§14.14.1"Iteradum eadem ista mihi. "
coronatus Quintus noster Parilibus! solusne? etsi addis Lamiam quod demiror equidem, sed scire cupio qui fuerint alii; quamquam satis scio nisi improbum neminem.
"Repeat those same things to me again." Our Quintus crowned at the Parilia! Alone? Although you add Lamia, which I indeed wonder at, but I desire to know who the others were; although I know well enough there was no one but scoundrels.
explanabis igitur hoc diligentius.
You will explain this, therefore, more carefully.
ego autem casu cum dedissem ad te litteras vi Kal. satis multis verbis, tribus fere horis post accepi tuas et magni quidem ponderis.
But I, having by chance dispatched a letter to you on the sixth day before the Kalends in quite many words, received yours about three hours later, and of great weight indeed.
itaque ioca tua plena facetiarum de haeresi Vestoriana et de †Pherionum more† Puteolano risisse me satis nihil est necesse rescribere. πολιτικώτερα illa videamus.
And so there is no need to write back that I had a good laugh at your witty jokes about the Vestorian sect and about the Puteolan "custom of the Pheriones." Let us look at those more political matters.
§14.14.2ita Brutos Cassiumque defendis quasi eos ego reprehendam; quos satis laudare non possum.
You defend the Brutuses and Cassius in such a way as if I were blaming them; whom I cannot praise enough.
rerum ego vitia conlegi, non hominum.
I have gathered the faults of things, not of men.
sublato enim tyranno tyrannida manere video.
For I see that though the tyrant has been removed, the tyranny remains.
nam quae ille facturus non fuit ea fiunt, ut de Clodio de quo mihi exploratum est illum non modo non facturum sed etiam ne passurum quidem fuisse.
For those things which he was not going to do are being done, as in the case of Clodius, concerning whom I am certain that he would not only not have done it, but would not even have permitted it.
sequetur Rufio Vestorianus, Victor numquam scriptus, ceteri, quis non? cui servire ipsi non potuimus eius libellis paremus.
Rufio the Vestorian will follow, Victor who was never registered, and the rest—who will not? We obey the notebooks of him whom we ourselves could not tolerate serving.
nam Liberalibus quis potuit in senatum non venire? fac id potuisse aliquo modo; num etiam, cum venissemus, libere potuimus sententiam dicere? nonne omni ratione veterani qui armati aderant cum praesidi nos nihil haberemus defendendi fuerunt? illam sessionem Capitolinam mihi non placuisse tu testis es.
For on the Liberalia, who was able not to come into the Senate? Suppose that was possible in some way; surely we were not, when we had come, able to express our opinion freely? Had not the veterans, who were present armed while we had no protection, to be defended in every way? You are witness that that Capitoline occupation did not please me.
quid ergo? ista culpa Brutorum? minime illorum quidem sed aliorum brutorum qui se cautos ac sapientis putant; quibus satis fuit laetari, non nullis etiam gratulari, nullis permanere.
What then? Is that the fault of the Brutuses? By no means theirs indeed, but of other "brutes" who think themselves cautious and wise; for whom it was enough to rejoice, for some even to congratulate, for none to stand firm.
§14.14.3sed praeterita omittamus; istos omni cura praesidioque tueamur et, quem ad modum tu praecipis, contenti Idibus Martiis simus; quae quidem nostris amicis divinis viris aditum ad caelum dederunt, libertatem populo Romano non dederunt.
But let us pass over the past; let us protect those men with all care and defense and, just as you advise, let us be content with the Ides of March; which indeed gave to our friends, those godlike men, access to heaven, but did not give freedom to the Roman people.
recordare tua.
Recall your own words.
nonne meministi clamare te omnia perisse si ille funere elatus esset? sapienter id quidem.
Do you not remember that you cried out that all was lost if he were carried out with a public funeral? Wisely indeed.
itaque ex eo quae manarint vides.
And so you see what has flowed from that.
§14.14.4quae scribis K. Iuniis Antonium de provinciis relaturum, ut et ipse Gallias habeat et utrisque dies prorogetur, licebitne decerni libere? si licuerit, libertatem esse reciperatam laetabor;
As to what you write, that on the Kalends of June Antony will bring forward a motion about the provinces, so that he himself may have the Gauls and the term may be prolonged for both, will it be permitted to decree freely?
si non licuerit, quid mihi attulerit ista domini mutatio praeter laetitiam quam oculis cepi iusto interitu tyranni?
If it is permitted, I shall rejoice that liberty has been recovered; if it is not permitted, what will that change of master have brought to me except the joy which I took with my eyes from the just destruction of the tyrant?
§14.14.5rapinas scribis ad Opis fieri; quas nos quoque tum videbamus.
You write that plunderings are taking place at the Temple of Ops; which we also were seeing at that time.
ne nos et liberati ab egregiis viris nec liberi sumus.
Truly we, though liberated by outstanding men, are not free.
ita laus illorum est, culpa nostra.
Thus the praise is theirs, the fault is ours.
et hortaris me ut historias scribam, ut conligam tanta eorum scelera a quibus etiam nunc obsidemur! poterone eos ipsos non laudare qui te obsignatorem adhibuerint? nec me hercule me raudusculum movet, sed homines benevolos, qualescumque sunt, grave est insequi contumelia.
And you exhort me to write history, to collect such great crimes of those by whom we are even now besieged! Shall I be able not to praise those very men who have employed you as a signatory? And by Hercules, it is not some petty sum of money that moves me, but it is a hard thing to attack well-disposed men with insult, whatever kind of people they may be.
§14.14.6sed de omnibus meis consiliis, ut scribis, existimo exploratius nos ad K. Iunias statuere posse.
But concerning all my plans, as you write, I think we can decide with greater certainty towards the Kalends of June.
ad quas adero et omni ope atque opera enitar, adiuvante me scilicet auctoritate tua et gratia et summa aequitate causae, ut de Buthrotiis senatus consultum quale scribis fiat.
At which I shall be present, and I shall strive with all power and effort, with your authority, of course, and influence and the supreme justice of the cause helping me, so that a decree of the senate about the Buthrotians may be made of such a kind as you describe.
quod me cogitare iubes, cogitabo equidem, etsi tibi dederam superiore epistula cogitandum.
As to what you bid me ponder, I shall indeed ponder, although in my previous letter I had given it to you to ponder.
tu autem quasi iam reciperata re publica vicinis tuis Massiliensibus sua reddis.
But you, as if the republic were already recovered, are restoring to your neighbors, the Massilians, their own properties.
haec armis, quae quam firma habeamus ignoro, restitui fortasse possunt, auctoritate non possunt.
These things can perhaps be restored by arms—though how strong we have them I know not—but they cannot be restored by authority.
§14.14.7epistula brevis quae postea a te scripta est sane mihi fuit iucunda de Bruti ad Antonium et de eiusdem ad te litteris.
The brief letter which was written afterwards by you was indeed pleasant to me, concerning Brutus's letter to Antony and the same man's letter to you.
posse videntur esse meliora quam adhuc fuerunt.
Things seem to be able to be better than they have been hitherto.
sed nobis ubi simus et quo iam nunc nos conferamus providendum est.
But we must look out where we should be and whither we should betake ourselves even now.