§6.3.1etsi nil sane habebam novi quod post accidisset quam dedissem ad te Philogeni liberto tuo litteras, tamen cum Philotimum Romam remitterem, scribendum aliquid ad te fuit.
Although I had no news of any kind that had occurred after I gave your freedman Philogenes the letter for you, yet, when I was sending Philotimus back to Rome, I had to write something to you.
ac primum illud quod me maxime angebat—non quo me aliquid iuvare posses; quippe; res enim est in manibus, tu autem abes longe gentium; "
πολλὰ δ' ἐν μεταιχμίῳ
νότοσ κυλίνδει κύματ' εὐρείησ ἁλός.
And first, that which was troubling me most—not that you could help me in any way; of course not; for the matter is in our hands, while you are far away in the world; "πολλὰ δ' ἐν μεταιχμίῳ νότοσ κυλίνδει κύματ' εὐρείησ ἁλός.
"
obrepit dies, ut vides (mihi enim a. d. iii Kal. Sextil. de provincia decedendum est), nec succeditur.
"The day is stealing upon us, as you see (for I must depart from the province on the third day before the Kalends of August), and no successor is appointed.
quem relinquam qui provinciae praesit? ratio quidem et opinio hominum postulat fratrem, primum quod videtur esse honos, nemo igitur potior; deinde quod solum habeo praetorium.
Whom am I to leave to govern the province? Reason and public opinion indeed demand my brother, first because it seems to be an honor, so no one is more suitable; secondly because he is the only ex-praetor I have.
Pomptinus enim ex pacto et convento (nam ea lege exierat) iam a me discesserat; quaestorem nemo dignum putat; etenim est
"levis, libidinosus, tagax. " §6.3.2de fratre autem primum illud est: persuaderi ei non posse arbitror; odit enim provinciam, et hercule nihil odiosius, nihil molestius.
For Pomptinus, according to agreement and convention (for he had gone out on that condition), had already left me; as for the quaestor, no one thinks him worthy; and indeed he is "fickle, lustful, light-fingered." But concerning my brother, the first point is this: I think he cannot be persuaded; for he hates the province, and by Hercules nothing is more hateful, nothing more troublesome.
deinde ut mihi nolit negare, quidnam mei sit offici? cum bellum esse in Syria magnum putetur, id videatur in hanc provinciam erupturum, hic praesidi nihil sit, sumptus annuus decretus sit, videaturne aut pietatis esse meae fratrem relinquere aut diligentiae nugarum aliquid relinquere? magna igitur, ut vides, sollicitudine adficior, magna inopia consili.
Secondly, even suppose he is unwilling to refuse me, what on earth is my duty? When a great war is thought to be in Syria, and it seems likely to break out into this province, and there is no garrison here, and only an annual allowance has been decreed, would it seem to be the part either of my brotherly affection to leave my brother, or of my diligence to leave some trifler? Therefore, as you see, I am affected by great anxiety, and a great lack of counsel.
quid quaeris? toto negotio nobis opus non fuit.
To put it briefly, we had no need of this whole business.
quanto tua provincia melior! decedes cum voles, nisi forte iam decessisti; quem videbitur praeficies Thesprotiae et Chaoniae.
How much better is your province! You will depart when you wish, unless perhaps you have already departed; you will put whomsoever you think fit in charge of Thesprotia and Chaonia.
necdum tamen ego Quintum conveneram, ut iam, si id placeret, scirem possetne ab eo impetrari; nec tamen, si posset, quid vellem habebam.
However, I had not yet met Quintus, so that I might know already, if that were pleasing, whether it could be obtained from him; nor yet, if it could, did I have what I wanted.
§6.3.3hoc est igitur eius modi.
This matter is therefore of this kind.
reliqua plena adhuc et laudis et gratiae, digna iis libris quos dilaudas, conservatae civitates, cumulate publicanis satis factum, offensus contumelia nemo, decreto iusto et severo perpauci nec tamen quisquam ut queri audeat, res gestae dignae triumpho; de quo ipso nihil cupide agemus, sine tuo quidem consilio certe nihil.
The rest is still full of both praise and favor, worthy of those books which you praise so highly: the cities preserved, the publicani abundantly satisfied, no one offended by insult, very few by a just and strict decree, and yet not one who would dare to complain; achievements worthy of a triumph; about which itself I shall do nothing greedily, certainly nothing at all without your advice.
clausula est difficilis in tradenda provincia.
The closing chapter in handing over the province is difficult.
sed haec deus aliquis gubernabit.
But some god will direct these things.
§6.3.4de urbanis rebus scilicet plura tu scis; saepius et certiora audis; equidem doleo non me tuis litteris certiorem fieri.
Of affairs in the city, of course, you know more; you hear more frequently and more reliably; for my part, I am sorry that I am not kept better informed by your letters.
huc enim odiosa adferebantur de Curione, de Paulo; non quo ullum periculum videam stante Pompeio vel etiam sedente, valeat modo; sed me hercule Curionis et Pauli meorum familiarium vicem doleo.
For unpleasant things were being reported here about Curio, about Paulus; not that I see any danger as long as Pompey is standing, or even sitting, if only he remains well; but by Hercules I grieve for the sake of Curio and Paulus, my intimate friends.
formam igitur mihi totius rei publicae, si iam es Romae aut cum eris, velim mittas quae mihi obviam veniat ex qua me fingere possim et praemeditari quo animo accedam ad urbem.
Therefore, I should like you to send me a sketch of the entire political situation, if you are already in Rome or when you are there, to meet me on my way, so that from it I may shape my course and premeditate with what mind I should approach the city.
est enim quiddam advenientem non esse peregrinum atque hospitem.
For it is something of importance that a newcomer should not be a stranger and a guest.
§6.3.5et quod paene praeterii, Bruti tui causa, ut saepe ad te scripsi, feci omnia.
And, which I nearly passed over, for the sake of your Brutus, as I have often written to you, I have done everything.
Cyprii numerabant; sed Scaptius centesimis renovato in singulos annos faenore contentus non fuit.
The Cypriots were counting out the money; but Scaptius was not content with interest at twelve percent renewed annually.
Ariobarzanes non in Pompeium prolixior per ipsum quam per me in Brutum.
Ariobarzanes was not more generous to Pompey through his own efforts than to Brutus through me.
quem tamen ego praestare non poteram; erat enim rex perpauper aberamque ab eo ita longe ut nihil possem nisi litteris; quibus pugnare non destiti.
Yet I could not guarantee him; for the king was very poor, and I was so far away from him that I could do nothing except by letters, in which I did not cease to fight.
summa haec est. pro ratione pecuniae liber alius est Brutus tractatus quam Pompeius.
This is the sum of it: in proportion to the amount of money, Brutus has been treated more liberally than Pompey.
Bruto curata hoc anno talenta circiter c, Pompeio in sex mensibus promissa cc.
To Brutus about a hundred talents were paid this year; to Pompey two hundred talents were promised in six months.
iam in Appi negotio quantum tribuerim Bruto dici vix potest.
Furthermore, in the business of Appius, it can hardly be said how much I have deferred to Brutus.
quid est igitur quod laborem? amicos habet meras nugas, Matinium, Scaptium.
Why is it then that I should worry? He has friends who are mere rubbish, Matinius and Scaptius.
qui quia non habuit a me turmas equitum quibus Cyprum vexaret, ut ante me fecerat, fortasse suscenset, aut quia praefectus non est, quod ego nemini tribui negotiatori, non C. Vennonio meo familiari, non tuo M. Laenio, et quod tibi Romae ostenderam me servaturum; in quo perseveravi.
The latter is perhaps angry because he did not get from me troops of cavalry to harass Cyprus, as he had done before my time; or because he is not a prefect, a post which I granted to no businessman, not even to my intimate C. Vennonius, nor to your M. Laenius, and which I had shown you in Rome that I would maintain; in which I have persevered.
sed quid poterit queri is qui auferre pecuniam cum posset noluit? †aut Scaptius† qui in Cappadocia fuit, puto esse satis factum.
But how can he complain, who, when he might have carried off the money, refused? As for that other Scaptius, who was in Cappadocia, I think he has been satisfied.
is a me tribunatum cum accepisset quem ego ex Bruti litteris ei detulissem, postea scripsit ad me se uti nolle eo tribunatu.
He, when he had accepted from me a tribuneship which I had offered him at Brutus's request, afterwards wrote to me that he did not wish to make use of that tribuneship.