§6.2.1cum Philogenes libertus tuus Laodiceam ad me salutandi causa venisset et se statim ad te navigaturum esse diceret, has ei litteras dedi quibus ad eas rescripsi quas acceperam a Bruti tabellario.
When your freedman Philogenes came to me at Laodicea to greet me and said that he was about to sail to you immediately, I gave him this letter, in which I replied to those which I had received from Brutus's courier.
et respondebo primum postremae tuae paginae quae mihi magnae molestiae fuit quod ad te scriptum est a Cincio de Stati sermone; in quo hoc molestissimum est, Statium dicere a me quoque id consilium probari.
And I will reply first to the last page of your letter, which caused me great distress because of what was written to you by Cincius regarding the conversation of Statius; in which this is most annoying, that Statius says that this plan is approved of by me as well.
probari autem? de isto hactenus dixerim, me vel plurima vincla tecum summae coniunctionis optare, etsi sunt amoris artissima; tantum abest ut ego ex eo quo astricti sumus laxari aliquid velim.
Approved indeed? On that matter I would say only this, that I desire as many bonds as possible of the closest connection with you, even though those of love are already most tight; far is it from me that I should wish anything to be relaxed of that by which we are bound together.
§6.2.2illum autem multa de istis rebus asperius solete loqui saepe sum expertus, saepe etiam lenivi iratum.
Moreover, I have often experienced that he is accustomed to speak rather harshly about those matters, and I have often appeased him when he was angry.
id scire te arbitror.
I believe you know this.
in hac autem peregrinatione militiave nostra saepe incensum ira vidi, saepe placatum.
In this journey or service of ours, I have often seen him inflamed with anger, and often pacified.
quid ad Statium scripserit nescio.
What he wrote to Statius, I do not know.
quicquid acturus de tali re fuit, scribendum tamen ad libertum non fuit.
Whatever he was going to do about such a matter, he ought not to have written to a freedman.
mihi autem erit maximae curae ne quid fiat secus quam volumus quamque oportet.
But it will be my greatest care that nothing happens otherwise than we wish and as is proper.
nec satis est in eius modi re se quemque praestare ac maximae partes istius offici sunt pueri Ciceronis sive iam adulescentis; quod quidem illum soleo hortari.
Nor is it enough in a matter of this kind for each person to answer for himself, and the largest part of that duty belongs to the boy Cicero, or rather now a young man; which indeed I am accustomed to urge upon him.
ac mihi videtur matrem valde, ut debet, amare teque mirifice.
And he seems to me to love his mother deeply, as he ought, and you wonderfully.
sed est magnum illud quidem verum tamen multiplex pueri ingenium; in quo ego regendo habeo negoti satis.
But the boy's character, though indeed great, is yet complex; in managing which I have enough trouble.
§6.2.3quoniam respondi postremae tuae paginae prima mea, nunc ad primam revertar tuam.
Since I have replied to the last page of your letter with the first part of mine, I will now return to your first page.
Peloponnesias civitates omnis maritimas esse hominis non nequam sed etiam tuo iudicio probati Dicaearchi tabulis credidi.
I believed the maps of Dicaearchus—a man not worthless, but approved even in your judgment—that all the Peloponnesian states are maritime.
is multis nominibus in Trophoniana Chaeronis narratione Graecos in eo reprendit quod mare tantum secuti sint nec ullum in Peloponneso locum excipit.
In his Trophonian narrative of Chaeron, he censures the Greeks on many accounts for having followed the sea so much, and excludes no place in the Peloponnese.
quom mihi auctor placeret (etenim erat ἱστορικώτατοσ et vixerat in Peloponneso), admirabar tamen et vix adcredens communicavi cum Dionysio.
Although the author pleased me (for he was most historically minded and had lived in the Peloponnese), I was nevertheless surprised, and scarcely believing it, I communicated with Dionysius.
atque is primo est commotus, deinde, quod de †deo cum† isto Dicaearcho non minus bene existimabat quam tu de C. Vestorio, ego de M. Cluvio, non dubitabat quin ei crederemus.
At first he was disturbed, then, because he thought no less well of that Dicaearchus than you do of C. Vestorius and I of M. Cluvius, he did not doubt that we should believe him.
Arcadiae censebat esse Lepreon quoddam maritimum; Tenea autem et Aliphera et Tritia νεόκτιστα ei videbantur, idque τῷ τῶν νεῶν καταλόγῳ confirmabat ubi mentio non fit istorum.
He thought that Lepreon in Arcadia was a certain maritime town; but Tenea, Aliphera, and Tritia seemed to him newly founded, and he confirmed this by the 'Catalogue of Ships' where no mention is made of them.
itaque istum ego locum totidem verbis a Dicaearcho transtuli.
Therefore, I translated that passage word for word from Dicaearchus.
"Phliasios"
autem dici sciebam et ita fac ut habeas; nos quidem sic habemus.
I knew, however, that they are called "Phliasians," and see to it that you have it so; we certainly have it so.
sed primo me ἀναλογία deceperat, Φλιοῦσ, Ὀποῦσ, Σιποῦσ, quod Ὀπούντιοι, Σιπούντιοι.
But at first analogy had deceived me—Phlius, Opus, Sipus, because they make Opuntians, Sipuntians.
sed hoc continuo correximus.
But I corrected this immediately.
§6.2.4laetari te nostra moderatione et continentia video.
I see that you rejoice in our moderation and self-restraint.
tum id magis faceres, si adesses.
You would do so even more if you were present.
atque hoc foro quod egi ex Idibus Februariis Laodiceae ad Kal. Maias omnium dioecesium praeter Ciliciae mirabilia quaedam effecimus.
And in this assize which I held at Laodicea from the Ides of February to the Kalends of May, we accomplished some wonderful things for all the districts except Cilicia.
ita multae civitates omni aere alieno liberatae, multae valde levatae sunt, omnes suis legibus et iudiciis usae αὐτονομίαν adeptae revixerunt.
Thus, many states have been freed from all debt, many have been greatly relieved, and all, having used their own laws and courts, have revived, having obtained autonomy.
his ego duobus generibus facultatem ad se aere alieno liberandas aut levandas dedi, uno quod omnino nullus in imperio meo sumptus factus est (nullum cum dico non loquor ὑπερβολικῶσ), nullus inquam, ne terruncius quidem.
I gave them the power to free or relieve themselves from debt in two ways: one, because absolutely no expense was made under my government (when I say "none," I am not speaking hyperbolically), none, I say, not even a farthing.
§6.2.5hac autem re incredibile est quantum civitates emerserint.
Moreover, it is incredible how much the states have emerged through this measure.
accessit altera.
A second thing was added.
mira erant in civitatibus ipsorum furta Graecorum quae magistratus sui fecerant.
There were wonderful embezzlements in the states by the Greeks themselves, which their own magistrates had committed.
quaesivi ipse de iis qui annis decem proximis magistratum gesserant.
I myself made inquiry concerning those who had held office in the last ten years.
aperte fatebantur.
They openly confessed.
itaque sine ulla ignominia suis umeris pecunias populis rettulerunt.
Therefore, without any public disgrace, they restored the money to the peoples from their own shoulders.
populi autem nullo gemitu publicanis quibus hoc ipso lustro nihil solverant etiam superioris lustri reliqua reddiderunt.
And the peoples, with no groaning, paid even the arrears of the former lustrum to the tax-contractors, to whom they had paid nothing in this very lustrum.
itaque publicanis in oculis sumus.
Therefore, we are in the eyes of the tax-contractors.
"gratis"
inquis viris.
"To ungrateful men," you will say.
sensimus.
We have felt it.
iam cetera iuris dictio nec imperita et clemens cum admirabili facilitate; aditus autem ad me minime provinciales; nihil per cubicularium; ante lucem inambulabam domi ut olim candidatus.
Now, the rest of my administration of justice is neither unskillful and is mild, with wonderful accessibility; moreover, access to me is not at all provincial; nothing is done through a chamberlain; before daybreak I would walk about at home, as formerly when a candidate.
grata haec et magna mihique nondum laboriosa ex illa vetere militia.
These things are pleasing and great, and not yet laborious to me, thanks to that old military service of mine.