Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. 43 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome/Athens|AI-assisted
You have acted wisely (for only now am I replying to the letter you sent me after your meeting with Antony at Tibur)—wisely, then, in that you gave in, and in that you even went out of your way to thank him. For certainly, as you write, we shall be deserted by the Republic sooner than by our private fortune. As for your writing that 'O Tite, si quid' ['O Titus, if there is anything'—the opening of Ennius's lines that Cicero quotes in his treatise on old age] delights you more and more, you increase my eagerness to write. As for your saying that you await Eros not without a little gift, I am glad the matter has not failed your expectation; but all the same I have sent you the same composition, more thoroughly reworked—indeed the archetype itself [the original master copy], crammed and patched up in many places. Have this copied onto large paper and read it in private to your guests; but, if you love me, do it when they are in good spirits and well entertained, so that they do not vent their stomach on me when they are angry with you.
About Cicero [his son, studying in Athens] I should like things to be as we hear. About Xeno I shall learn in person; though I think he has done nothing carelessly or ungenerously. About Herodes I shall do as you instruct, and I shall learn what you write from Saufeius and from Xeno. As for young Quintus, I am glad that my letter was delivered to you by my courier before it came from the man himself; though nothing would have escaped you. But still—. Yet I await what he said to you, and what you said in return, and I have no doubt that each of you behaved after his own fashion. But I hope Curius will deliver that letter to me. Although he is lovable in his own right and is dear to me, still a great heap of weight will be added by your recommendation.
Enough has been said in answer to your letter; now hear something which, though I understand it need not be written, I write nonetheless. Many things move me at my departure, and above all, by Hercules, that I am being parted from you. I am moved too by the toil of the voyage, ill-suited not only to my age but also to my dignity, and the timing of my departure is rather absurd. For we are leaving peace behind to return to war, and the time that might have been spent in our little estates—both handsomely built and pleasant enough—we are spending in travel abroad. These thoughts console me: either I shall do Cicero some good, or I shall judge how much good can be done. And then you yourself, as I hope and as you promise, will be present. If that indeed comes to pass, everything will be better for us.
But what torments me most is the reckoning of the rest of my affairs. For although they have been settled, still, because Dolabella's name is among them, and among my assets there are debts owed by people unknown to me, I am thrown into confusion, and nothing of all this distresses me more. And so I do not think I was wrong to write to Balbus rather openly, asking that, if anything of the kind should happen so that the debts did not balance, he should come to my aid, and that I had also charged you that, if anything of that sort should happen, you should consult with him. This you will do, if you see fit, and all the more if you set out for Epirus.
This I write as I am embarking from my estate at Pompeii with three little ten-oared pinnaces. Brutus was even now at Nesis, Cassius at Naples. Do you not love Deiotarus, and not love Hieras? For when Blesamius came to me—although Hieras had been instructed to do nothing without the judgment of our Sextus [Peducaeus]—he referred the matter neither to him nor to any of us. I long to kiss our Attica, though she is far away. So sweet did the greeting seem to me that was sent through you from her. So give her my warmest greetings, and please say the same to Pilia.
At last I am answering the letter you sent me after meeting Antony at Tibur. Well, then, you were wise in giving in and even going so far as to thank him. For certainly, as you say, we shall be robbed of our constitution before we are robbed of our private property. So you take more and more delight in my treatise on Old Age daily. That increases my energy in writing. You say you expect Eros not to come to you empty-handed. I am glad you have not been disappointed in the event; but at the same time I am sending you the same composition more carefully revised, indeed the original copy, with plenty of additions between the lines and corrections. Have it copied on large paper and read it privately to your guests; but, if you love me, do it
when they are in a good temper and have had a good dinner, for I don't want them to vent on me the anger they feel towards you.
In my son's case I hope things may be as we hear. About Xeno I shall know when I see him, though I don't suppose he is neglecting his duty or acting meanly. I will do as you say about Herodes, and will find out what you mention from Saufeius and Xeno. As for young Quintus, I am glad my letter was delivered by my messenger sooner than the one he took himself, though you would not have been taken in anyhow. However—but I am anxious to hear what he said to you and what you answered, though I have no doubt you both behaved characteristically. I hope Curius will deliver that letter to me. Though he is pleasant enough and I like him myself, still your recommendation will add the crowning grace.
I have answered your letter sufficiently; now hear what I am going to say, though I know there is no necessity for me to say it. In regard to my journey I am distressed about many things, the chief being that I am separated from you. Then again there is the fatigue of the voyage, a thing unsuitable not only to my age but to my rank too, and the time of my departure is rather ridiculous. For I am leaving peace to return to war, and wasting in travelling time that might be spent in my country houses, which are comfortably built and pleasantly situated. My consolations are these. I shall either benefit my son or see how much he can be benefited. Then again, as I hope and as you promise, you will soon be coming too; and if that happens it will make me far happier. But the thing that worries me most is the arranging of my balances; for, though things
have been put straight, I am anxious when I see Dolabella's name among them, and drafts on people that I do not know among my assets: and that makes me more uneasy than anything else. So I don't think I was wrong in applying to Balbus quite openly to assist me, if such a thing should happen as my debts not coming in properly, and telling him that I had commissioned you to communicate with him in any such event. Do so, if you think fit, especially if you are starting for Epirus.
This I have written just as I was embarking from Pompeii with three ten-oared pinnaces. Brutus is still in Nesis, Cassius at Naples. Can you like Deiotarus and not like Hieras? When Blesamius came to me Hieras was commissioned not to do anything without Sextus Peducaeus' advice, but he never consulted him or any of our friends. I should like to kiss Attica, far off as she is: I was so pleased with the good wishes she sent me through you. So please give her my best thanks, and the same to Pilia.
tu vero sapienter (nunc demum enim rescribo iis litteris quas mihi misisti convento Antonio Tiburi) sapienter igitur quod manus dedisti quodque etiam ultro gratias egisti. certe enim, ut scribis, deseremur ocius a re publica quam a re familiari. quod vero scribis te <magis et> magis delectare 'O Tite, si quid,' auges mihi scribendi alacritatem. quod Erotem non sine munusculo exspectare te dicis, gaudeo non fefellisse eam rem opinionem tuam; sed tamen idem su/ntagma misi ad te retractatius et quidem arxe\tupon ipsum crebris locis inculcatum et refectum. hunc tu tralatum in macrocollum lege arcano convivis tuis sed, si me amas, hilaris et bene acceptis, ne in me stomachum erumpant cum sint tibi irati. [2] de Cicerone velim ita sit ut audimus. de Xenone coram cognoscam; quamquam nihil ab eo arbitror neque indiligenter neque inliberaliter. de Herode faciam ut mandas et ea quae scribis ex Saufeio et e Xenone cognoscam. de Quinto filio gaudeo tibi meas litteras prius a tabellario meo quam ab ipso redditas; quamquam te nihil fefellisset. verum tamen--. sed exspecto quid ille tecum, quid tu vicissim, nec dubito quin suo more uterque. sed eas litteras Curium mihi spero redditurum. qui quidem etsi per se est amabilis a meque diligitur, tamen accedet magnus cumulus commendationis tuae. [4] litteris tuis satis responsum est; nunc audi quod, etsi intellego scribi necesse non esse, scribo tamen. multa me movent in discessu, in primis me hercule quod diiungor a te. movet etiam navigationis labor alienus non ab aetate solum nostra verum etiam a dignitate tempusque discessus subabsurdum. relinquimus enim pacem ut ad bellum revertamur, quodque temporis in praediolis nostris et belle aedificatis et satis amoenis consumi potuit in peregrinatione consumimus. consolantur haec: aut proderimus aliquid Ciceroni aut quantum profici possit iudicabimus. deinde tu iam, ut spero et ut promittis, aderis. quod quidem si acciderit, omnia nobis erunt meliora. [5] maxime autem me angit ratio reliquorum meorum. quae quamquam explicata sunt, tam en, quod et Dolabellae nomen in iis est et <in> attributione mihi nomina ignota, conturbor, nec me ulla res magis angit ex omnibus. itaque non mihi videor errasse quod ad Balbum scripsi apertius ut, si quid tale accidisset ut non concurrerent nomina, subveniret meque tibi etiam mandasse ut, si quid eius modi accidisset, cum <eo> communicares. quod facies, si tibi videbitur, eoque magis, si proficisceris in Epirum. [6] haec ego conscendens e Pompeiano tribus actuariolis decemscalmis. Brutus erat in Neside etiam nunc, Neapoli Cassius. ecquid amas Deiotarum et non amas Hieram? qui, ut Blesamius venit ad me, cum ei praescriptum esset ne quid sine Sexti nostri sententia ageret, neque ad illum neque ad quemquam nostrum rettulit. Atticam nostram cupio absentem suaviari. ita mi dulcis salus visa est per te missa ab illa. referes igitur ei plurimam itemque Piliae dicas velim.
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You have acted wisely (for only now am I replying to the letter you sent me after your meeting with Antony at Tibur)—wisely, then, in that you gave in, and in that you even went out of your way to thank him. For certainly, as you write, we shall be deserted by the Republic sooner than by our private fortune. As for your writing that 'O Tite, si quid' ['O Titus, if there is anything'—the opening of Ennius's lines that Cicero quotes in his treatise on old age] delights you more and more, you increase my eagerness to write. As for your saying that you await Eros not without a little gift, I am glad the matter has not failed your expectation; but all the same I have sent you the same composition, more thoroughly reworked—indeed the archetype itself [the original master copy], crammed and patched up in many places. Have this copied onto large paper and read it in private to your guests; but, if you love me, do it when they are in good spirits and well entertained, so that they do not vent their stomach on me when they are angry with you.
About Cicero [his son, studying in Athens] I should like things to be as we hear. About Xeno I shall learn in person; though I think he has done nothing carelessly or ungenerously. About Herodes I shall do as you instruct, and I shall learn what you write from Saufeius and from Xeno. As for young Quintus, I am glad that my letter was delivered to you by my courier before it came from the man himself; though nothing would have escaped you. But still—. Yet I await what he said to you, and what you said in return, and I have no doubt that each of you behaved after his own fashion. But I hope Curius will deliver that letter to me. Although he is lovable in his own right and is dear to me, still a great heap of weight will be added by your recommendation.
Enough has been said in answer to your letter; now hear something which, though I understand it need not be written, I write nonetheless. Many things move me at my departure, and above all, by Hercules, that I am being parted from you. I am moved too by the toil of the voyage, ill-suited not only to my age but also to my dignity, and the timing of my departure is rather absurd. For we are leaving peace behind to return to war, and the time that might have been spent in our little estates—both handsomely built and pleasant enough—we are spending in travel abroad. These thoughts console me: either I shall do Cicero some good, or I shall judge how much good can be done. And then you yourself, as I hope and as you promise, will be present. If that indeed comes to pass, everything will be better for us.
But what torments me most is the reckoning of the rest of my affairs. For although they have been settled, still, because Dolabella's name is among them, and among my assets there are debts owed by people unknown to me, I am thrown into confusion, and nothing of all this distresses me more. And so I do not think I was wrong to write to Balbus rather openly, asking that, if anything of the kind should happen so that the debts did not balance, he should come to my aid, and that I had also charged you that, if anything of that sort should happen, you should consult with him. This you will do, if you see fit, and all the more if you set out for Epirus.
This I write as I am embarking from my estate at Pompeii with three little ten-oared pinnaces. Brutus was even now at Nesis, Cassius at Naples. Do you not love Deiotarus, and not love Hieras? For when Blesamius came to me—although Hieras had been instructed to do nothing without the judgment of our Sextus [Peducaeus]—he referred the matter neither to him nor to any of us. I long to kiss our Attica, though she is far away. So sweet did the greeting seem to me that was sent through you from her. So give her my warmest greetings, and please say the same to Pilia.
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
tu vero sapienter (nunc demum enim rescribo iis litteris quas mihi misisti convento Antonio Tiburi) sapienter igitur quod manus dedisti quodque etiam ultro gratias egisti. certe enim, ut scribis, deseremur ocius a re publica quam a re familiari. quod vero scribis te <magis et> magis delectare 'O Tite, si quid,' auges mihi scribendi alacritatem. quod Erotem non sine munusculo exspectare te dicis, gaudeo non fefellisse eam rem opinionem tuam; sed tamen idem su/ntagma misi ad te retractatius et quidem arxe\tupon ipsum crebris locis inculcatum et refectum. hunc tu tralatum in macrocollum lege arcano convivis tuis sed, si me amas, hilaris et bene acceptis, ne in me stomachum erumpant cum sint tibi irati. [2] de Cicerone velim ita sit ut audimus. de Xenone coram cognoscam; quamquam nihil ab eo arbitror neque indiligenter neque inliberaliter. de Herode faciam ut mandas et ea quae scribis ex Saufeio et e Xenone cognoscam. de Quinto filio gaudeo tibi meas litteras prius a tabellario meo quam ab ipso redditas; quamquam te nihil fefellisset. verum tamen--. sed exspecto quid ille tecum, quid tu vicissim, nec dubito quin suo more uterque. sed eas litteras Curium mihi spero redditurum. qui quidem etsi per se est amabilis a meque diligitur, tamen accedet magnus cumulus commendationis tuae. [4] litteris tuis satis responsum est; nunc audi quod, etsi intellego scribi necesse non esse, scribo tamen. multa me movent in discessu, in primis me hercule quod diiungor a te. movet etiam navigationis labor alienus non ab aetate solum nostra verum etiam a dignitate tempusque discessus subabsurdum. relinquimus enim pacem ut ad bellum revertamur, quodque temporis in praediolis nostris et belle aedificatis et satis amoenis consumi potuit in peregrinatione consumimus. consolantur haec: aut proderimus aliquid Ciceroni aut quantum profici possit iudicabimus. deinde tu iam, ut spero et ut promittis, aderis. quod quidem si acciderit, omnia nobis erunt meliora. [5] maxime autem me angit ratio reliquorum meorum. quae quamquam explicata sunt, tam en, quod et Dolabellae nomen in iis est et <in> attributione mihi nomina ignota, conturbor, nec me ulla res magis angit ex omnibus. itaque non mihi videor errasse quod ad Balbum scripsi apertius ut, si quid tale accidisset ut non concurrerent nomina, subveniret meque tibi etiam mandasse ut, si quid eius modi accidisset, cum <eo> communicares. quod facies, si tibi videbitur, eoque magis, si proficisceris in Epirum. [6] haec ego conscendens e Pompeiano tribus actuariolis decemscalmis. Brutus erat in Neside etiam nunc, Neapoli Cassius. ecquid amas Deiotarum et non amas Hieram? qui, ut Blesamius venit ad me, cum ei praescriptum esset ne quid sine Sexti nostri sententia ageret, neque ad illum neque ad quemquam nostrum rettulit. Atticam nostram cupio absentem suaviari. ita mi dulcis salus visa est per te missa ab illa. referes igitur ei plurimam itemque Piliae dicas velim.