Letter 4001: You say you wish to see your granddaughter again, and me with her, after not having seen us for so long.
Pliny the Younger→Fabatus|c. 104 AD|Pliny the Younger
property economicstravel mobilitywomen
To Fabatus, his Wife's Grandfather.
You say you wish to see your granddaughter again, and me with her, after not having seen us for so long. Both of us are charmed to hear you say so, and, believe me, we are equally anxious to see you. For I cannot tell you how we long to see you, and we will no longer delay our visit. To that end we are even now getting our luggage together, and we will push on as fast as the state of the roads will permit. There will be one delay, but it will not detain us long. We shall branch off to see my Tuscan estate - not to inspect the farms and go into accounts, as that can be postponed - but merely to perform a necessary duty. There is a village near my property called Tifernum Tiberinum, which selected me as its patron when I was still almost a boy, and showed, by so doing, more affection than judgment. The people there flock to meet me when I approach, are distressed when I leave them, and rejoice at my preferment. In this village, as a return for their kindness - for it would never do to be outdone in affection - I have, at my own expense, built a temple, and now that it is completed it would be hardly respectful to the gods to put off its dedication any longer. So we will be present on the dedication day, which I have arranged to celebrate with a banquet. We may possibly stay there for the following day as well, but, if we do, we will get over the ground with increased speed to make up for lost time. I only hope that we will find you and your daughter * in good health, for I know we will find you in good spirits if we arrive in safety. Farewell.
[Note: Calpurnia Hispulla: see letter 19 of this book.]
L To Fabatus, his Wife's Grandfather.
You say you wish to see your granddaughter again, and me with her, after not having seen us for so long. Both of us are charmed to hear you say so, and, believe me, we are equally anxious to see you. For I cannot tell you how we long to see you, and we shall no longer delay our visit. To that end we are even now getting our luggage together, and we shall push on as fast as the state of the roads will permit. There will be one delay, but it will not detain us long. We shall branch off to see my Tuscan estate - not to inspect the farms and go into accounts, as that can be postponed - but merely to perform a necessary duty. There is a village near my property called Tifernum Tiberinum, which selected me as its patron when I was still almost a boy, and showed, by so doing, more affection than judgment. The people there flock to meet me when I approach, are distressed when I leave them, and rejoice at my preferment. In this village, as a return for their kindness - for it would never do to be outdone in affection - I have, at my own expense, built a temple, and now that it is completed it would be hardly respectful to the gods to put off its dedication any longer. So we shall be present on the dedication day, which I have arranged to celebrate with a banquet. We may possibly stay there for the following day as well, but, if we do, we shall get over the ground with increased speed to make up for lost time. I only hope that we shall find you and your daughter * in good health, for I know we shall find you in good spirits if we arrive in safety. Farewell.
(*) Calpurnia Hispulla: see letter 19 of this book.
◆
To Fabatus, his Wife's Grandfather.
You say you wish to see your granddaughter again, and me with her, after not having seen us for so long. Both of us are charmed to hear you say so, and, believe me, we are equally anxious to see you. For I cannot tell you how we long to see you, and we will no longer delay our visit. To that end we are even now getting our luggage together, and we will push on as fast as the state of the roads will permit. There will be one delay, but it will not detain us long. We shall branch off to see my Tuscan estate - not to inspect the farms and go into accounts, as that can be postponed - but merely to perform a necessary duty. There is a village near my property called Tifernum Tiberinum, which selected me as its patron when I was still almost a boy, and showed, by so doing, more affection than judgment. The people there flock to meet me when I approach, are distressed when I leave them, and rejoice at my preferment. In this village, as a return for their kindness - for it would never do to be outdone in affection - I have, at my own expense, built a temple, and now that it is completed it would be hardly respectful to the gods to put off its dedication any longer. So we will be present on the dedication day, which I have arranged to celebrate with a banquet. We may possibly stay there for the following day as well, but, if we do, we will get over the ground with increased speed to make up for lost time. I only hope that we will find you and your daughter * in good health, for I know we will find you in good spirits if we arrive in safety. Farewell.
[Note: Calpurnia Hispulla: see letter 19 of this book.]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.