§1.16.10sed quid ago? paene orationem in epistulam inclusi.
But what am I doing? I have almost included a speech in a letter.
redeo ad altercationem.
I return to the altercation.
surgit pulchellus puer, obicit mihi me ad Baias fuisse.
The "pretty boy" rises, and objects against me that I had been at Baiae.
falsum, sed tamen quid hoc?
"simile est,"
inquam
"quasi in operto dicas fuisse. "
—
"quid"
inquit
"homini Arpinati cum aquis calidis?"
"narra"
inquam
"patrono tuo, qui Arpinatis aquas concupivit"
; nosti enim Marianas.
A lie, but yet what of it? "It is just as if," I said, "you were to say I had been in a secret place." — "What has a man of Arpinum to do with hot springs?" he said. "Tell that to your patron," I said, "who lusted after the waters of Arpinum"; for you know the Marian ones.
"quousque"
inquit
"hunc regem feremus?"
"Regem appellas"
inquam
"cum Rex tui mentionem nullam fecerit?"
; ille autem Regis hereditatem spe devorarat.
"How long," he said, "shall we endure this king?" "Do you call him 'king'," I said, "when Rex made no mention of you?"; for he had devoured Rex's inheritance in hope.
"domum"
inquit
"emisti.
"You bought a house," he said.
"
"putes"
inquam
"dicere: iudices emisti. "
"iuranti"
inquit
"tibi non crediderunt.
"One might think you were saying," I said, "'you bought the judges'." "They did not believe you on your oath," he said.
"
"mihi vero"
inquam
"xxv iudices crediderunt, xxxi, quoniam nummos ante acceperunt, tibi nihil crediderunt. "
Magnis clamoribus adflictus conticuit et concidit.
"To me, indeed," I said, "twenty-five judges gave credit; thirty-one, since they received their money beforehand, gave you no credit at all." Crushed by great shouts, he fell silent and collapsed.
§1.16.11noster autem status est hic.
But our status is this.
apud bonos iidem sumus quos reliquisti, apud sordem urbis et faecem multo melius est nunc quam reliquisti.
Among the good we are the same as you left us; among the dirt and dregs of the city, it is now much better than when you left.
nam et illud nobis non obest, videri nostrum testimonium non valuisse; missus est sanguis invidiae sine dolore atque etiam hoc magis quod omnes illi fautores illius flagiti rem manifestam illam redemptam esse a iudicibus confitentur.
For even this does not hurt us, that our testimony appeared to have no weight; the blood of envy has been let without pain, and even more so because all those supporters of that crime confess that the manifest affair was bought from the judges.
accedit illud, quod illa contionalis hirudo aerari, misera ac ieiuna plebecula, me ab hoc Magno unice diligi putat, et hercule multa et iucunda consuetudine coniuncti inter nos sumus usque eo ut nostri isti comissatores coniurationis barbatuli iuvenes illum in sermonibus
"Cn. Ciceronem"
appellent.
There is added to this that the meeting-haunting leech of the treasury, the wretched and hungry rabble, thinks that I am uniquely loved by our "Great Man"; and indeed, we are joined by many and pleasant associations, to such an extent that those little-bearded young revellers of the conspiracy call him "Gnaeus Cicero" in their conversations.
itaque et ludis et gladiatoribus mirandas (ἐπισημασίασ sine ulla pastoricia fistula auferebamus.
Therefore, both at the games and at the gladiatorial shows, we carried off wonderful applause without any shepherd's pipe.
§1.16.12nunc est exspectatio comitiorum; in quae omnibus invitis trudit noster Magnus Auli filium atque in eo neque auctoritate neque gratia pugnat sed quibus Philippus omnia castella expugnari posse dicebat, in quae modo asellus onustus auro posset ascendere.
Now there is expectation of the comitia; into which, against everyone's will, our "Great Man" is pushing the son of Aulus, and in this he fights neither with authority nor with favor, but with those means by which Philip used to say all fortresses could be taken, into which a little ass laden with gold could ascend.
consul autem ille deterioris histrionis similis suscepisse negotium dicitur et domi divisores habere; quod ego non credo.
But that consul, resembling a second-rate actor, is said to have undertaken the business and to have distributors of bribes at his house; which I do not believe.
sed senatus consulta duo iam facta sunt odiosa, quod in consulem facta putantur, Catone et Domitio postulante, unum, ut apud magistratus inquiri liceret, alterum, cuius domi divisores habitarent, adversus rem publicam.
But two decrees of the senate have already been made, which are hateful because they are thought to be directed against the consul, at the demand of Cato and Domitius: one, that inquiry might be made before the magistrates; the other, that whoever had distributors at his house acted against the republic.
§1.16.13Lurco autem tribunus pl. , qui magistratum †insimul cum lege alia† iniit, solutus est et Aelia et Fufia ut legem de ambitu ferret, quam ille bono auspicio claudus homo promulgavit.
But Lurco, tribune of the plebs, who entered upon his office under a certain law, was released both from the Aelian and Fufian laws in order to propose a law on bribery, which he, a lame man, promulgated with a good omen.
ita comitia in a. d. vi Kal. Sext. dilata sunt.
Thus the comitia were postponed to the sixth day before the Kalends of Sextilis.
novi est in lege hoc, ut qui nummos in tribu pronuntiarit, si non dederit, impune sit, sin dederit, ut quoad vivat singulis tribulibus HS ciↃ ciↃ ciↃ debeat.
There is this new thing in the law: that he who promises money in a tribe, if he does not give it, shall be unpunished; but if he gives it, he shall be bound to pay 3,000 sesterces to each tribesman as long as he lives.
dixi hanc legem P. Clodium iam ante servasse; pronuntiare enim solitum esse et non dare.
I said that Publius Clodius had already observed this law; for he was accustomed to promise and not to give.
sed heus tu! videsne consulatum illum nostrum, quem Curio antea ἀποθέωσιν vocabat, si hic factus erit, fabam mimum futurum? qua re, ut opinor, φιλοσοφητέον, id quod tu facis, et istos consulatus non flocci facteon.
But look here! Do you see that consulship of ours, which Curio used to call a "deification", if this fellow is made consul, will become a broad farce? Wherefore, as I think, we must philosophize, as you do, and not care a straw for those consulships.
§1.16.14quod ad me scribis te in Asiam statuisse non ire, equidem mallem ut ires, ac vereor ne quid in ista re minus commode fiat; sed tamen non possum reprehendere consilium tuum, praesertim cum egomet in provinciam non sim profectus.
As to what you write to me, that you have resolved not to go into Asia, I indeed would prefer that you went, and I fear lest something may turn out less conveniently in that matter; but yet I cannot blame your decision, especially since I myself did not set out for a province.
§1.16.15epigrammatis tuis quae in Amaltheo posuisti contenti erimus, praesertim cum et Thyillus nos reliquerit et Archias nihil de me scripserit.
We shall be content with your epigrams which you have placed in the Amaltheum, especially since Thyillus has left us and Archias has written nothing about me.
ac vereor ne, Lucullis quoniam Graecum poema condidit, nunc ad Caecilianam fabulam spectet.
And I fear lest, since he has composed a Greek poem for the Luculli, he may now be looking to a Caecilian play.
§1.16.16Antonio tuo nomine gratias egi eamque epistulam Mallio dedi.
I have thanked Antonius in your name and given that letter to Mallius.
ad te ideo antea rarius scripsi quod non habebam idoneum cui darem, nec satis sciebam quo darem.
I wrote to you more rarely before because I had no suitable person to whom to give it, nor did I know well enough where to send it.
valde te venditavi.
I have puffed you up highly.
§1.16.17Cincius si quid ad me tui negoti detulerit, suscipiam; sed nunc magis in suo est occupatus; in quo ego ei non desum.
If Cincius brings me any of your business, I will undertake it; but now he is more occupied with his own, in which I am not failing him.
tu si uno in loco es futurus, crebras a nobis litteras exspecta; sed pluris etiam ipse mittito.
If you are going to be in one place, expect frequent letters from us; but do you send even more yourself.
§1.16.18velim ad me scribas cuius modi sit Ἀμαλθεῖον tuum, quo ornatu, qua τοποθεσίᾳ, et quae poemata quasque historias de Ἀμαλθείᾳ habes ad me mittas.
I wish you would write to me what kind of thing your Amaltheum is, with what decoration, and in what situation; and send me whatever poems and stories you have about Amalthea.
libet mihi facere in Arpinati.
I have a mind to make one in Arpinum.
ego tibi aliquid de meis scriptis mittam.
I will send you something of my own writings.
nihil erat absoluti.
There was nothing finished.