Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 73

Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 73

Sulla, I believe, will be here to-morrow with Messalla. They are

hurrying to him, hounded away by the soldiers, who refuse to go

anywhere, until they get their pay. So, though people thought he would

not, he will be coming here; but not in a hurry. For he is travelling

slowly, and he is stopping many days in each town. Then, however he

manages things, Pharnaces must delay him. So what do you think about

me? For already I am scarcely capable physically of bearing this bad

climate, which adds ill-health to my troubles. Shall I commission these

people, who are going to him, to make my excuses, and come nearer Rome?

Please give the point your

 

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Page 418

 

non fecisti, consilio iuva. Scio rem difficilem esse, sed ut in

malis etiam illud mea magni interest, te ut videam. Profecto aliquid

profecero, si id acciderit. De testamento, ut scribis, animadvertes.

 

 

 

 

XXIII

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Brundisi VII Id. Quint. a. 707_]

 

Quod ad te scripseram ut cum Camillo communicares, de eo Camillus mihi

scripsit te secum locutum. Tuas litteras exspectabam; nisi illud quidem

mutari, si aliter est et oportet, non video posse. Sed, cum ab illo

accepissem litteras, desideravi tuas (etsi putabam te certiorem factum

non esse), modo valeres; scripseras enim te quodam valetudinis genere

temptari.

 

Agusius quidam Rhodo venerat VIII Idus Quinct. Is nuntiabat Quintum

filium ad Caesarem profectum IIII Kal. Iun., Philotimum Rhodum pridie

eam diem venisse, habere ad me litteras. Ipsum Agusium audies. Sed

tardius iter faciebat. Eo feci, ut celeriter eunti darem. Quid sit in

iis litteris, nescio, sed mihi valde Quintus frater gratulatur. Equidem

in meo tanto peccato nihil ne cogitatione quidem adsequi possum, quod

mihi tolerabile possit esse. Te oro

 

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attention and help me with your advice, which you have not done in

spite of many requests. I know it is a knotty question: but, as there

is a choice of evils, the mere sight of you is something to me. If I

get that, I shall have made some advance. Please attend to the will, as

you promise.

 

 

 

 

XXIII

 

CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Brundisium, July 9_, B.C. _47_]

 

Camillus has written to me saying that you have spoken to him on the

subject about which I suggested you should consult with him. Now I

am expecting a letter from you: only I don't see how the thing is to

be changed, if it is not as it ought to be. But, when I got a letter

from him, I looked for one from you, though I suppose you did not know

the post was going. I only hope you are well: for you said you had an

attack of some kind of illness.

 

A man of the name of Agusius came from Rhodes on the 8th of July.

He tells me young Quintus set out to go to Caesar on May 29th, and

Philotimus arrived at Rhodes the day before with a letter for me. You

will hear Agusius himself: but he is travelling rather slowly. So I

arranged to give this to some one who was going more quickly. What

there is in that letter, I don't know, but my brother Quintus offers

me hearty congratulations. For my part after my great mistake I cannot

even imagine anything that can possibly be endurable to me. I beg you

to

 

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ut de hac misera cogites, et illud, de quo ad te proxime scripsi,

ut aliquid conficiatur ad inopiam propulsandam, et etiam de ipso

testamento. Illud quoque vellem antea, sed omnia timuimus. Melius

quidem in pessimis nihil fuit discidio. Aliquid fecissemus ut viri vel

tabularum novarum nomine vel nocturnarum expugnationum vel Metellae

vel omnium malorum; nec res perisset, et videremur aliquid doloris

virilis habuisse. Memini omnino tuas litteras, sed et tempus illud;

etsi quidvis praestitit. Nunc quidem ipse videtur denuntiare; audimus

enim de statua Clodi. Generumne nostrum potissimum vel hoc vel tabulas

novas! Placet mihi igitur et item tibi nuntium remitti. Petet fortasse

tertiam pensionem. Considera igitur, tumne, cum ab ipso nascetur, an

prius. Ego, si ullo modo potuero, vel nocturnis itineribus experiar,

ut te videam. Tu et haec, et si quid erit, quod intersit mea scire,

scribas velim. Vale.

 

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think of my poor girl, both as regards the point about which I wrote

lately--making some arrangement to avoid destitution--and also as

regards the will itself. The other thing too I wish I had attended

to before; but I was afraid of everything. In this very bad business

there was nothing better than a divorce. I should have done something

like a man, either on the score of his cancelling of debts or his

night attacks on houses, or Metella or all his sins together: I should

not have lost the money, and I should have shown some manly spirit. I

remember of course your letter, but I remember the circumstances too:

still anything would have been better than this. Now he seems to be

giving notice of divorce himself; for I have heard about the statue of

Clodius. To think that a son-in-law of mine above all people should do

such a thing as that, or abolish debts! So I agree with you we must

serve a notice of divorce on him. Perhaps he will ask for the third

instalment of the dowry. So consider whether we should wait for a move

of his or act first.[196] If I can possibly manage it, even by night

journeys, I will try to see you. Please write to me about this and

anything else it may interest me to know. Farewell.

 

[196] If Dolabella started the divorce proceedings, he could not claim

the rest of the dowry, and would have to refund what had already been

paid. If Tullia began them, part at least of the dowry would remain

with him, unless she could prove misconduct.

 

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XXIV

 

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Brundisi VIII Id. Sext. a. 707_]

 

Quae dudum ad me et (quae etiam ad me vis) ad Tulliam de me scripsisti,

ea sentio esse vera. Eo sum miserior, etsi nihil videbatur addi posse,

quod mihi non modo irasci gravissima iniuria accepta, sed ne dolere

quidem impune licet. Quare istuc feramus. Quod cum tulerimus, tamen

eadem erunt perpetienda, quae tu ne accidant ut caveamus mones. Ea enim

est a nobis contracta culpa, ut omni statu omnique populo eundem exitum

habitura videatur.

 

Sed ad meam manum redeo; erunt enim haec occultius agenda. Vide,

quaeso, etiam nunc de testamento, quod tum factum cum illa haerere

coeperat. Non, credo, te commovit; neque enim rogavit ne me quidem.

Sed, quasi ita sit, quoniam in sermonem iam venisti, poteris eam

monere, ut alicui committat, cuius extra periculum huius belli fortuna

sit. Equidem tibi potissimum velim, si idem illa vellet. Quam quidem

celo miseram me hoc timere.

 

De illo altero scio equidem venire nunc nil posse, sed seponi et

occultari possunt, ut extra ruinam sint eam, quae impendet. Nam, quod

scribis nobis nostra

 

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XXIV

 

CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Brundisium, Aug. 6_, B.C. _47_]

 

What you wrote to me some time ago and to Tullia too about me, with

the intention that it should be passed on to me, I feel to be true.

It adds to my misery, though I thought nothing could be added, that,

when I have received the deepest injury, I cannot show anger or even

annoyance with impunity. So I must put up with that. And when I have

borne that blow, I shall still have to suffer what you warn me to guard

against. For I have got myself into such trouble, that, whatever the

state of affairs or the feelings of the people may be, the result for

me apparently will be the same.

 

But here I take the pen myself; for I shall have to deal with

confidential matters. Please see to the will even now, as it was made

when she had begun to get into difficulties. She did not bother you, I

think; for she did not even ask me about it. But, supposing that is so,

since you have broached the subject already, you will be able to advise

her to deposit it with some one whose position is not affected by this

war. Myself I would rather you were the person, if she agrees to that.

The fact is I am keeping the poor woman in the dark as to that fear of

mine.[197]

 

[197] That her property would be confiscated.

 

For that other matter, I know of course that nothing can be put up for

sale now, but things could be put away and hidden, so that they escape the crash which is threatening. For, when you