§1.17.1magna mihi varietas voluntatis et dissimilitudo opinionis ac iudici Quinti fratris mei demonstrata est ex litteris tuis in quibus ad me epistularum illius exempla misisti.
A great change in the goodwill, and a difference in the opinion and judgment of my brother Quintus, has been shown to me by your letter, in which you sent me copies of his letters.
qua ex re et molestia sum tanta adfectus, quantam mihi meus amor summus erga utrumque vestrum adferre debuit, et admiratione quidnam accidisset quod adferret Quinto fratri meo aut offensionem tam gravem aut commutationem tantam voluntatis.
By this matter, I have been affected both by as much distress as my supreme love toward both of you ought to have brought upon me, and by wonder as to what on earth had happened to bring upon my brother Quintus either such grave offense or so great a change of goodwill.
atque illud a me iam ante intellegebatur, quod te quoque ipsum discedentem a nobis suspicari videbam, subesse nescio quid opinionis incommodae sauciumque esse eius animum et insedisse quasdam odiosas suspiciones.
And that other point was already understood by me before, which I saw that you yourself also suspected when you were departing from us, that there was some unfavorable opinion underlying, and that his mind was wounded, and that certain hateful suspicions had settled in.
quibus ego mederi cum cuperem antea saepe et vehementius etiam post sortitionem provinciae, nec tantum intellegebam ei esse offensionis quantum litterae tuae declararant nec tantum proficiebam quantum volebam.
Although I desired to cure these suspicions often before, and even more earnestly after the allotment of his province, I neither understood that there was as much offense in him as your letter declared, nor did I make as much progress as I wished.
§1.17.2sed tamen hoc me ipse consolabar quod non dubitabam quin te ille aut Dyrrachi aut in istis locis uspiam visurus esset; quod cum accidisset, confidebam ac mihi persuaseram fore ut omnia placarentur inter vos non modo sermone ac disputatione sed conspectu ipso congressuque vestro.
But yet I consoled myself with this, that I did not doubt but that he would see you either at Dyrrachium or somewhere in those parts of yours; and when this had happened, I was confident and had persuaded myself that all things would be set right between you, not only by conversation and discussion, but by your very sight and meeting.
nam quanta sit in Quinto fratre meo comitas, quanta iucunditas, quam mollis animus et ad accipiendam et ad deponendam offensionem, nihil attinet me ad te qui ea nosti scribere.
For how great is the courtesy in my brother Quintus, how great his pleasantness, how soft his mind both to receive and to lay aside offense, it is of no purpose for me to write to you who know these things.
sed accidit perincommode quod eum nusquam vidisti.
But it happened very inconveniently that you saw him nowhere.
valuit enim plus quod erat illi non nullorum artificiis inculcatum quam aut officium aut necessitudo aut amor vester ille pristinus, qui plurimum valere debuit.
For that which had been instilled into him by the artifices of certain persons had more influence than either duty, or relationship, or that former love of yours, which ought to have had the greatest influence.
§1.17.3atque huius incommodi culpa ubi resideat facilius possum existimare quam scribere; vereor enim ne dum defendam meos non parcam tuis.
And where the blame for this inconvenience rests, I can more easily judge than write; for I fear lest, while I defend my own people, I may not spare yours.
nam sic intellego ut nihil a domesticis vulneris factum sit, illud quidem quod erat eos certe sanare potuisse.
For I understand it in this way: that even if no wound was made by those at home, they could certainly have cured that which did exist.
sed huiusce rei totius vitium, quod aliquanto etiam latius patet quam videtur, praesenti tibi commodius exponam.
But the defect of this whole business, which indeed extends somewhat wider than it appears, I will more conveniently explain to you when you are present.
§1.17.4de iis litteris quas ad te Thessalonica misit et de sermonibus quos ab illo et Romae apud amicos tuos et in itinere habitos putas, ecquid tantum causae sit ignoro, sed omnis in tua posita est humanitate mihi spes huius levandae molestiae.
Concerning those letters which he sent to you from Thessalonica, and concerning the conversations which you think were held by him both at Rome among your friends and on his journey, I do not know whether there is any so great cause, but all my hope of relieving this distress is placed in your humanity.
nam si ita statueris, et inritabilis animos esse optimorum saepe hominum et eosdem placabilis et esse hanc agilitatem, ut ita dicam, mollitiamque naturae plerumque bonitatis et, id quod caput est, nobis inter nos nostra sive incommoda sive vitia sive iniurias esse tolerandas, facile haec, quem ad modum spero, mitigabuntur; quod ego ut facias te oro.
For if you decide thus, both that the minds of the best men are often easily irritated and at the same time placable, and that this agility, so to speak, and softness of nature is for the most part a sign of goodness, and, what is the chief point, that we must mutually tolerate our own inconveniences or defects or injuries, these things will be easily mitigated, as I hope; which I beg you to do.
nam ad me qui te unice diligo maxime pertinet neminem esse meorum qui aut te non amet aut abs te non ametur.
For to me, who love you uniquely, it is of the greatest importance that there should be no one of my people who either does not love you or is not loved by you.
§1.17.5illa pars epistulae tuae minime fuit necessaria in qua exponis quas facultates aut provincialium aut urbanorum commodorum et aliis temporibus et me ipso consule praetermiseris.
That part of your letter was least of all necessary, in which you set forth what opportunities of either provincial or urban advantages you passed by both at other times and during my own consulship.
mihi enim perspecta est et ingenuitas et magnitudo animi tui; neque ego inter me atque te quicquam interesse umquam duxi praeter voluntatem institutae vitae, quod me ambitio quaedam ad honorum studium, te autem alia minime reprehendenda ratio ad honestum otium duxit.
For both your sincerity and the greatness of your mind are well known to me; nor did I ever think that there was any difference between me and you except in the choice of our course of life, in that a certain ambition led me to the pursuit of public offices, whereas another, by no means blameworthy, reason led you to an honorable leisure.
vera quidem laude probitatis, diligentiae, religionis neque me tibi neque quemquam antepono, amoris vero erga me, cum a fraterno amore domesticoque discessi, tibi primas defero.
Indeed, in the true praise of integrity, diligence, and conscientiousness, I do not prefer myself or anyone else to you; but as to your love toward me, when I depart from brotherly and domestic affection, I yield the first place to you.