§2.24.1quas Numestio litteras dedi, sic te iis evocabam ut nihil acrius neque incitatius fieri posset.
In the letter which I gave to Numestius, I was calling you back so sharply and urgently that nothing more intense could be done.
ad illam celeritatem adde etiam si quid potes.
To that speed, add even more if you can.
ac ne sis perturbatus (novi enim te et non ignoro quam sit amor omnis sollicitus atque anxius)—sed res est, ut spero, non tam exitu molesta quam aditu.
And do not be perturbed (for I know you and am not ignorant of how anxious and solicitous all love is)—but the matter, as I hope, is not so troublesome in its issue as in its approach.
§2.24.2Vettius ille, ille noster index, Caesari, ut perspicimus, pollicitus est sese curaturum ut in aliquam suspicionem facinoris Curio filius adduceretur.
That Vettius, that informer of ours, has promised Caesar, as we perceive, that he would see to it that Curio the son should be brought into some suspicion of a crime.
itaque insinuavit in familiaritatem adulescentis et cum eo ut res indicat, saepe congressus rem in eum locum deduxit ut diceret sibi certum esse cum suis servis in Pompeium impetum facere eumque occidere.
Therefore, he insinuated himself into the intimacy of the young man, and, having often met with him as the matter shows, brought the business to such a pass that he said he was resolved to make an attack on Pompey with his slaves and kill him.
hoc Curio ad patrem detulit, ille ad Pompeium.
Curio reported this to his father, and he to Pompey.
res delata ad senatum est.
The matter was reported to the senate.
introductus Vettius primo negabat se umquam cum Curione constitisse, neque id sane diu; nam statim fidem publicam postulavit.
Vettius, when introduced, at first denied that he had ever met with Curio, but indeed not for long; for he immediately demanded a public pledge of safety.
reclamatum est.
There was a shout of opposition.
tum exposuit manum fuisse iuventutis duce Curione, in qua Paulus initio fuisset et Q. Caepio hic Brutus et Lentulus, flaminis filius, conscio patre;
Then he set forth that there had been a band of youth under the leadership of Curio, in which Paulus had been at the beginning, and this Q. Caepio Brutus, and Lentulus, the son of the flamen, with his father's knowledge; and that afterwards C.
postea C. Septimium scribam Bibuli pugionem sibi a Bibulo attulisse.
Septimius, the secretary of Bibulus, had brought him a dagger from Bibulus.
quod totum inrisum est, Vettio pugionem defuisse nisi ei consul dedisset, eoque magis id eiectum est quod a. d. iii Idus Maias Bibulus Pompeium fecerat certiorem ut caveret insidias; in quo ei Pompeius gratias egerat.
This whole thing was laughed at, as if a dagger would have been lacking to Vettius unless the consul had given it to him, and the story was rejected all the more because on the third day before the Ides of May Bibulus had informed Pompey to beware of plots, for which Pompey had thanked him.
§2.24.3introductus Curio filius dixit ad ea quae Vettius dixerat, maximeque in eo tum quidem Vettius est reprehensus quod dixerat adulescentium consilium ut in foro gladiatoribus Gabini Pompeium adorirentur; in eo principem Paulum fuisse, quem constabat eo tempore in Macedonia fuisse.
Curio the son, when introduced, spoke in reply to what Vettius had said, and Vettius was censured most of all on this point at that time, because he had said that the plan of the young men was to attack Pompey in the forum with the gladiators of Gabinius; and that Paulus was the leader in this, whom it was well known was in Macedonia at that time.
fit senatus consultum ut Vettius, quod confessus esset se cum telo fuisse, in vincula coniceretur; qui emisisset, eum contra rem publicam esse facturum.
A decree of the senate was passed that Vettius, because he had confessed that he had been with a weapon, should be thrown into chains; and that whoever should release him would be acting against the state.
res erat in ea opinione ut putarent id esse actum ut Vettius in foro cum pugione et item servi eius comprehenderentur cum telis, deinde ille se diceret indicaturum.
The matter was in such public opinion that people thought it had been stage-managed so that Vettius would be arrested in the forum with a dagger, and likewise his slaves with weapons, and then he would say he was going to inform.
idque ita factum esset nisi Curiones rem ante ad Pompeium detulissent.
And it would have happened so, if the Curios had not reported the matter to Pompey beforehand.
tum senatus consultum in contione recitatum est.
Then the decree of the senate was read in an assembly.
postero autem die Caesar, is qui olim praetor cum esset Q. Catulum ex inferiore loco iusserat dicere, Vettium in rostra produxit eumque in eo loco constituit quo Bibulo consuli adspirare non liceret.
On the next day, however, Caesar—he who formerly, when he was praetor, had ordered Q. Catulus to speak from a lower position—produced Vettius on the rostra and placed him in that position to which Bibulus the consul was not permitted to aspire.
hic ille omnia quae voluit de re publica dixit, ut qui illuc factus institutusque venisset.
Here he said all he wanted about the state, like one who had come there trained and prepared.
primum Caepionem de oratione sua sustulit, quem in senatu acerrime nominarat, ut appareret noctem et nocturnam deprecationem intercessisse.
First he removed Caepio from his speech, whom he had named most bitterly in the senate, so that it appeared that a night and a nocturnal intercession had intervened.
deinde quos in senatu ne tenuissima quidem suspicione attigerat, eos nominavit, L. Lucullum, a quo solitum esse ad se mitti C. Fannium, illum qui in P. Clodium subscripserat, L. Domitium, cuius domum constitutam fuisse unde eruptio fieret.
Next he named those whom he had not touched in the senate by even the slightest suspicion: L. Lucullum, from whom he claimed C. Fannius—the one who had signed the indictment against P. Clodius—was accustomed to be sent to him; and L. Domitius, whose house he claimed had been designated as the place from which the breakout should be made.
me non nominavit sed dixit consularem disertum vicinum consulis sibi dixisse Ahalam Servilium aliquem aut Brutum opus esse reperiri.
He did not name me, but said that an eloquent consular, a neighbor of the consul, had said to him that some Servilius Ahala or Brutus needed to be found.
addidit ad extremum, cum iam dimissa contione revocatus a Vatinio fuisset, se audisse a Curione his de rebus consciunt esse Pisonem generum meum et M. Laterensem.
He added at the end, when he had already been recalled by Vatinius after the assembly was dismissed, that he had heard from Curio that my son-in-law Piso and M. Laterensis were accomplices in these matters.
§2.24.4nunc reus erat apud Crassum Divitem Vettius de vi et, cum esset damnatus, erat indicium postulaturus.
Now Vettius was on trial for violence before Crassus Dives and, if he were condemned, he was going to demand the status of an informer.
quod si impetrasset, iudicia fore videbantur.
If he had obtained this, it seemed there would be trials.
ea nos, utpote qui nihil contemnere soleremus, non contemnabamus sed non pertimescebamus. hominum quidem summa erga nos studia significabantur;
We, as those who were accustomed to despise nothing, did not despise these things, but we did not thoroughly fear them.
sed prorsus vitae taedet; ita sunt omnia omnium miseriarum plenissima.
The greatest support of men towards us was indeed indicated; but I am utterly tired of life; so full is everything of all miseries.
modo caedem timueramus †que oratio fortissimi senis, Q. Considi, discusserat ea inquam cotidie timere potueramus†, subito exorta est.
A little while ago we had feared slaughter—which the speech of the most brave old man, Q. Considius, had dispersed, but I say, that slaughter which we could have feared daily—suddenly it arose.
quid quaeris? nihil me infortunatius, nihil fortunatius est Catulo cum splendore vitae tum †hoc† tempore. nos tamen in his miseriis erecto animo et minime perturbato sumus honestissimeque et dignitatem nostram magna cura tuemur.
What more do you ask? Nothing is more unfortunate than me, nothing more fortunate than Catulus, both in the splendor of his life and in this time. We, however, in these miseries are of erect and least perturbed mind, and we guard our dignity most honorably and with great care.
§2.24.5Pompeius de Clodio iubet nos esse sine cura et summam in nos benevolentiam omni oratione significat.
Pompey bids us to be without care concerning Clodius, and indicates the greatest goodwill towards us in all his speech.
te habere consiliorum auctorem, sollicitudinum socium, omni in cogitatione coniunctum cupio.
I desire to have you as the adviser of my counsels, the partner of my anxieties, joined in all my thoughts.
qua re ut Numestio mandavi tecum ut ageret, item atque eo, si potest, acrius te rogo ut plane ad nos advoles.
Therefore, just as I commissioned Numestius to plead with you, so I ask you, even more eagerly if possible, to fly to us plainly.
respiraro si te videro.
I shall breathe again if I see you.