No one

will do of your own accord, you should out of compliment to me do with heartiness, completeness, and speed. is a warmer, more charming, or dearer friend than Atticus is to me. Formerly it was only his money, and that a very arge sum, that was at stake: now it concerns his credit also, that he should by your assistance maintain what he had secured by the exertion of great industry and influence both in Cæsar's lifetime and after it. If I obtain this favour from you, I should wish you to consider that I shall construe your liberality as a personal benefit of the highest kind to myself. I will attend with zeal and diligence to whatever I may think your wish or to your interest. Take care of your health.

is

DCCLXV (A XV, 29)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

FORMIE, 6 JULY

I SEND you Brutus's letter. Good heavens, what helplessness! You will understand when you have read it. About the celebration of Brutus's games I agree with you. No, don't go to see M. Ælius at his house, but speak to him wherever you may chance to meet him. About the moiety of Tullius's debt consult Marcus Axianus, as you suggest. Your arrangement with Cosianus-first rate! For your disentanglement of my own affairs and yours at the same time -thanks! I am glad my legation is approved. Heaven send that your promises are fulfilled! For what could be more gratifying to me and mine? But I feel misgiving about her, of whom you make an exception.' When I have met Brutus, I will send you a full account. About Plancus and Decimus, I wish it may be so! I wouldn't have Sextus

1 Referring probably to a promise of Atticus to meet Cicero in Greece if Attica's health permits.

2 L. Munatius Plancus had troops in Transalpine Gaul, Decimus Brutus in Cisalpine-Atticus I suppose had said that they would join in resisting Antony

throw away his shield.' About Mundus tell me anything you learn.

So I have answered all your news. Now for my own. The younger Quintus is going to escort me as far as Puteoli -what an admirable loyalist! you might call him a Favonius-Asinius.' He has two motives for doing so my society, and a wish to make terms with Brutus and Cassius. But what say you? For I know you are intimate with the Othones. Quintus says that Tutia offers herself to him, as a divorce has been arranged. His father asked me what sort of reputation she had. I said-for I didn't know why he asked the question-that I had never heard anything except about her looks and her father. "But why do you

ask?" said I. Then he said that his son wanted her. Thereupon, though I felt disgusted, I said that I didn't believe those stories. His aim make our friend no allowance. be baulked by the like of him.3 Quintus is, as usual, romancing. -for you can easily do so and let me know.

for that is the truth-is to But the lady says she won't However, I suspect young But please make inquiries

Pray what's this all about? When I had already sealed this letter some Formians who were dining with me told me that the day before I write this—that is, on the 5th-they had seen our Buthrotian commissioner Plancus

4

and that his poor slaves said that he and the land-grabbers

1 Sextus Pompeius perhaps was said to be wavering.

2 Favonius was the well-known imitator of Cato. Asinius Pollio, besides having been a Cæsarian, was now posing as more or less of a republican, though he afterwards joined Antony. He was already known as an orator and man of letters, and perhaps took "high ground in politics. Perhaps Cicero means, you would suppose young Quintus to take the strictly republican views of Favonius (see p. 68), with the culture of a Pollio, as he professes to value my society.' But it is rather recondite.

66

3 OỶ πаρà TOUTоv, "not along of him," but Cicero's meaning is not at all clear. We don't know whose daughter Tutia was, or to which of the Othones she was married. For Quintus's character for romancing, see p. 8.

4 Titus Munatius Plancus (brother of Lucius), who was at the head of the land-commissioners in Epirus. See p. 98.

had been turned out of the country by the Buthrotians. But please write me a full account of the

Well done they! whole affair.

DCCLXVI (A XVI, I)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

PUTEOLI, 8 JULY

I ARRIVED at Puteoli on the 7th. I write this on the following day as I am crossing to Nesis.1 But on the day of my arrival, as I was at dinner Eros brought me your letter. Is it really so? "Nones of July!" The gods confound them! But one might rage all day long. What could be a greater insult to Brutus than "July"? I come back to my old—quousque tandem? I have never seen anything worse. But what is this, pray, about the land-grabbers being cut to pieces at Buthrotum? How also came Plancus to be on the run day and night-for that is whispered to me? I am very anxious to know what it means. I am glad that my going abroad is commended: I must try and get my staying at home praised also. That the Dymæans should harry the sea after being expelled from their lands is no wonder. There seems to be some protection in making voyage in company with Brutus. But I think his vessels

the

1 Nesis (mod. Nisidia) is a small island between Puteoli and Naples, on which Brutus or perhaps his mother (see ad Att. xiv. 21, p. 46) had a villa.

2 The change of name of the month Quintilis to Iulius, as being the month of Cæsar's birth, was voted by the senate early in this year, Dio, 44, 5; but it does not seem to have quickly come into public use, for it was re-enacted in his honour after his death, Dio, 45, 8. It probably had not been used in formal documents, and Cicero thinks it particularly bad taste to have used the word in regard to the games, for which Brutus was paying.

3 New coloni often found themselves roughly treated by the men dispossessed in their favour. See last letter, p. 104, and 2 Phil. § 100.

Some of the pirates whom Pompey had settled on lands at Dyme in Achaia, after the Piratic war of B.C. 57-56, Plut. Pomp. 28.

4

2

3

are small. However, I shall know all about it directly, and will write to you to-morrow. As to Ventidius,' I think it is a canard. As to Sextus, it is regarded as certain that he is giving in. If this is true, we must submit to being slaves even without a civil war. What are we to say then? Is our hope in Pansa and the 1st of January? That's all moonshine, considering the drunken and drowsy habits of these men. About the 210 sestertia capital! Let my son's accounts be put straight. For Ovius has just arrived and his report is much to my satisfaction: : among other things it is by no means bad that seventy-two sestertia is enough, and quite liberal, but that Xeno furnishes him very sparingly and stingily. You say that your bill of exchange amounted to more than the rent of the town lots. Well, let the year in which he had the additional expense of the journey be credited with the balance. From the 1st of April next let his allowance be kept to the eighty sestertia.* For the town lots now produce that amount. We must see to some settlement for him when he is back in Rome. For I don't think that he could endure that woman as a mother-in-law. About my Cuman villa I said "no" to Pindarus.

Now let me inform you of my motive for sending you a letter-carrier. Young Quintus promises me that he will be a regular Cato. But both father and son urged me to guarantee this to you, though with the understanding that you shouldn't believe it till you had practical proof of it yourself. I will give him a letter such as he desires. Don't let it influence your opinion. Iam writing this to prevent your supposing that I am convinced. Heaven send that he carries out his promises !

1 P. Ventidius Bassus, a devoted adherent of Antony, was now prætordesignate. Probably the rumour was as to his raising troops, as he did later on.

2

Lepidus was negotiating with Sextus Pompeius, offering him the restitution of his father's wealth (Dio, 45, 10). It is rumoured that he is accepting. Cicero thinks that that will make Antony all-powerful. Ad arma in the text is wrong. Mr. Tyrrell suggests ad Larem (cp. p. 103). I suggest dare manus. If abbreviated dar ma, it might be easily turned into ad arma.

3 From Athens.

About £640, accruing from the rents of the blocks of houses (insula) which apparently formed part of Terentia's property secured to her son. His first year's expenditure had exceeded, his second year had fallen below it, and Cicero says the two are to be lumped together. Cp. p. 80.

It will be a satisfaction to everyone concerned. But I—well, I will say nothing more. He starts on the 10th. He says he is making a consignment of debts for the 15th, but that he is being very hard pressed. You will judge from my letter what answer to give him. I will write at greater length when I have seen Brutus and am sending Eros back. I quite accept my dear Attica's apology, and love her dearly Give my kind regards to her and Pilia.

DCCLXVII (A XVI, 5)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

PUTEOLI, 9 JULY

BRUTUS is anxious for a letter from you. I told him about the Tereus of Accius,1 though he had heard it before. He thought that it was the Brutus. But, after all, some whisper of a report had reached him that at the opening of the Greek games the attendance had been small, at which for one I was not surprised. For you know my opinion of Greek games.2 But now listen to what is of more importance than everything else. Young Quintus stayed with me several days, and if I had wished it would have been quite willing to stay longer. But as far as his visit went you could hardly believe how much delighted I was with him in every particular, but especially in the point in which he used most to disappoint me. For he has become such an entirely changed man-partly by certain writings of mine on which I am now engaged, and partly by my constantly talking to him and impressing my maxims upon him-that he is really going to be all that I wish in politics. After having not

1 Some exhibition of popular feeling at the acting of Accius's tragedy of Tereus (see p. 105). Cicero afterwards (2 Phil. § 31) asserted that the populace had shewn extraordinary enthusiasm for Brutus at these games. But this was evidently not the case; and on the contrary the outbursts against the assassins seem finally to have decided them to leave Italy. See App. B. C. iii. 24.

2 See vol. i., p. 259 (Fam. vii. 1).