§1.7.1Littera pro verbis tibi, Messaline, salutem §1.7.2quam legis, a saevis attulit usque Getis, §1.7.3indicat auctorem locus? an, nisi nomine lecto,
This letter instead of words, Messalinus, brings you greeting, which you are reading, all the way from the savage Getae, does the place indicate the author?
§1.7.4haec me Nasonem scribere verba latet?
Or, unless the name is read, does it escape you that I, Naso, am writing these words?
Is there anyone of your people situated at the end of the world who lies low, myself however excepted, who pray to be yours?
§1.7.7di procul a cunctis, qui te venerantur amantque §1.7.8huius notitiam gentis habere velint, §1.7.9nos satis est inter glaciem Scythicasque sagittas §1.7.10vivere, si vita est mortis habenda genus, §1.7.11nos premat aut bello tellus, aut frigore caelum, §1.7.12truxque Getes armis, grandine pugnet hiems.
May the gods wish to keep far from all who revere and love you any knowledge of this nation, it is enough for me to live among the ice and Scythian arrows, if life must be considered a kind of death, let the land press upon me with war, or the sky with cold, and let the fierce Getes fight with weapons, and winter with hail.
Let a region hold me that is fertile neither in fruit nor in grapes, and of which no side is free from the enemy.
Let the rest of the crowd of your worshipers be safe, among whom, as in a crowd, I was a small part.
Wretched me, if you are offended by those words of yours and deny that I was yours in any part!
And even if that were true, you ought to pardon one who has lied: our glory takes away nothing from your praise.
§1.7.21quis se Caesaribus notus non fingit amicum?
Who that is known to the Caesars does not pretend to be a friend?
§1.7.22da veniam lasso: tu mihi Caesar eras.
Give pardon to a weary man: you were a Caesar to me.
Yet I do not break in where it is not permitted to go, and it is enough if you do not deny that your halls were open to me.
§1.7.25utque tibi fuerit mecum nihil amplius, uno §1.7.26nempe salutaris, quam prius, ore minus, §1.7.27nec tuus est genitor nos infitiatus amicos, §1.7.28hortator studii causaque faxque mei: §1.7.29cui nos et lacrimas, supremum in funere munus, §1.7.30et dedimus medio scripta canenda foro.
And though there had been nothing more between you and me, surely you are greeted by one mouth fewer than before, nor did your father deny that we were friends, the encourager, cause, and torch of my studies: to whom we gave both tears, the last tribute at his funeral, and writings to be sung in the middle of the forum.
§1.7.31adde quod est frater, tanto tibi iunctus amore, §1.7.32quantus in Atridis Tyndaridisque fuit: §1.7.33is me nec comitem nec dedignatus amicum est: §1.7.34si tamen haec illi non nocitura putas.
Add that there is your brother, joined to you by as great love as there was in the Atridae and the Tyndaridae: he did not disdain me as a companion nor as a friend: if, however, you think these things will not harm him.
§1.7.35si minus, hac quoque me mendacem parte fatebor: §1.7.36clausa mihi potius tota sit ista domus, §1.7.37sed neque claudenda est, et nulla potentia vires §1.7.38praestanda ne quid peccet amicus, habet.
If otherwise, I will confess myself a liar in this part too: let rather that whole house of yours be closed to me, but neither must it be closed, and no power has the strength to guarantee that a friend should not commit a fault.
And yet, just as I could wish that my fault too could be denied, so everyone knows that crime is absent from me.
Which, unless a part of the offense were excusable, my relegation would have been a small punishment.
§1.7.43ipse sed hoc vidit, qui pervidet omnia. Caesar, §1.7.44stultitiam dici crimina posse mea: §1.7.45quaque ego permisi, quaque est res passa, pepercit, §1.7.46usus et est modice fulminis igne sui.
But Caesar himself saw this, who sees through all things, that my offenses could be called foolishness: and where I allowed and where the matter permitted, he spared, and used the fire of his lightning moderately.
§1.7.47nec vitam nec opes nec ademit posse reverti, §1.7.48si sua per vestras victa sit ira preces, §1.7.49at graviter cecidi, quid enim mirabile, si quis §1.7.50a Iove percussus non leve vulnus habet?
He took away neither life nor wealth nor the power to return, if his anger should be overcome by your prayers, but I fell heavily; for what is wonderful if anyone struck by Jove has no light wound?
§1.7.51ipse suas etiam vires inhiberet Achilles, §1.7.52missa gravis ictus Pelias hasta dabat, §1.7.53iudicium nobis igitur cum vindicis adsit, §1.7.54non est cur tua me ianua nosse neget.
Achilles himself would restrain his own strength, yet the thrown Pelian spear of heavy blow used to give wounds, therefore, since we have the judgment of the avenger on our side, there is no reason why your door should deny that it knows me.
§1.7.55culta quidem, fateor, citra quam debuit, illa est; §1.7.56sed fuit in fatis hoc quoque, credo, meis.
That door was indeed cultivated, I confess, less than it ought to have been; but this too, I believe, was in my fates.
§1.7.57nec tamen officium sensit domus altera nostrum §1.7.58sic: illic vestro sub Lare semper eram.
Yet no other house felt our service in this way: there under your Lar I always was.
§1.7.59quaeque tua est pietas, ut te non excolat ipsum, §1.7.60ius aliquod tecum fratris amicus habet.
And such is your piety, even though he does not cultivate you yourself, a friend of your brother has some claim with you.
§1.7.61quid quod, ut emeritis referenda est gratia semper, §1.7.62sic est fortunae promeruisse tuae?
What of the fact that, just as gratitude must always be returned to the deserving, so it is to have deserved well of your fortune?
But if you permit us to advise what you should wish, pray the gods that you may give more than you return.
And you do this, and as far as one may remember, you were wont to be the cause of duty to more people by giving opportunities.
§1.7.67quo libet in numero me, Messaline, repone, §1.7.68sim modo pars vestrae non aliena domus: §1.7.69et mala Nasonem, quoniam meruisse videtur, §1.7.70si non ferre doles, at meruisse dole.
Place me, Messalinus, in whatever number you please, so long as I am a part of your house, not foreign to it: and if you do not grieve that Naso bears misfortunes, since he seems to have deserved them, at least grieve that he deserved them.