Letter 3.5

I arrived at Tralles on July 27. There I found Lucius Lucilius waiting for me with your letter and message. You could have sent no one more friendly to me, better suited, I think, to give me the information I needed, or more practically wise himself. I read your letter with great pleasure and listened carefully to Lucilius. All mention of past services is now unnecessary for two reasons. First, you think so yourself, since you say in your letter that what I wrote about our mutual services was pleasing to you but unnecessary, given how far back they go. Second, our friendship is well established and our good faith has been tested. I will therefore pass over that subject, though I will still express the thanks I owe you. From your letter I have observed and learned that in everything you did, you kept in view the aim of consulting my interests and of arranging beforehand, almost prearranging, everything that would make my administration easier and less complicated. When I say that this kindness of yours fills me with the liveliest gratitude, it naturally follows that I want you to think this has always been, and still is, very dear to me: first, that you and your friends should know I am your very warm friend, and then that everyone else should know it too. If there are any people who are not yet clear about this, I think it is less because they do not know our feelings than because they do not want us to have them. But they will not remain ignorant. The actors in our drama will not be obscure, and the action itself will not be unimportant. I would rather all this be shown in deeds than in anything said or written. You say that the route I planned makes you somewhat doubtful whether you are likely to see me in the province. Here are the facts. When I was talking at Brundisium with your freedman Phania, I said in conversation that I would gladly go first to the part of the province I thought would best suit your wishes. He told me that, since you wished to leave by sea, it would be very convenient for you if I approached the maritime part of the province by ship. I said I would do so, and I would have done it if our friend Lucius Clodius had not told me at Corcyra that I absolutely should not: you would be at Laodicea to meet me when I arrived. That route was much shorter and more convenient for me, especially since I thought it was your preference. Your plans were later changed. In these circumstances, it will be easiest for you to arrange what should be done. I will set out my plan. I expect to be at Laodicea on July 31. I shall stay there for a very few days to collect some money owed to me on a treasury bill of exchange. Then I shall turn toward the army, so that I may be at Iconium, I think, around August 13. If I am mistaken in writing this, since I am at some distance both from my duties and from the places themselves, then as soon as I begin moving farther I will use the fastest messengers and write as often as I can, so that you may know the whole plan of my days and route. I have neither the courage nor the right to impose any burden on you. Yet, so far as it can happen without inconvenience to you, it is truly important for both of us that I see you before you leave. If some accident makes this impossible, you may still be certain of every service I can render you, exactly as if I had seen you. As for my own affairs, I shall not put any instructions in writing until I have given up all hope of a personal meeting. You tell me that you asked Scaevola to take charge of the province in your absence until my arrival. I saw him at Ephesus, and he spent the three days of my stay there with me very cordially, but I did not hear a word from him indicating any commission from you. I only wish he had been able to obey your wishes, for I do not think he was unwilling.

CCIV (Fam. III, 5) TO APPIUS CLAUDIUS PULCHER (IN CILICIA) TRALLES, 28 JULY: I ARRIVED at Tralles on the 27th of July. There I 'found L. Lucilius waiting for me with your letter and message; than whom you could have sent no man either more friendly to me, or, as I think, better suited to give the information I wanted, or endowed with more practical wisdom himself. For myself, I read your letter with great pleasure, and also listened carefully to Lucilius . For two reasons all mention of past services is now superfluous: first, because you think so — for you say in your letter that you thought what I wrote to you about our mutual services, though gratifying to you, was unnecessary, considering how far back they go — and, secondly, because our friendship is well established and our fidelity tried: I will therefore pass over that subject, though I will yet express the thanks which I owe you. For I have observed and learnt from your letter that in all your proceedings you kept in view the object of consulting for my interests, and of settling beforehand and, so to speak, prearranging everything which would make my administration easier and less complicated. When I tell you that this kindness on your part excites the liveliest gratitude in me, it naturally follows that I wish you to think that it will ever be and is now an object dear to me, that first of all you and your friends, and then all the rest of the world also, should know that I am your very warm friend. If there are any people who are not clear on that point as yet, I think it is rather that they don't wish us to entertain such feelings than that they are-ignorant of our doing so. But I am sure they will not be ignorant of it: for the persons taking part in our drama will not be obscure, nor its action unimportant. But I wish all this to be shown in performance rather than in anything said or written. You say that the route I have planned out makes you somewhat doubtful whether you are likely to see me in the province. The facts are these. When talking to your freedman Phania at Brundisium , I remarked in the course of conversation that I should be glad to go to that part of the province first, which I thought would best meet your wishes. Whereupon he informed me that, as it was your wish to leave by sea, it would be very convenient to you if I approached the maritime portion of the province on board ship. I said I would do so: and so I should have done, had not our friend L. Clodius told me at Corcyra that I must by no means do so: that you would be at Laodicea to meet me when I arrived. That was a much shorter and more convenient route for me, especially as I thought that it was your preference. Your plans were afterwards changed. In these circumstances it will be easiest for you to arrange what is to be done: I will lay before you what my plan is. On the 31st of July I expect to be at Laodicea : I shall remain there for a very few days to get in some money due to me on an exchequer bill of exchange. I shall then direct my course to the army, so as to be at Iconium , as I think, about the 13th of August. But if I am now making any mistake in thus writing — for I am at some distance both from my sphere of duty and the localities — as soon as I have begun my farther progress, I will employ the swiftest messengers, and write as often as I possibly can, to put before you the whole scheme of my days and routes. I have neither the courage nor the right to lay any burden upon you. Yet, as far as it may be so without inconvenience to you, it is really of great importance to both of us that I should see you before you leave. If any accident, however, makes this impossible, you may yet feel certain of all the services that I can render you, exactly as if I had seen you. As to my own affairs, I shall not give you any written commissions until I have given up all hope of a personal interview. You tell me that you asked Scaevola to take charge of the province in your absence until my arrival. I saw him at Ephesus , and he spent the three days of my stay at Ephesus with me in a very cordial manner; but I did not hear a word from him indicating any commission given him by you. I only wish he could have obeyed your wishes: for I don't think he was unwilling to do so.

V. Scr. Trallibus a. d. VI. Kal. Sext. a.u.c. 703. M . CICERO S. D. AP. PULCHRO. Tralles veni a. d. VI. Kal. Sextilis. Ibi mihi praesto fuit L. Lucillius cum litteris mandatisque tuis; quo quidem hominem neminem potuisti nec mihi amiciorem nec, ut arbitror, ad ea cognoscenda, quae scire volebam, aptiorem prudentioremve mittere; ego autem et tuas litteras legi libenter et audivi Lucillium diligenter. Nunc, quoniam et tu ita sentis—scribis enim, quae de nostris officiis ego ad te scripserim, etsi tibi iucunda fuerint, tamen, quoniam ex alto repetita sint, non necessaria te putasse—et re vera confirmata amicitia et perspecta fide commemoratio officiorum supervacanea est, eam partem orationis praetermittam; tibi tamen agam, ut debeo, gratias, animadverti enim et didici ex tuis litteris te omnibus in rebus habuisse rationem, ut mihi consuleres praestitueresque et praeparares quodammodo omnia, quo mea ratio facilior et solutior esse posset. Hoc tuum officium cum mihi gratissimum esse dicam, sequitur illud, ut te existimare velim mihi magnae curae fore atque esse iam, primum ut ipse tu tuique omnes, deinde ut etiam reliqui scire possint me tibi esse amicissimum; quod quibus adhuc non satis est perspectum, ii mihi nolle magis nos hoc amino esse quam non intelligere videntur; sed profecto intelligent, neque enim obscuris personis nec parvis in causis res agetur. Sed haec fieri melius quam dici aut scribi volo. Quod itinerum meorum ratio te nonnullam in dubitationem videtur adducere, visurusne me sis in provincia, ea res sic se habet: Brundisii cum loquerer cum Phania, liberto tuo, veni in eum sermonem, ut dicerem me libenter ad eam partem provinciae primum esse venturum, quo to maxime velle arbitraretur; tunc mihi ille dixit, quod classe tu velles decedere, per fore accommodatum tibi, si ad illam maritimam partem provinciae navibus accessissem; dixi me esse facturum, itaque fecissem, nisi mihi L. Clodius noster Corcyrae dixisset minime id esse faciendum; te Laodiceae fore ad meum adventum: erat id mihi multo brevius multoque commodius, cum praesertim te ita malle arbitrarer; tua ratio postea est commutata. Nunc quid fieri possit, tu facillime statues; ego tibi meum consilium exponam: pr. Kalendas Sextiles puto me Laodiceae fore; perpaucos dies, dum pecunia accipitur, quae mihi ex publica permutatione debetur, commorabor; deinde iter faciam ad exercitum, ut circiter Idus Sextiles putem me ad Iconium fore. Sed, si quid nunc me fallit in scribendo—procul enim aberam ab re ipsa et a locis—, simul ac progredi coepero, quam celerrime potero et quam creberrimis litteris faciam ut tibi nota sit omnis ratio dierum atque itinerum meorum. Oneris tibi imponere nec audeo quidquam nec debeo; sed, quod commodo tuo fieri possit, utriusque nostrum magni inte rest, ut te videam ante , quam decedas: quam facultatem si quis casus eripuerit, mea tamen in te omnia officia constabunt non secus ac si te vidissem; tibi de nostris rebus nihil sum ante mandaturus per litteras, quam desperaro coram me tecum agere posse. Quod te a Scaevola petisse dicis, ut, dum tu abesses, ante adventum meum provincia, praeesset, eum ego Ephesi vidi fuitque mecum familiariter triduum illud, quod ego Ephesi commoratus sum, nec ex eo quidquam audivi, quod sibi a te mandatum diceret. Ac sane vellem potuisset obsequi voluntati tuae; non enim arbitror noluisse.