et tua Tulliae fore parata, tua credo, nostra quae poterunt esse? De Terentia autem (mitto cetera, quae sunt innumerabilia) quid ad hoc addi potest? Scripseras, ut HS XII permutaret; tantum esse reliquum de argento. Misit illa CCIↃↃ mihi et adscripsit tantum esse reliquum. Cum hoc tam parvum de parvo detraxerit, perspicis, quid in maxima re fecerit.
Philotimus non modo nullus venit, sed ne per litteras quidem aut per nuntium certiorem facit me, quid egerit. Epheso qui veniunt, ibi se eum de suis controversiis in ius adeuntem vidisse nuntiant; quae quidem (ita enim veri simile est) in adventum Caesaris fortasse reiciuntur. Ita aut nihil puto eum habere, quod putet ad me celerius perferendum, aut adeo me in malis esse despectum, ut, etiamsi quid habet, id nisi omnibus suis negotiis confectis ad me referre non curet. Ex quo magnum equidem capio dolorem, sed non tantum, quantum videor debere. Nihil enim mea minus interesse puto, quam quid illinc adferatur. Id quam ob rem, te intellegere certo scio.
Quod me mones de vultu et oratione ad tempus accommodanda, etsi difficile est, tamen imperarem mihi, a mea quicquam interesse putarem. Quod scribis litteris putare te Africanum negotium confici posse, vellem scriberes, cur ita putares; mihi quidem nihil in mentem venit, quare id putem fieri posse. Tu tamen velim, si quid erit, quod consolationis aliquid
write that my fortune and yours are at Tullia's service, I believe you as to yours, but what can there be of mine? Now as to Terentia, I omit lots of other things, for what can one add to this? You wrote to her to remit me by bill of exchange £100, saying that was the balance. She sent me 80 guineas,[198] adding that that was all the balance. If she purloins so trifling an amount from so small a total, you can see what she has been doing in the case of larger sums.
[198] 12,000 and 10,000 sesterces respectively.
Not a trace of Philotimus as yet: nay, he has not even informed me by letter or messenger what he has done. Those who come from Ephesus say they saw him there going into court about some lawsuits of his own, which possibly—indeed in all probability—are deferred till Caesar's arrival. So I suppose he either has nothing which he thinks he need hurry to bring to me, or I have sunk so low in my misfortunes that, even if he has, he does not take the trouble to bring it until he has finished all his own business. And that causes me considerable annoyance, but not so much as I think it ought. For I don't think anything matters much less to me than what answer he brings back from that quarter. Why, I am quite sure you know.
You advise me to mould my looks and words according to circumstances. It is difficult, but I would put a rein on myself, if I thought it mattered to me at all. You say you think the African business can be arranged by an interchange of letters: I wish you would say, why you think so: for I can't imagine any reason for thinking it possible. However please write to me, if there is anything that would give me