§1.1.1ego omni officio ac potius pietate erga te ceteris satis facio omnibus, mihi ipse numquam satis facio; tanta enim magnitudo est tuorum erga me meritorum, ut, quod tu nisi perfecta re de me non conquiesti, ego quia non idem in tua causa efficio, vitam mihi esse acerbam putem.
In all duty, or rather devotion towards you, I satisfy all others, but I never satisfy myself; for so great is the magnitude of your services towards me, that, whereas you did not rest concerning me until my affair was completed, because I do not accomplish the same in your cause, I think my life is bitter to me.
in causa haec sunt: Hammonius, regis legatus, aperte pecunia nos oppugnat; res agitur per eosdem creditores, per quos, cum tu aderas, agebatur; regis causa si qui sunt qui velint, qui pauci sunt, omnes rem ad Pompeium deferri volunt, senatus religionis calumniam non religione, sed malevolentia et illius regiae largitionis invidia comprobat.
The causes of this are as follows: Hammonius, the king's envoy, openly attacks us with money; the matter is being transacted through the same creditors through whom it was transacted when you were present; if there are any who favor the king's cause—and they are few—they all wish the matter to be deferred to Pompey; the senate approves the pretext of religion, not out of religion, but out of malevolence and envy of that royal bribery.
§1.1.2Pompeium et hortari et orare et iam liberius accusare et monere, ut magnam infamiam fugiat, non desistimus; sed plane nec precibus nostris nec admonitionibus relinquit locum, nam cum in sermone cotidiano tum in senatu palam sic egit causam tuam, ut neque eloquentia maiore quisquam nec gravitate nec studio nec contentione agere potuerit, cum summa testificatione tuorum in se officiorum et amoris erga te sui.
We do not cease to exhort, to entreat, and now even more freely to accuse and warn Pompey, that he may avoid great infamy; but he clearly leaves no room either for our entreaties or for our warnings, for both in daily conversation and openly in the senate, he has so pleaded your cause that no one could have pleaded with greater eloquence, gravity, zeal, or exertion, along with the highest testimony of your services to him and of his own affection toward you.
Marcellinum tibi esse iratum scis; is hac regia causa excepta ceteris in rebus se acerrimum tui defensorem fore ostendit.
You know that Marcellinus is angry with you; except for this royal cause, he shows that in all other matters he will be a most active defender of yours.
quod dat, accipimus; quod instituit referre de religione et saepe iam retulit, ab eo deduci non potest.
What he grants, we accept; but as to his decision to refer the matter of religion, which he has already often referred, he cannot be dissuaded from it.
§1.1.3res ante Idus acta sic est (nam haec Idibus mane scripsi): Hortensi et mea et Luculli sententia cedit religioni de exercitu; teneri enim res aliter non potest; sed ex illo senatus consulto, quod te referente factum est, tibi decernit, ut regem reducas, quod commodo rei p. facere possis, ut exercitum religio tollat, te auctorem senatus retineat.
The business before the Ides went as follows (for I am writing this on the morning of the Ides): The opinion of Hortensius, of myself, and of Lucullus yields to religion concerning the army; for the matter cannot be maintained otherwise; but on the basis of that decree of the senate, which was made on your motion, it decrees to you that you should restore the king, so far as you can do so consistently with the public interest; so that while religion takes away the army, the senate retains you as the agent.
Crassus tris legatos decernit nec excludit Pompeium, censet enim etiam ex iis, qui cum imperio sint; Bibulus tris legatos ex iis, qui privati sunt.
Crassus decrees three envoys and does not exclude Pompey, for he votes that they may be chosen even from those who hold imperium; Bibulus votes for three envoys from those who are private citizens.
huic adsentiuntur reliqui consulares praeter Servilium, qui omnino reduci negat oportere, et Volcacium, qui Lupo referente Pompeio decernit, et Afranium, qui adsentitur Volcacio.
To him the remaining consulars assent, except Servilius, who says that he ought not to be restored at all, and Volcatius, who, on the motion of Lupus, decrees it to Pompey, and Afranius, who assents to Volcatius.
quae res auget suspicionem Pompei voluntatis, nam advertebatur Pompei familiaris adsentiri Volcacio.
This circumstance increases the suspicion of Pompey's desire, for it was noticed that Pompey's intimate friends assented to Volcatius.
laboratur vehementer; inclinata res est.
There is energetic lobbying; the balance has tipped.
Libonis et Hypsaei non obscura concursatio et contentio omniumque Pompei familiarium studium in eam opinionem rem adduxerunt, ut Pompeius cupere videatur; cui qui nolunt, idem tibi, quod eum ornasti, non sunt amici; §1.1.4nos in causa auctoritatem eo minorem habemus, quod tibi debemus, gratiam autem nostram exstinguit hominum suspicio, quod Pompeio se gratificari putant.
The conspicuous running about and exertion of Libo and Hypsaeus, and the zeal of all of Pompey's intimates, have brought the matter to the opinion that Pompey seems to desire it; and those who do not wish it for him, are not friendly to you either, because you honored him; We have less authority in the cause for the reason that we are indebted to you, while our influence is extinguished by the suspicion of men, because they think they are doing a favor to Pompey.
ut in rebus multo ante, quam profectus es, ab ipso rege et ab intimis ac domesticis Pompei clam exulceratis, deinde palam a consularibus exagitatis et in summam invidiam adductis ita versamur.
Thus we find ourselves in affairs that were secretly inflamed by the king himself and by the intimates and domestics of Pompey long before you departed, and then openly agitated by the consulars and brought into the highest disfavor.
nostram fidem omnes, amorem tui absentis praesentes tui cognoscent.
Everyone will recognize our loyalty, and those of your family who are present will recognize our affection for you in your absence.
si esset in iis fides, in quibus summa esse debebat, non laboraremus.
If there were loyalty in those in whom it ought to be greatest, we would not be struggling.