Letter 338

Is that so? Brutus reports that the man [Caesar] is coming over to the side of honest men? Euangelia ["glad tidings"]! But where will he find them? Unless perhaps he hangs himself. And meanwhile, how propped up everything is here! Where, then, is that philotechnema ["artful masterpiece"] of yours that I saw in the Parthenon, the Ahala and the Brutus? [a reference to a work of art depicting the tyrannicides C. Servilius Ahala and L. Junius Brutus] But what is he to do? That point of yours was excellently put: "but not even that man, the author of every outrage, does well by our cause." Yet I was afraid that even Brutus had grown fond of him; for so he had indicated in that letter he sent me, "but I could wish you had got some taste of these affairs." But of this in person, as you write. [2] And yet what do you advise me to do? Should I hurry up to town, or stay put? For my part I am both stuck fast in my books and unwilling to receive him here; the father, as I hear, is going to him today at Saxa [Rubra], in a bitter temper. It is remarkable how hostile he was as he set out, so that I gave him a scolding. But I myself have been made a fool of [the Greek verb here is OCR-corrupt; the sense is "I have been outwitted/refined into folly"]. So, from now on... You, however, see what you think about my coming, and about ta hola ["the whole business"]: if matters can be made clear tomorrow, let me know at once first thing in the morning.

Young Quintus has come to me very down in the mouth. So I asked, why he had the blues. "Need you ask," said he, "when I have a journey before me, a journey to a war, and one that is both dangerous and even disgraceful." "What is there to compel you then?" I said. "Debt," said he, "and yet not enough money for the journey." At that point I borrowed something from your style of eloquence: I held my tongue. Well, he went on, "But what worries me most is my uncle." "Why?" said I. "Because he is angry with me," he answered. "Why do you let him be so?" I said, "for I would rather put it that way than say, Why do you make him angry?" "I will not let him," he said, "for I will remove the reason." I replied, "Very right of you, too; but, if it is not a serious matter, I should like to know what the reason is." "Because my hesitation which wife I should take annoyed my mother, and consequently him, too. Now nothing is worth that, and I will do anything they like." "I hope you will have luck," I said, "and I approve of your resolution. But when are you going to do it?" "The time doesn't matter to me," said he, "since I have made up my mind to it." "Well, I think you ought to do it before you go," I said. "You would oblige your father, too, by doing so." "I will do as you advise," he said; and there the conversation ended. But, look here, you know it is my birthday on the 3rd of January. So you must come. I was just writing, and here is a request from Lepidus for me to come to town. I suppose the augurs want me for consecrating a temple. I must go; anything for a quiet life. So you will see me.

itane? nuntiat Brutus illum ad bonos viros? Eu)aggeli/a . sed ubi eos? nisi forte se suspendit. hic autem ut fultum est. Vbi igitur filte/xnhma illud tuum quod vidi in Parthenone, Ahalam et Brutum? sed quid faciat? illud optime, 'sed ne is quidem qui omnium flagitiorum auctor bene de nostro.' at ego verebar ne etiam Brutus eum diligeret; ita enim significarat iis litteris quas ad me, 'at vellem aliquid degustasses de fabulis.' sed coram, ut scribis. [2] etsi quid mi auctor es? advolone an maneo? equidem et in libris haereo et illum hic excipere nolo; ad quem, ut audio, pater hodie ad Saxa acrimonia. mirum quam inimicus ibat ut ego obiurgarem. sed ego ipse keke/pfwmai . itaque posthac. tu tamen vide quid de adventu meo censeas et ta\ o(/la , cras si perspici potuerint, mane statim ut sciam.