Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 32

Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 32

Town, I am told, is now crammed full with our party. Sosius and Lupus,

who, Pompey thought, would reach Brundisium before himself, are, it

appears, sitting as magistrates. From here there is a general move:

even M'. Lepidus, with whom I used to spend the day, thinks of starting

to-morrow. I am lingering in my villa at Formiae to get news the

sooner. Then I intend to go to Arpinum: from Arpinum I proceed to the

Adriatic, choosing the least frequented route and leaving behind or

even dismissing my lictors. For I am told that certain

 

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et saepe antea magno praesidio rei publicae fuerunt, hanc cunctationem

nostram non probari multaque in me et severe in conviviis tempestivis

quidem disputari.

 

Cedamus igitur et, ut boni cives simus, bellum Italiae terra marique

inferamus et odia improborum rursus in nos, quae iam exstincta erant,

incendamus et Luccei consilia ac Theophani persequamur. Nam Scipio vel

in Syriam proficiscitur sorte vel cum genero honeste vel Caesarem fugit

iratum. Marcelli quidem, nisi gladium Caesaris timuissent, manerent.

Appius est eodem in timore et inimicitiarum recentium etiam. Praeter

hunc et C. Cassium reliqui legati, Faustus pro quaestore; ego unus,

cui utrumvis licet. Frater accedit, quem socium huius fortunae esse

non erat aequum. Cui magis etiam Caesar irascetur, sed impetrare non

possum, ut mancat. Dabimus hoc Pompeio, quod debemus. Nam me quidem

alius nemo movet, non sermo bonorum, qui nulli sunt, non causa quae

acta timide est, agetur improbe. Uni, uni hoc damus ne id quidem

roganti nec suam causam, ut ait, agenti, sed publicam. Tu quid cogites

de transeundo in Epirum, scire sane velim.

 

 

 

 

II

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. in Formiano Non. Mart. a. 705_]

 

Etsi Nonis Martiis die tuo, ut opinor, exspectabam epistulam a te

longiorem, tamen ad eam ipsam brevem,

 

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loyalists, who now and formerly have been a bulwark of the Republic, do

not like my staying in Italy, and that they sit half the day over their

festive boards making caustic remarks about me.

 

So I must depart, and, to be a good citizen, wage war on Italy, kindle

against myself again the hatred of the disloyal which had died down,

and follow the plans of Lucceius and Theophanes. For Scipio can be

said to set out for Syria, his allotted province, or to accompany his

son-in-law, which is an honourable excuse, or to flee from Caesar's

anger. The Marcelli would of course have stayed, had they not feared

the sword of Caesar. Appius has the same reason for alarm, and

additional reason through a fresh quarrel. Except Appius and C. Cassius

all the others hold military commands, Faustus being proquaestor. I

am the only one who could go or stay as I like. Besides there is my

brother, whom it is not fair to involve in my trouble. With him Caesar

will be even more angry, but I cannot induce him to stay behind. This

sacrifice I will make to Pompey, as loyalty bids. For no one else

influences me, neither talk of loyalists--for there are none--nor our

cause, which has been conducted in panic and will be conducted in

disgrace. To one man, one only, I make this sacrifice, though he does

not even ask it and though the battle he is fighting is, as he says,

not his own but the State's, I should much like to know what you think

about crossing into Epirus.

 

 

 

 

II

 

CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Formiae, March 7_, B.C. _49_]

 

Though the 7th of March, the day I think for your attack of fever,[80]

should bring me a longer letter

 

[80] Or "your birthday." Cf. ix, 5.

 

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quam IIII Nonas ὑπὸ τὴν λῆψιν dedisti, rescribendum putavi. Gaudere

ais te mansisse me et scribis in sententia te manere. Mihi autem

superioribus litteris videbare non dubitare, quin cederem ita, si et

Gnaeus bene comitatus conscendisset, et consules transissent. Utrum

hoc tu parum commeministi, an ego non satis intellexi, an mutasti

sententiam? Sed aut ex epistula, quam exspecto, perspiciam, quid

sentias, aut alias abs te litteras eliciam. Brundisio nihildum erat

allatum.

 

 

 

 

IIa

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. in Formiano VIII Id. Mart. a. 705_]

 

O rem difficilem planeque perditam! quam nihil praetermittis in

consilio dando; quam nihil tamen, quod tibi ipsi placeat, explicas! Non

esse me una cum Pompeio gaudes ac proponis, quam sit turpe me adesse,

cum quid de illo detrahatur; nefas esse approbare. Certe; contra

igitur? "Di," inquis, "averruncent!" Quid ergo fiet, si in altero

scelus est, in altero supplicium? "Impetrabis," inquis, "a Caesare, ut

tibi abesse liceat et esse otioso." Supplicandum igitur? Miserum. Quid,

si non impetraro? "Et de triumpho erit," inquis, "integrum." Quid, si

hoc ipso premar? accipiam? Quid foedius? Negem? Repudiari se totum,

magis etiam quam olim in XX viratu, putabit. Ac solet, cum se purgat,

in me

 

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from you, still I suppose I ought to answer the shorter note, which you

sent on the 4th on the eve of your attack. You say you are glad that I

have stayed in Italy, and you write that you abide by your former view.

But an earlier letter led me to think you had no doubt I ought to go,

if Pompey embarked with a good following and the consuls crossed too.

Have you forgotten this, or have I failed to understand you, or have

you changed your mind? But I shall either learn your opinion from the

letter I now await: or I shall extract another letter from you. From

Brundisium so far there is no news.

 

 

 

 

IIa

 

CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Formiae, March 8_, B.C. _49_]

 

What a difficult and calamitous business! Nothing passed over in the

advice you give, nothing revealed as to your real opinion! You are glad

that I am not with Pompey, and yet you lay down how wrong it would

be for me to be present when he is criticized: it were shameful to

approve his conduct. Agreed. Should I then speak against him? "Heaven

forbid," you say. So, what can happen, if one way lies crime, and the

other punishment? You advise me to get from Caesar leave of absence

and permission to retire. Must I then beg and pray? That would be

humiliating: and suppose I fail? You say the matter of my triumph will

not be prejudiced. But what if I am hampered by that very thing? Accept

it? What dishonour! Refuse it? Caesar will think that I am repudiating

him entirely, more even than when I declined a place among his twenty

land commissioners.[81] And it is his way, when he excuses himself

 

[81] The _vigintiviri_ for the distribution of Campanian land in 59

B.C. Cf. II, 19.

 

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conferre omnem illorum temporum culpam. Ita me sibi fuisse inimicum, ut

ne honorem quidem a se accipere vellem. Quanto nunc hoc idem accipiet

asperius! Tanto scilicet, quanto et honor hic illo est amplior et ipse

robustior. Nam, quod negas te dubitare, quin magna in offensa sim apud

Pompeium hoc tempore, non video causam, cur ita sit hoc quidem tempore.

Qui enim amisso Corfinio denique certiorem me sui consilii fecit, is

queretur Brundisium me non venisse, cum inter me et Brundisium Caesar

esset? Deinde etiam scit ἀπαρρησίαστον esse in ea causa querelam suam.

Me putat de municipiorum imbecillitate, de dilectibus, de pace, de

urbe, de pecunia, de Piceno occupando plus vidisse quam se. Sin, cum

potuero, non venero, tum erit inimicus, quod ego non eo vereor ne mihi

noceat (quid enim faciet?

 

Τίς δ' ἐστὶ δοῦλος τοῦ θανεῖν ἄφροντις ὤν;),

 

sed quia ingrati animi crimen horreo. Confido igitur adventum nostrum

illi, quoquo tempore fuerit, ut scribis, ἀσμενιστὸν fore. Nam, quod

ais, si hic temperatius egerit, consideratius consilium te daturum, qui

hic potest se gerere non perdite? Vetant vita,[82] mores, ante facta,

ratio suscepti negotii, socii, vires bonorum aut etiam constantia.

 

[82] Vetant vita _Purser_: vita _MSS._: vetant _Boot_.

 

Vixdum epistulam tuam legeram, cum ad me currens ad illum Postumus

Curtius venit nihil nisi classes loquens et exercitus. Eripiebat Hispanias,