§9.15.1cum dedissem ad te litteras ut scires Caesarem Capuae vii Kal. fore, adlatae mihi Capua sunt †et hoc mihi et† in Albano apud Curionem v K. fore.
When I had sent off the letter to you that you might know Caesar would be at Capua on the 26th of March, word was brought to me from Capua that he would be at Capua and on the 28th at Curio's in the Alban territory.
eum cum videro, Arpinum pergam.
When I see him, I shall head for Arpinum.
si mihi veniam quam peto dederit, utar illius condicione; si minus, impetrabo aliquid a me ipso.
If he grants me the indulgence I ask for, I shall avail myself of his terms; if not, I shall obtain something from myself.
ille, ut ad me scripsit, legiones singulas posuit Brundisi, Tarenti, Siponti.
He, as he has written to me, has stationed single legions at Brundisium, Tarentum, and Sipontum.
claudere mihi videtur maritimos exitus et tamen ipse Graeciam spectare potius quam Hispanias.
He seems to me to be blocking my exit by sea, and yet he himself is looking rather toward Greece than toward the Spains.
§9.15.2sed haec longius absunt.
But these things are further off.
me nunc et congressus huius stimulat (is vero adest) et primas eius actiones horreo.
For now, both the meeting with this man stimulates me (and indeed it is close at hand) and I dread his first actions.
volet enim, credo, S. C. facere, volet augurum decretum (rapiemur aut absentes vexabimur), vel ut consules roget praetor vel dictatorem dicat; quorum neutrum ius est.
For he will wish, I believe, to pass a decree of the Senate, and he will wish a decree of the augurs (we shall be dragged there or harassed in our absence), or that a praetor should elect consuls or name a dictator; neither of which is lawful.
etsi, si Sulla potuit efficere ab interrege ut dictator diceretur, cur hic non possit? nihil expedio nisi ut aut ab hoc tamquam Q. Mucius aut ab illo tamquam L. Scipio.
And yet, if Sulla could arrange through an interrex to be named dictator, why should this man not be able to do so? I see no way out for myself except either to be killed by this one like Quintus Mucius, or to be treated by that one like Lucius Scipio.
§9.15.3cum tu haec leges, ego illum fortasse convenero.
By the time you read this, I shall perhaps have met him.
"τέτλαθι"
"κύντερον"
ne illud quidem nostrum proprium.
"Endure!" "A more shameful thing!" Even that situation of Odysseus is not our own.
erat enim spes propinqui reditus, erat hominum querela.
For there was hope of a near return, and there was the lament of men.
nunc exire cupimus, qua spe reditus mihi quidem numquam in mentem venit.
Now we desire to depart, with what hope of return indeed never enters my mind.
non modo autem nulla querela est municipalium hominum ac rusticorum sed contra metuunt ut crudelem, iratum.
Furthermore, not only is there no lament among the townsmen and rustics, but on the contrary they fear him as cruel and angry.
nec tamen mihi quicquam est miserius quam remansisse nec optatius quam evolare non tam ad belli quam ad fugae societatem.
And yet, nothing is more miserable for me than to have remained, nor more desirable than to fly away, not so much to share in war as to share in flight.
†sed tu omnia qui† consilia differebas in id tempus cum sciremus quae Brundisi acta essent.
But you were postponing all plans to the time when we should know what had been done at Brundisium.
scimus nempe; haeremus nihilo minus.
Indeed, we know; nevertheless we stick fast.
vix enim spero mihi hunc veniam daturum, etsi multa adfero iusta ad impetrandum.
For I have little hope that this man will grant me indulgence, although I bring forward many just reasons to obtain it.
sed tibi omnem illius meumque sermonem omnibus verbis expressum statim mittam.
But I shall immediately send you our entire conversation, expressed in every word.
§9.15.4tu nunc omni amore enitere ut nos cura tua et prudentia iuves.
Now strive with all love to help us by your care and prudence.
ita subito accurrit ut ne T. Rebilum quidem, ut constitueram, possim videre; omnia nobis imparatis agenda.
He is rushing here so suddenly that I cannot even see Titus Rebilus, as I had intended; we must do everything unprepared.
sed tamen
"ἄλλα μὲν αὐτόσ,"
ut ait ille,
"ἄλλα δὲ καὶ δαίμων ὑποθήσεται.
But yet, "Some things indeed you yourself, and others also a divinity will suggest," as that poet says.
"
quicquid egero continuo scies.
Whatever I do, you shall know immediately.
mandata Caesaris ad consules et ad Pompeium quae rogas, nulla habeo †et descripta attulit illa e via†misi ad te ante; e quibus mandata intellegi posse.
As for Caesar's proposals to the consuls and to Pompey which you ask for, I have none; I sent them to you before, from which his intentions can be understood.
Philippus Neapoli est, Lentulus Puteolis.
Philippus is at Naples, Lentulus at Puteoli.
de Domitio, ut facis, sciscitare ubi sit, quid cogitet.
As for Domitius, inquire where he is and what he intends, as you are doing.
§9.15.5quod scribis asperius me quam mei patiantur mores de Dionysio scripsisse, vide quam sim antiquorum hominum.
As for your writing that I have written about Dionysius more harshly than my character allows, see how old-fashioned I am.
te medius fidius hanc rem gravius putavi laturum esse quam me.
By the god of truth, I thought you would take this matter more heavily than I.
nam praeter quam quod te moveri arbitror oportere iniuria quae mihi a quoquam facta sit, praeterea te ipsum quodam modo hic violavit cum in me tam improbus fuit.
For besides the fact that I think you ought to be moved by an injury done to me by anyone, furthermore he has in a way violated you yourself since he was so unprincipled towards me.
sed tu id quanti aestimes tuum iudicium est; nec tamen in hoc tibi quicquam oneris impono.
But how much you value that is for your own judgment; yet I impose no burden on you in this matter.
ego autem illum male sanum semper putavi, nunc etiam impurum et sceleratum puto nec tamen mihi inimiciorem quam sibi.
As for me, I always thought him half-insane, and now I even think him base and wicked, yet not more hostile to me than to himself.
Philargyro bene curasti.
You have taken good care of Philargyrus.
causam certe habuisti et veram et bonam, relictum esse me potius quam reliquisse.
You certainly had a true and good reason, that I was left by him rather than that I left him.
§9.15.6cum dedissem iam litteras a. d. viii Kal. , pueri quos cum Matio et Trebatio miseram epistulam mihi attulerunt hoc exemplo:
"MATIVS ET TREBATIVS CICERONI IMP. salutem
cum Capua exissemus, in itinere audivimus Pompeium Brundisio a.
When I had already sent my letter on the 25th of March, the boys whom I had sent to Matius and Trebatius brought me a letter of the following tenor: "MATIUS AND TREBATIUS TO CICERO, IMPERATOR, GREETINGS.
d. xvi K. Aprilis cum omnibus copiis quas habuerit profectum esse; Caesarem postero die in oppidum introisse, contionatum esse, inde Romam contendisse, velle ante K. esse ad urbem et pauculos dies ibi commorari, deinde in Hispanias proficisci.
When we had left Capua, we heard on our journey that Pompey had set out from Brundisium on the 17th of March with all the forces he had; that Caesar had entered the town on the following day, made a speech, and then hastened to Rome, wishing to be near the city before the 1st of April, to delay there for a very few days, and then to set out for the Spains.
nobis non alienum visum est, quoniam de adventu Caesaris pro certo habebamus, pueros tuos ad te remittere, ut id tu quam primum scires.
It did not seem out of place to us, since we had certain news of Caesar's arrival, to send your boys back to you, so that you might know it as soon as possible.
mandata tua nobis curae sunt eaque ut tempus postularit agemus.
Your instructions are of concern to us, and we shall act upon them as time demands.
Trebatius sedulo facit ut antecedat.
Trebatius is diligently striving to keep ahead.
epistula conscripta nuntiatum est nobis Caesarem a. d. viii K. Aprilis Beneventi mansurum, a. d. vii Capuae, a. d. vi Sinuessae.
After the letter was written, we were informed that Caesar would stay at Beneventum on the 25th of March, at Capua on the 26th, and at Sinuessa on the 27th.
hoc pro certo putamus. "
We regard this as certain."