Letter 9.24

Your friend Rufus, about whom you have now written to me twice, would have had all the help I could give even if he had injured me, once I saw how earnestly you were working for him. But since I understand from your letter and from the letter he sent me, and am convinced, that my safety was a matter of great concern to him, I cannot fail to be his friend, not only because of your recommendation, which rightly has very great weight with me, but also by my own feeling and judgment. I want you to know, my dear Paetus, that your letter was what first put me on guard and led me to suspicion, caution, and inquiry. Later letters from many people agreed with yours. Plans against me were made at Aquinum and Fabrateria, as I see you had heard, and as if those men guessed how troublesome I would be to them, they aimed at nothing except crushing me. Because I suspected nothing, I would have been less cautious if you had not warned me. Therefore that friend of yours needs no recommendation with me. May the fortune of the republic be such that he can come to know how grateful I am. But enough of that. I am sorry that you have stopped going out to dinner, for you have deprived yourself of a great delight and pleasure. I am also afraid, let me speak frankly, that you may unlearn and partly forget that habit of yours: giving little dinners. If you made so little progress even when you had models before you, what should I expect from you now? When I told Spurinna about this and described your former way of life, he pointed out what a serious danger to the state it would be if you did not return to your old habits with the first breath of spring. At this season, he said, your failure might be endured if you could not stand the cold. But, by Hercules, my dear Paetus, joking aside, I advise you to cultivate the company of good, pleasant, and affectionate friends. That is the secret of happiness. Nothing is more satisfying or contributes more to a happy life. I do not base this only on pleasure, but on social intercourse, companionship, and the relaxation of the mind that familiar conversation best provides, nowhere more charmingly than at dinner parties. We Latins express this more wisely than the Greeks. They speak of "drinking together" and "dining together"; we speak of "living together" [convivium], because in no other setting is life more truly lived than in company. Do you see how I am using philosophy to lure you back to dinners? Take care of your health; you will do that most easily by dining out. But please, as you love me, do not think that because I write jokingly I have set aside all care for the republic. Be assured, my dear Paetus, that all day and night I work for nothing and care for nothing except the safety and freedom of my fellow citizens. I omit no opportunity for warning, pleading, and taking precautions. Indeed, if I must give my very life to this work and to advancing these measures, I will think myself supremely fortunate. Farewell.

DCCCXVII (Fam. IX, 24) TO LUCIUS PAPIRIUS PAETUS (AT NAPLES) ROME (FEBRUARY) Your friend Rufus , on whose behalf you have now twice written to me, I would have assisted to the best of my power, even if he had done me an injury, when I saw that you were so anxious in his favour. Since, however, both from your letter and from one which he has himself written to me, I perceive and am convinced that my safety has been a matter of much anxiety to him, I cannot fail to be his friend: and that not solely from your recommendation which has deservedly the greatest weight with me — but also from my own feeling and deliberate judgment For I wish you to know, my dear Paetus , that your own letter was the origin of suspicion, caution, and careful inquiry on my part; and I afterwards received other letters from many quarters which were of like tone to yours. For both at Aquinum and Fabrateria plots were laid against me, of which I perceive that you have had some information; and as though these men divined how much trouble I was likely to give them, their design was nothing short of my complete ruin. Being then totally unsuspicious of this, I should have been more off my guard, had I not received this hint from you. Therefore that friend of yours requires no recommendation with me. Heaven send that the future of the Republic be such as to make it possible for him to appreciate my extreme gratitude! But enough of this. I am sorry to hear that you have given up going out to dinner: for you have deprived yourself of a great source of amusement and pleasure. Again, I am even afraid-you'll allow me to speak frankly — that you will unlearn and partly forget that habit of yours — the giving of little dinners! For if even when you had models on which to form yourself, you made so little progress in the art, what am I to expect of you now? Spurinna , indeed, when I told him about it and described your former way of living, pointed out the serious danger to the state if you did not recur to your old habits with the first breath of Spring. It might, he said, be endured at this time of year, if you could not stand the cold! But, by Hercules , my dear Paetus , without joking I advise you to cultivate the society of good, agreeable, and affectionate friends, for that is the secret of happiness. Nothing, I say, is more satisfying or contributes more to a happy life. And I do not found this on mere pleasure, but on the social intercourse and companionship, and that unbending of the mind which is best secured by familiar conversation, nowhere found in a more captivating form than at dinner-parties. This is more wisely indicated by us Latins than by the Greeks. The latter talk of συμπόσια and σύνδειπνα, that is, “drinkings together” and “suppings together,” we of “living together” (convivium), because in no other circumstance is life more truly lived than in company. Do you see I am using philosophy to try and lure you back to dinners? Take care of your health: that you will secure with least difficulty by dining out. But pray, as you love me, don't suppose that because I write jestingly I have cast off all care for the state. Be assured, my dear Paetus , that I work for nothing, care for nothing all day and night except the safety and freedom of my fellow citizens. I omit no occasion of warning, pleading, adopting precautions. In fact, my feeling is that, if I have to give my very life to this task and to pushing these measures, I shall think myself supremely fortunate. Goodbye! Good-bye!

XXIV. Scr. Romae exeunte mense Februario a.u.c. 711. CICERO PAETO S. D. Rufum istum, amicum tuum, de quo iterum iam ad me scribis, adiuvarem, quantum possem, etiamsi ab eo laesus essem, cum te tanto opere viderem eius causa laborare; cum vero et ex tuis litteris et ex illius ad me missis intelligam et iudicem magnae curae ei salutem meam fuisse, non possum ei non amicus esse, neque solum tua commendatione, quae apud me, ut debet, valet plurimum, sed etiam voluntate ac iudicio meo. Volo enim te scire, mi Paete, initium mihi suspicionis et cautionis et diligentiae fuisse litteras tuas, quibus litteris congruentes fuerunt aliae postea multorum: nam et Aquini et Fabrateriae consilia sunt inita de me, quae te video inaudisse, et, quasi divinarent, quam iis molestus essem futurus, nihil aliud egerunt, nisi me ut opprimerent; quod ego non suspicans incautior fuissem, nisi a te admonitus essem; quamobrem iste tuus amicus apud me commendatione non eget. Utinam ea fortuna rei publicae sit, ut ille meum gratissimum possit cognoscere! Sed haec hactenus. Te ad coenas itare desisse moleste fero; magna enim te delectatione et voluptate privasti; deinde etiam vereor—licet enim verum dicere—, ne nescio quid illud, quod solebas, dediscas et obliviscare, coenulas facere; nam, si tum, cum habebas, quos imitarere, non multum proficiebas, quid nunc te facturum putem? Spurinna quidem, cum ei rem demonstrassem et vitam tuam superiorem exposuissem, magnum periculum summae rei publicae demonstrabat, nisi ad superiorem consuetudinem tum, cum Favonius flaret, revertisses; hoc tempore ferri posse, si forte tu frigus ferre non posses. Sed mehercule, mi Paete, extra iocum moneo te, quod pertinere ad beate vivendum arbitror, ut cum viris bonis, iucundis, amantibus tui vivas: nihil est aptius vitae, nihil ad beate vivendum accommodatius; nec id ad voluptatem refero, sed ad communitatem vitae atque victus emissionemque animorum, quae maxime sermone efficitur familiari, qui est in conviviis dulcissimus, ut sapientius nostri quam Graeci: illi sumpÒsia aut sÊndeipna, id est compotationes aut concenationes, nos "convivia," quod tum maxime simul vivitur. Vides, ut te philosophando revocare coner ad coenas. Cura, ut valeas; id foris coenitando facillime consequere. Sed cave, si me amas, existimes me, quod iocosius scribam, abiecisse curam rei publicae. Sic tibi, mi Paete, persuade, me dies et noctes nihil aliud agere, nihil curare, nisi ut mei cives salvi liberique sint: nullum locum praetermitto monendi, agendi, providendi; hoc denique animo sum, ut, si in hac cura atque administratione vita mihi ponenda sit, praeclare actum mecum putem. Etiam atque etiam vale.