§10.4.7cum haec scripsissem, a Curione mihi nuntiatum est eum ad me venire.
When I had written this, it was announced to me by Curio that he was coming to me.
venerat enim is in Cumanum vesperi pridie, id est Idibus.
For he had come to his villa in Cumae on the evening of the day before, that is, on the Ides.
si quid igitur eius modi sermo eius attulerit quod ad te scribendum sit, id his litteris adiungam.
If, therefore, his conversation brings anything of such a kind as should be written to you, I will add it to this letter.
§10.4.8praeteriit villam meam Curio iussitque mihi nuntiari mox se venturum cucurritque Puteolos ut ibi contionaretur.
Curio passed by my villa and ordered it to be announced to me that he would come soon, and ran to Puteoli to hold an assembly there.
contionatus est, rediit, fuit ad me sane diu.
Having held the assembly, he returned and stayed with me for a very long time indeed.
o rem foedam! nosti hominem;
O what a shameful business!
nihil occultavit, in primis nihil esse certius quam ut omnes qui lege Pompeia condemnati essent restituerentur; itaque se in Sicilia eorum opera usurum.
You know the man; he concealed nothing, especially that nothing was more certain than that all who had been condemned under the Pompeian law would be restored; and therefore he would use their service in Sicily.
de Hispaniis non dubitabat quin Caesaris essent.
About the Spains he had no doubt that they would belong to Caesar.
inde ipsum cum exercitu ubicumque Pompeius esset.
From there, Caesar himself with his army would go wherever Pompeius might be.
eius interitu finem †illi† fore.
With his death, there would be an end to it.
propius factum esse nihil; †ei† plane iracundia elatum voluisse Caesarem occidi Metellum tribunum pl.
Nothing came closer to being done; indeed, carried away by anger, Caesar had wanted Metellus, the tribune of the plebs, to be killed.
quod si esset factum, caedem magnam futuram fuisse.
If this had been done, a great slaughter would have followed.
permultos hortatores esse caedis, ipsum autem non voluntate aut natura non esse crudelem, sed quod putaret popularem esse clementiam.
There were very many instigators of slaughter, and Caesar himself was not by will or nature not cruel, but because he thought clemency was popular.
quod si populi studium amisisset, crudelem fore.
But if he lost the favor of the people, he would be cruel.
eumque perturbatum quod intellegeret se apud ipsam plebem offendisse de aerario.
And he was disturbed because he understood that he had offended the plebeians themselves regarding the treasury.
itaque ei cum certissimum fuisset ante quam proficisceretur contionem habere, ausum non esse vehementerque animo perturbato profectum.
Therefore, although it had been most certain for him to hold an assembly before he set out, he did not dare to do so, and set out with a vehemently disturbed mind.
§10.4.9cum autem ex eo quaererem quid videret, quem exitum, quam rem publicam, plane fatebatur nullam spem reliquam.
But when I asked him what he foresaw, what end, what kind of republic, he openly confessed that no hope was left.
Pompei classem timebat.
He feared Pompeius' fleet.
quae si exisset, se de Sicilia abiturum.
If it should set sail, he said he would depart from Sicily.
"quid isti"
inquam
"sex tui fasces? si a senatu, cur laureati? si ab ipso, cur sex?"
"cupivi"
inquit
"ex senatus consulto surrupto; nam aliter non poterat.
"What of those six fasces of yours?" I said. "If they are from the senate, why are they wreathed with laurel? If from him, why six?" "I wanted them," he said, "by a stolen decree of the senate; for otherwise it was not possible.
at ille impendio nunc magis odit senatum.
But he now hates the senate much more than ever.
"a me"
inquit
"omnia proficiscentur. "
"
"cur autem sex?" §10.4.10"quia xii nolui; nam licebat. "
tum ego
"quam vellem"
inquam
"petisse ab eo quod audio Philippum impetrasse! sed veritus sum, quia ille a me nihil impetrabat.
'Everything,' he said, 'shall proceed from me.'" "But why six?" "Because I did not want twelve; for it was allowed." Then I said, "How I wish I had asked of him what I hear Philippus has obtained!
"
"libenter"
inquit
"tibi concessisset.
But I was afraid, because he obtained nothing from me." "He would have granted it to you gladly," he said.
verum puta te impetrasse; ego enim ad eum scribam, ut tu ipse voles, de ea re nos inter nos locutos.
"But consider it as obtained; for I will write to him, just as you yourself wish, that we talked about this matter between ourselves.
quid autem illius interest, quoniam in senatum non venis, ubi sis? quin nunc ipsum minime offendisses eius causam, si in Italia non fuisses. "
ad quae ego me recessum et solitudinem quaerere, maxime quod lictores haberem.
For what does it matter to him, since you do not come to the senate, where you are? Nay, at this very moment, you would have offended his cause least of all if you had not been in Italy." To which I replied that I was seeking retirement and solitude, especially because I had lictors.
laudavit consilium.
He praised the plan.
"quid ergo?"
inquam; "nam mihi cursus in Graeciam per tuam provinciam est, quoniam ad mare superum milites sunt. "
"quid mihi"
inquit
"optatius?"
hoc loco multa perliberaliter.
"What then?" I said; "for my passage to Greece is through your province, since there are soldiers on the Upper Sea." "What could be more desirable to me?" he said. At this point, he spoke many things in a very gentlemanly manner.
ergo hoc quidem est profectum, ut non modo tuto verum etiam palam navigaremus.
Therefore, this much at least was accomplished, that we might sail not only safely but even openly.
§10.4.11reliqua in posterum diem distulit; ex quibus scribam ad te si quid erit epistula dignum.
The rest of the matters he deferred to the following day; of which I will write to you if there is anything worthy of a letter.
sunt autem quae praeterii, interregnumne esset exspectaturus, an, quo modo dixerit ille quidem, ad se deferri consulatum sed se nolle in proximum annum.
There are, however, things which I passed over: whether he is going to wait for an interregnum, or, as indeed that man said, that the consulship is being offered to him but he does not want it for the next year.
et alia sunt quae exquiram.
And there are other things which I will inquire into.
iurabat ad summam, quod nullo negotio facere solet, amicissimum mihi Caesarem esse debere.
In short, he swore, as he is accustomed to do with no trouble, that Caesar ought to be most friendly to me.
quid enim umquam?
"scripsit ad me Dolabella.
"For what did I ever do?" he said.
"
"dic quid?"
adfirmabat eum scripsisse, quod me cuperet ad urbem venire, illum quidem gratias agere maximas et non modo probare sed etiam gaudere.
"Dolabella wrote to me." "Tell me, what?" He asserted that Dolabella had written that, because Caesar wished me to come to the city, Caesar indeed was extremely grateful and not only approved but even rejoiced.
quid quaeris? acquievi.
What more do you ask? I was pacified.
levata est enim suspicio illa domestici mali et sermonis Hirtiani.
For that suspicion of domestic trouble and of Hirtius' conversation was lightened.
quam cupio illum dignum esse nobis et quam ipse me invito, †quae pro illo sit suspicandum!† sed opus fuit, Hirtio convento.
How I desire that he should be worthy of us, and how, even against my own will, I must suspect what may be suspected on his account! But it was necessary, since Hirtius has been met.
est profecto nescio quid, sed velim quam minimo.
There is indeed something, I know not what, but I should wish it to be as small as possible.
et tamen eum nondum redisse miramur.
And yet we wonder that he has not yet returned.
sed haec videbimus.
But we shall see about these things.
§10.4.12tu Oppios Terentiae delegabis.
You will assign the Oppii to Terentia.
iam enim urbis vanum periculum est.
For now the danger to the city is groundless.
me tamen consilio iuva, pedibusne Regium an hinc statim in navem, et cetera, quoniam commoror.
However, assist me with your advice, whether I should go on foot to Regium or straight into a ship from here, and other matters, since I am lingering.
ego ad te habebo quod scribam simul et videro Curionem.
I shall have something to write to you as soon as I have seen Curio.
de Tirone cura, quaeso, quod facis, ut sciam quid is agat.
Please take care of Tiro, as indeed you are doing, so that I may know how he is.