§9.16.1delectarunt me tuae litterae, in quibus primum amavi amorem tuum, qui te ad scribendum incitavit verentem ne Silius suo nuntio aliquid mihi sollicitudinis attulisset; de quo et tu mihi antea scripseras bis quidem eodem exemplo, facile ut intellegerem te esse commotum, et ego tibi accurate rescripseram, ut quo modo in tali re atque tempore aut liberarem te ista cura aut certe levarem.
Your letter delighted me, in which I first of all loved your love, which incited you to write, fearing lest Silius by his news had brought some anxiety to me; about which matter you also had written to me before, indeed twice with the same copy, so that I easily understood that you were deeply moved, and I had replied to you in detail, so that, in such a situation and time, I might in some way either free you from that anxiety or at least alleviate it.
§9.16.2sed quoniam proximis quoque litteris ostendis quantae tibi curae sit ea res, sic, mi Paete, habeto, quicquid arte fieri potuerit (non enim iam satis est consilio pugnare; artificium quoddam excogitandum est), sed tamen, quicquid elaborari aut effici potuerit ad istorum benevolentiam conciliandam et conligendam, summo studio me consecutum esse, nec frustra, ut arbitror; sic enim color, sic observor ab omnibus iis, qui a Caesare diliguntur, ut ab iis me amari putem;
But since in your recent letter as well you show how great a care that matter is to you, know this thus, my Paetus: whatever could be done by art (for it is no longer enough to fight with planning; some artifice must be devised), yet whatever could be worked out or accomplished to win and secure the goodwill of those men, I have attained with the greatest zeal, and not in vain, as I think; for I am so courted and so respected by all those who are loved by Caesar that I think I am loved by them.
nam etsi non facile diiudicatur amor verus et fictus, nisi aliquod incidit eius modi tempus, ut quasi aurum igni sic benevolentia fidelis periculo aliquo perspici possit; cetera sunt signa communia, sed ego' uno utor argumento quam ob rem me ex animo vereque arbitrer diligi, quia et nostra fortuna ea est et illorum ut simulandi causa non sit.
For although true and feigned love is not easily distinguished, unless some crisis of such a kind occurs that, just as gold is by fire, so faithful goodwill can be tested by some danger; the other signs are common, but I employ one argument why I think I am loved from the heart and truly, because both my fortune and theirs are such that there is no reason for pretending.
§9.16.3de illo autem, quem penes est omnis potestas, nihil video quod timeam, nisi quod omnia sunt incerta, cum a iure discessum est, nec praestari quicquam potest quale futurum sit, quod positum est in alterius voluntate, ne dicam libidine.
But regarding him in whose hands is all power, I see nothing to fear, except that all things are uncertain when law has been abandoned, nor can anything be guaranteed as to what it will be like in the future, which is dependent on another's will, not to say caprice.
sed tamen eius ipsius nulla re a me offensus est animus; est enim adhibita in ea re ipsa summa a nobis moderatio.
But yet his own mind has been offended by no action of mine; for the greatest moderation has been exercised by us in that very matter.
ut enim olim arbitrabar esse meum libere loqui, cuius opera esset in civitate libertas, sic ea nunc amissa nihil loqui quod offendat aut illius aut eorum, qui ab illo diliguntur, voluntatem.
For just as I formerly used to think it was my duty to speak freely, as one by whose effort freedom existed in the state, so now that it is lost, I think it is my duty to say nothing that may offend either his will or the will of those who are loved by him.
effugere autem si velim non nullorum acute aut facete dictorum opinionem, fama ingeni mihi sit abicienda; quod si possem, non recusarem.
But if I should wish to escape the reputation of certain acute or witty sayings, the reputation for talent would have to be cast away by me; and if I were able to do this, I would not refuse.
§9.16.4sed tamen ipse Caesar habet peracre iudicium, et, ut Servius, frater tuus, quem litteratissimum fuisse iudico, facile diceret: 'hic versus Plauti non est, hic est,' quod tritas auris haberet notandis generibus poetarum et consuetudine legendi, sic audio Caesarem, cum volumina iam confecerit a)pofqegma/twn, si quod adferatur ad eum pro meo quod meum non sit reicere solere; quod eo nunc magis facit, quia vivunt mecum fere cotidie illius familiares.
But yet Caesar himself has a very sharp judgment, and just as Servius, your brother, whom I judge to have been most learned, would easily say: "This verse is not Plautus's, this one is," because he had ears trained by identifying the styles of poets and by the habit of reading, so I hear that Caesar, since he has already compiled volumes of apophthegms, is accustomed to reject it if any saying is brought to him as mine which is not mine; which he does all the more now, because his close friends live with me almost daily.
incidunt autem in sermone vario multa, quae fortasse illis, cum dixi, nec inlitterata nec insulsa esse videantur; haec ad illum cum reliquis actis perferuntur; ita enim ipse mandavit.
Moreover, many things crop up in various conversations, which perhaps seem to them, when I said them, neither unlearned nor tasteless; these are carried to him with the rest of the daily acts; for so he himself ordered.
sic fit ut, si quid praeterea de me audiat, non audiendum putet.
Thus it happens that, if he hears anything else about me, he thinks it should not be listened to.
quam ob rem Oenomao tuo nihil utor; etsi posuisti loco versus Accianos.
Therefore, I make no use of your Oenomaus; although you quoted Accius's verses in a fitting place.