[207]. In the original the last word is γάμοιο not λόγοιο.
I return now to your letter. You say there are rumours that I am thinking of selling my house on the Lucrine lake and of handing over to Quintus my tiny villa at quite a fancy price, that he may bring the heiress Aquilia to it, as young Quintus says. I have had no thought of selling it, unless I
246nisi quid, quod magis me delectet, invenero. Quintus autem de emendo nihil curat hoc tempore. Satis enim torquetur debitione dotis, in qua mirificas Q. Egnatio gratias agit; a ducenda autem uxore sic abhorret, ut libero lectulo neget esse quicquam iucundius. Sed haec quoque hactenus.
Redeo enim ad miseram seu nullam potius rem publicam. M. Antonius ad me scripsit de restitutione Sex. Clodi; quam honorifice, quod ad me attinet, ex ipsius litteris cognosces (misi enim tibi exemplum), quam dissolute, quam turpiter quamque ita perniciose, ut non numquam Caesar desiderandus esse videatur, facile existimabis. Quae enim Caesar numquam neque fecisset neque passus esset, ea nunc ex falsis eius commentariis proferuntur. Ego autem Antonio facillimum me praebui. Etenim ille, quoniam semel induxit animum sibi licere, quod vellet, fecisset nihilo minus me invito. Itaque mearum quoque litterarum misi tibi exemplum.
XIIIa
ANTONIUS COS. S. D. M. CICERONI.
Scr. Romae inter a. d. X et VII K. Mai. a. 710
Occupationibus est factum meis et subita tua profectione, ne tecum coram de hac re agerem. Quam ob causam vereor, ne absentia mea levior sit apud te. Quodsi bonitas tua responderit iudicio meo, quod semper habui de te, gaudebo.
find something that suits me better, while Quintus is not thinking of buying it at the present time. He is quite bothered enough with repaying the dowry,[[208]] and is expressing the deepest gratitude to Egnatius for his assistance. To marrying again he is so averse that he declares a bachelor's couch is the most comfortable in the world. But enough of this also.
[208]. To Pomponia, sister of Atticus, whom he had recently divorced.
For now I return to the crushed or rather non-existent republic. M. Antonius has written to me about the recall of Sex. Clodius. You will see from the copy I include that the tone of his letter, so far as concerns myself, is complimentary enough. But you can easily imagine the proposal is so unprincipled, so disgraceful, and so mischievous, that at times one almost wishes for Caesar back again. For things that Caesar never would have done, nor allowed to be done, are now being brought forward from forged notes of his. However, I have shown myself quite complaisant to Antonius. For when he has once got it into his head that he may do what he chooses, he would have done it just as readily against my will. So I have sent you a copy of my letter too.