§4.15.1de Eutychide gratum qui vetere praenomine, novo nomine T. erit Caecilius, ut est ex me et ex te iunctus Dionysius M. Pomponius.
About Eutychides, I am grateful; he will be T. Caecilius by keeping his old praenomen and taking his new name, just as Dionysius, joined from me and from you, is M. Pomponius.
valde me hercule mihi gratum est Eutychidem tuam erga me benevolentiam cognosse et suam illam in meo dolore συμπάθειαν neque tum mihi obscuram neque post ingratam fuisse.
By Hercules, it is extremely pleasing to me that Eutychides has recognized your kindness toward me, and that his famous sympathy in my grief was neither obscure to me at the time nor ungrateful afterward.
§4.15.2iter Asiaticum tuum puto tibi suscipiendum fuisse; numquam enim tu sine iustissima causa tam longe a tot tuis et hominibus et rebus carissimis et suavissimis abesse voluisses.
I think your Asian journey had to be undertaken by you; for you would never have wished to be so far away from so many of your dearest and most delightful people and things without a very just cause.
sed humanitatem tuam amoremque in tuos reditus celeritas declarabit.
But the speed of your return will declare your humanity and love for your own.
sed vereor ne lepore suo detineat diutius praetor Clodius et homo pereruditus, ut aiunt, et nunc quidem deditus Graecis litteris Pituanius.
Yet I fear lest the praetor Clodius and Pituanius—a very learned man, as they say, and now indeed devoted to Greek literature—may detain you longer with their charm.
sed si vis homo esse, recipe te ad nos ad quod tempus confirmasti.
But if you wish to be a true friend, return to us at the time you promised.
cum illis tamen cum salvi venerint Romae vivere licebit.
However, it will be permitted to live with them at Rome when they arrive safe.
avere te scribis accipere aliquid a me litterarum.
You write that you long to receive some letter from me.
§4.15.3dedi ac multis quidem de rebus ἡμερολεγδὸν perscripta omnia; sed ut conicio, quoniam mihi non videris in Epiro diu fuisse, redditas tibi non arbitror.
I have sent one, indeed written down in full detail day by day on many matters; but as I conjecture, since you do not seem to me to have been in Epirus long, I do not think it has been delivered to you.
genus autem mearum ad te quidem litterarum eius modi fere est ut non libeat cuiquam dare nisi de quo exploratum sit tibi eum redditurum.
Moreover, the character of my letters to you is generally of such a kind that I would not care to give them to anyone unless it has been ascertained that he will deliver them to you.
§4.15.4nunc Romanas res accipe.
Now receive the Roman affairs.
A. d. iiii Nonas Quintilis Sufenas et Cato absoluti, Procilius condemnatus.
On the fourth of July, Sufenas and Cato were acquitted, and Procilius was condemned.
ex quo intellectum est τρισαρειοπαγίτασ ambitum, comitia, interregnum, maiestatem, totam denique rem publicam flocci non facere, patrem familias domi suae occidi nolle, neque tamen id ipsum abunde; nam absolverunt xxii, condemnarunt xxviii.
From this it was understood that our grand Areopagites do not care a straw for bribery, elections, interregnum, treason, or indeed the whole republic, but they do not want a master of a house to be killed in his own home—yet not even that superabundantly; for twenty-two voted for acquittal, and twenty-eight for condemnation.
Publius sane diserto epilogo criminans me mentis iudicum commoverat.
Publius, indeed, in a very eloquent epilogue accusing me, had moved the minds of the judges.
Hortalus in ea causa fuit cuius modi solet.
Hortalus in that cause was of such a quality as he is accustomed to be.
nos verbum nullum; verita est enim pusilla, quae nunc laborat, ne animum Publi offenderem.
I said not a word; for my little girl, who is now ill, feared lest I should offend the mind of Publius.
§4.15.5his rebus actis Reatini me ad sua Τέμπη duxerunt ut agerem causam contra Interamnatis apud consulem et decem legatos, quod lacus Velinus a M'.
After these things were done, the Reatines led me to their Tempe, so that I might plead their cause against the Interamnates before the consul and ten commissioners, because Lake Velinus, drained by M'.
Curio emissus interciso monte in Nar defluit; ex quo est illa siccata et umida tamen modice Rosia.
Curius through a cut mountain, flows down into the Nar; by which means that Rosia, drained but still moderately moist, exists.
vixi cum Axio, qui etiam me ad Septem Aquas duxit.
I lived with Axius, who also took me to Septem Aquae.
§4.15.6redii Romam Fontei causa a. d. vii Idus Quint.
I returned to Rome for the sake of Fonteius' cause on the ninth of July.
veni in spectaculum primum magno et aequabili plausu.
I went to the theater, first received with a great and uniform applause.
sed hoc ne curaris; ego ineptus qui scripserim.
But do not care about this; I was silly to write it.
deinde Antiphonti operam.
Then I attended to Antiphon.
is erat ante manu missus quam productus.
He had been manumitted before he was brought on the stage.
ne diutius pendeas, palmam tulit; sed nihil tam pusillum, nihil tam sine voce, nihil tam verum haec tu tecum habeto.
Not to keep you in suspense any longer, he won the prize; but nothing was so small, nothing so voiceless, nothing so—well, keep these things to yourself.
in Andromacha tamen maior fuit quam Astyanax, in ceteris parem habuit neminem.
In *Andromache*, however, he was bigger than Astyanax; in the other parts he had no equal.
quaeris nunc de Arbuscula; valde placuit.
Now you ask about Arbuscula; she pleased greatly.
ludi magnifici et grati; venatio in aliud tempus dilata.
The games were magnificent and well received; the wild-beast hunt was postponed to another time.
§4.15.7sequere nunc me in campum.
Follow me now to the Campus.
ardet ambitus; σῆμα δέ τοι ἐρέω; faenus ex triente Idibus Quintilibus factum erat bessibus.
Bribery is blazing; "but I will tell you a sign"; interest on the Ides of July went up from one-third to two-thirds.
dices
"istuc quidem non moleste fero.
You will say, "That indeed I do not take badly." Oh what a man!
"
o virum! o civem! Memmium Caesaris omnes opes confirmant.
Oh what a citizen! All Caesar's influence supports Memmius.
cum eo Domitium consules iunxerunt, qua pactione epistulae committere non audeo.
The consuls have joined Domitius with him, under what bargain I dare not commit to a letter.
Pompeius fremit, queritur, Scauro studet, sed utrum fronte an mente dubitatur. ἐξοχὴ in nullo est;
Pompey rumbles, complains, favors Scaurus, but whether from the face or from the heart is doubted.
pecunia omnium dignitatem exaequat.
There is preeminence in no one; money equalizes the dignity of all.
Messalla languet, non quo aut animus desit aut amici sed coitio consulum et Pompeius obsunt.
Messalla languishes, not because courage or friends are wanting to him, but the coalition of the consuls and Pompey stand in his way.
ea comitia puto fore ut ducantur.
I think those elections will be dragged out.
tribunicii candidati iurarunt se arbitrio Catonis petituros.
The tribunician candidates have sworn that they will campaign according to the arbitration of Cato.
apud eum HS quingena deposuerunt ut qui a Catone damnatus esset id perderet et competitoribus tribueretur.
They have deposited five hundred thousand sesterces each with him, so that whoever is condemned by Cato should lose it and it should be distributed to his competitors.
§4.15.8haec ego pridie scribebam quam comitia fore putabantur.
I am writing these things on the day before the elections are expected to be held.
sed ad te, quinto Kal. Sextil. si facta erunt et tabellarius non erit profectus, tota comitia perscribam.
But to you, on the fifth day before the Kalends of August, if they have been held and the letter-carrier has not departed, I will write out the whole election in detail.
quae si, ut putantur, gratuita fuerint, plus unus Cato potuerit quam omnes leges omnesque iudices.
If these elections, as they are expected, are free from bribery, the single Cato will have been more powerful than all the laws and all the judges.
§4.15.9Messius defendebatur a nobis de legatione revocatus; nam eum Caesari legarat Appius.
Messius was being defended by us, having been recalled from his legation; for Appius had appointed him legate to Caesar.
Servilius edixit ut adesset.
Servilius declared by edict that he should appear.
tribus habet Pomptinam, Velinam, Maeciam.
He has the Pomptine, Veline, and Maecian tribes.
pugnatur acriter; agitur tamen satis.
It is being fought bitterly; however, it is going well enough.
deinde me expedio ad Drusum, inde ad Scaurum.
Next I prepare myself for Drusus, then for Scaurus.
parantur orationibus indices gloriosi.
Glorious lists of acquittals are being prepared by my speeches.
fortasse accedent etiam consules designati.
Perhaps even the consuls-elect will be added.
in quibus si Scaurus non fuerit, in hoc iudicio valde laborabit.
If Scaurus is not among them, he will labor greatly in this trial.
§4.15.10ex Quinti fratris litteris suspicor iam eum esse in Britannia.
From my brother Quintus' letter, I suspect that he is already in Britain.
suspenso animo exspecto quid agat.
I await what he is doing with a suspended mind.
illud quidem sumus adepti, quod multis et magnis indiciis possumus iudicare, nos Caesari et carissimos et iucundissimos esse.
We have indeed obtained this, which we can judge by many great indications, that we are both very dear and very pleasing to Caesar.
Dionysium velim salvere iubeas et eum roges et hortere ut quam primum veniat, ut possit Ciceronem meum atque etiam me ipsum erudire.
I would like you to bid Dionysius greeting, and ask and encourage him to come as soon as possible, so that he may instruct my Cicero and even myself.