§9.9.1S. v. g. v.
If you are well, I am glad; I am well.
et Tullia nostra recte v.
And our Tullia is doing well.
Terentia minus belle habuit, sed certum scio iam convaluisse eam; praeterea rectissime sunt apud te omnia.
Terentia has been less well, but I know for certain that she has now recovered; moreover, everything is in the best possible state at your home.
etsi nullo tempore in suspicionem tibi debui venire partium causa potius quam tua tibi suadere, ut te aut cum Caesare nobiscumque coniungeres aut certe in otium referres, praecipue nunc iam inclinata victoria ne possum quidem in ullam aliam incidere opinionem nisi in eam, in qua scilicet tibi suadere videar quod pie tacere non possim.
Although at no time ought I to have come into suspicion with you that I was advising you to join yourself with Caesar and us, or at least to retire into leisure, for the sake of a party rather than for your own, especially now when victory has already inclined, I cannot indeed fall into any other opinion than that in which, of course, I may seem to advise you what I cannot dutifully keep silent about.
tu autem, mi Cicero, sic haec accipies ut, sive probabuntur tibi sive non probabuntur, ab optimo certe animo ac deditissimo tibi et cogitata et scripta esse iudices.
But you, my dear Cicero, will receive these things in such a way that, whether they are approved by you or not, you will judge that they have been both thought and written from a most excellent and devoted mind to you.
§9.9.2animadvertis Cn. Pompeium nec nominis sui nec rerum gestarum gloria neque etiam regum ac nationum clientelis, quas ostentare crebro solebat; esse tutum, et hoc etiam, quod infimo cuique contigit, illi non posse contingere, ut honeste effugere possit, pulso Italia, amissis Hispaniis, capto exercitu veterano, circumvallato nunc denique, quod nescio an nulli umquam nostro acciderit imperatori.
You notice that Gnaeus Pompeius is safe neither by the glory of his name nor of his achievements, nor even by his patronages of kings and nations, which he was accustomed to boast of frequently; and also that this, which has fallen to every lowest person, cannot fall to him, namely, that he should be able to escape honorably, having been driven from Italy, having lost the Spains, his veteran army captured, and now finally blockaded, which I suspect has never happened to any commander of ours.
quam ob rem quid aut ille sperare possit aut tu animum adverte pro tua prudentia; sic enim facillime quod tibi utilissimum erit consili capies.
Therefore, attend according to your wisdom to what either he can hope for or you; for thus you will most easily make the plan which will be most useful to you.
illud autem a te peto, ut, si iam ille evitaverit hoc periculum et se abdiderit in classem, tu tuis rebus consulas et aliquando tibi potius quam cuivis sis amicus.
But this I beg of you, that if he has already avoided this danger and hidden himself in his fleet, you consult your own interests and at last be a friend to yourself rather than to anyone else.
satis factum est iam a te vel officio vel familiaritati, satis factum etiam partibus et ei rei p. , quam tu probabas; §9.9.3reliquum est, ubi nunc est res p. , ibi simus potius quam, dum illam veterem sequamur, simus in nulla.
Enough has already been done by you either for duty or for intimacy, enough also for the party and for that republic which you approved of; it remains that, where the republic is now, there we should be rather than, while we follow that old one, be in none.
qua re velim, mi iucundissime Cicero, si forte Pompeius pulsus his quoque locis rursus alias regiones petere cogatur, ut tu te vel Athenas vel in quamvis quietam recipias civitatem.
Therefore, my most pleasant Cicero, I would wish, if by chance Pompeius, driven from these places also, should be forced to seek other regions again, that you withdraw either to Athens or to any quiet state.
quod si eris facturus, velim mihi scribas, ut ego, si ullo modo potero, ad te advolem.
If you are going to do this, I would like you to write to me, so that I, if I can in any way, may fly to you.
quaecumque de tua dignitate ab imperatore erunt impetranda, qua est humanitate Caesar, facillimum erit ab eo tibi ipsi impetrare, et meas tamen preces apud eum non minimum auctoritatis habituras puto.
Whatever has to be obtained from the commander regarding your dignity, such is the humanity of Caesar, it will be very easy for you yourself to obtain from him, and yet I think my prayers to him will carry no small authority.
erit tuae quoque fidei et humanitatis curare ut is tabellarius, quem ad te misi, reverti possit ad me et a te mihi litteras referat.
It will be also of your good faith and humanity to see to it that this messenger, whom I have sent to you, can return to me and bring back a letter from you to me.