XVII
CICERO TO ATTICUS, GREETING.

Formiae, March 27, B.C. 49

I am awaiting Trebatius on March the 27th, the date of this letter. From his tidings and Matius' letter I shall consider how to talk to Caesar. What a wretched age this is! I have no doubt Caesar will urge me to come to Rome. For he gave orders that notices should be posted even at Formiae that he wanted a full house on the 1st. Must I refuse? But why do I anticipate? I will write you all about it at once. From Caesar's conversation I shall decide whether I ought to go to Arpinum or elsewhere. I wish to celebrate my son's coming of age. Arpinum, I think, will be the place. Please consider what I should do next, for my troubles have made me stupid. From Curius I want to hear whether you have had news about Tiro. For to me Tiro has written in such a way that I am anxious to know how he is. Those two who come from his part say that his condition is critical. In the midst of many great troubles this also distresses me; for in our present straits his energy and loyalty would be very serviceable.

[Pg 264]

XVIII
CICERO ATTICO SAL.

Scr. Arpini V K. Apra. 705

Utrumque ex tuo consilio; nam et oratio fuit ea nostra, ut bene potius ille de nobis existimaret quam gratias ageret, et in eo mansimus, ne ad urbem. Illa fefellerunt, facilem quod putaramus. Nihil vidi minus. Damnari se nostro iudicio, tardiores fore reliquos, si nos non veniremus, dicere. Ego dissimilem illorum esse causam. Cum multa, "Veni igitur et age de pace." "Meone," inquam, "arbitratu?" "An tibi," inquit, "ego praescribam?" "Sic," inquam, "agam, senatui non placere in Hispanias iri nec exercitus in Graeciam transportari, multaque," inquam, "de Gnaeo deplorabo." Tum ille: "Ego vero ista dici nolo." "Ita putabam," inquam; "sed ego eo nolo adesse, quod aut sic mihi dicendum est, multaque, quae nullo modo possem silere, si adessem, aut non veniendum." Summa fuit, ut ille quasi exitum quaerens, ut deliberarem. Non fuit negandum. Ita discessimus. Credo igitur hunc me non amare. At ego me amavi, quod mihi iam pridem usu non venit.

Reliqua, o di! qui comitatus, quae, ut tu soles dicere, νέκυια! in qua erat ἥρως Celer. O rem perditam! o copias desperatas! Quid, quod Servi filius, quod Titini in iis castris fuerunt, quibus Pompeius circumsederetur! Sex legiones; multum vigilat,