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Lucius Cæsar was

purpose very mischievous to the state.1 of this opinion also, whom I saw yesterday in a very bad state of health at Naples. So I shall have to raise a debate on this subject and settle it on the 1st of June.2 But enough of this. The younger Quintus has written a very unpleasant letter to his father, which was delivered to him on our arrival at Pompeii. The chief point, however, was that he would not put up with Aquilia as a stepmother. Perhaps that was excusable. But what do you think of his saying "that he had hitherto owed everything to Cæsar, nothing to his father, and for the future looked to Antony? What an abandoned rascal! But we'll see to it.

I have written letters to our friend Brutus, to Cassius, and Dolabella. I send you copies; not that I hesitate as to whether they should be delivered-for I am clearly of opinion that they should be, and I have no doubt that you will be of the same opinion.

Pray, my dear Atticus, supply my son with as much as you think right, and allow me to impose this burden upon you. All you have done up to the present time has been exceedingly acceptable to me. My unpublished book I have not yet polished up to my satisfaction. The additional matter which you wish introduced must wait for a second volume of some kind. I think, however—and I would have you believe me when I say so that it was safer to attack that abominable party while the tyrant was alive than now that he is dead. For in a manner he was surprisingly tolerant of me. Now, whichever way we turn, we are confronted not merely by Cæsar's enactments, but also by those

1 This is explained by 2 Phil. §§ 101-102. Capua, which since the second Punic war had been deprived of all status, had been raised to the rank of a colonia by Cæsar in B.C. 59. Antony wanted to refound it, or at any rate to introduce a supplementum or new body of coloni, which was resisted by the existing coloni, who were mostly veteran soldiers. He appears eventually to have made his colony at Casilinum on the other side of the river. This involved more loss of revenue from the ager Campanus.

2 That is, at the meeting of the senate always held on the first day of the month.

3 We cannot be sure what book is meant. It is supposed by some to be the poem de Suis Temporibus, which was not published till after his death.

which he merely contemplated.

Since Flamma has arrived, please see about Montanus.' I think the business should be on a better footing.

DCCXXII (A XIV, 19)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

POMPEII, 8 May

BEING in my Pompeian villa on the 7th of May I received two letters from you, the first dated five days ago, the second three. I will therefore answer the earlier one first. How glad I am that Barnæus delivered my letter at the nick of time! Yes, with Cassius as before. It is, however, a lucky coincidence that I had just done what you advise me to do. Five days ago I wrote to him and sent you a copy of my letter. But after I had been thrown into a great state of despair by Dolabella's avarice 2-to use your expression -lo and behold, arrives a letter from Brutus and one from you. He is meditating exile: I, however, see before me a different port, and one better suited to my time of life." Though, of course, I should prefer entering it with Brutus in prosperity and the constitution on a sound footing. As it is indeed, you are right in saying that we have now no choice in the matter. For you agree with me that my age is unsuitable to a camp, especially in a civil war. Marcus Antonius merely said about Clodius, in answer to my letter, that my leniency and placability had been very gratifying to him, and would be a source of great pleasure to myself.

See p. 32.

2 No doubt-if the reading is sound-he refers to Dolabella still retaining Tullia's dowry in part.

3 That is, "death" (cp. de Sen. § 91). He had just written the essay on Old Age. There he makes Cato say that at his age death is so pleasant that " as I approach it more, I seem to be catching sight of land and to be at length coming into port after a long voyage.' We often find the sentiment occurring in his letters which he was at the time expressing in books.

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But Pansa seems to be fuming about Clodius as well as about Deiotarus. His words are stern enough, if you choose to believe them. Nevertheless, he is not sound-as I think on the subject of Dolabella's achievement,' of which he loudly expresses his disapproval. As to the men with the garlands,2 when your sister's son was reproved by his father, he wrote back to say that he had worn a garland in honour of Cæsar, that he had laid it aside as a sign of mourning; lastly, that he was quite content to be vilified for loving Cæsar even when dead. To Dolabella I have written cordially, as you said that you thought I ought to do. I have also done so to Sicca. I don't lay the responsibility of this upon you: I don't want you to incur his wrath. I recognize Servius's style of talk, in which I see more of timidity than wisdom. But since we have all been frightened out of our wits, I have nothing to say against Servius. Publilius has taken you in. For Cærellia was sent here by them as their envoy; but I convinced her without difficulty that what she asked was not even legal, to say nothing of my disliking it. If I see Antony I will seriously press the case of Buthrotum.

I come now to your later letter, though I have already answered you in regard to Servius. You say that I am "making a good deal of Dolabella's achievement." Well, by heaven, it is my genuine opinion that it could not be surpassed in the circumstances and actual state of affairs. But after all, whatever credit I give him is founded on what you wrote. However, I agree with you that it would be a still greater "achievement" on his part, if he paid me what he owes me.1 I should like Brutus to stay at Astura. You praise me for coming to no decision about leaving Italy till I see how affairs at Rome are likely to turn out. But I have changed my mind about that. I shall not, however, do anything till I have seen you. I am pleased that our dear Attica thanks me for what I have done for her mother. I have in fact put the whole villa and store

1 In executing the rioters collecting round the pillar marking the spot in the forum where his body was burnt.

2 At the Palilia. See Letter DCCXVI.

3 Re-marriage with the divorced Publilia.

See pp. 33-35.

4 The instalment of Tullia's dowry which he had to repay.

room at her service, and am thinking of going to see her on the 11th. Please give my love to Attica. I will take good care of Pilia.

DCCXXIII (A XIV, 18)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

POMPEII, 9 MAY

You are always going on at me for what you consider my extravagance in praising Dolabella's achievement to the skies. Now, though I do highly approve of what he did, I was after all led to speak of it in such high terms by first one and then another letter from you. But Dolabella has entirely lost your favour for the same reason which has made me very bitter with him too. A. brazen-faced fellow indeed! He should have paid on the 1st of January: he has not paid yet, and that though he has freed himself from a vast load of debt by the handwriting of Faberius, and has sought an "opening" in the temple of Ops. For a pun is permissible, lest you should think me very much upset. And, in fact, I wrote to him very early in the morning of the 8th. On the same day I received a letter from you at Pompeii-which had travelled very quickly, for it reached me on the third day. But, as I wrote you word on that very day, I sent Dolabella a fairly stinging letter. Even if that does no good, I think he will at any rate be unable to face me when we

meet.

I think you have settled the business of Albius. As to the debt from Patulcius, your having come to my aid is most

Faberius was Cæsar's secretary. Cicero here accuses Dolabella of sharing in the fraudulent proceedings which he afterwards attributed to Antony (2 Phil. §§ 93, 97)—making money by using pretended minutes of Cæsar, and diverting to his private use the five millions sterling left in the public treasury at the temple of Ops by Cæsar. In 2 Phil. § 107, he attributes Dolabella's deterioration to Antony's influence. See Letter DCCXVI.

kind, and exactly like everything you are always doing. But I seem to have deserted Eros, who is the very man to settle that business, for it was owing to his serious mistake that they went wrong in their accounts. But I will see to that when I meet him. As to Montanus, as I have often mentioned to you before, you will please see to the whole business. I am not at all surprised that Servius spoke to you in a tone of despair as he was leaving town, and I am not a whit behind him in his despairing view of the situation. What our friend Brutus, that unequalled hero, is going to do in the forum, if he does not intend to come to the senate on the 1st of June, I cannot imagine. But he will settle that himself better than I can. Judging from the measures I see in course of preparation, I conclude that little good was done by the Ides of March. Accordingly, I think of going to Greece more and more every day. For I don't see what good I can do my friend Brutus, who-as he writes me word -is contemplating exile for himself. The letter of Leonides did not give me much pleasure. About Herodes I agree with you. I could wish I had read that of Saufeius. thinking of leaving Pompeii on the 10th of May.

I am

DCCXXIV (A XIV, 20)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

PUTEOLI, II MAY

FROM Pompeii I came by boat to the hospitable house of my friend Lucullus on the 10th, about nine o'clock in the morning. On disembarking I received your letter which your letter-carrier is said to have taken to my house at Cumæ, dated the 7th of May. Next day, leaving Lucullus, I arrived at my house at Puteoli about the same hour. There I found two letters from you, one dated the 7th, the other the 9th. So now take my answer to all three.

First, thank you for what you have done on my behalf both as to the payment and the business with Albius. Next,

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