Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. 45 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome/Athens|AI-assisted
About the gardens I have learned from your letter and from Chrysippus. As for the house, whose tastelessness I knew well, I see that nothing, or very little, has been altered; but he praises the larger baths, and says that the smaller ones can be turned into winter quarters. A covered little walkway, then, must be added; and to make it as large as the one we made at the Tusculan villa will cost nearly half as much in that location. For what we want, namely a shrine [aphidruma, a sacred precinct or seat for a cult-image], nothing seems more suitable than the grove which I used to know; but at that time it had no public traffic, whereas now I hear it has a great deal. There is nothing I should prefer more. In this matter, by the gods, bear with my folly [ton typhon mou pros theon tropophoreson: "put up with my vanity, in heaven's name"]. What remains is this: if Faberius settles that debt for us, do not ask the price; I want you to outbid Otho. And yet I do not think he will lose his head over it, for I believe I know the man. But I hear that he himself has been so badly treated that he does not seem to me to be a buyer at all. For what then? Would he put up with it? But why am I arguing the case?
If you settle the Faberian business, let us buy even at a high price; if not, we cannot manage it even at a low one. So we shall have to turn to Clodia. And from her precisely, for that very reason, I seem to have grounds for hope, both because her gardens are much cheaper and because Dolabella's debt seems so readily collectible that I am confident even of a cash payment. Enough about the gardens. Tomorrow either yourself or the reason for your absence -- which I think will turn out to be the Faberian affair. But come if you can. I have sent you back Cicero's letter [the letter from Cicero's son, also Marcus].
You hard-hearted man, to be unmoved by his perils! He accuses me too. I would have sent you that letter; for I think the other one, about his exploits, is to the same effect. I sent a courier to the villa at Cumae today. To him I gave your letters to Vestorius, which you had given to Pharnaces.
On the 28th in the morning Demeas delivered a letter dated the day before, from which I ought to expect you either to-day or to-morrow. But, I suppose, I who am looking forward to your coming, shall be the very person who will delay it. For I don't expect the business with Faberius will be so far settled, even if it is to be settled, that it will not
cause some delay. So come when you can. Since you are still away, I should like you to send me the books of Dicaearchus, which you mention, with the Descent.
As for the letter to Caesar I have made up my mind; and yet precisely what they say he says in his letter, that he will not go against the Parthians until affairs are arranged here, is what I advised in my letter. I told him he could do whichever he chose with my full leave. For of course he wants that and won't do anything without my advice. For heaven's sake let us give up flattery and be at least half-free; and that we can manage by keeping quiet and out of sight.
But approach Otho, as you say, and finish that business, my dear Atticus. For I don't see any other way of keeping away from the forum and yet being with you. As to the price, this has just occurred to me. The nearest neighbour is C. Albanius. He bought some 600 acres of M. Pilius, so far as I can recollect for £110,000. Of course everything has gone down in value now. But on the other side counts our eagerness to purchase, though I don't suppose we shall have anyone bidding against us except Otho. Him however you can influence personally, and could still more easily, if you had Canus with you. What senseless gluttony! Shame on his father! Answer, if you want to say anything.
de hortis ex tuis litteris cognovi et <ex> Chrysippo. in villa cuius insulsitatem bene noram video nihil aut pauca mutata; balnearia tamen laudat maiora, de minoribus ait hiberna effici posse. tecta igitur ambulatiuncula addenda est; quam ut tantam faciamus quantam in Tusculano fecimus prope dimidio minoris constabit isto loco. ad id autem quod volumus a)fi/druma nihil aptius videtur quam lucus quem ego noram; sed celebritatem nullam tum habebat, nunc audio maximam. nihil est quod ego malim. in hoc to\n tu=fo/n mou pro\j qew=n tropofo/rhson . reliquum est, si Faberius nobis nomen illud explicat, noli quaerere quanti; Othonem vincas volo. nec tamen insaniturum illum puto; nosse enim mihi hominem videor. ita male autem audio ipsum esse tractatum ut mihi ille emptor non esse videatur. quid enim? pateretur? sed quid argumentor? [2] si Faberianum explicas, emamus vel magno; si minus, ne parvo quidem possumus. Clodiam igitur. A qua ipsa ob eam causam sperare videor, quod et multo minoris sunt et Dolabellae nomen tam expeditum videtur ut etiam repraesentatione confidam. de hortis satis. cras aut te aut causam; quam quidem <puto> futuram Faberianam. sed si poteris. Ciceronis epistulam tibi remisi. [3] O te ferreum qui illius periculis non moveris! me quoque accusat. eam tibi epistulam misissem . nam illam alteram de rebus gestis eodem exemplo <puto>. in Cumanum hodie misi tabellarium. ei dedi tuas ad Vestorium quas Pharnaci dederas.
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About the gardens I have learned from your letter and from Chrysippus. As for the house, whose tastelessness I knew well, I see that nothing, or very little, has been altered; but he praises the larger baths, and says that the smaller ones can be turned into winter quarters. A covered little walkway, then, must be added; and to make it as large as the one we made at the Tusculan villa will cost nearly half as much in that location. For what we want, namely a shrine [aphidruma, a sacred precinct or seat for a cult-image], nothing seems more suitable than the grove which I used to know; but at that time it had no public traffic, whereas now I hear it has a great deal. There is nothing I should prefer more. In this matter, by the gods, bear with my folly [ton typhon mou pros theon tropophoreson: "put up with my vanity, in heaven's name"]. What remains is this: if Faberius settles that debt for us, do not ask the price; I want you to outbid Otho. And yet I do not think he will lose his head over it, for I believe I know the man. But I hear that he himself has been so badly treated that he does not seem to me to be a buyer at all. For what then? Would he put up with it? But why am I arguing the case?
If you settle the Faberian business, let us buy even at a high price; if not, we cannot manage it even at a low one. So we shall have to turn to Clodia. And from her precisely, for that very reason, I seem to have grounds for hope, both because her gardens are much cheaper and because Dolabella's debt seems so readily collectible that I am confident even of a cash payment. Enough about the gardens. Tomorrow either yourself or the reason for your absence -- which I think will turn out to be the Faberian affair. But come if you can. I have sent you back Cicero's letter [the letter from Cicero's son, also Marcus].
You hard-hearted man, to be unmoved by his perils! He accuses me too. I would have sent you that letter; for I think the other one, about his exploits, is to the same effect. I sent a courier to the villa at Cumae today. To him I gave your letters to Vestorius, which you had given to Pharnaces.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
de hortis ex tuis litteris cognovi et <ex> Chrysippo. in villa cuius insulsitatem bene noram video nihil aut pauca mutata; balnearia tamen laudat maiora, de minoribus ait hiberna effici posse. tecta igitur ambulatiuncula addenda est; quam ut tantam faciamus quantam in Tusculano fecimus prope dimidio minoris constabit isto loco. ad id autem quod volumus a)fi/druma nihil aptius videtur quam lucus quem ego noram; sed celebritatem nullam tum habebat, nunc audio maximam. nihil est quod ego malim. in hoc to\n tu=fo/n mou pro\j qew=n tropofo/rhson . reliquum est, si Faberius nobis nomen illud explicat, noli quaerere quanti; Othonem vincas volo. nec tamen insaniturum illum puto; nosse enim mihi hominem videor. ita male autem audio ipsum esse tractatum ut mihi ille emptor non esse videatur. quid enim? pateretur? sed quid argumentor? [2] si Faberianum explicas, emamus vel magno; si minus, ne parvo quidem possumus. Clodiam igitur. A qua ipsa ob eam causam sperare videor, quod et multo minoris sunt et Dolabellae nomen tam expeditum videtur ut etiam repraesentatione confidam. de hortis satis. cras aut te aut causam; quam quidem <puto> futuram Faberianam. sed si poteris. Ciceronis epistulam tibi remisi. [3] O te ferreum qui illius periculis non moveris! me quoque accusat. eam tibi epistulam misissem . nam illam alteram de rebus gestis eodem exemplo <puto>. in Cumanum hodie misi tabellarium. ei dedi tuas ad Vestorium quas Pharnaci dederas.