Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 68

Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 68

actiones? Tu tamen velim ne intermittas, quod eius facere poteris,

scribere ad me, etiamsi rem, de qua scribas, non habebis. Semper enim

adferunt aliquid mihi tuae litterae.

 

Galeonis hereditatem crevi. Puto enim cretionem simplicem fuisse,

quoniam ad me nulla missa est.

 

VIII Idus Martias.

 

 

 

 

XIII

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Brundisi VII Id. Mart. aut paulo post, a. 707_]

 

A Murenae liberto nihil adhuc acceperam litterarum. P. Siser reddiderat

eas, quibus rescribo. De Servi patris litteris quod scribis, item

Quintum in Syriam venisse quod ais esse qui nuntient, ne id quidem

verum est. Quod certiorem te vis fieri, quo quisque in me animo sit aut

fuerit eorum, qui huc venerunt, neminem alieno intellexi. Sed, quantum

id mea intersit, existimare te posse certo scio. Mihi cum omnia sint

intolerabilia ad dolorem, tum maxime quod in eam causam venisse me

video, ut sola utilia mihi esse videantur, quae semper nolui.

 

P. Lentulum patrem Rhodi esse aiunt, Alexandreae filium, Rhodoque

Alexandream C. Cassium profectum esse constat. Quintus mihi per

litteras satis facit multo asperioribus verbis, quam cum gravissime

accusabat. Ait enim se ex litteris tuis intellegere tibi non placere,

quod ad multos de me asperius scripserit,

 

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doing what you can to hearten me, that is writing to me, even if you

have nothing to say. For a letter from you always brings me something.

 

I have accepted Galeo's legacy. I suppose it only required a simple

form of acceptance,[179] since none was sent to me.

 

[179] _cretio_ = the formal acceptance of a legacy, and _cretio

simplex_ apparently means that no restrictions on the form of

acceptance were laid down in the will.

 

March 8.

 

 

 

 

XIII

 

CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Brudisium, March 9_ (?), B.C. _47_]

 

I have not received any letter from Murena's freedman as yet. It was P.

Siser who delivered the one I am answering. You speak of a letter from

Servius' father, and you tell me some say that Quintus has landed in

Syria: neither is true. You want to be informed how those who have come

here feel or felt towards me. I have not found any ill-disposed: but,

how important that is to me, I am sure you can imagine. To me the whole

state of affairs is insufferably painful; and most of all that I have

got myself into such a case, that the only things that can be of any

use to me are precisely what I have always wished not to happen.

 

They say the elder P. Lentulus is at Rhodes, the younger at Alexandria,

and it is certain that C. Cassius has left Rhodes for Alexandria.

Quintus has written to apologize to me in terms much more irritating

than when he was abusing me most violently. For he says that he

understands from your letter that you were annoyed with him for writing

 

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itaque se paenitere, quod animum tuum offenderit; sed se iure fecisse.

Deinde perscribit spurcissime, quas ob causas fecerit. Sed neque hoc

tempore nec antea patefecisset odium suum in me, nisi omnibus rebus me

esse oppressum videret. Atque utinam vel nocturnis, quem ad modum tu

scripseras, itineribus propius te accessissem! Nunc, nec ubi nec quando

te sim visurus, possum suspicari.

 

De coheredibus Fufidianis nihil fuit quod ad me scriberes; nam et

aequum postulant, et, quicquid egisses, recte esse actum putarem. De

fundo Frusinati redimendo iam pridem intellexisti voluntatem meam.

Etsi tum meliore loco res erant nostrae neque tam mihi desperatum

iri videbantur, tamen in eadem sum voluntate. Id quem ad modum fiat,

tu videbis. Et velim, quod poteris, consideres, ut sit, unde nobis

suppeditentur sumptus necessarii. Si quas habuimus facultates, eas

Pompeio tum, cum id videbamur sapienter facere, detulimus. Itaque

tum et a tuo vilico sumpsimus et aliunde mutuati sumus; nunc Quintus

queritur per litteras sibi nos nihil dedisse, qui neque ab illo rogati

sumus neque ipsi eam pecuniam aspeximus. Sed velim videas, quid sit,

quod confici possit, quidque mihi de omnibus des consilii; et causam

nosti.

 

Plura ne scribam, dolore impedior. Si quid erit, quod ad quos

scribendum meo nomine putes, velim, ut soles, facias, quotiensque

habebis, cui des ad me litteras, nolim praetermittas. Vale.

 

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harshly about me to many people, and so he is sorry that he hurt

your feelings: but he was right in what he did. Then he explains

with the greatest coarseness why he did it. But he would never have

shown his hatred for me either now or before, if he had not seen that

everything was against me. How I wish I had got nearer to you, even by

night-journeys as you suggested. Now I cannot conceive where or when I

shall see you.

 

As to my co-heirs in Fufidius' property, there was no reason for you

to write to me: for their demand is quite just, and anything you did

I should think right. As to the repurchase of the estate at Frusino,

you know already what I wish. Though my affairs were then in a better

position, and I did not expect to be in such desperate straits, still

my mind has not altered. How it is to be done, you will arrange. And

please consider to the best of your ability some way of obtaining ready

money for current expenses. All the money I had I handed over to Pompey

at a time when it seemed advisable to do so. So then I took money from

your steward and borrowed from others, and now Quintus complains by

letter that I did not give him a penny, when he never asked for it

and I never set eyes on the money myself. But please see what can be

managed and what advice you have to give me on all points: you know all

about it.

 

Grief prevents me from writing more. If there is anything you think

should be written to anyone in my name, please do so as usual; and as

often as you have anyone to whom you can give a letter to me, don't

forget it. Farewell.

 

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XIV

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Brundisi circ. VI K. Mai. a. 707_]

 

Non me offendit veritas litterarum tuarum, quod me cum communibus tum

praecipuis malis oppressum ne incipis quidem, ut solebas, consolari

faterisque id fieri iam non posse. Nec enim ea sunt, quae erant antea,

cum, ut nihil aliud, comites me et socios habere putabam. Omnes enim

Achaici deprecatores itemque in Asia, quibus non erat ignotum, etiam

quibus erat, in Africam dicuntur navigaturi. Ita praeter Laelium

neminem habeo culpae socium; qui tamen hoc meliore in causa est, quod

iam est receptus. De me autem non dubito quin ad Balbum et ad Oppium

scripserit; a quibus, si quid esset laetius, certior factus essem,

tecum etiam essent locuti. Quibuscum tu de hoc ipso conloquare velim

et ad me, quid tibi responderint, scribas, non quod ab isto salus

data quicquam habitura sit firmitudinis, sed tamen aliquid consuli et

prospici poterit. Etsi omnium conspectum horreo, praesertim hoc genero,

tamen, in tantis malis quid aliud velim, non reperio. Quintus pergit,

ut ad me et Pansa scripsit et Hirtius, isque item Africam petere cum

ceteris dicitur. Ad Minucium Tarentum scribam et tuas litteras mittam;

ad te scribam, num quid egerim. HS X̅X̅X̅ potuisse mirarer, nisi multa

de

 

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XIV

 

CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Brundisium, circa Apr. 25_, B.C. _47_]

 

I am not offended with you for telling me the truth in your letter and

not even attempting, as you were wont, to console me under my burden

of public and personal woes, which you confess is impossible now. For

affairs are no longer in the position they were, when, if nothing else,

I thought I had companions and partners in my policy. For all those

in Achaia and in Asia, who petitioned for pardon and did not obtain

it, and even some of those who did, are said to be on the point of

sailing for Africa. So I have no one to share my fault except Laelius,

and even he is in a better position than I am in one respect, as he

has been taken back now.[180] But about me I have no doubt that Caesar

has written to Balbus and Oppius: if the news had been good, I should

have heard from them and they would have spoken to you too. I should

like you to speak to them about it and to let me know what they say,

not that any safeguard given by him can have any certainty, but still

something can be foreseen and provided for. Though I am ashamed to look

anyone in the face, especially with such a son-in-law, still in this

disastrous crisis I see nothing else to wish for. Quintus is still

keeping on, as both Pansa and Hirtius have written to tell me; and he

is said too to be making for Africa with the rest. I will write to

Minucius at Tarentum, and send your letter: I will let you know whether

anything comes of it. I should have been surprised that

 

[180] By the loyalist party.

 

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Fufidianis praediis. Sed avide tamen[181] te exspecto; quem videre, si

ullo modo potest (poscit enim res), pervelim. Iam extremum concluditur;

quod quale sit, ibi facile est,[182] hic gravius existimare. Vale.

 

[181] Sed avide tamen te _Wesenberg_: et advideo tamen _MSS._

 

[182] quod quale sit, ibi facile est _Purser_: ibi facile est, quod quale sit _MSS._