Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. 43 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome/Athens|AI-assisted
Brutus was already waiting for a letter from you. To him I had brought no news about Accius' Tereus; he had supposed it was the Brutus. There had nevertheless wafted in some rumor or other that at the opening performance of the Greek games the crowd had been thin—which by no means took me by surprise, for you know what I think of Greek shows.
Now hear what counts more than all the rest. Quintus [Cicero's nephew, son of his brother Quintus] was with me for several days, and, had I wished it, he would even have stayed longer; but for as long as he was here, it is incredible how he delighted me in every respect, and most of all in the very point in which he used to satisfy me least. For he has been so completely transformed—partly by certain of my writings which I had in hand, partly by the constant pressure of my conversation and my precepts—that he will be of just such a disposition toward the Republic as we could wish. When he had not only assured me of this but had actually convinced me, he urged me carefully and at length to pledge to you that he would prove himself worthy both of you and of us; and he did not demand that you believe it at once, but that, once you had examined the matter for yourself, you should then love him. And if he had not won my trust, and if I had not judged that what I am telling you would hold firm, I would not have done what I am about to relate. For I took the young man with me to Brutus. And what I am writing to you was so convincingly proved to him [Brutus] that he believed it on his own account, refused to accept me as guarantor, praised the young man, made mention of you in the most affectionate terms, and embraced and kissed him as he sent him on his way. For this reason, although there is more cause for me to congratulate you than to make a request of you, I nevertheless do also ask this: that, if certain things previously seemed to be done by him with too little steadiness on account of the instability of his youth, you judge that he has now cast them off, and that you trust me that your own authority will contribute much—or rather most of all—toward confirming his resolve.
When I had often dropped a hint to Brutus about homoploia [sailing together], he did not seem to seize on it as readily as I had expected. I supposed he was rather meteoroteron [distracted, his head in the clouds], and by Hercules he was, and especially about the games. But when I had returned to my villa, Gnaeus Lucceius, who is much in Brutus' company, told me that he is delaying considerably—not because he is shrinking back, but because he is waiting to see whether perhaps some opportunity may arise. And so I am in doubt whether to head for Venusia and there await news of the legions. If they are absent, as some suppose, I shall go to Hydrus [Hydruntum, modern Otranto]; if neither course is asphales [safe], I shall return to the same place. Do you think I am joking? May I die if anyone keeps me here except you. Indeed, look about you—but before I blush to say it.
O the days, marked out under the auspices of Lepidus, lepide [charmingly]—and so aptly fitted to the plan of our return! There is a great rhope [impetus, decisive push] toward setting out in your letter. And would that you were there! But let it be as you shall think advantageous.
I am waiting for Nepos' letter. Is he really so eager for my works—he who thinks that the very things in which I most gauriom [take pride, exult] are not worth reading? And you say 'met' amymona' ['next to the peerless one,' Homeric phrase]! But you are the amymon [the peerless one]; he, indeed, is ambrotos [immortal, a god]. There is no collection of my letters; but Tiro has something like seventy, and indeed certain ones are to be obtained from you. These I must examine and correct; then at last they may be published.
Brutus is expecting a letter from you. The news I brought him about Accius' Tereus was no news. He thought it was the Brutus. There had, however, been some breath of rumour that at the opening of the Greek games the audience was small, at which, indeed, I was not at all surprised; for you know what I think of Greek games.
Now hear the most important point of all. Quintus has been with me several days, and, if I had desired, he would have stayed longer; but, so far as his visit went, you would not believe how pleased I was with him in every way, and especially in that in which I used most to disapprove of him. For he is so totally changed, partly by some works of mine, which I have in hand, and partly by my continual advice and exhortation, that he will in the future be as loyal as we could wish to the constitution. After he had not only asseverated this, but convinced me
of it, he was very pressing for me to go bail to you that he will come up to your and our expectations for the future; and he did not ask you to believe this at once, but that you should restore your affection to him, when you had seen it for yourself. If he had not convinced me of it, and I did not think that what I am saying is trustworthy, I should not have done what I am going to tell you. I took the young man with me to Brutus, and he was so convinced of what I mention that he believed it on his own account, refusing to hold me sponsor for Quintus. He praised him and mentioned you in the most friendly way, and dismissed him with an embrace and a kiss. So, although there is more reason for congratulating you than asking favours of you, still I do ask you, if you have regarded his actions up to now as showing some of the flightiness of youth, to believe that he has got rid of that, and to trust me that your influence will contribute much, or rather everything, towards making his decision permanent.
I have frequently thrown out a hint to Brutus about sailing with him, but he does not seem to jump at it as I thought he would. He seemed to me rather distrait, and indeed he was, especially about the games. But when I got back home, Lucceius, who is very intimate with him, said he was hesitating a good deal, not because he has changed his mind, but in the hope that something may turn up. So I am wondering whether to make for Venusia and there await news of the troops. If they are not there, as some think, I shall go to Hydrus; if neither road is safe, I will come back here. Do you think I am joking? Upon my life you are the only person who keeps me here. Just look round you, but do it before I blush. Lepidus' choice of his day
of inauguration is as happy as his name, and fits excellently with my plan for returning. Your letter supplies a strong incentive for going. I only wish you were there: but that must be as you think best for yourself.
I am expecting a letter from Nepos. Does he really want my books, when he thinks the subjects I am keenest on not worth reading. You call him an Achilles to your Ajax. No, you are the Achilles and he is one of the immortals. There is no collection of my letters, but Tiro has about seventy, and some can be got from you. Those I ought to see and correct, and then they may be published.
tuas iam litteras Brutus exspectabat. cui quidem ego [non] novum attuleram de Tereo Acci. ille Brutum putabat. sed tamen rumoris nescio quid adflaverat commissione Graecorum frequentiam non fuisse; quod quidem me minime fefellit; scis enim quid ego de Graecis ludis existimem. [2] nunc audi quod pluris est quam omnia. Quintus fuit mecum dies compluris et, si ego cuperem, ille vel pluris fuisset; sed quam diu fuit, incredibile est quam me in omni genere delectarit in eoque maxime in quo minime satis faciebat. sic enim commutatus est totus et scriptis meis quibusdam quae in manibus habebam et adsiduitate orationis et praeceptis ut tali animo in rem publicam quali nos volumus futurus sit. hoc cum mihi non modo confirmasset sed etiam persuasisset, egit mecum accurate multis verbis tibi ut sponderem se dignum et te et nobis futurum; neque se postulare ut statim crederes sed, cum ipse perspexisses, tum ut se amares. quod nisi fidem mihi fecisset iudicassemque hoc quod dico firmum fore, non fecissem id quod dicturus sum. duxi enim mecum adulescentem ad Brutum. sic ei probatum est quod ad te scribo ut ipse crediderit, me sponsorem accipere noluerit eumque laudans amicissime mentionem tui fecerit, complexus osculatusque dimiserit. quam ob rem etsi magis est quod gratuler tibi quam quod te rogem, tamen etiam rogo ut, si quae minus antea propter infirmitatem aetatis constanter ab eo fieri videbantur, ea iudices illum abiecisse mihique credas multum adlaturam vel plurimum potius ad illius iudicium confirmandum auctoritatem tuam. [3] Bruto cum saepe iniecissem de o(moploi/a? , non perinde atque ego putaram adripere visus est. existimabam metewro(teron esse, et hercule erat et maxime de ludis. at mihi cum ad villam redissem, Cn. Lucceius qui multum utitur Bruto narravit illum valde morari non tergiversantem sed exspectantem si qui forte casus. itaque dubito an Venusiam tendam et ibi exspectem de legionibus. si aberunt, ut quidam arbitrantur, Hydruntem, si neutrum erit a)sfale/j , eodem revertar. iocari me putas? moriar si quisquam me tenet praeter te. etenim circumspice, sed ante quam erubesco. [4] O dies in auspicus Lepidi <lepide> descriptos et apte ad consilium reditus nostri! magna r(oph\ ad proficiscendum <in> tuis litteris. atque utinam te illic! sed ut conducere putabis. [5] Nepotis epistulam exspecto. cupidus ille meorum? qui ea quibus maxime gauriw= legenda non putet. et ais ' met' a)mu/mona '! tu vero a)mu/mwn , ille quidem a)/mbrotoj . mearum epistularum nulla est sunagwgh/ ; sed habet Tiro instar septuaginta, et quidem sunt a te quaedam sumendae. eas ego oportet perspiciam, corrigam; tum denique edentur.
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Brutus was already waiting for a letter from you. To him I had brought no news about Accius' Tereus; he had supposed it was the Brutus. There had nevertheless wafted in some rumor or other that at the opening performance of the Greek games the crowd had been thin—which by no means took me by surprise, for you know what I think of Greek shows.
Now hear what counts more than all the rest. Quintus [Cicero's nephew, son of his brother Quintus] was with me for several days, and, had I wished it, he would even have stayed longer; but for as long as he was here, it is incredible how he delighted me in every respect, and most of all in the very point in which he used to satisfy me least. For he has been so completely transformed—partly by certain of my writings which I had in hand, partly by the constant pressure of my conversation and my precepts—that he will be of just such a disposition toward the Republic as we could wish. When he had not only assured me of this but had actually convinced me, he urged me carefully and at length to pledge to you that he would prove himself worthy both of you and of us; and he did not demand that you believe it at once, but that, once you had examined the matter for yourself, you should then love him. And if he had not won my trust, and if I had not judged that what I am telling you would hold firm, I would not have done what I am about to relate. For I took the young man with me to Brutus. And what I am writing to you was so convincingly proved to him [Brutus] that he believed it on his own account, refused to accept me as guarantor, praised the young man, made mention of you in the most affectionate terms, and embraced and kissed him as he sent him on his way. For this reason, although there is more cause for me to congratulate you than to make a request of you, I nevertheless do also ask this: that, if certain things previously seemed to be done by him with too little steadiness on account of the instability of his youth, you judge that he has now cast them off, and that you trust me that your own authority will contribute much—or rather most of all—toward confirming his resolve.
When I had often dropped a hint to Brutus about homoploia [sailing together], he did not seem to seize on it as readily as I had expected. I supposed he was rather meteoroteron [distracted, his head in the clouds], and by Hercules he was, and especially about the games. But when I had returned to my villa, Gnaeus Lucceius, who is much in Brutus' company, told me that he is delaying considerably—not because he is shrinking back, but because he is waiting to see whether perhaps some opportunity may arise. And so I am in doubt whether to head for Venusia and there await news of the legions. If they are absent, as some suppose, I shall go to Hydrus [Hydruntum, modern Otranto]; if neither course is asphales [safe], I shall return to the same place. Do you think I am joking? May I die if anyone keeps me here except you. Indeed, look about you—but before I blush to say it.
O the days, marked out under the auspices of Lepidus, lepide [charmingly]—and so aptly fitted to the plan of our return! There is a great rhope [impetus, decisive push] toward setting out in your letter. And would that you were there! But let it be as you shall think advantageous.
I am waiting for Nepos' letter. Is he really so eager for my works—he who thinks that the very things in which I most gauriom [take pride, exult] are not worth reading? And you say 'met' amymona' ['next to the peerless one,' Homeric phrase]! But you are the amymon [the peerless one]; he, indeed, is ambrotos [immortal, a god]. There is no collection of my letters; but Tiro has something like seventy, and indeed certain ones are to be obtained from you. These I must examine and correct; then at last they may be published.
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
tuas iam litteras Brutus exspectabat. cui quidem ego [non] novum attuleram de Tereo Acci. ille Brutum putabat. sed tamen rumoris nescio quid adflaverat commissione Graecorum frequentiam non fuisse; quod quidem me minime fefellit; scis enim quid ego de Graecis ludis existimem. [2] nunc audi quod pluris est quam omnia. Quintus fuit mecum dies compluris et, si ego cuperem, ille vel pluris fuisset; sed quam diu fuit, incredibile est quam me in omni genere delectarit in eoque maxime in quo minime satis faciebat. sic enim commutatus est totus et scriptis meis quibusdam quae in manibus habebam et adsiduitate orationis et praeceptis ut tali animo in rem publicam quali nos volumus futurus sit. hoc cum mihi non modo confirmasset sed etiam persuasisset, egit mecum accurate multis verbis tibi ut sponderem se dignum et te et nobis futurum; neque se postulare ut statim crederes sed, cum ipse perspexisses, tum ut se amares. quod nisi fidem mihi fecisset iudicassemque hoc quod dico firmum fore, non fecissem id quod dicturus sum. duxi enim mecum adulescentem ad Brutum. sic ei probatum est quod ad te scribo ut ipse crediderit, me sponsorem accipere noluerit eumque laudans amicissime mentionem tui fecerit, complexus osculatusque dimiserit. quam ob rem etsi magis est quod gratuler tibi quam quod te rogem, tamen etiam rogo ut, si quae minus antea propter infirmitatem aetatis constanter ab eo fieri videbantur, ea iudices illum abiecisse mihique credas multum adlaturam vel plurimum potius ad illius iudicium confirmandum auctoritatem tuam. [3] Bruto cum saepe iniecissem de o(moploi/a? , non perinde atque ego putaram adripere visus est. existimabam metewro(teron esse, et hercule erat et maxime de ludis. at mihi cum ad villam redissem, Cn. Lucceius qui multum utitur Bruto narravit illum valde morari non tergiversantem sed exspectantem si qui forte casus. itaque dubito an Venusiam tendam et ibi exspectem de legionibus. si aberunt, ut quidam arbitrantur, Hydruntem, si neutrum erit a)sfale/j , eodem revertar. iocari me putas? moriar si quisquam me tenet praeter te. etenim circumspice, sed ante quam erubesco. [4] O dies in auspicus Lepidi <lepide> descriptos et apte ad consilium reditus nostri! magna r(oph\ ad proficiscendum <in> tuis litteris. atque utinam te illic! sed ut conducere putabis. [5] Nepotis epistulam exspecto. cupidus ille meorum? qui ea quibus maxime gauriw= legenda non putet. et ais ' met' a)mu/mona '! tu vero a)mu/mwn , ille quidem a)/mbrotoj . mearum epistularum nulla est sunagwgh/ ; sed habet Tiro instar septuaginta, et quidem sunt a te quaedam sumendae. eas ego oportet perspiciam, corrigam; tum denique edentur.