§23at misit ad nescio quem Caecilium: sed eos quos misit, quod ire noluerunt, in vincla coniecit.
But he sent to some Caecilius or other; yet those whom he sent, because they refused to go, he threw into chains.
non quaero quam veri simile sit aut non habuisse regem quos mitteret aut eos qui missi essent non paruisse, aut, qui dicto audientes in tanta re non fuissent, eos vinctos potius quam necatos.
I do not ask how likely it is either that the king had no one to send, or that those who had been sent did not obey, or that those who had not been obedient to his word in so great a matter were chained rather than put to death.
sed tamen cum ad Caecilium mittebat, utrum causam illam victam esse nesciebat an Caecilium istum magnum hominem putabat? quem profecto is qui optime nostros homines novit vel quia non nosset vel si nosset, contemneret.
But yet, when he was sending to Caecilius, was he ignorant that that cause was defeated, or did he think that Caecilius of yours was a great man? A man whom, surely, he who knows our people best would despise, either because he did not know him, or if he did know him.
§24addit etiam illud, equites non optimos misisse.
He adds also this, that he sent cavalry that were not of the best.
credo, Caesar, nihil ad tuum equitatum, sed misit ex eis quos habuit electos.
I believe, Caesar, they were nothing compared to your cavalry, but he sent chosen men from those whom he had.
ait nescio quem ex eo numero servum iudicatum.
He says that someone from that number was judged to be a slave.
non arbitror, non audivi: sed in eo, etiam si accidisset, culpam regis nullam fuisse arbitrarer.
I do not think so, I have not heard it; but in that matter, even if it had happened, I should have judged that there was no fault of the king.
alieno autem a te animo quo modo? speravit, credo, difficilis tibi Alexandreae fore exitus propter regionum naturam et fluminis.
¦9 But in what way was he alienated in mind from you? He hoped, I suppose, that the way out would be difficult for you at Alexandria because of the nature of the region and of the river.
at eo tempore ipso pecuniam dedit, exercitum aluit, ei quem Asiae praefeceras nulla in re defuit; tibi victori non solum ad hospitium sed ad periculum etiam atque ad aciem praesto fuit.
But at that very time, he gave money, maintained the army, and was in no respect wanting to him whom you had placed over Asia; to you as victor, he was at hand not only for hospitality but also for danger and even for the battle line.
§25secutum bellum est Africanum.
The African war followed.
graves de te rumores, qui etiam furiosum illum Caecilium excitaverunt.
There were grave rumors about you, which excited even that frantic Caecilius.
quo tum rex animo, qui auctionatus sit seseque spoliare maluerit quam tibi pecuniam non subministrare.
What mind had the king then, who held an auction and preferred to despoil himself rather than not supply money to you?
at eo
inquit
tempore ipso Nicaeam Ephesumque mittebat qui rumores Africanos exciperent et celeriter ad se referrent. itaque cum esset ei nuntiatum Domitium naufragio perisse, te in castello circumsederi, de Domitio dixit versum Graecum eadem sententia qua etiam nos habemus Latinum:
"
pereant amici, dum inimici una intercidant.
"But at that very time," he says, "he was sending to Nicaea and Ephesus to catch the African rumors and report them quickly to him." And so, when it had been announced to him that Domitius had perished in a shipwreck, and that you were besieged in a fortress, he spoke a Greek verse about Domitius, of the same meaning as that which we also have in Latin: "Let friends perish, provided that enemies fall together with them.
"
quod ille, si tibi esset inimicissimus, numquam tamen dixisset: ipse enim mansuetus, versus immanis.
"Which he, even if he had been most hostile to you, would never have said; for he himself is gentle, the verse is cruel.
qui autem Domitio poterat esse amicus, qui tibi esset inimicus? tibi porro inimicus cur esset a quo, cum vel interfici belli lege potuisset, regem et se et filium suum constitutos esse meminisset?
But how could he be a friend to Domitius, who was an enemy to you? Furthermore, why should he be an enemy to you, by whom, though he might even have been put to death by the law of war, he remembered that both he himself and his son had been established as kings?
§26quid deinde? furcifer quo progreditur? ait hac laetitia Deiotarum elatum vino se obruisse in convivioque nudum saltavisse.
What next? How far does the scoundrel proceed? He says that Deiotarus, elated by this joy, drowned himself in wine and danced naked at a banquet.
quae crux huic fugitivo potest satis supplici adferre? Deiotarum saltantem quisquam aut ebrium vidit umquam? omnes sunt in illo rege virtutes, quod te, Caesar, ignorare non arbitror, sed praecipue singularis et admiranda frugalitas: etsi hoc verbo scio laudari reges non solere.
What cross can bring sufficient punishment to this fugitive? Has anyone ever seen Deiotarus dancing or drunk? In that king are all virtues, which I do not think you, Caesar, are ignorant of, but especially an extraordinary and admirable frugality—although I know that kings are not accustomed to be praised with this word.
Frugi hominem dici non multum habet laudis in rege: fortem, iustum, severum, gravem, magni animi, largum, beneficum, liberalem: hae sunt regiae laudes, illa privata est.
To be called a "frugal" man does not have much praise in a king; brave, just, severe, grave, great-souled, bountiful, beneficent, liberal—these are royal praises, that other is private.
ut volet quisque, accipiat: ego tamen frugalitatem, id est modestiam et temperantiam, virtutem maximam iudico.
Let everyone take it as he wishes; yet I judge frugality, that is, modesty and temperance, to be the greatest virtue.
haec in illo est ab ineunte aetate cum a cuncta Asia, cum a magistratibus legatisque nostris, tum ab equitibus Romanis qui in Asia negotiati sunt perspecta et cognita.
This has been perceived and known in him from his youth, both by all Asia, and by our magistrates and lieutenants, and also by the Roman knights who have done business in Asia.
§27multis ille quidem gradibus officiorum erga rem publicam nostram ad hoc regium nomen ascendit; sed tamen quicquid a bellis populi Romani vacabat, cum hominibus nostris consuetudines, amicitias, res rationesque iungebat, ut non solum tetrarches nobilis sed etiam optimus pater familias et diligentissimus agricola et pecuarius haberetur.
He indeed ascended to this royal name by many steps of duties toward our republic; but yet, whatever time he had free from the wars of the Roman people, he joined in intimacies, friendships, and business relations with our men, so that he was considered not only a noble tetrarch but also an excellent master of a household, and a most diligent farmer and stock-raiser.
qui igitur adulescens nondum tanta gloria praeditus nihil umquam nisi severissime et gravissime fecerit, is ea existimatione eaque aetate saltavit?
Therefore, did he, who as a young man, not yet endowed with such great glory, never did anything except most severely and gravely, dance at that age and with that reputation?