Marcus Tullius Cicero→Servius Sulpicius Rufus|c. 45 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Achaea|AI-assisted
I accept the excuse you gave for sending me several copies of the same letter, but only to the extent that you say the negligence or dishonesty of those who receive letters may keep them from reaching me. The other part of your excuse, that you send the same words several times because of your "poverty of language," as you call it, I neither understand nor approve. As for me, though you say jokingly, as I take it, that I have a wealth of words, I admit I am not especially poor in language; there is no need for mock modesty. Yet, without mock modesty either, I readily yield to the refinement and elegance of your writing.
As for your decision not to refuse this Achaean business, I always approved it, and much more after reading your latest letter. All the reasons you mention are perfectly sound and entirely worthy of your authority and judgment.
You think the matter has turned out otherwise than you expected. On that point I do not agree with you at all. The truth is that affairs are so disturbed and confused, and everything lies so battered and flattened by this most shameful war, that each person thinks the place where he himself is must be the most miserable. That is why you are dissatisfied with your course and why only we who remain at home seem happy to you. To us, on the contrary, you seem, not free from distress, but happier than we are. Your lot is better in this respect: you dare write what pains you; we cannot even do that safely. This is not the victor's fault, for no moderation can surpass his, but the fault of victory itself, which in civil wars is always offensive.
In one matter I had the advantage over you: I knew of your colleague Marcellus's recall a little before you did, and, by Hercules, I saw how the matter was handled. Be assured that since these unhappy events began, that is, since the appeal to arms began, nothing else has been transacted with real dignity. First Caesar himself, after inveighing against what he called Marcellus's bitter spirit, and after praising your fairness and wisdom in the highest terms, suddenly and unexpectedly ended by saying that he would not refuse the Senate's request for Marcellus, even considering the character of the man. Then, when Lucius Piso had raised Marcellus's case and Gaius Marcellus had thrown himself at Caesar's feet, the Senate had arranged to rise as one body and approach Caesar as suppliants.
Ask no more: that day seemed so fine to me that I thought I saw some shadow of the republic coming back to life. So when everyone called before me had voted thanks to Caesar, except Volcatius, who said that if he had been in Caesar's place he would not have done it, I abandoned my resolution. I had resolved to keep complete silence, not from lack of interest, by Hercules, but because I missed my old standing in the House. My resolve gave way before Caesar's magnanimity and the Senate's display of devotion. I therefore delivered a speech thanking Caesar at some length, and I fear I have robbed myself, in other cases too, of the honorable abstention from public business that was my one consolation in misfortune.
Still, since I avoided offending him, who might perhaps have thought, if I never opened my mouth, that I regarded the constitution as suspended, I will act without crossing the limits of moderation; rather, I will stay well within them, satisfying his wishes without infringing on my literary work. From earliest youth every branch of study and liberal learning, above all philosophy, has delighted me, and that taste grows stronger every day, partly because my age is now fully ripe for wisdom, and partly because the corruption of the times makes everything else incapable of relieving my mind of sorrow.
From your letter I gather that business is drawing you away from a similar pursuit. Yet by now the night hours will give you some help. Your Servius, or rather ours, is extremely attentive to me. I am charmed not only by his complete integrity and excellent character, but also by his devotion to study and learning. He often discusses with me whether you should stay where you are or leave your province. For now my view is that we should do nothing except what Caesar seems to want. Things are such that, if you were at Rome, nothing could possibly give you pleasure except your own family. As for everything else, the best feature in the situation is Caesar himself. All the rest is such that, if one must either hear or see it, hearing is preferable. This advice is not at all in keeping with my feelings, for I long to see you, but I am considering your interests.
CDXCIII (Fam. IV, 4) TO SERVIUS SULPICIUS RUFUS (IN ACHAIA) ROME (OCTOBER) I ACCEPT your excuse for having frequently sent me a letter in duplicate, but I accept it only so far as you attribute to the carelessness or untrustworthiness of those who take them from you that they do not reach me: that part of your excuse in which you say that you frequently send me letters containing the same words from “poverty of language” — that is your expression — I neither understand nor acknowledge. And I myself, whom you declare in joke (as I take it) to possess a rich store of language, admit that I am not very badly off for words: for there is no occasion for “mock-modesty”: yet I too — and that without “mock-modestly” — easily yield to the refinement and dainty simplicity of your style. As to your policy, mentioned in your letter, in not de clining this command of Achaia , as I always had approved of it, much more did I do so after reading your last letter. For all the reasons which you mention are thoroughly sound, and in the highest degree worthy of your character and wisdom. As to your thinking that the matter has turned out otherwise than you expected, in that I do not at all agree with you. The fact is this: the disorganization and confusion are so great, the general dilemma and collapse caused by a most shocking war are so complete, that each man thinks the place where he happens to be the most wretched in the world. That is why you feel dissatisfied with your policy, and why only we who are still at home appear to you to be happy: while on the contrary to us you seem, not indeed entirely free from distress, but happy in comparison with ourselves. And in fact your lot is better than ours in this: you venture to say in your letter what is giving you pain; we cannot do even that much safely. Nor is this the fault of the victor, whose moderation cannot be surpassed, but of the victory itself, which in the case of civil wars is always offensive. In one point I have had the better of you — that I knew of the recall of your colleague Marcellus a little before you did; and also, by Hercules , that I saw how that matter was actually managed. For be assured that since these unhappy events, that is, since the appeal to arms was begun, nothing else has been transacted with any proper dignity. For, in the first place, Caesar himself, after inveighing against the “bitter spirit” shown by Marcellus — for that was the term he used — and having commended in the most complimentary terms your fairness as well as your wisdom, all on a sudden unexpectedly concluded by saying that “he would not refuse a request of the senate for Marceflus, even in view of the character of the individual.” In the next place, the senate had arranged, as soon as the case of Marcellus had been mentioned by L. Piso , and Gaius Marcellus had thrown himself at Caesar 's feet, that it should rise en masse and approach Caesar in a suppliant attitude. Ask no questions: this day appeared to me to be so fair that I seemed to be seeing some shadow of a reviving Republic. Accordingly, when all who were called up before had moved a vote of thanks to Caesar , except Volcatius — for he said that if he had been in Caesar 's place he would not have done it-I, when called on, abandoned my resolution. For I had determined, not, by Hercules , from lack of interest, but because I missed my old position in the house, to maintain unbroken silence. This resolution of mine gave way before Caesar 's magnanimity and the senate's display of devotion. I therefore delivered a speech of thanks to Caesar at some length, and I am afraid that I have robbed myself of an honourable abstention from business in other cases as well, which was my one consolation in misfortune. However, since I have avoided offending him, who perhaps would have thought, if I never opened my mouth, that I regarded the constitution as in abeyance, I will do this without transgressing the bounds of moderation; or rather I shall keep some way this side of them, so as to satisfy his wishes without infringing upon my literary employments. For, though from my earliest youth every branch of study and liberal learning, and above all philosophy has been a delight to me, yet this taste grows stronger daily: partly, I presume, because my time of life is, now at its full maturity for wisdom, and partly owing to the .corruption of the times, which makes everything else incapable of relieving my mind of its sorrows. From a similar pursuit I gather from your letter that you are being distracted by business. But, after all, by this time the night hours will help you somewhat. Your, or rather our, Servius is exceedingly attentive to me; and I am charmed not only with his universal integrity and the remarkable excellence of his character, but also by his devotion to study and learning. He often discusses with me whether you should stay where you are or quit your province. At present my opinion is that we should do nothing except Just what Caesar appears to wish. Things are in such a state that, supposing you to be at Rome , nothing could possibly give you any pleasure except your own family. As for the rest, the best feature in the situation is Caesar himself: all else is of such a kind, that, if you must do one or the other, you would prefer hearing to seeing them. This advice of mine is not at all consonant with my feelings, for I long to see you, but I am consulting for your own interests.
IV. Scr. Romae exeunte mense Septembri a.u.c. 708. M. CICERO S. D. SER. SULPICIO.
Accipio excusationem tuam, qua usus es, cur saepius ad me litteras uno exemplo dedisses, sed accipio ex ea parte, quatenus aut negligentia aut improbitate eorum, qui epistulas accipiant, fieri scribis, ne ad nos perferantur: illam partem excusationis, qua te scribis orationis paupertate—sic enim appellas—iisdem verbis epistulas saepius mittere, nec nosco nec probo, et ego ipse, quem tu per iocum—sic enim accipio—divitias orationis habere dicis, me non esse verborum admodum inopem agnosco— eÞroneÊesthai enim non necesse est—, sed tamen idem—nec hoc eÞroneuÒmenow— facile cedo tuorum scriptorum subtilitati et elegantiae. Consilium tuum, quo te usum scribis hoc Achaicum negotium non recusavisse, cum semper probavissem, tum multo magis probavi lectis tuis proximis litteris; omnes enim causae, quas commemoras, iustissimae sunt tuaque et auctoritate et prudentia dignissimae. Quod aliter cecidisse rem existimas, atque opinatus esses, id tibi nullo modo assentior; sed, quia tanta perturbatio et confusio est rerum, ita perculsa et prostrata foedissimo bello iacent omnia, ut is cuique locus, ubi ipse sit, et sibi quisque miserrimus esse videatur, propterea et tui consilii poenitet te et nos, qui domi sumus, tibi beati videmur, at contra nobis non tu quidem vacuus molestiis, sed prae nobis beatus. Atque hoc ipso melior est tua quam nostra condicio, quod tu, quid doleat, scribere audes, nos ne id quidem tuto possumus, nec id victoris vitio, quo nihil moderatius, sed ipsius victoriae, quae civilibus bellis semper est insolens. Uno te vincimus, quod de Marcelli, collegae tui, salute paullo ante quam tu cognovimus, etiam mehercule quod, quemadmodum ea res ageretur, vidimus: nam sic fac existimes, post has miserias, id est postquam armis disceptari coeptum est de iure publico, nihil esse actum aliud cum dignitate; nam et ipse Caesar accusata acerbitate Marcelli—sic enim appellabat-laudataque honorificentissime et aequitate tua et prudentia repente praeter spem dixit se senatui roganti de Marcello ne hominis quidem causa negaturum; fecerat autem hoc senatus, ut, cum a L. Pisone mentio esset facta de Marcello et C. Marcellus se ad Caesaris pedes abiecisset, cunctus consurgeret et ad Caesarem supplex accederet. Noli quaerere: ita mihi pulcher hic dies visus est, ut speciem aliquam viderer videre quasi reviviscentis rei publicae. Itaque, cum omnes ante me rogati gratias Caesari egissent praeter Volcatium—is enim, si eo loco esset, negavit se facturum fusisse—, ego rogatus mutavi meum consilium; nam statueram non mehercule inertia, sed desiderio pristinae dignitatis in perpetuum tacere: fregit hoc meum consilium et Caesaris magnitudo animi et senatus officium; itaque pluribus verbis egi Caesari gratias, meque metuo ne etiam in ceteris rebus honesto otio privarim, quod erat unum solacium in malis; sed tamen, quoniam effugi eius offensionem, qui fortasse arbitraretur me hanc rem publicam non putare, si perpetuo tacerem, modice hoc faciam aut etiam intra modum, ut et illius voluntati et meis studiis serviam: nam, etsi a prima aetate me omnis ars et doctrina liberalis et maxime philosophia delectavit, tamen hoc studium quotidie ingravescit, credo et aetatis maturitate ad prudentiam et iis temporum vitiis, ut nulla res alia levare animum molestiis possit; a quo studio te abduci negotiis intelligo ex tuis litteris, sed tamen aliquid iam noctes te adiuvabunt. Servius tuus vel potius noster summa me observantia colit, cuius ego cum omni probitate summaque virtute, tum studiis doctrinaque delector. Is mecum saepe de tua mansione aut decessione communicat: adhuc in hac sum sententia, nihil ut faciamus, nisi quod maxime Caesar velle videatur. Res sunt eiusmodi, ut, si Romae sis, nihil te praeter tuos delectare possit; de reliquis, nihil melius ipso est, ceteri et cetera eiusmodi, ut, si alterum utrum necesse sit, audire ea malis quam videre. Hoc nostrum consilium nobis minime iucundum est, qui te videre cupimus, sed consulimus tibi. Vale.
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I accept the excuse you gave for sending me several copies of the same letter, but only to the extent that you say the negligence or dishonesty of those who receive letters may keep them from reaching me. The other part of your excuse, that you send the same words several times because of your "poverty of language," as you call it, I neither understand nor approve. As for me, though you say jokingly, as I take it, that I have a wealth of words, I admit I am not especially poor in language; there is no need for mock modesty. Yet, without mock modesty either, I readily yield to the refinement and elegance of your writing.
As for your decision not to refuse this Achaean business, I always approved it, and much more after reading your latest letter. All the reasons you mention are perfectly sound and entirely worthy of your authority and judgment.
You think the matter has turned out otherwise than you expected. On that point I do not agree with you at all. The truth is that affairs are so disturbed and confused, and everything lies so battered and flattened by this most shameful war, that each person thinks the place where he himself is must be the most miserable. That is why you are dissatisfied with your course and why only we who remain at home seem happy to you. To us, on the contrary, you seem, not free from distress, but happier than we are. Your lot is better in this respect: you dare write what pains you; we cannot even do that safely. This is not the victor's fault, for no moderation can surpass his, but the fault of victory itself, which in civil wars is always offensive.
In one matter I had the advantage over you: I knew of your colleague Marcellus's recall a little before you did, and, by Hercules, I saw how the matter was handled. Be assured that since these unhappy events began, that is, since the appeal to arms began, nothing else has been transacted with real dignity. First Caesar himself, after inveighing against what he called Marcellus's bitter spirit, and after praising your fairness and wisdom in the highest terms, suddenly and unexpectedly ended by saying that he would not refuse the Senate's request for Marcellus, even considering the character of the man. Then, when Lucius Piso had raised Marcellus's case and Gaius Marcellus had thrown himself at Caesar's feet, the Senate had arranged to rise as one body and approach Caesar as suppliants.
Ask no more: that day seemed so fine to me that I thought I saw some shadow of the republic coming back to life. So when everyone called before me had voted thanks to Caesar, except Volcatius, who said that if he had been in Caesar's place he would not have done it, I abandoned my resolution. I had resolved to keep complete silence, not from lack of interest, by Hercules, but because I missed my old standing in the House. My resolve gave way before Caesar's magnanimity and the Senate's display of devotion. I therefore delivered a speech thanking Caesar at some length, and I fear I have robbed myself, in other cases too, of the honorable abstention from public business that was my one consolation in misfortune.
Still, since I avoided offending him, who might perhaps have thought, if I never opened my mouth, that I regarded the constitution as suspended, I will act without crossing the limits of moderation; rather, I will stay well within them, satisfying his wishes without infringing on my literary work. From earliest youth every branch of study and liberal learning, above all philosophy, has delighted me, and that taste grows stronger every day, partly because my age is now fully ripe for wisdom, and partly because the corruption of the times makes everything else incapable of relieving my mind of sorrow.
From your letter I gather that business is drawing you away from a similar pursuit. Yet by now the night hours will give you some help. Your Servius, or rather ours, is extremely attentive to me. I am charmed not only by his complete integrity and excellent character, but also by his devotion to study and learning. He often discusses with me whether you should stay where you are or leave your province. For now my view is that we should do nothing except what Caesar seems to want. Things are such that, if you were at Rome, nothing could possibly give you pleasure except your own family. As for everything else, the best feature in the situation is Caesar himself. All the rest is such that, if one must either hear or see it, hearing is preferable. This advice is not at all in keeping with my feelings, for I long to see you, but I am considering your interests.
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
IV. Scr. Romae exeunte mense Septembri a.u.c. 708. M. CICERO S. D. SER. SULPICIO.
Accipio excusationem tuam, qua usus es, cur saepius ad me litteras uno exemplo dedisses, sed accipio ex ea parte, quatenus aut negligentia aut improbitate eorum, qui epistulas accipiant, fieri scribis, ne ad nos perferantur: illam partem excusationis, qua te scribis orationis paupertate—sic enim appellas—iisdem verbis epistulas saepius mittere, nec nosco nec probo, et ego ipse, quem tu per iocum—sic enim accipio—divitias orationis habere dicis, me non esse verborum admodum inopem agnosco— eÞroneÊesthai enim non necesse est—, sed tamen idem—nec hoc eÞroneuÒmenow— facile cedo tuorum scriptorum subtilitati et elegantiae. Consilium tuum, quo te usum scribis hoc Achaicum negotium non recusavisse, cum semper probavissem, tum multo magis probavi lectis tuis proximis litteris; omnes enim causae, quas commemoras, iustissimae sunt tuaque et auctoritate et prudentia dignissimae. Quod aliter cecidisse rem existimas, atque opinatus esses, id tibi nullo modo assentior; sed, quia tanta perturbatio et confusio est rerum, ita perculsa et prostrata foedissimo bello iacent omnia, ut is cuique locus, ubi ipse sit, et sibi quisque miserrimus esse videatur, propterea et tui consilii poenitet te et nos, qui domi sumus, tibi beati videmur, at contra nobis non tu quidem vacuus molestiis, sed prae nobis beatus. Atque hoc ipso melior est tua quam nostra condicio, quod tu, quid doleat, scribere audes, nos ne id quidem tuto possumus, nec id victoris vitio, quo nihil moderatius, sed ipsius victoriae, quae civilibus bellis semper est insolens. Uno te vincimus, quod de Marcelli, collegae tui, salute paullo ante quam tu cognovimus, etiam mehercule quod, quemadmodum ea res ageretur, vidimus: nam sic fac existimes, post has miserias, id est postquam armis disceptari coeptum est de iure publico, nihil esse actum aliud cum dignitate; nam et ipse Caesar accusata acerbitate Marcelli—sic enim appellabat-laudataque honorificentissime et aequitate tua et prudentia repente praeter spem dixit se senatui roganti de Marcello ne hominis quidem causa negaturum; fecerat autem hoc senatus, ut, cum a L. Pisone mentio esset facta de Marcello et C. Marcellus se ad Caesaris pedes abiecisset, cunctus consurgeret et ad Caesarem supplex accederet. Noli quaerere: ita mihi pulcher hic dies visus est, ut speciem aliquam viderer videre quasi reviviscentis rei publicae. Itaque, cum omnes ante me rogati gratias Caesari egissent praeter Volcatium—is enim, si eo loco esset, negavit se facturum fusisse—, ego rogatus mutavi meum consilium; nam statueram non mehercule inertia, sed desiderio pristinae dignitatis in perpetuum tacere: fregit hoc meum consilium et Caesaris magnitudo animi et senatus officium; itaque pluribus verbis egi Caesari gratias, meque metuo ne etiam in ceteris rebus honesto otio privarim, quod erat unum solacium in malis; sed tamen, quoniam effugi eius offensionem, qui fortasse arbitraretur me hanc rem publicam non putare, si perpetuo tacerem, modice hoc faciam aut etiam intra modum, ut et illius voluntati et meis studiis serviam: nam, etsi a prima aetate me omnis ars et doctrina liberalis et maxime philosophia delectavit, tamen hoc studium quotidie ingravescit, credo et aetatis maturitate ad prudentiam et iis temporum vitiis, ut nulla res alia levare animum molestiis possit; a quo studio te abduci negotiis intelligo ex tuis litteris, sed tamen aliquid iam noctes te adiuvabunt. Servius tuus vel potius noster summa me observantia colit, cuius ego cum omni probitate summaque virtute, tum studiis doctrinaque delector. Is mecum saepe de tua mansione aut decessione communicat: adhuc in hac sum sententia, nihil ut faciamus, nisi quod maxime Caesar velle videatur. Res sunt eiusmodi, ut, si Romae sis, nihil te praeter tuos delectare possit; de reliquis, nihil melius ipso est, ceteri et cetera eiusmodi, ut, si alterum utrum necesse sit, audire ea malis quam videre. Hoc nostrum consilium nobis minime iucundum est, qui te videre cupimus, sed consulimus tibi. Vale.