Farther — more, speak seriously to Dolabella , whom I see and believe to be very anxious for my regard, and to be most affectionately disposed towards me: encourage him in that disposition, and make him wholly mine; not, by Hercules , that there is anything lacking in him, but as I am very much set upon it, I don't think I am showing too much anxiety.

XXXII. Scr. anno incerto (in Cilicia a. 703?) [M.] CICERO S. D. VOLUMNIO. Quod sine praenomine familiariter, ut debebas, ad me epistulam misisti, primum addubitavi, num a Volumnio senatore esset, quocum mihi est magnus usus; deinde eÈtrapelia litterarum fecit, ut intelligerem tuas esse; quibus in litteris omnia mihi periucunda fuerunt praeter illud, quod parum diligenter possessio salinarum mearum a te procuratore defenditur; ais enim, ut ego discesserim, omnia omnium dicta, in iis etiam Sestiana, in me conferri. Quid? tu id pateris? non me defendis? non resistis? Equidem sperabam ita notata me reliquisse genera dictorum meorum, ut cognosci sua sponte possent; sed, quoniam tanta faex est in urbe, ut nihil tam sit *xÊyhron, quod non alicui venustum esse videatur, pugna, si me amas, nisi acuta *mfibol¤a, nisi elegans ÍperbolÆ, nisi par­gramma bellum, nisi ridiculum parë prosdox¤an, nisi cetera, quae sunt a me in secundo libro de Oratore per Antonii personam disputata de ridiculis, |ntexna et arguta apparebunt, ut sacramento contendas mea non esse. Nam, de iudiciis quod quereris, multo laboro minus: trahantur per me pedibus omnes rei; sit vel Selius tam eloquens, ut possit probare se liberum: non laboro. Urbanitatis possessionem, amabo, quibusvis interdictis defendamus; in qua te unum metuo, contemno ceteros. Derideri te putas: nunc demum intelligo te sapere. Sed mehercules extra iocum valde mihi tuae litterae facetae elegantesque visae sunt. Illa, quamvis ridicula essent, sicut erant, mihi tamen risum non moverunt; cupio enim nostrum illum amicum in tribunatu quam plurimum habere gravitatis, idque cum ipsius causa—est mihi, ut scis, in amoribus—, tum mehercule etiam rei publicae, quam quidem, quamvis in me ingrata sit, amare non desinam. Tu, mi Volumni, quoniam et instituisti et mihi vides esse gratum, scribe ad me quam saepissime de rebus urbanis, de re publica: iucundus est mihi sermo litterarum tuarum. Praeterea Dolabellam, quem ego perspicio et iudico cupidissimum esse atque amantissimum mei, cohortare et confirma et redde plane meum, non mehercule, quo quidquam desit; sed, quia valde ei cupio, non videor nimium laborare.