420officium, imperatoris officium"? Praeclare convenit; aut da melius. Male narras de Nepotis filio. Valde mehercule moveor et moleste fero. Nescieram omnino esse istum puerum. Caninium perdidi, hominem, quod ad me attinet, non ingratum. Athenodorum nihil est quod hortere. Misit enim satis bellum ὑπόμνημα. Gravedini, quaeso, omni ratione subveni. Avi tui pronepos scribit ad patris mei nepotem se ex Nonis iis, quibus nos magna gessimus; aedem Opis explicaturum idque ad populum. Videbis igitur et scribes. Sexti iudicium exspecto.

XV
CICERO ATTICO SAL.

Scr. in Arpinati ante V. Id. Dec. a. 710

Noli putare pigritia me facere, quod non mea manu scribam, sed mehercule pigritia. Nihil enim habeo aliud, quod dicam. Et tamen in tuis quoque epistulis Alexim videor adgnoscere. Sed ad rem venio.

Ego, si me non improbissime Dolabella tractasset, dubitassem fortasse, utrum remissior essem an summo iure contenderem. Nunc vero etiam gaudeo mihi causam oblatam, in qua et ipse sentiat et reliqui omnes me ab illo abalienatum, idque prae me feram, et quidem me mea causa facere et rei publicae, ut

officium of consuls, of the Senate, of generals? It is quite appropriate; if not, suggest a better word. That is bad news about Nepos' son. I am much disturbed and distressed. I had no idea he had such a son. I have lost Canidius, a man who, so far as I was concerned, has not been ungrateful.[[335]] There is no necessity for you to stir up Athenodorus. He has sent me quite a good memorandum. Pray do all you can for your cold. Your grandfather's greatgrandson writes to my father's grandson[[336]] that after the 5th of December, the day of my great achievement,[[337]] he means to explain about the temple of Ops,[[338]] and that in public. Keep your eyes open then and let me know. I am anxious to hear what Sextus has to say.

[335]. For Cicero's defence of him in 55 B.C.

[336]. Young Quintus Cicero to Cicero's son.

[337]. The arrest of the Catilinarian conspirators in 63 B.C.

[338]. Antony's seizure of the public funds deposited in that temple. Cf. XIV. 14.