§16.13.1o casum mirificum! v Idus cum ante lucem de Sinuessano surrexissem venissemque diluculo ad pontem Tirenum qui est Menturnis, in quo flexus est ad iter Arpinas, obviam mihi fit tabellarius, qui me offendit
"δολιχὸν πλόον ὁρμαίνοντα. "
at ego statim
"cedo"
inquam
"si quid ab Attico. "
nondum legere poteramus; nam et lumina dimiseramus nec satis lucebat.
What a marvelous coincidence! On the 9th of November, having set out from my villa at Sinuessa before daybreak and having come at dawn to the Tirenus bridge at Minturnae, where there is the turn-off for the road to Arpinum, a courier came to meet me, who found me "pondering a long journey." But I immediately said, "Hand it over, if there is anything from Atticus." We could not read it yet; for we had already put away our lights and it was not yet bright enough.
cum autem luceret, ante scripta epistula ex duabus tuis prior mihi legi coepta est.
But when it became light, the first of your two letters, the one written earlier, began to be read by me.
illa omnium quidem elegantissima.
That was indeed the most elegant of all.
ne sim salvus si aliter scribo ac sentio.
May I not be saved if I write otherwise than I feel.
nihil legi humanius.
I have read nothing more gentlemanly.
itaque veniam quo vocas, modo adiutore te.
Therefore I will come where you call me, provided you are my helper.
sed nihil tam ἀπροσδιόνυσον mihi primo videbatur quam ad eas litteras quibus ego a te consilium petieram te mihi ista rescribere.
But nothing seemed to me at first so "unrelated to Dionysus" as that you should write back those things of yours to that letter in which I had sought your advice.
§16.13.2ecce tibi altera qua hortaris
"παρ' ἠνεμόεντα Μίμαντα,"
Appiam scilicet
"ἐπ' ἀριστέρ' ἔχοντα. "
itaque eo die mansi Aquini.
Look, here is the other letter in which you urge me "past windy Mimas," meaning, of course, the Appian Way, "keeping it on the left." Therefore on that day I stayed at Aquinum.
longulum sane iter et via mala.
It was indeed a rather long journey and a bad road.
inde postridie mane proficiscens has litteras dedi.
Setting out from there the next morning, I dispatched this letter.
§16.13.3* * * et quidem, ut a me dimitterem invitissimus fecerunt Erotis litterae.
* * * And indeed, it was Eros's letter that made me most unwilling to dismiss them.
rem tibi Tiro narrabit.
Tiro will tell you the story.
tu quid faciendum sit videbis.
You will see what ought to be done.
praeterea possimne propius accedere (malo enim esse in Tusculano aut uspiam in suburbano) an etiam longius discedendum putes crebro ad me velim scribas.
Besides, whether I can come nearer (for I prefer to be at my Tusculan villa or somewhere in the suburbs) or whether you think I should depart even further, I would like you to write to me frequently.
erit autem cotidie cui des.
There will be someone every day to whom you can give a letter.
§16.13.4quod praeterea consulis, quid tibi censeam faciundum difficile est cum absim.
As to what you consult me further, namely, what I think you ought to do, it is difficult since I am away.
verum tamen si pares aeque inter se, quiescendum, sin, latius manabit et quidem ad nos; deinde communiter.
Nevertheless, if the parties are equally matched, you should remain quiet; if not, it will spread more widely, and indeed to us; after that, we must act in common.