§9.13.1οὐκ ἔστ' ἔτυμοσ λόγοσ, ut opinor, ille de ratibus.
"The story is not true," in my opinion, that one about the rafts.
quid enim esset quod Dolabella iis litteris quas iii Idus Martias a Brundisio dedit hanc quasi εὐημερίαν Caesaris scriberet, Pompeium in fuga esse eumque primo vento navigaturum? quod valde discrepat ab iis epistulis quarum exempla antea ad te misi.
For what reason would there be for Dolabella to write in his letter, dispatched from Brundisium on the thirteenth of March, of this so-called "success" of Caesar, that Pompey is in flight and will sail with the first wind? This is highly inconsistent with those letters of which I previously sent you copies.
hic quidem mera scelera loquuntur; sed non erat nec recentior auctor nec huius quidem rei melior Dolabella. §9.13.2tuas xi K. accepi litteras quibus omnia consilia differs in id tempus cum scierimus quid actum sit.
Here indeed they talk of nothing but sheer crimes; but Dolabella was neither a more recent authority nor indeed a better one on this matter. I received your letter on the twentieth of March, in which you postpone all plans to the time when we know what has been done.
et certe ita est, nec interim potest quicquam non modo statui sed ne cogitari quidem.
And certainly it is so; in the meantime, nothing can not only be decided but not even thought of.
quamquam hae me litterae Dolabellae iubent ad pristinas cogitationes reverti.
And yet, this letter of Dolabella bids me return to my former thoughts.
fuit enim pridie Quinquatrus egregia tempestas; qua ego illum usum puto. §9.13.3συναγωγὴ consiliorum tuorum non est a me conlecta ad querelam sed magis ad consolationem meam.
For on the day before the Quinquatrus there was excellent weather, which I think he made use of. The "collection" of your advice was compiled by me not for the purpose of complaint, but rather for my own consolation.
nec enim me tam haec mala angebant quam suspicio culpae ac temeritatis meae.
For I was not so much tormented by these evils themselves as by the suspicion of my own fault and rashness.
eam nullam puto esse, quoniam cum consiliis tuis mea facta et consilia consentiunt.
I think there is none, since my deeds and plans agree with your advice.
quod mea praedicatione factum esse scribis magis quam illius merito ut tantum ei debere viderer, est ita.
As for your writing that it was due to my public praise rather than his merit that I seemed to owe him so much, it is indeed so.
ego illa extuli semper et eo quidem magis ne quid ille superiorum meminisse me putaret.
I always extolled those actions, and all the more so that he might not think I remembered any of the past.
quae si maxime meminissem, tamen illius temporis similitudinem iam sequi deberem.
Even if I had remembered them very well, I should still now follow the pattern of that time.
nihil me adiuvit cum posset; sed postea fuit amicus, etiam valde, nec quam ob causam plane scio.
He helped me not at all when he could have; but afterwards he was a friend, even a close one, and I do not clearly know for what reason.
ergo ego quoque illi.
Therefore, I too was a friend to him.
quin etiam illud par in utroque nostrum, quod ab eisdem inlecti sumus.
Nay, even this is equal in both of us, that we were enticed by the same men.
sed utinam tantum ego ei prodesse potuissem quantum mihi ille potuit! mihi tamen quod fecit gratissimum.
But would that I could have been of as much service to him as he was able to be to me! Yet what he did for me is most welcome.
nec ego nunc eum iuvare qua re possim scio nec, si possem, cum tam pestiferum bellum pararet, adiuvandum putarem. §9.13.4tantum offendere animum eius hic manens nolo nec me hercule ista videre quae tu potes iam animo providere, nec interesse istis malis possem.
Nor do I now know by what means I could help him, nor, if I could, would I think he ought to be helped when he is preparing so pestilential a war. Only, I do not wish to offend his mind by remaining here, nor, by Hercules, could I bear to see those things which you can already foresee in your mind, nor could I take part in those evils.
sed eo tardior ad discedendum fui quod difficile est de discessu voluntario sine ulla spe reditus cogitare.
But I have been slower to depart for the reason that it is difficult to think of a voluntary departure without any hope of return.
nam ego hunc ita paratum video peditatu, equitatu, classibus, auxiliis Gallorum quos Matius ἐλάπιζεν, ut puto, sed certe dicebat peditum, equitum se polliceri sumptu suo annos decem.
For I see this man so well prepared with infantry, cavalry, fleets, and auxiliary troops of Gauls whom Matius, as I think, was "boasting" about, but certainly he said that they promised infantry and cavalry at their own expense for ten years.
sed sit hoc λάπισμα; magnas habet certe copias et habebit non Italiae vectigal sed civium bona.
But let this be a "boast"; he certainly has great forces, and he will have not the revenue of Italy, but the property of the citizens.
adde confidentiam hominis, adde imbecillitatem bonorum virorum qui quidem, quod illum sibi merito iratum putant, oderunt, ut tu scribis †ludum cc vellem scribis, quisnam hic significasset.
Add to this the arrogance of the man, add the weakness of the good men, who indeed, because they think he is deservedly angry with them, hate him, as you write... who was meant here.
sed et iste, quia† plus ostenderat quam fecit et vulgo illum qui amarunt non amant; municipia vero et rustici Romani illum metuunt, hunc adhuc diligunt.
But he too, because he had shown more than he performed, is no longer loved by the general public who used to love him; but the municipalities and the Roman country-folk fear that man, and still love this one.
qua re ita paratus est ut, etiam si vincere non possit, quo modo tamen vinci ipse possit non videam.
Therefore, he is so prepared that, even if he cannot win, yet how he himself can be defeated I do not see.
ego autem non tam γοητείαν huius timeo quam πειθανάγκην. "αἱ γὰρ τῶν τυράννων δεήσεισ"
inquit Πλάτων
"oi)=sq' o(/ti memigme/nai a)na/gkais. " §9.13.5illa ἀλίμενα video tibi non probari.
But I do not fear so much his "allurement" as his "forced persuasion." "For the requests of tyrants," says Plato, "you know that they are mixed with compulsion." I see that those "harborless places" are not approved by you.
quae ne mihi quidem placebant; sed habebam in illis et occultationem et ὑπηρεσίαν fidelem. quae si mihi Brundisi suppeterent, mallem; sed ibi occultatio nulla est.
Indeed, they did not please me either; but I had in them both a hiding-place and faithful "assistance." If these were available to me at Brundisium, I should prefer it; but there, there is no hiding-place.
verum, ut scribis, cum sciemus. §9.13.6viris bonis me non nimis excuso.
But, as you write, when we shall know. I do not excuse myself too much to the good men.
quas enim eos cenas et facere et obire scripsit ad me Sextus, quam lautas, quam tempestivas! sed sint quamvis boni, non sunt meliores quam nos.
For what dinners Sextus wrote to me that they both give and attend, how luxurious, how timely! But let them be as good as you please, they are no better than we are.
moverent me, si essent fortiores.
They would move me, if they were braver.
de Lanuvino Phameae erravi; Troianum somniaveram.
I was mistaken about Phamea's villa at Lanuvium; I had dreamed of the Trojan one.
id ego volui Q. sed pluris est.
I wanted that for Quintus. But it is of greater value.
istuc tamen cuperem emere, si ullam spem fruendi viderem. §9.13.7nos quae monstra cotidie legamus intelleges ex illo libello qui in epistulam coniectus est.
Yet I should like to buy that place of yours, if I saw any hope of enjoying it. What monstrous things we read daily you will understand from that booklet which has been enclosed in this letter.
Lentulus noster Puteolis est, ἀδημονῶν is, ut Caesius narrat, quid agat.
Our Lentulus is at Puteoli, "anxious," as Caesius reports, as to what he should do.
διατροπὴν Corfiniensem reformidat. Pompeio nunc putat satis factum, beneficio Caesaris movetur, sed tamen movetur magis prospectare. §9.13.8tene haec posse ferre? omnia misera sed hoc nihil miserius.
He dreads a Corfinian "rout." He thinks Pompey has now been satisfied, and he is moved by Caesar's kindness, but yet he is more moved to look out for the future. Can you bear these things? All is wretched, but nothing is more wretched than this.
Pompeius N. Magium de pace misit et tamen oppugnatur.
Pompey sent Numerius Magius concerning peace, and yet he is being besieged.
quod ego non credebam, sed habeo a Balbo litteras quarum ad te exemplum misi.
I did not believe this, but I have a letter from Balbus of which I have sent you a copy.
lege, quaeso, et illud infimum caput ipsius Balbi optimi, cui Gnaeus noster locum ubi hortos aedificaret dedit, quem cui nostrum non saepe praetulit? itaque miser torquetur.
Read it, please, and also that very last section of the excellent Balbus himself, to whom our Gnaeus gave a place to build gardens, and whom he often preferred to any of us! And so, poor man, he is tormented.
sed ne bis eadem legas, ad ipsam te epistulam reicio.
But so that you do not read the same things twice, I refer you to the letter itself.
spem autem pacis habeo nullam.
However, I have no hope of peace.
Dolabella suis litteris iii Idus Mart. datis merum bellum loquitur.
Dolabella, in his letter dispatched on the thirteenth of March, talks of nothing but war.
maneamus ergo in illa eadem sententia misera et desperata, quando hoc miserius esse nihil potest.
Let us remain, therefore, in that same wretched and desperate opinion, since nothing can be more wretched than this.