Letter 15.14

You commend Marcus Fadius to me as a friend, but I make no new acquisition in him. For many years he has belonged among my cherished possessions, and I have valued him for his exceptional kindness and attention. Still, learning of his attachment to you has made him even dearer to me. Your letter therefore helped, but the stronger recommendation was my clear perception and recognition of his own warm feeling for you. I will take every care to do for Fadius what you ask. For many reasons I wish you yourself had been able to visit me. First, I could have seen you after so long a separation, a man whom I have long valued so highly. Second, I could have offered in person the congratulations I have already given by letter. Third, we could have consulted together on whatever matters we wished, you about yours and I about mine. Last, our friendship, maintained by an exchange of significant services on both sides but interrupted in continuity by periods of separation, would have been greatly strengthened. Since that was not possible, we will use what letters can do for us, and while separated we will attain almost the same ends we would have reached face to face. One satisfaction, of course, the satisfaction that comes from actually seeing you, cannot be obtained by letters. The other, the pleasure of congratulating you, though thinner than it would have been if I could have seen your face while speaking, I have nevertheless already experienced, and now I give it to myself again. I congratulate you both on the brilliance of your services and on their timeliness, because at the moment you left your province you were followed by the loudest praise and the liveliest gratitude. My third point was that we might have consulted each other about our affairs. Let us do that just as well by letter. On every other account I strongly think you ought to hasten back to Rome. When I left, affairs there showed no sign of a storm as far as you are concerned, and because of your recent splendid victory I imagine your arrival will be attended by great distinction. But if the difficulties under which your relatives are laboring are no more than you can overcome, hurry home; nothing could be more noble or more popular. If they are more serious, take care that your return does not come at a most inopportune moment. You alone are judge of this, because only you know your strength. If you are strong enough to do it, praise and popularity are certain; if you plainly are not strong enough, you will more easily withstand public talk by staying away. As for me, the request I make in this letter is the same as in my previous one: exert yourself to the utmost to prevent any extension of my provincial command, which both the senate's decree and the law limited to one year. I press this warmly because I consider my entire fortunes to depend on it. You have Paullus to support you, my friend and a very warm one; you have Curio and Furnius. I beg you to act, knowing that it is everything in the world to me. My last point was the strengthening of our friendship. On that there is no need for many words. You sought my company in your youth; I, for my part, always thought you would be a credit to me. You were also a protection to me in the darkest hour of my fortunes. To these facts I can now add the very close intimacy that has arisen since you left Rome between me and your relative Brutus. Therefore, in the talent and high character that distinguish you both, I believe I have a very great reserve of pleasure and honor in store. I earnestly ask you to confirm this expectation, and also to write to me at once and as often as possible after your arrival at Rome.

CCXL (Fam. XV, 14) TO C. CASSIUS LONGINUS (PROQUAESTOR IN SYRIA) CILICIA, JANUARY: M. CICERO, imperator, greets C. Cassius , proquaestor. You introduce M. Fadius to me as a friend, but I make no fresh acquisition in him; for it is now many years since he has been among my cherished possessions, and valued by me for his exceeding kindness and attentions. Nevertheless, the discovery of his attachment to you has made him still dearer to me. So, though your letter did some good, yet a still more powerful recommendation was my clear perception and recognition of his own warm feeling for you. However, I will take every pains to do for Fadius what you ask. It is yourself that I could wish for many reasons had been able to visit me: in the first place, that I might see you after so long a separation — a man whom I have long valued so highly; in the second place, that I might offer my personal congratulations, as I have already done by letter; thirdly, that we might consult together on whatever matters we wished, you on yours, I on mine; and lastly, that our friendship, which has been kept up by the interchange of signal services on both sides, but has had its continuity interrupted by periods of separation, might be greatly strengthened. Since this was not to be, we will avail ourselves of what letters can do for us, and shall, though separated, attain almost the same objects as we should have done if we had met face to face. One satisfaction, of course, that which arises from the actual sight of you, cannot be obtained by the help of letters: the other, the pleasure, I mean, of congratulating you, though more meagre than it would have been, if I could have seen your face while offering my congratulations, I have nevertheless already experienced and now give myself again: and I do indeed congratulate you both on the splendour of your services, and also for their opportuneness, in that at the moment of your departure from it you have been followed by the loudest praises and the liveliest gratitude of your province. My third point — that we might have consulted each other about our affairs — that let us do equally by letter. On every other account I am strongly of opinion that you ought to hasten your return to Rome . For things there, as I left them, showed no signs of a storm as far as you are concerned, and owing to your recent very splendid victory I imagine that your arrival will be attended by great eclat. But if the difficulties under which your relations are labouring are no more than you can combat, hasten home: nothing could be nobler or more popular: but if they are more serious, take care that your return does not fall at a most inopportune moment. You are the sole judge on this point, for you alone know your powers. If you are strong enough to do it, you are sure of praise and popularity: if you are clearly not strong enough, it will be easier for you to support popular remark by staying away. For myself, however, the request I make to you in this letter is the same as that in my previous one — that you should exert yourself to the utter-most to prevent any extension of time being made to my provincial government, which both by decree of the senate and by the law was to be of one year's duration. I press this upon you with warmth, because I consider my entire fortunes to depend upon it. You have Paullus to support you — my friend, and a very warm one: you have Curio and Furnius . I beg you to exert yourself, with the assurance that it is every-thing in the world to me. My last point was the strengthening of our friendship. On that there is no need of more words. You sought my society in your boyhood: I for my part ever thought that you would be a credit to me. You were, moreover, a protection to me in the darkest hour of my fortunes. To these facts I may now add the very close intimacy which has sprung up since you left town between me and your relative Brutus . Therefore, in the talents and high character which distinguish you both, I believe that I have a very great reserve of pleasure and honour in store. I beg you earnestly to ratify this expectation, and also to write to me at once, and as often as possible after your arrival at Rome .

XIV. Scr. in Cilicia post III. Id. Oct. a.u.c. 703. M. CICERO IMP. S. D. C. CASSIO PROQ. M. Fadium quod mihi amicum tua commendatione das, nullum in eo facio quaestum; multi enim anni sunt, cum ille in aere meo est et a me diligitur propter summam suam humanitatem et observantiam; sed tamen, quod te ab eo egregie diligi sensi, multo amicior ei sum factus. Itaque, quamquam aliquid profecerunt litterae tuae, tamen aliquanto plus commendationis apud me habuit animus ipsius erga te mihi perspectus et cognitus. Sed de Fadio faciemus studiose, quae rogas; tu multis de causis vellem me convenire potuisses: primum ut te, quem iamdiu plurimi facio, tanto intervallo viderem; deinde ut tibi, quod feci per litteras, possem praesens gratulari; tum ut, quibus de rebus vellemus, tu tuis, ego meis, inter nos communicaremus; postremo ut amicitia nostra, quae summis officiis ab utroque culta est, sed longis intervallis temporum interruptam consuetudinem habuit, confirmaretur vehementius. Id quoniam non accidit, utemur bono litterarum et eadem fere absentes, quae, si coram essemus, consequeremur: unus scilicet animi fructus, qui in te videndo est, percipi litteris non potest; alter gratulationis est is quidem exilior, quam si tibi te ipsum intuens gratularer, sed tamen et feci antea et facio nunc tibique cum pro rerum magnitudine, quas gessisti, tum pro opportunitate temporis gratulor, quod te de provincia decedentem summa laus et summa gratia provinciae prosecuta est; tertium est, ut id, quod de nostris rebus coram communicassemus inter nos, conficiamus idem litteris. Ego ceterarum recenseo—nam et ea, quae reliqui, tranquilla de te erant et hac tua recenti victoria tanta clarum tuum adventum fore intelligo—; sed, si quae sunt onera tuorum, si tanta sunt, ut ea sustinere possis, propera—nihil tibi erit lautius, nihil gloriosius—, sin maiora, considera, ne in alienissimum tempus cadat adventus tuus. Huius rei totum consilium tuum est; tu enim scis, quid sustinere possis: si potes, laudabile atque populare est; sin plane non potes, absens hominum sermones facilius sustinebis. De me autem idem tecum his ago litteris, quod superioribus egi, ut omnes tuos nervos in eo contendas, ne quid mihi ad hanc provinciam, quam et senatus et populus annuam esse voluit, temporis prorogetur: hoc a te ita contendo, ut in eo fortunas meas positas putem. Habes Paullum nostrum nostri cupidissimum; est Curio, est Furnius. Sic velim enitare, quasi in eo sint mihi omnia. Extremum illud est de iis, quae proposueram, confirmatio nostrae amicitiae, de qua pluribus verbis nihil opus est: tu puer me appetisti, ego autem semper ornamento te mihi fore duxi; fuisti etiam praesidio tristissimis meis temporibus; accessit post tuum discessum familiaritas mihi cum Bruto tuo maxima. Itaque in vestro ingenio et industria mihi plurimum et suavitatis et dignitatis constitutum puto: id tu ut tuo studio confirmes, te vehementer rogo, litterasque ad me et continuo mittas et, cum Romam veneris, quam saepissime.