[341]. A contio delivered by Octavian.
[342]. Casca was one of the murderers of Caesar, and tribune elect.
424ut adulescentem totamque causam manumque veteranorum complecterer, me nullo modo facere posse, ni mihi exploratum esset eum non modo non inimicum tyrannoctonis, verum etiam amicum fore. Cum ille diceret ita futurum, "Quid igitur festinamus?" inquam. "Illi enim mea opera ante Kal. Ian. nihil opus est, nos autem eius voluntatem ante Idus Decembr. perspiciemus in Casca." Valde mihi adsensus est. Quam ob rem haec quidem hactenus. Quod reliquum est, cotidie tabellarios habebis, et, ut ego arbitror, etiam quod scribas, habebis cotidie. Leptae litterarum exemplum tibi misi, ex quo mihi videtur Στρατύλαξ ille deiectus de gradu. Sed tu, cum legeris, existumabis.
Obsignata iam epistula litteras a te et a Sexto accepi. Nihil iucundius litteris Sexti, nihil amabilius. Nam tuae breves, priores erant uberrimae. Tu quidem et prudenter et amice suades, ut in his locis potissimum sim, quoad audiamus, haec, quae commota sunt, quorsus evadant. Sed me, mi Attice, non sane hoc quidem tempore movet res publica, non quo aut sit mihi quicquam carius aut esse debeat, sed desperatis etiam Hippocrates vetat adhibere medicinam. Quare ista valeant; me res familiaris movet. Rem dico; immo vero existimatio. Cum enim tanta reliqua sint, ne Terentiae quidem adhuc quod solvam expeditum est. Terentiam dico; scis nos pridem iam constituisse Montani nomine HS XXV dissolvere. Pudentissime hoc Cicero petierat ut fide sua. Liberalissime, ut tibi quoque placuerat, promiseram,
open my arms to the youth, the whole cause, and the troop of veterans, that I could not do anything of the kind, until I had made sure that he would not only not be an enemy, but would be a friend to the tyrannicides. He said that would be so, and I replied: "Then, what is the hurry? He does not want my assistance before the 1st of January, and we shall see what he intends before the middle of December in Casca's case." He quite agreed with me. So that's enough of that. For the rest you will have messengers every day, and I think you will have something to write every day too. I am sending a copy of Lepta's letter, and from it you will see that that toy captain[[343]] has had a fall. But you will judge for yourself when you have read it.
[343]. Antony.
When I had already sealed this letter, I got one from you and one from Sextus. Nothing could have been pleasanter or more amiable than Sextus' letter. For yours was a short note, the earlier one having been very full. It is wise and friendly advice you give me to stay here by preference, till we hear how this disturbance is going to end. But just at this minute, my dear Atticus, it is not the Republic that I am bothered about—not that any thing is or ought to be dearer to me, but even Hippocrates admits it is useless to apply medicine in desperate cases. So let that go hang—it is my private concerns that bother me. Concerns, do I say? Nay, rather my credit; for, though I have such big balances, I have not even enough money on hand yet to pay Terentia. Do I speak of Terentia? You know we arranged long ago to pay Montanus' debt of £250.[[344]] My son very considerately begged me to do it out of his credit. As you also agreed, I promised quite freely,
[344]. 25 sestertia.
426Erotique dixeram, ut sepositum haberet. Non modo non fecit sed iniquissimo faenore versuram facere Aurelius coactus est. Nam de Terentiae nomine Tiro ad me scripsit te dicere nummos a Dolabella fore. Male eum credo intellexisse, si quisquam male intellegit, potius nihil intellexisse. Tu enim ad me scripsisti Coccei responsum et isdem paene verbis Eros. Veniendum est igitur vel in ipsam flammam. Turpius est enim privatim cadere quam publice. Itaque ceteris de rebus, quas ad me suavissume scripsisti, perturbato animo non potui, ut consueram, rescribere. Consenti hac cura,[[345]] ubi sum, ut me expediam; quibus autem rebus, venit quidem mihi in mentem, sed certi constituere nihil possum, prius quam te videro. Qui minus autem ego istic recte esse possim, quam est Marcellus? Sed non id agitur, neque id maxime curo; quid curem, vides. Adsum igitur.
[345]. consenti hac cura Tyrrell: consenti in hac cura MSS.: contendo Astura Gurlitt.