Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 54

Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 54

gratius accidisse, quam quod meam Tulliam suavissime diligentissimeque

coluisti. Valde eo ipsa delectata est, ego autem non minus. Cuius

quidem virtus mirifica. Quo modo illa fert publicam cladem, quo modo

domesticas tricas! quantus autem animus in discessu nostro! Est στοργή,

est summa σύντηξις. Tamen nos recte facere et bene audire vult. Sed hac

super re ne nimis, ne meam ipse συμπάθειαν iam evocem.

 

Tu, si quid de Hispaniis certius et si quid aliud, dum adsumus,

scribes, et ego fortasse discedens dabo ad te aliquid, eo etiam magis,

quod Tullia te non putabat hoc tempore ex Italia. Cum Antonio item

est agendum ut cum Curione Melitae me velle esse, huic civili bello

nolle interesse. Eo velim tam facili uti possim et tam bono in me quam

Curione. Is ad Misenum VI Nonas venturus dicebatur, id est hodie. Sed

praemisit mihi odiosas litteras hoc exemplo:

 

 

 

 

VIIIa

 

"ANTONIUS TRIB. PL. PRO PR. CICERONI IMP. SAL.

 

 

Nisi te valde amarem, et multo quidem plus, quam tu putas, non

extimuissem rumorem, qui de te prolatus est, cum praesertim falsum esse

existimarem. Sed, quia te nimio plus diligo, non possum dissimulare

mihi famam quoque, quamvis sit falsa, magni esse. Te iturum esse[143]

trans mare credere non possum, cum tanti facias Dolabellam et Tulliam

tuam, feminam

 

[143] Te iturum esse _added by Baiter_.

 

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many kindnesses none has given me greater pleasure than your very

gracious and constant care of Tullia. She herself has been charmed and

I not less. She has shown admirable qualities, has borne the national

calamity and private worries with great fortitude and displayed it over

my departure. She loves me and sympathizes with me and yet wishes me to

act rightly and keep my good repute. But enough of this, lest I begin

to pity myself.

 

If you get more certain tidings about Spain or any other matter, pray

write and tell me while I am here, and perhaps at the time of going I

may send you news, the more so because Tullia fancies that you are not

leaving Italy at the present moment. I must explain to Antony as I did

to Curio that I want to stay in Malta and refuse to take part in this

civil war. I only hope that I may find him as easy and good to me as I

found Curio. He will come it is said to Misenum on the second, that is

to-day; but he has sent in advance a nasty letter of which I subjoin a

copy:

 

 

 

 

VIIIa

 

"ANTONIUS TRIBUNE PROPRAETOR GREETING TO CICERO IMPERATOR.

 

 

"Had I not a great affection for you, and much more than you think, I

should not have been alarmed at a report which has been spread about

you, especially as I thought it to be false. But, just because I like

you so very much, I cannot hide from myself that the report, although

it may be false, causes me great concern. That you are about to go over

seas I cannot believe, when you have such dear regard for Dolabella

 

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lectissimam, tantique ab omnibus nobis fias; quibus mehercule dignitas

amplitudoque tua paene carior est quam tibi ipsi. Sed tamen non sum

arbitratus esse amici non commoveri etiam improborum sermone, atque eo

feci studiosius, quod iudicabam duriores partes mihi impositas esse ob

offensione nostra, quac magis a ζηλοτυπίᾳ mea quam ab iniuria tua nata

est. Sic enim volo te tibi persuadere, mihi neminem esse cariorem te

excepto Caesare meo meque illud una indicare, Caesarem maxime in suis

M. Ciceronem reponere. Quare, mi Cicero, te rogo, ut tibi omina integra

serves, eius fidem improbes, qui tibi, ut beneficium daret, prius

iniuriam fecit, contra ne profugias, qui te, esti non amabit, quod

accidere non potest, tamen salvum amplissimumque esse cupiet.

 

Dedita opera ad te Calpurnium, familiarissimum meum, misi, ut mihi

magnae curae tuam vitam ac dignitatem esse scires."

 

Eodem die a Caesare Philotimus litteras attulit hoc exemplo:

 

 

 

 

VIIIb

 

"CAESAR IMP. SAL. D. CICERONI IMP.

 

 

Etsi te nihil temere, nihil imprudenter facturum iudicaram, tamen

permotus hominum fama scribendum ad te existimavi, et pro nostra

benevolentia petendum, ne quo progredereris proclinata iam re, quo

integra

 

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and your daughter Tullia, that queen among women, and you are rated so

highly by all of us, who, I dare swear, care almost more than you do

for your dignity and position. However, I considered that it was no

part of a friend to be unmoved even when scoundrels talked, and I have

been more particular, because I thought that a harder task was laid

upon me by our disagreement, which sprang more from jealousy on my part

than from wrong on yours; for I want you to convince yourself that no

one is dearer to me than you, except Caesar, and at the same time I am

positive that Caesar reckons M. Cicero highly among his friends. So my

dear Cicero I beg you not to commit yourself and not to rely on the

honour of a man, who for the sake of conferring a kindness first did

you a harm, and on the other hand not to flee from a man, who although

he will not love you, which is out of the question, will always wish

you to be safe and in high distinction.

 

"I have taken the trouble to send you Calpurnius, an intimate friend

of mine, that you may know I am greatly concerned for your life and

position."

 

On the same day Philotimus brought me a letter from Caesar of which

this is a copy:

 

 

 

 

VIIIb

 

"CAESAR IMPERATOR TO CICERO IMPERATOR, GREETING.

 

 

"Although I had concluded that you would do nothing rashly or

imprudently, nevertheless I have been so stirred by what people say

that I thought it best to write to you and ask you in the name of our

goodwill to each other not to go anywhere, now that fortune inclines my

way, where you did not think it

 

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etiam progrediendum tibi non existimasses. Namque et amicitiae

graviorem iniuriam feceris et tibi minus commode consulueris, si

non fortunae obsecutus videbere (omnia enim secundissima nobis,

adversissima illis accidisse videntur), nec causam secutus (eadem enim

tum fuit, cum ab eorum consiliis abesse iudicasti), sed meum aliquod

factum condemnavisse; quo mihi gravius abs te nil accidere potest. Quod

ne facias, pro iure nostrae amicitiae a te peto. Postremo quid viro

bono et quieto et bono civi magis convenit quam abesse a civilibus

controversiis? Quod non nulli cum probarent, periculi causa sequi non

potuerunt; tu explorato et vitae meae testimonio et amicitiae iudicio

neque tutius neque honestius reperies quicquam quam ab omni contentione

abesse.

 

XV Kal. Maias ex itinere."

 

 

 

 

IX

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. in Cumano V Non. Mai. a. 705_]

 

Adventus Philotimi (at cuius hominis, quam insulsi et quam saepe

pro Pompeio mentientis!) exanimavit omnes, qui mecum erant;

nam ipse obdurui. Dubitabat nostrum nemo, quin Caesar itinera

repressisset--volare dicitur; Petreius cum Afranio coniunxisset

se--nihil adfert eius modi. Quid quaeris? etiam illud erat persuasum,

Pompeium cum magnis copiis iter in

 

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necessary to go before anything was certain. For you will have done a

serious injury to our friendship and consulted your own interest very

little, if you show that you are not following fortune (for everything

that has happened seems most favourable to me and most unfavourable

to Pompey), nor yet following the right cause (for the cause was the

same then, when you thought fit to hold aloof from it), but that you

have condemned some act of mine, the greatest harm you could do me.

Do not take such a step, I pray you by the right of our friendship.

Finally what better befits a good and peaceful man and a loyal citizen

than to keep out of civil disturbance. There are some who approved

such a course, but could not follow it because of the danger. But

you may examine the evidence of my life and the opinion given by my

friendship[144]; you will find no safer or more honourable course than to keep quite clear of the quarrel.[144] i.e. my decision to let you be neutral. It may, however, mean"Your conviction of my friendship."