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 THE 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 O F 
 
 Marcus Tullius Cicero 
 
 T O 
 
 Several of his FRIENDS ; 
 
 With REMARKS 
 By WILLIAM MELMOTH, Efq; 
 
 , Quo fit ut omnis 
 
 Votiva pateat veluti defcripta tabella 
 
 Vita fenis. HOR. , 
 
 In THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. L 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for R. DODSLEY in Pall-mall. 1753*
 
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 Advertifement. I 
 
 ^TH E principal defign of the follow* 
 ing attempt^ is to trace the conduEl^ 
 and inquire into the char after of Cicero. 
 For this purpofe the prefent letters were 
 preferred to thofe which are written to 
 Atticus : as they Jhew the author of them 
 in a greater variety of connexions ^ and 
 afford an opportunity indeed of conjider- 
 ing him in almojl every pojjible point of 
 view. 
 
 This correfpondence includes a period of 
 about twenty years ; commencing imme- 
 diately after Cicero s consulate , and end- 
 ing a few months before his death.
 
 , 
 
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 a&* *wl 
 
 . 
 
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 / 
 
 
 
 .
 
 LETTERS* 
 
 O F 
 
 Marcus Tullius Cicero 
 
 T O 
 
 Several of his FRIENDS. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 Y 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 To POMPEY the Great : Emperor '. 
 
 OUR letter to the fenate afforded in-A.t7.69i 
 expreflible fatisfa&ion, not only to 
 felf, but to the public in general : as the 
 
 * Thefe letters are placed accordingto their fuppofed dates : 
 The reader will find at the end of each of thefe volumes an 
 index referring to the order in which they ftand in the com- 
 mon editions. 
 
 ' The title tf Emperor* during the times of the republic, 
 did not bear the leaft relation to that idea which is affixed 
 to it in modern language : but was merely honorary and oc- 
 cafional. It was conferred on the Roman generals by the ac- 
 clamations of their army in the field, after fome fignal advan- 
 tage gained by their courage and conduct : and it was imme- 
 diately dropped again as foon as they entered into Rome. 
 
 VOL. I. B hopes
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK t 
 
 A.U. 691. hopes it brought us of a peace, are agreeable 
 to thofe expectations, which, in full confidence 
 of your fuperior abilities, I had always encou- 
 raged the world to entertain*. I muft acquaint 
 you however, that it entirely funk the fpirits 
 of that party, who from being formerly your 
 declared enemies, have lately become your pre- 
 tended friends : as it utterly difappointed their 
 moft fanguine hopes 3 . 
 
 Notwithstanding the letter which you wrote 
 to me by the fame exprefs, difcovered but very 
 flight marks of your affection; yet I red it with 
 pleafure. The truth is, I am always abundant- 
 
 * Pompey was at this time carrying on the war in Afia 
 againft Mithridates, king of Pontus : and the letter to which 
 Cicero alludes, probably brought an account of the progrefs 
 of the campaign. Mithridates was a cruel but brave prince, 
 who had given employment to the Roman arms for more 
 than forty years. Pompey, however, had the good for- 
 tune to complete what Sylla and Lucullus, his predeceflbrs 
 in this. command, were obliged to leave unfinifhed: and he 
 not only defeated Mithridates, but annexed to the Roman 
 dominions all that part of Afia which is between the Red, 
 the Cafpian, and the Arabian feas. Fbr. iii. 5. 
 ' It is doubtful to whom Cicero here alludes. Some of 
 the commentators fuppofe that he points at Lucullus: who, 
 as he had been recalled from the command in which 
 Pompey was now employed, would not, it may well be ima- 
 gined, be greatly pleafed with the fuccefs of his rival. 
 Others think that he had Caefar in view : and what renders 
 this conjecture extremely probable is, that Caefar and Pom- 
 pey, who had been long oppofites in politics, were now ap- 
 parently reconciled ; the former (for purpofes which mail 
 hereafter be explained) falling in with that party who were 
 for conferring the lugheit and moft unconftimtional honors 
 on the ktter.
 
 BOOK X. OF C t C E R 6. 3 
 
 ly fatisfied with the confcioufnefs of having ex- A.U.6oj 
 ferted my beft offices towards my friends : and 
 if they do not think proper to make me an equal 
 return, I am well contented that the fuperiority 
 fhould remain on my fide. But if my utmoft 
 zeal for your interefts, has not been fufficient 
 to unite you to mine-, I doubt not our co-opera- 
 ting together upon the fame patriot-principles, 
 will be a means of cementing us more ftrongly 
 hereafter. In the mean time, it would neither 
 be agreeable to the opennefs of my temper, nor 
 to the freedom of that mutual friendship we 
 profefs, to conceal what I thought wanting in 
 your letter. I will acknowledge then, that the 
 public fervices I performed during my late con- 
 fulfhip, gave me reafon to expect from your at- 
 tachment both to myfelf and to the common- 
 wealth, that you would have fent me your 
 congratulations : and I am perfuaded you would 
 not have omitted them, but from a tendernefs 
 to certain perfons 4 . Let me afTure you however, 
 
 4 Cicero was advanced to the confular office the year 
 before the date of this letter: that is, An. Urb. 690. The 
 glorious part he afted during his adminiflration, particular- 
 ly with regard to Catiline, is too generally known to be 
 mentioned in this place: and indeed, " nothing could 
 " have depreciated the fervices he then did his country (as 
 *' the diftinguiftied author of the cbfervaticns upon Cice- 
 " ro^s life, has ]uftly remarked) but his being fofenfibleof 
 " them himfelf." However, in the prefent inftance he had 
 undoubtedly caufe to complain of Pompey's unexpected 
 B 2 that
 
 THE L E T T E R S BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 691. that what I have performed for the prefervation 
 
 ^of my country, has received the concurrent ap- 
 
 plaufes of the whole world. You will find when 
 
 you return hither, I conducted that important 
 
 fcene with fo much fpirit and policy, that you, 
 
 like another Scipio, tho' far fuperior indeed to 
 
 that hero in glory, will not refufe to admit me, 
 
 like a fecond Lselius*, and not much behind 
 
 him, I truft, in wifdom, as the friend and 
 
 coolnefs: the occafion of which feems to have been this. 
 A very powerful party was now forming againft Cicero by 
 Czefar and Metellus the tribune; and Pompey was confi- 
 dered as a proper perfon to fupport their defigns of deftroy- 
 jng the great authority which Cicero had lately acquired. 
 It is highly probable therefore from Pompey's referve to our 
 author, that he had received fome overtures of this fort : and 
 as he was jealous of every power that might obftruft his 
 own, he was by no means difpofed, it mould feem, to ad- 
 vance Cicero's credit by gratifying him with thofe applaufes 
 which his condudt deferved. Plut. in <vit. Cicero. 
 
 5 Scipio Africanus the younger, to whom Cicero here 
 alludes, was conful in the year of Rome 605 : as Laslius 
 was in the year 612. The ftricl: intimacy which fubfifted 
 between thefe diftinguimed Romans, is celebrated by feve- 
 ral of the claflic writers : but Cicero has paid it the higheft 
 honors in his Dialogue upon friendfhip. Scipio and Lze- 
 lius ufedto retire together from the bufmefs of the Hate, to 
 a villa fituated on the fea more near Laurentum ; where 
 thefe illuftrious friends did not think it beneath their chara- 
 fters to defcend to the humbleft recreations. The virtus 
 ScipiadfS et mitis fapientia Lfcli, the heroifm of Scipio and 
 the wifdom of Liclius could unbend in gathering {hells and 
 pebbles on the coaft : and perhaps it is fome evidence of 
 their merit, that they were capable of being thus eafily 
 diverted. Lefs virtuous minds generally have recourfe to 
 more agitated relaxations, and are feldom entertained with- 
 out carrying their paffions into their amufements. Orat. fry 
 Murom. 36. Hot: Sat. ii. i. $ 72. Cic. dc oral. ii. 6. 
 
 aflbciate
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 5 
 
 aflbciate of your private and public tranfactions. A.U.69I 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Quintus Metellus Celer 6 , Proconful: to Cicero. 
 
 AS I perfuaded myfelf that our reconciliation 
 and friendfhip was mutually fmcerc, I ne- 
 ver imagined I mould have had occafion to 
 complain of being marked out in my abfence 
 as the object of your ridicule 7 . For the fame 
 reafon I was equally far from fuppofmg that you 
 would have -acted with fo much bitternefs 
 againft my relation Metellus 8 , as to perfecute him 
 
 6 Quintus Metellus Celer exercifed the office of Pnetor, 
 the fame year that Cicero was conful. Two years after 
 the date of this letter, he was himfelf elected to that fu- 
 preme dignity: and Cicero fpeaks of his adminiftration with 
 applaufe. He was at this time governor of Cifalpine Gaul. 
 Ad, Att. ii. i . 
 
 7 The reader will find this explained by Cicero's An- 
 fwer in the following letter. 
 
 8 The perfon here alluded to, is Quintus Metellus Cae- 
 cilius Nepos, at this time a tribune of the people. He had 
 lately atrempted to procure a law for recalling Pompey 
 out of Afia ; pretending that his prefence was neceffary in 
 order to quiet the commotions in the republic. But his 
 real view was to deftroy the great credit and authority 
 which Cicero now poffefled, by throwing the whole power 
 into Pompey's hands. Cato, who was likewife tribune at 
 the fame time, moft ftrenuoufly oppofed this defign of his 
 collegue : and the contefts that arofe between them upon 
 this occasion, were attended with great and dangerous 
 djfturbances. Metellus, however, being at length obliged 
 to defift, retired in difguft with his complaints tp Pcmpey. 
 
 B 3 even
 
 6 LETTER TO BOOK I, 
 
 A.U. 691. even to the lofs of his fortunes and his dignities, 
 ^merely for a fmgle word. If the regard which is 
 due to his own character, could npt protect him 
 from the unjuft refentment of the fenate ; at 
 leaft the zeal I have ever (hewn for the in- 
 terefts of that illuftrious order, the fervices, 
 I have rendered the commonwealth, and the 
 confideration which is owing to our birth 9 , 
 mould have powerfully pleaded in his favor. 
 But it has been his fate to be ppprefied, as 
 well as mm to be deferted, by thofe, who 
 ought to have treated us in a very different man- 
 ner : and the honor of that important command 
 with which I am inverted, cannot fecure me, 
 it feems, from having caufe to lament the in- 
 dignities which are offered both to myfelf an4 
 
 After he had thus withdrawn himfelf, it was propofed, that 
 the cenfure of the fenate fhould be patted upon his turbu- 
 lent condud, as alfo that he fhould be depofed from his 
 office: and it was thefe proceedings together with the 
 part that Metellus Celer fuppofed Cicero to have borne 
 in them, which occafioned the warm remonftrances of the 
 letter before us. Plutarch afTerts it was owing to the pru- 
 dence and moderation of Cato, that the motion againft Me- 
 tellus Nepos was not carried. Suetonius, on the other 
 hand, exprefsly fays that he was aftually fufpended : and 
 indeed the following anfwer of Cicero renders it extremely 
 probable that fome decree of that kind had been voted, and 
 afterwards repealed. Plut. in wit. Cafon. Suet, in Jul. Caf. 
 1 6. 
 
 9 Within the fpace of twelve years there had been no 
 lefs than twelve of this Family who were either confuls, 
 cenfors, or diftinguifhed with the honors of a triumph. Pa~ 
 'inrc'.n. u.
 
 BOOK I. CICERO. 7 
 
 to my family. Since the fenate have fhewn A. 17.691. 
 themfelves to be fo little influenced by the 
 dictates of equity, or thofe principles of mo- 
 deration which diftinguifhed our anceftors ; it 
 will be no wonder, if they Ihould find reafon 
 to repent of their conduct. But as to yourfelf, 
 I repeat it again, I never had the lead fufpicion 
 that you were capable of acting with fo much 
 inconftancy to me and mine. However, nei- 
 ther this difhonor which has been caft upon my 
 family, nor any injuries which can be done to 
 me in my own perfon, mail ever alienate my 
 affections from the republic. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 To Quintus Metellus Celer, Proconful. 
 
 I Have received your letter wherein you tell 
 me, that, " you had perfuaded yourfelf, 
 " you mould never have had occafion to com- 
 u plain of being marked out as the fubject of 
 *' my railleries". I muft affure you in return, 
 that I do not well underftand to what you allude. 
 I fufpect, however, you may have been informed 
 of a fpeech I lately made in the fenate, wherein 
 I took notice there was a confiderable party 
 amongft us, who regreted that the cpmmon- 
 B 4 wealth
 
 8 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A-U. 69 1. wealth mould have owed its prefervation to 
 my hands. I added, I confefs, that, in compli- 
 ance with the requefl " of fome of your relations 
 ' whofe defires you could by no means refufe, 
 " you fuppreffed the applaufe with which you 
 " intended to have honored me in that illuftri- 
 " ous afiembly. I mentioned at the fame time, 
 " that we had fhared between us the glory 
 " of having faved the republic : and that whilft 
 " I was protecting Rome from the wicked de- 
 " figns of her inteftine enemies, you were de- 
 *' fending Italy from the open attacks and fecret 
 " confpiracies of thofe who had meditated our 
 *' general ruin. But that fome of your fami- 
 " ly neverthelefs had endeavored to weaken 
 " this our illuftrious aflbciation, and were un- 
 " willing you mould make any return on your 
 " part, forthofe high honors with which you 
 " had been diftinguiflied on mine". As this 
 was an open confemon how much I was mortifi- 
 ed in not receiving the applaufe I expected j it 
 raifed a general fmile in the houfe : not indeed 
 at you, but at myfelf, for ingenuoufly acknow- 
 ledging my difappointment. And furely what I 
 thus faid, cannot but be confidered as highly 
 to your credit ; fmce it was an evidence that 
 amidft the highcft honors, I ftill thought my 
 
 glory
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 9 
 
 glory incomplete, without the concurrence ofA.U.6gi. 
 your approbation. 
 
 As to what you mention concerning a mutu- 
 al affeftion: I know not what you may efteem 
 as a mark of that difpofition. But according 
 to my apprehenfion, it confifts in an equal 
 return of thofe good offices which one friend re- 
 ceives from another. If as a proof of this gra- 
 titude on my part, I were to tell you that \ 
 gave up my pretenfions to your prefent govern- 
 ment ; you might well fufpect my veracity. 
 The truth is, I renounced it as being inconfiftent 
 with that plan of conduct I had laid down to 
 myfelf ' : and I find every day more and more 
 reafon to be fatisfied with having taken this re- 
 folution. But this with ftricl: fmcerity I can 
 affirm, that I no fooner relinquimed my claim 
 
 1 Cicero here alludes to the refolution he took of not ac- 
 cepting any government at the expiration of his confular 
 office: a refolution, it muft be owned, worthy of a generous 
 and difinterefted patriot. Accordingly in a fpeech which 
 he made in the fenate on the day of his inauguration, 
 he declared he would receive no honors at the clofe of his 
 miniftry which it was in the power of the tribunes to ob- 
 ftruft : and indeed it was in their power to obftrucl every 
 honor the fenate could decree. As the authority of thefe 
 popular magiftrates could thus difappoint the ambition of 
 the confuls, it had often influenced them in the exercife olf 
 their functions. But by this felf-denying renunciation which 
 Cicero made, he had nothing to hope from their favor, 
 or to fear from their refentment : and confequently diverted 
 hirnfelf of every motive that could check a vigorous oppo- 
 iition to their factious meafures. Qrat. cont. Rul. i. 8.
 
 to THE LETTERS BOOK L 
 
 A,U.69i.to your province, than I confidered how tQ 
 throw it into your hands. I need not mention 
 the management which was employed in or- 
 der to fecure the lot in your favor : but thus 
 much I will fay, that I hope you do not ima- 
 gine the part my collegue acted in that affair 
 was, in any of its circumftances, without my 
 privity and confent. Let me defire you to re- 
 Collect with what expedition I aflembled the fe- 
 nate immediately after the balloting was over, 
 and how fully I fpoke upon that occafion in 
 your applaufe. Accordingly you then told me, 
 that I had not only paid an high compliment 
 to your felf, but at the fame time caft a very 
 fevere reproach upon your collegues. I will 
 add, that fo long as the decree fhall fubfift 
 which the fenate pafled at that juncture, there 
 will not be wanting a public and conipicuous 
 monument of my good offices towards you. 
 Remember likewife the zeal with which I fup- 
 ported your intereft in the fenate ; the encomi- 
 ums with which I mentioned you in the aflem- 
 blies of the people ; and the affectionate letters 
 I wrote to you, after your departure. And 
 when you have laid thefe feveral circumftances 
 together, I may fafely leave it to your own de- 
 termination, whether your behavior to me up- 
 pn your laft return to Rome, was fuitable to, 
 i thefe
 
 POOK I. OF C I C E R O. \ 1 1 
 
 thefe inftances of my friendfhip. However, IA.U.69I 
 know not what you mean by our reconcilement : ^ 
 an expreffion, it fhould feem, which cannot 
 with any propriety be applied where there nc-r 
 ver was any formal rupture. 
 
 With refpect to your relation, whom I ought 
 not, you tell me, tp have perfecuted fo feverely 
 in refentmentment of a fmgle expreflion; I 
 have this to fay. In the firft place, I moft 
 highly applaud the affectionate difpofition you 
 difcover towards him : and in the next, I hope 
 you would pardon me, if that duty which I owe 
 my country, and to which no man is more ftrong- 
 ly devoted, had at any time obliged me to op- 
 pofe his meafures. But if I have only defend- 
 ed my felf againft his mofl cruel attacks j have 
 you not reafon to be fatisfied that I never once 
 troubled you with my complaints ? On the 
 contrary, when I perceived he was collecting 
 the whole force of his tribunitial power, in or- 
 der to opprefs me -, I contented myfelf with, 
 endeavoring to divert him from his unjuft 
 purpofe by applying to your wife 1 and fif- 
 
 " Sifter tp Claudius : a woman of moft abandoned lewx!- 
 nefs, and fufpefted of having pdiJToned Metellus, who died 
 m 694, a few years after this letter was written. Cicero, 
 \vho attended him in his laft moments, reprefer.ts them as 
 trucly heroic. Metellus faw the approaches of death with- 
 pm lje leaft concern upon his own account, and only la-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK L 
 
 ter J : as the latter had often indeed, in confidera- 
 tion of my connexions with Pompey, exerted 
 her good offices in my behalf. Neverthelefs, (and 
 I am fure you are no ftranger to the truth of 
 what I am going to fay) upon laying down my 
 confular office he prevented me from making 
 the ufual fpeech to the people : and thus, 
 what had never been denied to the lowed and 
 moft worthlefs of our magiftrates, he moft in- 
 jurioufly refufed to a conful who had pre- 
 ferved the liberties of his country. This in- 
 fult however proved greatly to my honor. 
 For as he would only fufFer me to take the oath 4 , 
 I pronounced the fmcereft and moft glorious of 
 afieverations with an uncommon exertion of 
 voice : and the whole afiembly of the people, 
 as loudly called the gods to witnefs, that what 
 I had fworn was moft religioufly true 5 . But 
 tho' I received this fignal affront from your cou- 
 fm, yet I had the very fame day fent an amica- 
 
 inented that he fhould lofe his life at a time when his 
 friend and his contry would have moft occafion for his fer- 
 vices. Pro Cee/io 24. 
 
 J Mucia : {he was marrisd to Pompey, but afterwards 
 divorced from him on occafion of her gallantries with Cae- 
 far. Ad Att. \. \ z. P/ut. in <vit. Pomp. 
 
 4 The confuls at the expiration of their office took an 
 oath, that they had faithfully and zealoufly difcharged their 
 truft. Manut. 
 
 5 Cicero did not confine himfelf to the ufual terms of 
 the oath ; but fwore that he had preferved Rome and the 
 republic from deftra&ion. Pint, in vit. Cifer. 
 
 blc
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 13 
 
 ble meflage to him by our common friends, A.U. 691, 
 with the hopes of perfuading him into a better 
 temper. The anfwer he returned was, that all 
 applications of this kind were now too late. 
 He had indeed aflerted, fome days before, in 
 a fpeech which he made in a general afiembly of 
 the people, " that the man who had punifhed 
 " others without fuffering them to be heard 6 , 
 " ought to be denied the privilege of being 
 " heard in his turn." Excellent and judicious 
 patriot indeed ! to maintain that the fame punifh- 
 ment which had been decreed, and with the ap- 
 probation too of every honeft man in Rome, 
 to thofe rebels and incendiaries who had at- 
 
 6 The principal confpirators concerned with Catiline be- 
 ing taken into cuftody, Cicero convened the fenate ; when 
 when it was debated in what manner to proceed againft 
 the prifoners. Silanus, the conful elect, advifed that they 
 ihould all be put to death. But this was againft an exprefs 
 law which prohibited the taking away the life of any citi- 
 zen without a formal procefs. The propofal of Silanus 
 was oppofed by Czefar, as being a ftretch, he pretended, of 
 the fenate's power which might be productive of very dan- 
 gerous consequences in a free liate. It was his opinion 
 therefore that the eftates of the confpirators mould be con- 
 heated, and their perfons clofely imprifoned. Cicero, as Dr. 
 Middleton obfervcs, delivered his fentiments with all the Ikill 
 both of the orator and the ftatefman, and while he feemed 
 to mew a perfeft neutrality, and to give equal commen- 
 dation to both the opinions, was artfully laboring to turn 
 the fcale in favor of Silanus's, which he confidered as a 
 neceflary example of feverity in the prefent circumftances 
 of the republic. A vote accordingly patted that the con- 
 fpirators ihould fnffer death : which Cicero immediately 
 put in execution. LifeofCic.FoI.i.ziy, 221, 230. 
 
 tempted
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK f ; 
 
 A. U. 69 1. tempted to involve their country in the mdft 
 dreadful calamities, was due to him who had 
 preferved the fenate; the city, and all Italy in 
 general from deftruction. Thefe were the pro- 
 vocations that induced me to oppofe your cou- 
 fin openly and before his face : and according- 
 ly in a debate on the firft of January concern- 
 ing the ftate of the republic, I thought proper 
 to let him fee that he had declared war againft 
 a man who did not want refolution to return 
 his attack. In a fpeech which he made a 
 few days afterwards, he was pleafed to throw 
 out feveral menacing exprefiions againft me : 
 and it was evidently his determined purpofe to 
 effect my ruin, not by bringing my actions to 
 a fair and impartial trial, but by the moft ille- 
 gal methods of violence. Had I not acted 
 then with fpirit in oppofition to his ill-confider- 
 ed meafures, would not the world have thought 
 (and thought too with reafon) that the courage 
 I exerted in my confulate was merely acci- 
 dental, and not the refult of a fleddy and rati- 
 onal fortitude ? If you are ignorant of thefe 
 inftances of your coufin's deportment, he has 
 concealed a very material article of his con- 
 duct. On the other hand, if he apprifed you 
 of theiri) you have reafon to look upon me 
 as having acted with great temper and for- 
 bearance
 
 6tx>Kl. OF C I C E R O. 15 
 
 bearance in never interrupting you with 
 
 poftulations. In a word, you will find my 
 complaint againft him was not founded on 2 
 fmgle expreflion, as you call it, but on a continu- 
 ed feries of malevolence. Let me now therefore 
 ifhew you that my conduct in return was influen- 
 ced by principles of the greateft good-nature : 
 if good-nature it may be deemed, not to ex- 
 ert a proper refehtment againft injuries of fo 
 atrocious a kind. The truth is, I never once 
 made a motion in the fenate to his prejudice : 
 on the contrary, as often as any queftion arofc 
 in which he was concerned, I always voted on 
 the moft favorable fide. I will add (tho* it is 
 a circumftance indeed, in which I ought not to 
 have concerned myfelf) that I was fo far from 
 being difpleafed with the decree which pafTed 
 in his favor, that, in confideration of his being 
 related to you, I actually promoted it to the 
 utmoft of my power. 
 
 Thus you fee that, far from being the ag- 
 greflbr, I have only acted a defenfive part. Nor 
 have I, as you accufe me, betrayed a caprici- 
 ous difpofition with regard to your felf : on 
 the contrary, notwithftanding your failure in 
 fome amicable offices on your fide, I have ftill 
 preferved the fame unvariable fentiments of 
 friendihip on mine. Even at this very inftant 
 
 when
 
 i6 THE LETTERS BOOK 1. 
 
 A.U. 691. when I have before me, I had almoft called 
 it your threatning letter, yet I will tell you, 
 that I not only excufe, but highly applaud the 
 generous warmth you exprefs in your coufm's 
 behalf: as I know by what paffes in my own 
 breaft, the wonderful force of family- affection. 
 I hope then you will judge of my refentment 
 with the fame candor, and acknowledge that if 
 without the leaft provocation on my part I have 
 been moft cruelly and outrageoufly treated by 
 any of your relations, I had a right, I will not 
 only fay to defend myfelf, but to be fupported 
 in that defence, if it were neceffary, even by 
 your whole army. Believe me, I have ever 
 been defirous of making you my friend , as I 
 have endeavored to convince you upon all oc- 
 cafions that I was entirely yours : fentiments 
 which I ftill retain, and mail continue to retain 
 juft as long as you defire. To fay all in one 
 word, I am much more difpofed to facrifice my 
 refentment againft your coufm, to my friend- 
 fliip towards your felf, than to fuffer the for- 
 mer in any degree to impair our mutual affe- 
 ction. Farewel. 
 
 L E T -
 
 BOOK I.. OF C I C E R O. 17 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 To CAIUS ANTONIUS : Emperor 6 . 
 
 I Had determined not to trouble you with my A.U.69i 
 letters, unlefs of the recommendatory kind : 
 riot that I had reafon to expect my follicita- 
 tions would have much weight with you ; but 
 as being unwilling it mould appear to thofe who 
 might apply for them, that any coolnefs had 
 arifen between us. However, as our common 
 friend Atticus, who has been a particular wit- 
 nefs of the warmth with which I have ever pro- 
 moted your intereft, is coming into your pro- 
 vince, I cannot forbear conveying a letter to you 
 by his hand , efpecially as he very ftrongly im- 
 portun'd me for that purpofe. 
 
 Were I to claim even your highefl fervices, 
 the demand could by no means be thought 
 unreafonable, after having contributed every 
 thing on my part for the advancement of your 
 aafe, your intereft, and your honors ?. But I 
 
 6 The perfon to whom this letter is addrefTed, was 
 uncle to the celebrated Mark Antony. He had been con- 
 ful the year before with Cicero, and was now governor of 
 Macedonia. 
 
 7 The Confuls at the expiration of their office, ufed to 
 draw lots to which of the provinces they fhould refpe&ive- 
 ly fucceed as governors. This which Antonius poflefled, 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 may
 
 i8 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.691. may fafely appeal to your own confcience, whe- 
 y OU nave ever made me the leaft return : fo 
 far from it indeed, that I have heard (for I dare 
 not fay I have been informed 8 , as it is an expreflion, 
 it feems, which you frequently, tho' I am fure 
 injurioufly, object to me) I have heard then, 
 that you have intimated fomething as if But I 
 .leave it to Atticus to tell you the reft: as the 
 report* has given him no lefs concern than it 
 
 one of the moft defirable in all the Roman empire, having 
 fallen to Cicero, he refigned it to his collegue. 
 
 8 This alludes to an expreflion which Cicero had often 
 occafion to employ in the affair of Catiline's confpiracy. 
 As his principal intelligence arofe from fome of the con- 
 fpirators themfelves, who communicated to him from time 
 to time the defigns of their aflbciates, he was obliged to 
 conceal the authors of thefe difcoveries : and therefore in 
 laying his allegations before the fenate or the people, he 
 was under the neceflity of fpeaking only in general terms, 
 and of afiuring them that he had been informed of the par- 
 ticular articles he mentioned. But tho 1 the event proved 
 that his informations were true, and the extraordinary cir- 
 cumltances of the cafe juflified the meafures that were taken 
 in confequence of them ; yet in general this method of ac- 
 cufation was extremely odious, and of dangerous example. 
 Cicero's enemies therefore did not fail to take advantage of 
 this popular objedlion, and were perpetually repeating the 
 phrafe I am informed, when ever they were difpofed to re- 
 proach his conduft in this tranfaclion. See Mong. rem. 19. 
 on the igth let. of the firft book to Atticus. Plut. in wit. 
 Cicer. Salluft. Dedam. in Cic. 2. 
 
 1 This report was of a very unfavorable kind indeed : 
 for it charged Cicero with having a mare in the money 
 which Antonius raifed by his exaclions on the unhappy 
 people of his province. The very judicious French tranf- 
 lator of the epiftles tg Atticus, feems to imagine there was 
 fome foundation for this report ; as he thinks it probable, 
 that Antonius had agreed to pay Cicero a certain fum in 
 
 gave
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O, 19 
 
 gave myfelf. In the mean time I will only fay, A.U.6gi. 
 
 **'** 
 
 that the fenate and the whole Roman people 
 have been \vitr.efles of that uncommon Zeal with 
 which I have entered into your intereft. What 
 fentiments of gratitude this has imprefied upon 
 your mind, you your felf are the beft judge : 
 how much you owe me in confequence of it, let 
 others determine. It was friendfhip that firft en- 
 gaged my good offices in your favor ; as I af- 
 terwards was induced to continue them merely 
 from a principle of conilancy. But believe me, 
 your prefent? affairs, require a much larger 
 
 confideration of his having relinquimed to him the govern- 
 ment of Macedonia : but this is a conjefture altogether 
 unfupported by any evidence. Thus much however is. cer- 
 tain ; in the firft place, that Cicero had fome demands 
 upon Antonius, of a nature which he did not choofe Ihould 
 be known ; as, when ever he hints at them to Atticus, it is 
 always in a very dark and enigmatical manner : and in the 
 next piace, that he facrificed his own judgment and the 
 good opinion of the world, in order to fupport Antonius in 
 his prcfent go'/ernment. From which fails the reader is 
 left to draw the conclufton that he 'hall iudge reafbnable. 
 y id. ad Ait. I. xii. 13. 14. See alfo remark 9 on this 
 letter. 
 
 9 Pompey had declared hie intentions of very ftrenuoufly 
 infilling chat Antonius Oiov.t-; be .X'.alieJ from h govern- 
 ment, in order to give an account of his adminiftratiori : 
 which, it feems, hnd beer. e;:trern3ly opprc.live. It was 
 upon this occafion rhat Cicero proinifea him his fervice : 
 and it feems by the following letter that he kept his word. 
 But if he had not, his honor, perhaps, would not have 
 been the more questionable : for it appears from a letter to 
 Atticus, that Cicero could not undertake the defence of 
 Antonius without fuffering in the opinion, not only of the 
 populace, but of every worthy mail in Rome. Ad Att. 
 i. 1 2. Sec remark 6 on the following letter. 
 
 C 2 pro*
 
 20 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 691 . proportion of my zeal and pains : the utmoft 
 *^*^ exertion of which fhall not be wanting, 
 provided I may have reafon to think that 
 they are not entirely thrown away. For 
 I fhall never be fo abfurdly officious, as 
 to employ them where they are not acceptable, 
 Atticus will inform you, in what particular in- 
 flates you may, probably, have occafion for 
 my good offices : in the mean while I very 
 warmly recommend him to yours. I am well 
 perfuaded indeed, that his own intereft with you- 
 is his beft advocate : however, if you have any 
 remaining affection for me, let me intreat you 
 to mew it (and it is the mofl obliging manner m 
 which you can mew it) by your fervices to my 
 friend. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER V. 
 To PUBLIUS SESTIUS, Qiueftor 1 . 
 
 A. U. 69 z.T Could fcarce credit your freedman Decius, 
 JL as highly as I think of his fidelity and at- 
 tachment to your intereft, when he requefted 
 
 f Every proconful, or governor of a province had a 
 qusftor under him, who ac'rcd as a lort of pay-mafter-ge- 
 nerd to the provincial 'forces, and as fuperintendant like- 
 wife of the public revenues. Seilius was at this time ex 
 ercifmg that office ur.dcr Antor.ius, in Macedonia. Some 
 further account \vill be occafionaily given of him in the 
 progreis of thefe remarks. 
 
 me
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 21 
 
 me in your name to ufe my endeavors that you A.U. 692. 
 may not at prefent be recalled. Remembering 
 indeed the very different ftrain in which all the 
 letters I had before received from you were 
 written, I could not eafily be induced to think 
 that you had fo greatly altered your mind. But 
 after Cornelia's vifit to my wife, arid the dif- 
 courfe which I had myfelf with Cornelius, I 
 could no longer doubt of this change in you/ 
 inclinations : and accordingly I never failed to 
 attend in your behalf at every fubfequent meet- 
 ing of the fenate. The queftion, however, did 
 not come on till January laft ; when we carried 
 it without much oppofition : tho* I found fome 
 difficulty in perfuading Quintus Fufius * and the 
 reft of your friends to whom you had written 
 upon this fubject, to believe me rather than, 
 your own letters. 
 
 1 had not agreed with Craflus for his houfe, 
 when you wifhed me joy of the purchafe : but 
 I was fo much encouraged by your congratula- 
 tions, that I foon afterwards bought rt at thirty 
 five hundred thoufand fefterces'. I am now 
 
 2 One of the tribunes of the people. 
 
 3 About 28,000 /. Cicero, it is laid, borrowed 2. ccn- 
 fiderable part of this fum from a man whofe cauie he 
 had undertaken to defend. .But eloquence was not st 
 yet profeffedly venal in 'Rome; and it was looked 
 
 C 3 there-
 
 22 THE L E T T E R S BOOK I. 
 
 A. U. 692. therefore fo deeply involved in debt as to be full 
 ripe, you muft know, for a plot, if any male- 
 content 'will be fo charitable as to admit me in- 
 to one. But the misfortune is, 'this fort of pa- 
 
 upon as highly difhonorable for an advocate, not only 
 to receive any reward, but even a loan of his cli- 
 ent. Cicero therefore being publicly reproached with 
 this tranfafiion,' inoS confidently denied the charge ; de- 
 claring at the lame time that he had not the leaft intention 
 of making this purchafe. However he foon afterwards 
 completed his bargain : when being taxed in the fenate 
 with chir. unworthy f ilfehood, he endeavored to laugh it off 
 by tfclung his cehiurers, that they ;;//? .ivraw very little of the 
 nvorld indeed, if they imagined any prudent man would raife 
 the price cf a cornmcdity by publicly avowing his intentions of 
 becoming a purchafer. It is Aulus Gellius who gives us this 
 ftory, which Dr. Middleton fuppofes he might have picked 
 up from fome fpurious collection ofCicero'sjokes : and many 
 fuch, it is certain, were handed about even in Cicero's life 
 time. As every reader of taile and learning mutiwilh well 
 to the moral character of fo invaluable an author as Cicero, 
 one cannot but regret that neither his own general regard 
 to truth, nor the plea of his ingenious advocate, feem fuffi- 
 cient to difcredit this piece of fecret hiilory. That Cicero 
 was capable of denying fac~ls, where it was not for his ad- 
 vantage they mould be difcovered, will appear, perhaps, 
 beyond controvtify in the progrefs of thefe remarks. In 
 the mean time a very ftrong inftance of this may be produ- 
 ced from one of h;s letters to Atticus. Cicero had written 
 an inveftive againfi fome perfon whofe intereft he had oc- 
 cafion to make ufe of in the affair of his refloration. This 
 piece of fatyr had ftolen into the world, it feems, without 
 his knowledge : but as he never had any fcrrnal quarrel 
 with the man again ft whom it was levelled, and as it was 
 drawn up in a rHle by no means equal to the ufual correct - 
 nefs of his performances, it might eafily, he tells Atticus, 
 be proved not to have come from his hand : puto pojje pro- 
 ban ncn ejje mean. The truth of it is, fincerity docs nqt 
 feem to have been the virtue upon which Cicero was very 
 follicitous of eflablifhing his charadter. Thus Plutarch af- 
 fures us, that our author having made a fpeech in public 
 full of the higheft encomiums on CrafTus, he did not fcru- 
 ple a few days afterwards to reverfe the panegyric, and re- 
 
 triot*
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 23 
 
 triots are all difpofed to exclude me from their A.U. 692. 
 fociety : and whilft I am the averfion of fome of 
 them as the avowed avenger of confpiracies ; 
 others fufpedt that I only plead poverty with a 
 view of gaining their confidence in order to be- 
 tray them. They think it incredible indeed, 
 that the man who refcued the bags of all the 
 ufurers in Rome from a general attack, mould 
 ever be in diftrefs for money +. The truth of 
 the matter is, there is enough to be raifed at iix 
 per cent : and I have gained thus much, by the 
 fervices I have done my country, that I am con- 
 fidered by your money-lenders at leaft, as a good 
 man. 
 
 I muft not forget to mention that I have late- 
 ly looked over your houfe and buildings, and 
 am much pleafed with the improvements you 
 are making. 
 
 prefent him before the fame audience in all the darkeft co- 
 lors of his invetlive. Cicero being reminded upon this 
 occafion of his former harangue, very gravely replied, " it 
 " was only by way of an oratorical exercife and in order to 
 " try the force of his eloquence upon fo bad a fubjecV' 
 Aul. Gell. xii. 12. See life of Cic. i. 259. 8-w. Ed. Ad 
 Att. iii. 12. Plut. in wit. Ciccr. 
 
 4 The chief of thofe who engaged in Catiline's rebellion, 
 were men of the fame defperate fortunes as himfelf : >uj- 
 cunque lona patria laceraverat, (fays the hjftorian of this 
 confpiracy) quicunque alienum &s grange confa<verat, were the 
 worthy aflbciates of Catiline in this infamous enterprise : 
 and tho' liberty was, as ufual, the pretence ; the true mo- 
 tive of their taking up arms was, in order to make war up- 
 on their creditors. Salluji. Bell. Cat. 14. 
 
 G 4 Notwith-
 
 24 THP LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.692. Notwithftanding all the world is fenfiblethat 
 Antonius has by no means acted towards me 
 with the gratitude he ought, yet it did not pre- 
 vent me from being his advocate lately in the 
 fenate : when by the influence of my authority 
 and the force of what I faid, I greatly difpo- 
 fed the houfe in his favors. I will only add my 
 wiihes, that you would write to me oftener. 
 .Farewel. 
 
 5 The queftion in this debate probably turned on the 
 recall of Antonius : a queftion, which feems either to 
 have been carried in his favor, or to have been dropped 
 during a confiderable time. For it appears by a letter tq 
 to Atticus, written two years after the date of the prefent, 
 that Antonius was ftill in his government : and Dion Caffius 
 aflures us, that he was not brought upon his trial till the con- 
 fulate of Caefar j that is, not till the year of Rome 694. He 
 was then arraigned for his ill conduct in Macedonia, and 
 as being concerned likewife in Catiline's confpiracy. This 
 laft article of the impeachment could not be proved ; but 
 the truth of it, neverthelefs, was generally believed : how- 
 ever he was convifted of the former and condemned to 
 perpetual banifhment. Cicero appeared as his advocate 
 upon thisoccafion : and it was an occafion which contributed 
 more, perhaps, than any other to his future misfortunes. 
 For in the warmth of his fpeech he indifcretely threw out 
 fome reflections upon Csfar : which altho' that great ma- 
 fter of his paflions did not think proper at that time openly 
 to refent, it is probable he never forgave. Dion Cafiius 
 at leaft informs us, that it was upon this account he fe- 
 cretly inftigated Clodius to thofe violent meafures which 
 foon aftei wards terminated in Cicero's exile. Ad Att. ii, 
 2. Dio. xxxvii. Sec the laft remark on the preceeding 
 letter.
 
 BOOK. I. OF C I C E R Q. 25 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 To TERENTJA, to my deareft TULLIA, an4 
 to my Son 6 . 
 
 IF you do not hear from me fo frequently as A.U.695^ 
 you might, it is becaufe I can neither write 
 to you, nor read your letters, without talk' ng in- 
 to a greater paflion of tears than I am able to 
 fupport : for tho' I am at all times indeed com- 
 pletely miferable, yet I feel my misfortunes wit^ 
 a particular fenfibility upon thofe tender occa- 
 fions. 
 
 6 There id an interval of two years between the date of 
 this and the foregoing letter; the correfpondenee which 
 Cicero carried on during the intermediate period being en- 
 tirely loft, except that which he held with Atticus. The 
 following letters to Terentia were written in our author's 
 exile, and will prove either that Cicero was a philofopher 
 only in fpeculation, or that philofophy itfelf pretends to 
 more than it has power to perform. Perhaps they will prove 
 both : for as on the one hand they difcover the moft unman- 
 ly dejection of fpirit; fo it is certain, on the other, that 
 much weaker minds have been able with the afliftance of 
 better principles, to fupport with fortitude far feverer trials. 
 Thofe in which Cicero was at prefent exercifed, were occafi- 
 oned by Clodius : who procured himfelf to be'elefted tribune 
 with the fmgle view of defbroying this his avowed adverfary. 
 It has already been obferved in the fifth remark on the third 
 letter of this book, that Cicero in his confulate had put to 
 death fome of the confpirators concerned with Catiline, 
 without any other authority than a decree of the fenate. 
 Clodius made this an article of accufation againft him : and 
 this wife and vigorous refolution (as Monfieur Mongault 
 remarks) which preferred the liberties of the republic, 
 was the only pretence that could be found for condemning 
 its great deliverer. 
 
 Oh!
 
 26 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.695- Oh! That I had been more indifferent to life ! 
 ur days would then have been, if not whol- 
 ly unacquainted with forrow, yet by no means 
 thus wretched. However, if any hopes are 
 ftill referved to us of recovering fome part at 
 lean: of what we have loft, I mall not think 
 that I have made altogether fo imprudent a 
 choice. But if our prefent fate is unalterably 
 fixed Ah ! my deareft Terentia, if we are utter- 
 ly and for ever abandoned by thofe gods whom 
 you have fo religioufly adored, and by thofe men 
 whom I have fo faithfully ferved -, let me fee 
 you as foon as poflible, that I may have the fa- 
 tisfaction of breathing out my lafl departing figh 
 in your arms. 
 
 I have fpent about a fortnight at this place 7, 
 with my friend Marcus Flaccus. This worthy 
 man, did not fcruple to exercife the rites of 
 friendfhip and hofpitality towards me, notwith- 
 ftanding the fevere penalties of that iniquitous 
 law againft thofe who mould venture to give me 
 reception 8 . May I one day have it in my 
 
 7 Brundifium : a maritime town in the kingdom of Na- 
 ples, now called Erindijl. Cicero when he firft withdrew 
 from Rome, intended to have retired into Sicily : but being 
 denied entrance by the governor of that ifland, he changed 
 his direction and came to Brundifium in his way to Greece. 
 Pro Plane. 40, 41 . 
 
 8 As foon as Cicero had withdrawn from Rome, Clo- 
 dius procured a law, which among other articles enafted, 
 
 power
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 27 
 
 power to make him a return to thofe generous A. 17.695: 
 fervices, which I fhajl ever mod gratefully re- 
 member. 
 
 I am j uft going to embark, and purpofe to 
 pafs thro' Macedonia in my way to Cyzicum ?. 
 And now, my Terentia, thus wretched and ruined 
 as I am, can I intreat you under all that weight 
 of pain and forrow with which, I too well know, 
 you are opprefied, can I intreat you to be the 
 partner and companion of my exile ? But muft I 
 then live without you ? I know not how to re- 
 concile myfelf to that hard condition ; unlefs 
 your prefence at Rome may be a means of 
 forwarding my return : if any hopes of that 
 kind mould indeed fubfift. But mould there, 
 as I fadly fufpect, be abfolutely none ; come to 
 me, I conjure you, if it be poffible : for never 
 can I think myfelf completely ruined, whilft I 
 mall enjoy my Terentia's company. But how 
 will my deareft daughter difpofe ofherfelf? A 
 queftion which you yourfelves muft confider ; 
 for, as to my own part, I am utterly at a lofs 
 what to advife. At all events however, that 
 
 that " no perfon (hoald prefume to harbor or receive him 
 " on pain of death/' Life of GV. i. 354. 
 
 9 A confiderable town in an ifland of the Propontis, 
 which lay fo clofe to the continent of Afia as to be joined 
 With it by a bridge. 
 
 dear
 
 28 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 695. dear unhappy girl muft not take any meafurcs 
 if* that may injure her conjugal repofe ', or affect 
 her in the good opinion of the world. As for 
 my fon let me not at leaft be deprived of the 
 consolation of folding him for ever in my arms. 
 $ut I muft lay down my pen a few moments : 
 my tears flow too faft to fuffer me to pro- 
 ceed. 
 
 I am under the utmoft follicitude, as I know 
 not whether you have been able to preferve any 
 part of your eftate, or (what I fadly fear) are 
 
 cruelly robbed of your whole fortune. 1 hope 
 
 Pifo 2 will always continue, what you reprefent 
 him to be, entirely ours As to the manumif- 
 fion of the (laves , I think you have no occafion 
 fo be uneafy. For with regard to your own, you 
 only promifed them their liberty as they mould 
 deferve it: but excepting Orpheus, there is 
 none of them that have any great claim to this 
 Favor. As to mine, I told them, if my eftate 
 piould be forfeited, I would give them their free- 
 .dom, provided I couid obtain the confirma- 
 tion of that grant : but if I preferved my eftate, 
 that they mould all of them, excepting only a 
 few whom I particularly named, remain in their 
 
 1 Tullia was at this time married to Caius Pifo Frugi ; 
 a young nobleman of one of the beft families in Rome, 
 See remark 9. on letter ix. of this book. 
 
 r Cicero's fon-in-law mentioned in the laft note. 
 
 4 prefen*
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C R O. 29 
 
 crefent condition. But this is a matter ofA.U.6g^ 
 little confequence. 
 
 With regard to the advice you give me of 
 keeping up my fpirits, in the belief that I mall 
 again be reftored to my country j I only wifh 
 that I may have reafon to encourage fo defirable 
 an expectation. In the mean time, I am great- 
 ly miferable, in the uncertainty when I mall hear 
 from you, or what hand you will find to con- 
 vey your letters. I would have waited for them 
 at this place , but the mafter of the fhip on 
 which I am going to embark, could not be pre- 
 vailed upon to lofe the prefent opportunity of 
 fairing. 
 
 For the reft, let me conjure you in my turn, 
 to bear up under the prefTure of our affliction's 
 with as much refolution as pofiible. Remem- 
 ber that my days have all been honorable ; and 
 that I now fuffer, not for my crimes, but my 
 virtues. No, my Terentia, nothing can juftly 
 be imputed to me, but that I furvived the lofs 
 of my dignities. However, if it was more 
 agreable to our children that I mould thus live, 
 let that reflection teach us to fubmit to our rrih- 
 fortunes with chearfulnefs ; iniupportable as upon 
 all other confiderations they would undoubted- 
 ly be. But alas, whilft I am endeavoring &>
 
 30 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 695. keep up yourfpirits, lam utterly unable to pre- 
 
 rve my own ! 
 
 I have fent back the faithful Philetasrus : as 
 the weaknefs of his eyes made him incapable of 
 rendering me any fervice. Nothing can equal 
 the good offices I receive from Salluftius. Pef- 
 cennius likewife has given me ftrong marks of 
 his affection : and I hope he will not fail in his 
 refpect alfo to you. Sicca promifed to attend 
 me in my exile : but he changed his mind, 
 and has left me at this place. 
 
 I intreat you to take all pofllble care of your 
 health : and be aflured, your misfortunes 
 more fenfibly affect me than my own. Adieu, 
 my Terentia, thou moft faithful and beft of 
 wives ! Adieu. And thou my deareft daugh- 
 ter, together with that other confolation of my 
 life, my dear fon, I bid you both moft tenderly 
 Farewel. 
 
 Brundifium, 
 April the 30th. 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 To TERENTIA, to my deareft TULLIA, and to 
 my fon. 
 
 IMAGINE not, my Terentia, that I write 
 longer letters to others than to your felf : be 
 aflured at leaft, if ever I do, it is merely becaufe 
 I thofc
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R (X 31 
 
 thofe I receive from them require a more parti- A.U.69J. 
 
 " 
 cular anfwer. The truth of it is, I am always at 
 
 a lofs what to write: and as there is nothing in 
 the prefent dejection of my mind, that I per- 
 form with greater reluctance in general; fo I 
 never attempt it with regard to you and my 
 deareft daughter, that it does not coft me 
 a flood of tears. For how can I think of you 
 without being pierced with grief in the reflection, 
 that I have made thofe completely miferable, 
 whom I ought, and wimed, to have rendered per- 
 fectly happy ? And I mould have rendered them 
 fo, if I had a6bed with lefs timidity. 
 
 Pifo's behavior towards us in this feafon of our 
 afflictions, has greatly endeared him to my heart : 
 and I have, as well as I was able in the prefent 
 difcompofure of my mind, both acknowledged 
 his good offices and exhorted him to continue 
 them. 
 
 I perceive you depend much upon the new 
 tribunes : and if Pompey perfeveres in his 
 prefent difpofition, I am inclined to think 
 your hopes will not be difappointed ; tho* I 
 muft confefs, I have fome fears with refpect to 
 CraiTus. In the mean while I have the fatis- 
 faction to find, what indeed I had reafon to 
 expect, that you act with great fpirit and ten- 
 dernefs in all my concerns. But I lament k 
 
 Ihould
 
 32 THE LETTERS BOOK!. 
 
 A.U.69;. fhould be my cruel fate to expofe you to fo 
 many calamities, whilft you are thus generouf- 
 ly endeavoring to eafe the weight of mine. Be 
 aflured it was with the utmoft grief I red the 
 account which Publius fent me, of the oppro- 
 brious manner in which you were dragged from 
 the temple of Vefta, to the office of Valerius *. 
 Sad reverfe indeed ! That thou, the deareft ob- 
 ject of my fondeft defires, that my Terentia, to 
 whom fuch numbers were wont to look up for 
 relief, mould be herfelf a fpectacle of the 
 moft affecting diftrefs ! and that I, who have 
 faved fo many others from ruin, mquld have 
 ruined both myfelt and my family by my own 
 indifcretion ! 
 
 As to what you mention with regard to the 
 Area belonging to my houfe ; I Ihall never look 
 upon myfelf as reftored to my country, till 
 that fpot of ground is again in my poflfeflion *. 
 But this is a point that does not depend upon 
 ourfelves. Let me rather exprefs my concern 
 for what does-, and lament that, diftrefled as 
 
 4 Terentia had taken fcnctuary in the temple of 
 
 but was forcibly dragged out from thence by the directions 
 of Clodias, in order to be examined at a public office, 
 concerning her hufnand's effects. Mr. Rofs. 
 
 5 After Clodius had procured the law againft Cicero al- 
 ready taken notice of, he confecrated the Area where 
 his houfe in Rome flood, to the perpetual fervice of reli- 
 gion, and erected a temple upon it to the goddefs Liberty. 
 Lje ofCic. 
 
 your
 
 I. OF C I C E R O. 33 
 
 your circumftances already are, you Ihould en- A.U.6g5, 
 gage your felf in a mare of thofe expences which 
 are iiicurred upon my account. Be aflurcd, if 
 ever I mould return to Rome, I fhall eafily re- 
 cover my eftate: but fhould fortune continue 
 to perfecute me ; will you, thou dear unhappy 
 woman, will you fondly throw away in gaining 
 friends to a defperate caufe, the laft fcanty re- 
 mains of your broken fortunes ! I conjure you 
 then, my deareft Terentia, not to involve your 
 felf in any charges of that kind : let them be 
 borne by thofe who are able, if they are willing, 
 to fupport the weight. In a word, if you have 
 any affection for me, let not your anxiety upon 
 my account,injure your health : which alas ! is but 
 too much already impaired. Believe me, you ar^ * 
 the perpetual fubjecT: of my waking and fleeping 
 thoughts : and as I know the afliduity you exeft 
 in my behalf, I have a thoufand fears left your. 
 Strength mould not be equal to fo continued a 
 fatigue. I am fenfible at the fame time, that my 
 affairs depend entirely upon your affiftance : and 
 therefore that they may be attended with the fuc- 
 cefsyou hope and fo zealoufly endeavor to obtain, 
 let me earnedly intreat you to take care of your 
 health. 
 
 I know not whom to write to, unlefs to thofe 
 v/ho firft write to me, or whom ypu particularly 
 
 VOL. J, D mention
 
 34 THE LETTERS BOOK L 
 
 A.U. 695. mention in your letters. As you and Tullia are 
 V " X " >r ^of opinion that I mould not retreat farther from 
 Italy, I have laid afide that defign. Let me 
 hear from you both as often as pofiible, particu- 
 larly if there fhould be any fairer profped of my 
 return. Farewel, ye deareft objects of my moft 
 tender affection, Farewel. 
 
 Theflalonica 6 , 
 Oft. the 5th. 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 To TERENTIA, to my deareft TULLIA, and to. 
 my fon. 
 
 I Learn by the letters of feveral of my friends, 
 as well as from general report, that you dif- 
 cover the greateft fortitude of mind, and that you 
 follicit my affairs with unwearied application. 
 Oh, my Terentia, how truely wretched am I, to 
 be the occafion of fuch fevere misfortunes to fo 
 faithful, fo generous, and fo excellent a woman ! 
 
 And my deareft Tullia too ! That fhe who 
 
 was once fo happy in her father, mould now de- 
 rive from him fuch bitter forrows ! But how 
 lhall I exprefs the anguifli I feel for my little 
 boy ! who became acquainted with grief as foon 
 
 * A city in Macedonia, now called
 
 I: bfr C I C E R O, 3 $ 
 
 as he was capable of any reflection?. Had theie A.U. 695. 
 afflictions happened* as you tenderly reprefent l 
 them, by an unavoidable fate, they would have 
 fet lefs heavy on my heart. But they are alto- 
 gether owing to my own folly in imagining I 
 was loved where I was fecretly envied 8 , and 
 in not joining with thofe who were fincerely de- 
 firous of my friendfllip 9. Had I beeri govern- 
 ed, indeedj by my own fentiments without re- 
 lying fo much on thofe of my weak or wicked 
 advifersi we might ftillj'niyTerentia$ have been 
 happy 1 . However* fince rriy friends encourage 
 
 7 Cicero's fon was at this time about eight years of 
 age. Mama. 
 
 8 The perfons to whom he alludes are, Horrehfius, Ar-; 
 rius, and others of that party, who (if we may believe Ci- 
 cero's complaints to Atticus) tdok advantage of his fear* 
 and advifed him to withdraw from Rome on purpofe to ruitt 
 him. But perfons under misfortunes are apt to be fufpici- 
 bus, and are frequently therefore unjuft : as Cicero feems to 
 have been with refpeft to Hortenfius at leaft, who does not 
 appear to have merited his reproaches. Ad Att. iii. 9. 14. 
 Ad. ^ F. i. 3. See Mongaulfs remarks vol. ii. p. 44. 
 
 9 Caefar and Craffus frequently follicilcd Cicero to unite 
 himfelf to their party, promiiing to protsdt him from the 
 Outrages of Clodius, provided he would fall in with their; 
 meafures. Life of Gc. \. 288. 315. Kvo.Ed. 
 
 1 Cicero is perpetually reproaching himfelf irt thefe let- 
 ters to Terentia and in thofe which he wrote at the fame 
 time to Atticus, for not having taken up arm's and refo- 
 lutely withftood the violences of Clodius. He afterward* 
 however in feveral of his fpeeches made a merit of what he 
 here fo flrongly condemns, and particularly in that for Scx- 
 tius he appeals to Heaven in the moft folemn manner, that 
 he fubmitted to a voluntary exile in order to fpare the blood 
 of his fellow -citizens and preferve the public tranquillity. 
 Te j te, patria, tejlor, (fays he) et t-os, penates fatriitfut Diz, 
 
 D 2 me
 
 36 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 to hope, I will endeavor to reftrain my grief, 
 left the effeft it may have upon my health mould 
 
 me <veftrarum fedum templcmmque caufa, me proffer falutem ?ne' 
 erum cittutn, qu.-f mihi feinper fult mra carior i/tta, dlmicatio- 
 ittm casdemque fagijj'e. But Cicero's veracity in this foleinn 
 afleveiation, feems liable to be juftly queftioned. It is cer- 
 tain that he once entertained a deflgn of taking up arms in 
 his own defence : and the fingie motive that appears to 
 have determined him in the change of this refolution was, 
 his finding himfelf moft perfidiouily deferted by Pompey. 
 Si quifquam fu-ijjft- (fays he in a letter to Atticus) qid me 
 Pompeii minus liberali refporrfo pertetritutn, a turpiffimo confi- 
 lio reyocaret ; atit occubuijjsm honefte, aut <viiores lodie itivere- 
 mus. iii, 15. Dion CaJuus aiTerts, that Cicero, notwith- 
 ftanding this unexpected defertion of Pompey, was prepa- 
 ring to put himfelf in a pcfture of defence j but that Cato 
 end Hortenfius would not fufferhim to execute hispurpofe: 
 
 iWi^-iJTf.d (Jt.t'> C.'TT^.X GlCO.Z'bxt, KU^V^ctq Oi V'TO Tf TB KzT&XOC XCti 
 
 T OcTs-a &c. Lib. 38. Perhaps this author may be mif- 
 taken as to his having actually made any formal pre- 
 parations of this kind: but that he had it in his intentions, 
 feems clear beyond all reafonable contradiction. The 
 -French hiftorian of our author's baniflimeat has relied, 
 therefore, too much upon Cicero's pompous profeffions af- 
 ter his return, when he maintains that nothing could be 
 farther from his thoughts than a fcrious oppofition. Hift. dt 
 l\.\il de Ciccr. p. 148. The contrary appears moft evident- 
 ly to have been the cafe ; and that the patriot-motive 
 which he fo often affigns in his fubfequent orations forleav- 
 ing his country, was merely an after-thought and the plau- 
 fible coloring of artful eloquence. Why elfe, it may be 
 aflced, is there not the leaft hint of any fuch generous prin- 
 ciple of his condud, in all the letters he wrote during this 
 period ? Why elfe, is he perpetually reproaching his friends 
 lor having fufFered him to take that meafure ? And why, 
 in a word, does he call it, as in the paflage above cited, 
 tuffifftman ccnfiiiui!:, the efTccl of a moft ignominious refo- 
 lution ? Eut were it to be admitted that a regard to his 
 country determined hiai to withdraw from it; ftili however 
 he could not v/ith any degree of truth, boafl of his patrio- 
 tifm upon that occafion : for the moil partial of his advo- 
 cates muft acknowledge, that lie no fooner executed this 
 refolution, than he heartily repented of it. The truth is, 
 bow unwilling foever lie might be to haxard the, peace of 
 2
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 37 
 
 difappoint your tender efforts for my reftoration. A.U.6.9J. 
 I am fenfible at the fame time, of die many dif- 
 ficulties that muft be conquered ere that point 
 can be effected : and that it would have been 
 much eafier to have maintained my poft, than 
 it is to recover it. Neverthelefs, if all the tri- 
 bunes are in my-intereft -, if Lentulus is really as 
 zealous in my caufe as he appears ; and if Ppin- 
 pey and Casfar likewife concur with him in the 
 fame views, I ought not, moil certainly, to de- 
 fpair. 
 
 With regard to our flaves j I am willing to 
 act as our friends, you tell me, advife. As to 
 your concern in refpect to the plague which 
 broke out here; it is entirely ceafed : and I had 
 the good fortune to efcape all infection. How- 
 ever, it was my defire to have changed my pre- 
 fent fituation for fome more retired place in Epi- 
 rus, where I might be fecure from Pifo and his 
 foldiers *. But the obliging Plancius was un- 
 
 his country in maintaining his poft, he was ready to renounce 
 all tendernefs of that kind in recovering it; and he exprefs- 
 ly defires Atticus to raifc the mob in his favor, it" there 
 were any hopes of making a fuccefsful pufli for his reftora- 
 ton : Oro te ut,fi quaefpes erit poe fittdiis botiervm, auStoritate , 
 multitudine coir.parata, rem confd t a'es vfcram ut ung. imfetu 
 perfringatur . iii. 23, 
 
 a Lucius Culpurnius Pifo, who was conful this year 
 with Gabinius : They were both the profefled enemies of 
 Cicero, and fupported Clodius in his violent meafures. The 
 province of Macedonia had fallen to the former, and he was 
 now preparing to fet out for his government, where his 
 D 3 willing
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK I, 
 A. 11.695. willing to part with me , and ftill indeed detains 
 me here in the hope that we may return toge- 
 ther to Rome'. If ever I mould live to fee 
 that happy day -, if ever I mould be reftored to 
 my Terentia, to my children and to myfelf, I 
 fhall think all the tender follicitudes we have 
 fufrered during this fad feparation, abundantly 
 repaid. 
 
 Nothing can exceed the affection and huma- 
 nity of Pifo's * behavior towards every one of 
 us : and I wim he may receive from it as much 
 fatisfaction, as I am perfuaded he will honor.- 
 I was far from intending to blame you with re- 
 fpect to my brother : but it is much my defire, 
 efpecially as there are fo few of you, that you 
 fliould live together in the moft perfect harmo- 
 ny. I have made my acknowledgments where 
 you defired, and acquainted the perfons you 
 
 troops were daily arriving. Cicero has delineated the 
 characters at large of thefe confuls in feveral of his orations : 
 but he has in.two words given the moft odious pifture of them 
 that cxafperated eloquence perhaps ever drew, where he 
 cr.lls them duo reipublicae portenta ac paene funera : an expreffi- 
 on for which modern language can furnifh no equivalent. 
 Deprw. cmful. See remark 21 on letter 16. of B. ii. and 
 remark 2. letter 3. B. vii. 
 
 3 Plancius was at this time Quzftor in Macedonia, and 
 diflinguiftied himfelf by many generous offices to Cicero 
 3 n his exile. Pro Plane, patfm. See remark i . on letter 2 . 
 B. viii. 
 
 * Cicero's fan-in -kw. 
 
 men,-
 
 BOOK J. OP *C I C E R O. 39 
 
 mention, that you had informed me of their A.U. 695.' 
 
 " 
 
 fervices. 
 
 As to the eftate you propofe to fell ; alas ! 
 my dear Terentia, think well of the confquence : 
 think what would become of our' unhappy 
 boy, mould fortune flill continue to perfecute 
 ps. But my yes ftream too faft to fuffer me to 
 add more : nor would I draw the fame tender 
 flood from yours. I will only fay, that if my 
 friends mould not defert me, I mall be in no 
 diilrefs for money : and if they fhould, the mo- 
 ney you can raife by the fale of this eftate will 
 little avail. I conjure you then by all our mis- 
 fortunes, let us not abfolutely ruin our poor 
 boy, who is well-nigh totally undone already. 
 If we can but raife him above indigence, a mo- 
 derate fhare of good fortune and merit will be 
 fufficient to open his way to what ever elfe we 
 can wifh him to obtain. Take care of your 
 health, and let me know by an exprefs how 
 your negotiations proceed, and how affairs in 
 general ftand My fate muft now be foon de- 
 termined. I tenderly falute my fon and daugh- 
 ter and bid you all Farewel. 
 
 Dyrrachium J , 
 November 26. 
 
 P. S. I came hither not only as it is a free 
 
 5 A city in Macedonia, now called Durazzo, in the 
 
 Turkifli dominions. This letter tho' dated from Dyrra- 
 
 D 4 city%
 
 4 THE LETTERS BOOK I 
 
 >.U. 695. city % and much in my intereft, but as it is fitu- 
 ated likewife near to Italy 6 . But if I mould find 
 any inconvenience from its being a town of fuch 
 great rcfort, I mail remove ellewhere, and give 
 you due notice. 
 
 t E T T E R E 
 
 To TE RENT I A. 
 
 I Received three letters from you by the hancUr 
 of Ariftocritus, and have wept over them 
 till they are almoft defaced with my tears. Ah ! 
 my Terentia, I am worn out with grief: nor 
 do my own perfonal misfortunes more feverely 
 torture my mind, than thofe with which you and 
 my children are oppreffed. Unhappy indeed, 
 as you are, I am flill infinitely more fo ; as 
 our common afflictions are attended with this 
 aggravating circumilance to myfelf, that they 
 .are juftly to be imputed to my imprudence 
 alone. I ought, moft undoubtedly, either to 
 have avoided the danger by accepting the com- 
 
 ehium, appears to hnve been wholly written except the poft- 
 fcript, at Theflalonica. 
 
 That is, a city which had the privilege, tho' in th 
 dominions of the Roman republic, to be governed by its 
 own laws. 
 
 6 Befides the reafons here mentioned, there was another 
 and much ftronger which induced Cicero to leave Theffalo- 
 ttica : for he had received intelligence that Pifo's troops wer* 
 4'proaching towards that city. Ad An. iii. 22. 
 
 miffion 7
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 41 
 
 million? which was offered me , or to have re- A.U. 695, 
 pelled force by force, or bravely to have perim- 
 ed in the attempt. Whereas nothing could 
 have been more unworthy of my character, or 
 more pregnant with mifery than the fcheme I 
 have purfued 8 . I am overwhelmed therefore, 
 not only with forrow, but with fharhe : yes, my 
 Terentia, I blufh to reflect that I did not ex- 
 ert that fpirit I ought for the fake of fo ex- 
 cellent a wife and fuch amiable children. Th$ 
 diftrefs in' which you are all equally involve^ 
 and your own ill ftate of health in par- 
 ticular, are ever in my thoughts : as I have 
 the mortification at the fame time to ob- 
 ferve, that there appear but {lender hopes of 
 my being recalled. My enemies, in truth, 
 are many j while thole who are jealous of me 
 are- almoit innumerable : and tho' they found 
 great difficulty in driving me from my coun- 
 try, it will be extremely eafy for them to pre- 
 vent my return. However, as long as you 
 have any hopes that my reftoration may be ef- 
 
 7 As it anfwered Csfar's purpofes either to gain Cicero, or 
 to ruin him, he artfully laid his meafures for both. And ac- 
 cordingly, after having inftigated Clodius to purfue Cicero, 
 he offered to take him into Gaul in the quality of his lieu- 
 tenant, as a means of protecting him from that vengeance 
 he had fecretly inflamed. But Cicero being more difpofed 
 to try his ftrength with his adverfary, imprudently decli-. 
 ped the propofal. Dio, xxxvii. Ad Att. ii. 18,19. 
 
 8 See remark i. on the preceding ls.tter, 
 
 fected,
 
 42 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.lL6n5.feded, I will not ceafe to co-operate with your 
 endeavors for that purpofe ; left my weaknefs 
 mould feem upon all occafions to fruftrate every 
 meafure in my favor. In the mean while, my 
 .perfon (for which you are fo tenderly concern- 
 ed) is fecure from all danger: as in truth I 
 am fo completely wretched, that even my ene- 
 mies themfelves muft wifh, in mere malice, to 
 preferve my life. Neverthelefs, I mail not 
 fail' to pbferve the caution you kindly give 
 me. 
 
 I have fent my acknowledgments by Dexip- 
 pus to the perfons you defired me, and menti- 
 oned at the fame time, that you had informed 
 me of their good offices. I am perfectly fenfi- 
 ble of thofe which Pifo exerts towards us with 
 fo uncommon a zeal : as indeed it is a circum- 
 ilance which all the world fpeaks of to his ho- 
 nor. Heaven grant I may live to enjoy with 
 you and our children, the common happinefs of 
 fo valuable a relation 9 ! 
 
 9 He had the great misfortune to be difappointed of 
 this wiih : for Pifo died foon after this letter was written. 
 Cicero mentions him in feveral parts of his writings, with 
 the higheft gratitude and efteem. He reprefents him as a 
 young Nobleman, of the greateft talents and application, 
 who devoted his whole time to the improvements of his 
 mind, and the exercife of eloquence ; as one whofe moral 
 qualifications were no lefs extraordinary than his intelledlu- 
 al, and in fhort as poffefled of every accomplishment and 
 every virtue that could endear him to his friends, to his 
 
 The
 
 SOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 43 
 
 The only hope I have now left, arifes from A,U. 695. 
 the new tribunes ; and that too depends upon 
 the fteps they mall take in the commencement 
 of their office : for if they mould poftpone my 
 affair, I mail give up all expectations of its ever 
 being effected. Accordingly I have difpatched 
 Ariftocritus, that you may fend me immediate 
 notice of the firft meafures they mail purfue, 
 together with the general plan upon which they 
 propofe to conduct themfelves. I have like- 
 wife ordered Dexippus to return to me with all 
 expedition, and have written to my brother to 
 requeft he would give me frequent information 
 in what manner affairs proceed. It is with a 
 view of receiving the earlieft intelligence from 
 Rome, that I continue at Dyrrachium : a place 
 where I can remain in perfect fecurity, as I have 
 upon all occafions diftinguilhed this city by my 
 particular patronage. However, as foon as I 
 mall receive intimation that my enemies r are 
 approaching, it is my refolution to retire into 
 Epirus. 
 
 In anfwer to your tender propofal of accom- 
 panying me in my exile , I rather choofe you 
 mould continue in Rome : as I am fenfible it 
 
 family, and to the public. Pro Sext. $i.De clar. orator. 27 1 . 
 
 urtes, . 
 
 1 The troops of Pifo. See remark 2. on the former 
 
 letter.
 
 44 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.695-is upon you, that the principal burthen of my 
 ^^^ affairs muft reft. If your generous negotiations 
 fhould fucceed ; my return will prevent the ne- 
 ceflity of that journey : if othenvife - But I 
 need not add the reft. The next letter I {hall 
 receive from you, or at moft the fubfequent one, 
 will determine me in what manner to act. In 
 the mean time I defire you would give me a 
 full and faithful information how things go 
 on : tho* indeed I have now more reafon to ex^ 
 peel: the final refult of this affair, than an ac- 
 punt of its progrefs. 
 
 Take care of your health I conjure you ; af- 
 furing your felf that you are, as you ever have 
 been, the object of my fondeft wifhes. Fare- 
 wel, my dear Terentia ! I fee you fo ftrongly 
 before me whilft I am writing, that I am utter- 
 ly fpent with the tears I have ihed. Once more, 
 
 Dyrrachium, 
 "Nov. the 30th. 
 
 LET*
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 45 
 
 A.U.6 9 6. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 To QUINTUS METELLUS NEPOS, the Conful *. 
 
 TH E letters I received both from my bro- 
 ther and my friend Atticus ftrongly encou- 
 raged me to hope, that you were not lefs dif- 
 pofed than your collegue to favor my recall. 
 In confequence of this perfuafion, I immediate- 
 ly wrote to you in terms fuitable to my prefent 
 unfortunate circumftances ; acknowledging my 
 grateful fenfe of your generous intentions, and 
 intreating your future afllftance. But I after- 
 wards learned, not indeed fo much by any hint 
 of this kind from my friends, as from the re- 
 port of thofe who pafTed this way, that you did 
 not continue in the fame favorable fentiments 5 : 
 for which reafon I would not venture to impor- 
 tune you any farther. My brother however, 
 paving tranfmitted to me a copy of the fpeech 
 
 * This is the fame perfon, who, when he was tribune, 
 gave occafion by his ill-treatment of Cicero, to the fecond 
 and third letters of this book. He was now conful with 
 Publius Cornelius Lentulus. 
 
 3 Whilft the friends of Cicero were exerting their endea- 
 vors to procure his reftoration, Clodius was oppofing their 
 <lefigns by every method of artifice and violence : in which 
 he was protected by Metellus, notwithftanding he had 
 given intimations of a difpofition, to favor Cicero's intereft. 
 I4fe ofCif. i. 408. 8w. _!/. 
 
 you
 
 46 THE LETTERS BOOK!. 
 
 A.U.6g6.you lately made in the fenate, I found it ani- 
 mated with fuch a fpirit of candor and modera- 
 tion, that I was induced to write to you once 
 more* Let me earneflly requeft you then to 1 
 $onfider rather the intereft than the paffions of 
 you: 'family 4 , left by falling in with their unjuft 
 and cruel oppofition to me, you mould open 3, 
 way by which they themfelves may be opprefTed 
 in their turn. Is it poflible, indeed, that you, 
 who gained fuch a glorious conqueft over y6ur 
 felf as to facrifke your 6wn private enmities *' 
 to the welfare of the republic, mould be pre- 
 vailed upon to add ftrength to a refentment in 
 others which evidently tends to it's deilruclion ? 
 If you think proper then to afford me your af- 
 fiftance in this conjuncture, you may, upon all 
 occafions, depend on my utinoft fervices in 
 return. On the other hand, mould that lawlefs 
 violence, which has wounded the commonwealth 
 thro' my fide, be fuffered ftill to prevail -, it 
 
 4 Clodius was coufm to Metellus. Pojl re<i. in Jen. 10. , 
 
 5 The firft ftep that Lentulus took when he entered 
 mpon the adminiftration of his office, was to move the In- 
 nate that Cicero might be recalled. Upon which occa- 
 fion his collegue Ivletellus made the conteffion to which 
 Cicero feems here to allude ; declaring that he was willing 
 to facrifice his private refentment againft Cicero, to the 
 general inclinations of the fenate and the people. Never- 
 thelefs, he ilill continued to fupport Clodius, as has been 
 already obferved in the note above. Pro Sext. 32. pojl red. 
 in fen. iv. See remark 26. on letter 16. B, ii. 
 
 imports
 
 BOOK L OF G I C E R (X 47 
 
 imports you to reflect, whether if you mould A. 17.696; 
 hereafter be inclined to recall the opportunity ^ 
 of preferring our general liberties, you will 
 not have the misfortune of finding it much too 
 late 6 . Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 To FABIUS GALLUS a . 
 
 I Have been attacked with a diforder in my 
 bowels, which continued with great violence 
 during ten days : but as it was not attended 
 with a fever, I could not perfuade thofe who 
 had occafion for my fervices, that I was really 
 
 6 Notwithftanding Pompey, Caefar, and indeed all the 
 principal perfons of the republic now concurred in favor- 
 ing Cicero's return, yet the practices of Clodius pre- 
 vented a decree for that purpofe, till the firft of June. 
 Nor was it till the 4th of Auguft following that this de- 
 cree paffed into a general law: in confequence of which, 
 Cicero foon afterwards made his triumphant entry into 
 Rome. Metellus joined in procuring this decree: a change 
 of fentiments, which Cicero imputed to a moft pathetic 
 Ipeech which Servilius Ifauricus delivered in the fenate 
 upon this occafion, and which fo foftened Metellus, it 
 feems, that he melted into tears. But the true caufe is 
 more probably to be afcribed to the influence of Ca?far and 
 Pompey : who, in order to mortify Clodius, whofe power 
 now began to be troublefome to them, thought it conveni-' 
 ent for their purpofes that Cicero Ihould be reftored. Pro 
 Sext. 31. 62, Ad^uir. 7. 
 
 * Gallus is only known by three or four letters which 
 Cicero has addrefled to him : from which however, no- 
 thing particular can be collfted concerning his hiftory or 
 
 . 
 mail-
 
 48 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.6g7.indifpofed. In order therefore to avoid their 
 importunities, I retired to Tufculanum; hav- 
 ing obferved fo flricl: an abflinence for two days 
 before, as not to have tafted even a drop of 
 water. Reduced then as I am by my illnefi 
 and my fafting, I had more reafon to hope for 
 
 ' . . a vifit from you, than to imagine you expected 
 one from me. 
 
 Diftempers of every kind I greatly dread, 
 but particularly of that fort for which the Sto- 
 ics have cenfured your favorite Epicurus, 
 where he complains b of befog violently afflict- 
 ed with the dyfentery and the ftrangury : as 
 the former, they afiert, is the confequence of 
 table indulgencies, and the latter of a more 
 fhameful intemperance. I had indeed great rea- 
 fon to apprehend a dyfentery : but whether it 
 be from change of air, or a relaxation from bu- 
 finefs, or that the diilemper had almoil fpent it 
 felf, I know not ; but I am fomewhat better 
 fince I came hither. You will wonder per- 
 haps what excefles I have been guilty of, to 
 bring upon myfelf this diforder. I muft in- 
 form you then, that I owe it to the frugal regula- 
 
 b In a letter \vlxich he wrote during his laft ficknefs : a 
 tranflation of which is given us bv Cicero in his treatise 
 De fimbvu, ii- 31. 
 
 tions
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R Oj 49 
 
 tions of the fumptuary law'. The products ofA.U.696. 
 the earth being excepted out of the reftridlions 
 of that act -, our elegant eaters, in order to 
 bring vegetables into fafhion, have found out 
 a method of drefling them in fo high a tafte, 
 that nothing can be more palatable. It was im- 
 mediately after having eaten very freely of a 
 dim of this fort, at the inauguration feaft of 
 Lentulus d , that I was feized with a diarrhoea 
 which has never ceafed till this day. Thus you 
 fee, that I who have withftood all the tempta- 
 tions that the nobleft lamprys and oifters could 
 throw in my way, have at laft been over- 
 powered by paltry beets and mallows : but it has 
 taught me however to be more cautious for the fu- 
 ture. As Anicius found me in one of my fick 
 fits, you muft undoubtedly have heard of my 
 illnels : I was in hopes therefore you would not 
 have contented yourfelf with inquiring after my 
 welfare, but would have given me the fatisfa- 
 
 ' Manutius conje&ures, that the law alluded to, is one 
 which is afcribed by Aulus Gellius to Marcus Licinius Craf- 
 fus, and which pafled in the year of Rome 643. By this 
 law the expences of the table were regulated both in re- 
 gard to ordinary and extraordinary occafions, with the ex- 
 prefs exception mentioned by Cicero in the next fentence, 
 concerning the article of vegetables. Vid. Aul. Gel. ii. 24. 
 
 a He was fdn of Publius Cornelius Lentulus, one of the 
 confuls of the prelent year ; to whom the next letter and fe- 
 veral of the following ones in this and the fubfequent book 
 are written. He gave this entertainment, on occafion of his 
 being chofen a member of the college of Augurs. Manut. 
 
 VOL. I. E dioh
 
 50 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.696.c"Hon of a vifit. I -purpofe to continue here, till 
 
 lx-v "^ / I (hall have re-eft ablifhed my health : as I am 
 
 * 
 
 extremely weakened and emaciated. But if I 
 can once get the better of my diforder, I hope 
 I fhall find no difficulty in recovering all the 
 reft. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 To PUBLIUS LENTULUS : Proconfiil '. 
 
 A.U.697. Y Find it much eafier to fatisfy the world than 
 JL myfelf, in thofe facred offices of friendfhip 
 I exert in your behalf. Numberlefs indeed 
 
 1 Publius Lentulus was conful together with Quintus 
 Metellus Nepos, A. U. 696, the year before this letter was 
 written. During his adminiilration of that office, he diftin- 
 guifhed himfelf by his zeal in promoting Cicero's recall 
 from banimment : which, after many difficulties thrown in 
 the way by Clodius, he at length effeded. At the ex- 
 piration of his conful ate he fucceeded to the government 
 of Cilicia, one of the moft confiderable provinces in Afia 
 minor, now called Carmania : and the following corref- 
 pondence was carried on with him whilft he continued in 
 that province. Caefar had upon many important occafions 
 given him very fignal inftances of his friendlhip, particu- 
 larly in gaining him an entrance into the pontifical col- 
 lege ; in procuring him the province of lower Spain af- 
 ter he had paffed through the office of przetor ; and by 
 aflifting him in obtaining the confulfhip. Yetthefe obli- 
 gations were not fo powerful in the fentiments of Lentu- 
 lus, a3 to fuperfede thofe more important ones which he 
 owed to his country. Accordingly he oppofed the illegal 
 and dangerous demands of CWar, with great warmth and 
 indignation in the fenate : and upon the breaking out of the 
 civil war, joined himfelf with Pompey. He fteddily per- 
 feveied in following the caufe and the fortune of that un- 
 happy chief, notwithft&nding Csefai generoufly gave him hi 
 
 are
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 51 
 
 are the obligations you have conferred upon ftie : A.U. 607. 
 and as you perfevered with unwearied zeal till 
 you had effected my recall from exile ; I efteem 
 it the greateft mortification of my life, that I 
 cannot ad: in your affairs with the fame fuccefs. 
 The truth is, Ammonius, who refides here as 
 Ambaffador from Ptolemy % defeats all my 
 
 life and his liberty, when he fell into his hands upon the 
 furrender of Corfinium . For it appears by a letter in this 
 collection, that he was afterwards at the battle of Pharfa- 
 lia, from whence he fled with Pompey to Rhodes : and 
 ihis is the fartheft we can trace him. He is mentioned 
 by Cicero among the celebrated orators of his age : tho' his 
 merit of this kind was, it feems, more owing to his acquir- 
 ed, than his natural talents. C<ef. B. C. i. ?//. in C<?f. 
 die. ep. Fam. xii. 14. CzV. de opt. gen. die. 
 
 1 King of Egypt and father of the celebrated Cleopa- 
 tra. He was furnamed Auletes, in allufion to his {kill in play- 
 ing upon a certain mufical inlbrument called by the Greeks 
 slulos. The title of this prince to his throne being preca- 
 rious, he found means, by the intereft of Caefar and Pom- 
 pey, to be declared an ally of the Roman republic, about 
 two years before the date of this letter : for which piece 
 of fervice they were to receive no lefs a reward than one. 
 million one hundred fixty two thoufand five hundred 
 pounds. The heavy taxes Ptolemy was obliged to impofe in 
 order to rnife this immeufe tribute, together with other afts 
 of tyranny and oppreilion, occaiioned fuch a general dif- 
 content among his people, that they took up arms and 
 drove him out of Egypt. In this exigency he had recourfe 
 to the republic, in virtue of the alliance juft mentioned. 
 His fubjecls likewife fent an embafiy to Rome, compofed 
 of an hundred of their principal citizens, to plead their 
 caufe before the fenate : but Ptolemy having notice of this 
 deputation, procured part of them to be aflallinated on their 
 way thither ; others as foon as they arrived ; and the reft 
 he filenced by proper applications to their fears and 
 their avarice. This, together with his immenfe and open 
 profuuons among the venal part of the republic, rendered 
 k[m generally dete.fted at Rome : infomuch that notwith- 
 
 E 2 fchsmes
 
 52 THE LETTERS BOOK! 
 
 A.U,697.fchemes, by the moft fliamelefs and avowed 
 ' bribery : and he is fupplied with money for this 
 purpofe, from the fame quarter as when you 
 were in Rome. The party in the king's inter- 
 ft, (tho* their number, it muft be owned, is 
 inconfiderable) are all defirous that Pompey 
 may be employed to re-inftate him in his do- 
 minions. The fenate, on the other hand, fall 
 in with the pretended orack 3 ; not indeed as 
 
 {landing he was zealoufly fupportec? "by Pompey, who aftu- 
 ally obtained a decree in his favor, yet the oppofition was 
 fo ftrong, that the fenate after various debates, thought 
 proper to let the affair wholly drop. His laft refource 
 therefore was, to apply himfelf to Gabinius, proconful of 
 Syria. Accordingly Gabinius upon the promife of 1 0,000 
 talents, and at the recommendation of Pompey, boldly un- 
 dertook, and effected, his reftoration without being autho- 
 rifed by any legal commiffion for that purpofe. Dio* 
 xxxix. Li<v. Efit. 105. Clc. orat. in Pifon. See remark 7. 
 letter 2. of B. ii. 
 
 3 Caius Cato, a relation of the celebrated M. Portias 
 Cato who killed himfelf at Utica, was in the number of 
 thofe who moft ftrenuoufly oppofed the reftoration of Ptole- 
 my. He was a young man of a turbulent and enterprifing 
 difpofition, which he fupported with fome degree of elo- 
 quence. This at leaft is the character which Feneftella 
 gives of him, as that annalift is cited by Nonius : but if 
 he was never engaged in an oppofition lefs reafonable than 
 the prefent, hiftory has not done him juftice. Among 
 other expedients which he employed to obftruft the defigns 
 of thofe who favored Ptolemy, he had recourfe to a pix>- 
 phecy which he pretended to Have found in the Sibylline 
 books ; and which contained a fevere denunciation againft 
 the ftate, if the Romans affiffed a king of Egypt with 
 their troops in recovering his throne. This had in fomr 
 meafure its dcfired effeft : fcr the fenate (which in gene- 
 ral wa? in the fame fentiments as to this point with Cato) 
 1 voted it dangerous to the intcrcfts of the republic to em- 
 ploy any force. in favor of Ptolemy. 
 
 giving
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 53 
 
 giving any credit to its predictions, but as being A.U. 697. 
 in general ill- inclined to this prince, and de- w 
 tefting his moft corrupt practices . In the mean 
 while, I omit no opportunity of admonifhing 
 Pompey with great freedom, and conjuring 
 him not to aft fuch a part in this affair, as would 
 call the deepeft ftain upon his character. I 
 muft do him the juftice at the fame time to ac- 
 knowledge, that fo far as his own conduct 
 is concerned, there does not appear the 
 leaft foundation for any remonftrances of this 
 fort. On the contrary, he is perpetually ex- 
 prefiing the higheft zeal for your intereft : as 
 he lately fupported it in the fenate, with the 
 utmoft force of eloquence and the ftrongeft 
 profefiions of friendfhip. Marcellinus 4 , I need 
 not tell you, is a good deal difplcafed at your 
 
 The Sibyls were certain fuppofed prophetefies, concern- 
 ing whom there is great variety of opinions; hiilorians 
 being by no means agreed as to their number, their 
 country, or the age in which they lived. Thofe who are 
 inclined to read a very ridiculous ftory, may find an ac- 
 count in Aulus Gellius of the manner by which the Ro- 
 jnans are faid to have poflefTed themfelves of thefe oracular 
 writings. Thefe prophecies were carefully depoiited in the 
 Capitol, and confulted upon certain extraordinary occafiV 
 ons. There are fome ancient writings ftill extant which 
 pafs under the name of the Sibylline oracles : but thefe 
 oracles " feem to have been all, from firll to laft, and 
 " without any exception, mere impoftures." ddQ^Frat^ 
 |i. 2. Aul. Gel. i. 19. y or tin's remarks an EccL Hiji. 
 p. 284. 
 
 4 One of the prefent confuls. 
 
 : .. 3 folliciting
 
 54 THE LETTERS BOOK I, 
 
 A.U.697- folliciting this commiflion : in alh other refpects, 
 I dare venture to fay, he will very ftrenuoufly 
 promote your intereft. We muft be contented 
 to take him in his own way : for I perceive it 
 is impoffible to difTuade him from propofing 
 that the injunctions of the oracle mail be com- 
 plied with. And in fact, he has already made 
 feveral motions to that purpofe. 
 
 I write this early on the 1 3th : and I will now 
 give you an account of what has hitherto paffed 
 in the fenate. Both Hortenfius and Lucullus 
 agreed with me in moving, that the prohibi- 
 tion of the oracle mould be obeyed : and indeed 
 it does not feem poflible to bring this matter to 
 bear upon any other terms. But we propofed at 
 the fame time, that in purfuance of the decree 5 
 which was made on your own motion, you mould 
 be appointed to re-eftabh'fh Ptolemy in his kingr 
 dom ; the fituation of your province lyingfo con- 
 veniently for that purpofe. In a word,we confent- 
 ed that the army mould be given up, in defer- 
 
 5 Before Lentulus fet out for his government, the fenate 
 had come to a refolution of affifting Ptolemy with a body 
 of troops : and (as has already been obferved) a decree had 
 aftually paffed for that purpofe. It was voted at the fame 
 time, that the conful, whofe lot it mould prove to admjm'fter 
 the province of Cilicia, mould be chared with this com- 
 
 iirio 
 
 : and accordingly fortune decided it in favor of Len- 
 tulus. But the artifices of Gaius Cato, taken notice of in 
 the note above, prevented this decree from being carried 
 into execution. Oral. pro. Ralir. 
 
 ence
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 55 
 
 ence to the oracle j but infifted neverthelefs that A.U. 697. 
 you fhould be employed in effecting this reflo- 
 ration. Craffus, on the other fide, was for 
 having this commiflion executed by three per- 
 fons to be chofen from among our generals: 
 and confequently he did not mean to exclude 
 Pompey. Marcus Bibulus joined with him as 
 ta the number ; but thought that the perfons to 
 be nominated mould not bear any military com- 
 mand. All the reft of the confulars were in the 
 fame fentiments, except Servilius, Afranius, and 
 Volcatius. The firft abfolutely oppofed our 
 engaging in Ptolemy's reftoration upon any 
 terms whatsoever : but the two laft were of 
 opinion, that, agreably to the motion of Lupus* 
 this commiflion mould be given to Pompey. % 
 This circumftance has encreafed the fufpicion 
 concerning the real inclinations of the latter : as 
 his moft particular friends were obferved to con- 
 cur with Volcatius. They are laboring this 
 point with great afliduity : and, I fear, it will be 
 carried againft us. Libo and Hypfeus are 
 openly foilidting for Pompey : and in truth the 
 conduct of all his friends at this juncture makes 
 it generally believed, that he is defirous of the 
 office. Yer the misfortune is, thofe who are 
 unwilling it Jhould fall into his hands, are not 
 the more .inclined to place it in yours : as they 
 E 4 are
 
 56 
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.697.are much difpleafed at your having contributed 
 to the late advancement of his power 6 . For 
 myfelf ; I find I have the lefs influence in your 
 caufe, as it is fuppoied I am folely governed by 
 a principle of gratitude : at the fame time, the 
 notion which prevails that this affair affords an 
 opportunity of obliging Pompey, renders my 
 
 6 Lentulus, during his confulate, propofed and carried a 
 law in favor of Ponipey, which in effedl invdied him with 
 .the whole power of the Roman empire. For under a pre- 
 tended fcarcity of corn (as feme of the hiftorians feem to re- 
 prefent it, rho' Dion CaCius indeed fpeaks of it as real) he was 
 commiffioned to provide the republic with that commo- 
 dity : by which means all thofe who were concerned rn 
 the naval, the commercial, and landed inte v oil: either in 
 Italy or the province:, became his triuutr.ru;:; and depen- 
 dents. By another law, Pompey was authorised during 
 the {pace of five years to exercife pr;rc. .:!:.- r>ower 
 throughout all the Roman dominions: and it is to thefe 
 extravagant grants that Cicero fvcms to allude. The 
 former, indeed, of thefe two laws Cicero himfelf very zea- 
 loufiy promoted, in return to the fen-ices he .had lately re- 
 ceived from Pompey in the affair of his refloration. And 
 tho' the latter inverted that afpiring chief with a power 
 much too exorbitant (as is intimated in a letter to Atdcus) 
 to be endured in a free ftate ; yet Cicero fuffered it to pals 
 without the leaft oppofition. We learn from his own con- 
 fefiion, the mean motive of this unworthy filence. As the 
 pontifical college, it feems, had not yet made their report 
 concerning the validity of Clodius's cpnfecration of his 
 area, (fee remark 5 p. 32. of this vol.) he thought it 
 unfafe to withftand any . of Pompey 's demands, left he 
 might influence their decifion to his prejudice : r.os tace~ 
 mu ; et eo magis, qucd de domo wijlra mkil adhuc Font foes 
 refprjiidi!-:',-.; . Lentulus on the other hand, was fufpedte^ 
 of procuring thefe laws in view to his own defigns, and in 
 order to divert Pompey from the thoughts of being en>- 
 ployed in re-ellablifhing Ptolemy on his throne. Thai 
 Were'the liberties of Rome facrificed to the private purpofe's 
 pf her pretended patriot, ! PIut> in ov/. Ptmf. Din .xxxix. 
 dd Ait. iv. i, 
 
 appli-
 
 ?OOK. I. OF C I C E R O. 57 
 
 applications likewife not altogether fo effectual A.U. 697* 
 as they might otherwife prove. It is thus I am 
 laboring in this perplexed bufmefs : which the 
 king himfelf, long before you left Rome, as 
 well as the friends and dependants of Pompey, 
 had artfully embarrafied. To this I muft add 
 the avowed oppoiltion I meet with from the 
 confulars : who reprefent our affifting Ptolemy 
 with an army, as a meafure that would highly 
 reflect upon the dignity of the fenate. Be af- 
 fured however, I ihall employ every means in 
 my power of tefdfying both to the world in ge- 
 neral, and to your friends in particular, the 
 fmcenty of that affection I bear you. And 
 were there any honor in thofe who ought to 
 have (hewn themfelves influenced by its higheft 
 and moft refined principles, I mould not have 
 ib many difficulties to encounter. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 To QUINTUS VALERIAS ORCA*. 
 
 YO U remember, I doubt not, that when I 
 attended you on your way towards your 
 
 3 He had been praetor the year before : and very Jn- 
 jflrumental in procuring Cicero's recall from exile. At the 
 expiration of his pratorlhip he obtained the government of 
 Africa : and this letter feems to have been written to him 
 fbon after his arrival in that province, figi-- anna/, ij. 
 $84.
 
 58 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A .17.697. province, I took occafion in the prefence of Pub- 
 jj us cufpius, to defire you would confider every 
 friend of his whom I mould recommend to you, 
 as in the number of my own : and that I after- 
 wards repeated this requeft in the ftrongeft man- 
 ner. You then allured me, with great genero- 
 fity and politenefs, and agreeably to that affectio- ' 
 nate regard with which you have ever difthv 
 guifhed me, that you would comply with my 
 requeft. I am to inform you then, that Cufpius 
 having been twice in Africa during the time that 
 he had the direction of the affairs of the company 
 which farms the revenues of that province, he 
 Contracted fome acquaintance in that part of the 
 world whom he greatly loves : and as no man is 
 more zealous to ferve his friends, he very warm- 
 ly efpoufes their intereft. I am always ready to 
 aflifl him for that pqrpofe to the utmoft of my 
 credit and influence : which I mention as a rea- 
 fon for my recommending his African friends 
 in general to your protection. For the future 
 therefore, I mail only acquaint you that the per- 
 fon in whofe behalf I may happen to write, is a 
 friend of Cufpius j and then add the diftinguilh- 
 ing mark we agreed upon b . But my prefent 
 
 b To diftjnguiih thofe recommendations which were writ- 
 ten merely jn compliance with felicitations he could 
 not rcfufe, from others that were the finccre dictates of 
 his heart. 
 
 recorri-
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 59 
 
 recommendat'on is of the ftrongeft kind: asit A - u - 6 97- 
 
 i^ 
 
 is in compliance with the mofl earncft defire of 
 Gufpius, that I intreat your good offices to 
 Lucius Julius. If I were to requeft them in 
 the terms that are ufually employed in the fln- 
 cereft folli citations of this nature, I mould fcarce 
 fatisfy, I believe, the zeal of my friend. He 
 requires fomething more new and fingular in the 
 manner of my prefent addrefs : and imagines I 
 am mafter of a certain art, that renders me ex- 
 tremely well qualified for the tafk. I promifed 
 therefore to recommend his friend to you, by 
 all the moil fkillful and infmuating methods of 
 perfuafion. But as I find myfelf incapable of 
 executing this promife ; I can only intreat you 
 to give him reafon to imagine, that there was 
 fomething wonderfully efficacious in this letter. 
 Now this he will certainly fuppofe, if you exer-r 
 cife towards Julius every generous act that your 
 politenefs and your ftation enable' you to con- 
 fer ; not only by diftant fervices, but by your 
 perfonal notice and diftinction : for you cannot 
 imagine, as you have not been long enough" in 
 your poft to know it by your own obfervation, 
 how great an advantage it is to a man to have 
 the countenance of the governor of his province. 
 I am perfuaded, that Julius well deferves every 
 mark of yo.ur friendlhip upon his own account ; 
 
 not
 
 60 THE LETTERS BOOK: I. 
 
 A.U. 697. not only becaufe Cufpius has allured me that he 
 does, (which of itfelf indeed would be a very fuf- 
 ficient reafon for my thinking fo) but becaufe 
 I know the great judgement of the latter in the 
 choice of his friends. 
 
 Time will foon djfcover the effecls which this 
 letter fhall produce : and they will be fuch, I 
 confidently truft, as to demand my acknow- 
 ledgements. In the mean while, you may de- 
 pend upon my beft fervices here, in every in- 
 ftance wherein I mall imagine you would defire 
 them. Farewel. 
 
 P. S. Publius Cornelius, the bearer of this 
 letter, is one whom I likewife recommend to 
 you at the requeft of Cufpius : and how much I 
 am bound both by inclination and gratitude to 
 do every thing for his fake that is in my power, 
 is a circumflance of which I have already fuffici- 
 ently informed you. Let me intreat you there- 
 fore, that he may very foon and very frequently 
 have the ftrongeft reafons to thank me for this 
 my recommendation of his friend. Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK 1. OF C I C E R O. 61 
 
 ~ 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 To PUBLIUS LENTUJ.US, Proconful. 
 
 THE fenate met on the i3th of January, A. 11.697. 
 but came to no refolution ; the greateft 
 part of that day having been fpent in fome warm 
 contefts which arofe between Marcellinus ?, the 
 conful, and Caninius, one of the tribunes of the 
 people. I had myfelf alfo a very confiderablc 
 mare in the debates : and I reprefented the zeal 
 you have always ihewn towards the fenate, in 
 terms that influenced them, I am perfuaded, much 
 to your advantage. The next day therefore, 
 we thought it fufficient briefly to deliver our 
 opinions : as I perceived, not only by the favo- 
 rable manner in which I was heard the day be- 
 fore, but alfo by inquiring into the fentiments 
 of each particular member, that the majority 
 was clearly on our fide. The bufmefs of the 
 day opened with reporting to the houfe the fe~ 
 veral opinions of Bibulus, Hortenfius, and Vol- 
 catius. The refpective qucftions therefore were, 
 in the firft place, whether three commiflione^rs 
 mould be nominated for reftoring the king, 
 agreeably to the fentiments of Bibulus ; in the 
 
 t -:.;, i * - . 
 
 7 Cneius Lentulus Marcellinus, who was conful this yoar 
 vith L. Marcius Philippus. 
 
 next,
 
 62 tuE LETTERS BOOK! 
 
 .U.^97. next, whether, according to thofe of ftortenfius, 
 the office fhould be conferred upon you, but 
 without employing any forces ; or laftly, whe- 
 ther, in conformity to the advice of Volcatius, 
 this honor mould be afiigned to Pompey. The 
 points being thus ftated, it was moved that the 
 opinion of Bibulus might be referred to the de- 
 liberation of the houfe in two feparate c}ue- 
 ftions 8 . Accordingly, as it was now in vain to 
 oppofe his motion fo far as it related to pay- 
 ing obedience to the declaration of the oracle, 
 the fenate in general came into his fentiments : 
 but as to his propofal of deputing three com- 
 miflioners, it was rejected by a very confidera- 
 ble majority. The opinion next in order, was 
 that of Hortenfius. But when we were going 
 to divide upon it, Lupus, a tribune of the peo- 
 ple, infilled that in virtue of his office he had. 
 the privilege of calling to a divifion of the 
 houfe, prior to the confuls: and therefore de- 
 manded that the voices mould be firft taken up- 
 
 * " When an opinion was propofed to the fenate which 
 " was thought too general, and to include feveral dif- 
 " tinft articles, it was ufual to require that each part might 
 *' be prepounded and voted feparately. Thus Bibulus 
 " moved, that they might fubmit to the Sibylline oracle 
 " and appoint three private fenators to reftore the king. 
 " But the houfe required that they might vote feparau-ly 
 " uponthefe two queftions : and the event was. they una- 
 " nimoufly agreed to the former, but rejefted the latter.' 7 
 Roftrem.onCic.fatnil. epiji. vcl. i. p. 348. 
 
 on
 
 BOOK I. OP C I C E R O. .63 
 
 on the motion he had made in favor of Pomi-A.U.697. 
 
 " 
 
 pey. This claim was generally and ftrong- 
 ly oppofed : as indeed it was both unprece- 
 dented and unreafonable. The confuls them- 
 felves however did not greatly conteft that 
 point: nor did they, abfolutely give it up. 
 Their view was to protract the debates : and 
 they fucceeded accordingly. They perceived in* 
 deed, that notwithftanning the majority affected 
 to appear on the fide of Volcatius ; yet upon 
 a divifion, they would certainly vote with Hor- 
 lenfms. Neverthelefs, feveral of the members 
 were called upon to deliver their opinions : tho' 
 in truth much againft the inclinations of the 
 confuls, who were defirous that the fentiment* 
 of Bibulus mould prevail. Thefe debates con- 
 tinuing till night, the fenate broke up without 
 coming to any refolution. I happened to pafs 
 the fame evening with Pompey : and as I had 
 that day fupported your caufc in the fenate with 
 more than ordinary fuccefs, I thought it af- 
 forded me the mod favorable opportunity of 
 fpeaking to him in your behalf. And what 
 I faid, feemed to make fo ftrong an impremon, 
 that I am perfuaded I have brought him whol- 
 ly over to your inteteft. 'To fay the truth, 
 when ever I hear him mention this affair him- 
 felf, I entirely acquit him of being fecretly 
 4 defirous
 
 64 Trfs LETTERS BOOK t 
 
 A.U.697. defirous of this commiffion. On the other 
 
 hand, when I obferve the conduct of his friends 
 
 of every rank, I am well convinced (and indeed 
 
 it is now evident likewife to the whole world) 
 
 that they have been gained by the corrupt mea- 
 
 fures which a certain party, with the confent of 
 
 Ptolemy and his advifers, have employed. 
 
 I write this before fun-rife on the i6th of Ja- 
 
 nuary : and the fenate is to meet again on this- 
 
 very day. I hope to preferve my authority in 
 
 that affembly , as far at leaft as is poflible amidffr 
 
 fuch general treachery and corruption which 
 
 has difcovered itfelf upon this occafion. As to 
 
 .-what concerns the bringing this matter before 
 
 the people -, I think we have taken fuch precau- 
 
 tions, as will render it impracticable, unlefs by 
 
 actual violence, or in direfl and open contempt 
 
 both of our civil and' religious institutions.. 
 
 For this purpofe a very fevere order of the fe- 
 
 nate 9 (which, I imagine, was immediately 
 
 tranfmitted to you) was entered yefterday in our 
 
 journals, notwithftanding the tribunes Cato * 
 
 9 When an aft pafled the fenate in a full houfe, held 
 according to the prefcribed forms, and without any oppo- 
 fition from the tribunes, (who had the privilege of putting 
 a negative upon all proceedings in the fenate) it was called 
 zj'etiatHs conjultum, a decree of the fenate. But if any of 
 thefe efientials were wanting, or a tribune interpofed, it 
 was then only ftiled zjcnatiu autioritas, an order of the 
 fenate, and confidered as oflefs authority. Mtinitt. 
 
 1 See remark 3. p. 52. of this vol. 
 
 and
 
 BODK I. OF C I C E R O. 65 
 
 and Caninins interpofed their negatives. A. 11.697- 
 
 You may depend upon my fending you a "' 
 faithful account of every other occurrence which 
 may arife in this affair : and be allured, I fhall 
 exert the utmoft of my vigilance and my credit, - 
 to conduct it in the mofl advantageous manner 
 for your interefl. Farewel. . v ,". V 
 
 * EfW , 
 
 LETTER SCV. ^ 
 
 . >*,, ' 
 To the fame. -,>^ 
 
 AULUS Trebonius, who is an old and in- 
 timate friend of, mine, has fome important 
 affairs in your province, which require immediate 
 difpatch. His own illuftrious character, together 
 with the recommendations of myfelf and others, 
 have, upon former occafions of this kind, ob- 
 tained for him the indulgence of your predecef- 
 fors. He is ftrongly perfuaded, therefore, from 
 that affection and thofe mutual good offices 
 which fubfift between you and me, that this let- 
 ter will not prove a lefs effectual follicitor in his 
 behait : and let me earneftly intreat you net to 
 di ^appoint him in this his expectation. Accord- 
 ingly I recommend his fervants, his freed-men, 
 hi j agents, and in fhort, his concerns of every 
 kind to your patronage: but particularly I beg 
 you would confirm the decree which Titus Am- 
 VOL. I. F pius
 
 66 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 697. plus a patted in his favor. In one word, I hope 
 y- QU w jj| ta k e a Q opportunities of convincing 
 him, that you do not confider this recommen- 
 dation as a matter of common and unmeaning 
 form. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 To the fame. 
 
 WH E N the fenate met on the 1 6th of 
 this month % your affair flood in a ve- 
 ry advantageous pofture. We had fucceeded 
 the day before againfl the motion of Bibulus for 
 appointing three commiflioners, and^had now 
 only to contend with Volcatius ; when our ad- 
 verfaries prevented the queftion from being pur, 
 by artfully protracting the debates. For they 
 faw we had in a very full houfe, and amidil 
 great contrariety of opinions, carried our point, 
 to the confiderable mortification of thofe who 
 were for taking the king's affairs cut of your di- 
 rection, and transferring them to another hand, 
 Curio oppofed us upon this occafion with ex- 
 treme warmth - t while Bibuius fpoke with more 
 temper, and indeed kerned almoft inclined to 
 
 a The predeceflbr of Lentulus in this government. Pieb. 
 Ann. U. C. 696. 
 
 4 January. 
 
 favor
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E ft O. 67 
 
 favor our caufe. But Cato and Caninius abfb- A.U. 697 : 
 lutely refufed to fuffer any decree to pafs, till a '- 
 general afTembly of the people mould be con- 
 vened. 
 
 By the Pupian law, as you well know, there 
 cannot be another meeting of the fen ate till the 
 firft of February : nor indeed throughout that 
 whole month, unlefs all the foreign ambafiadors 
 fhould have received, or be refufed, audience. 
 In the mean while, a notion prevails among the 
 people, that your adverfaries have infilled upon 
 this pretended oracle, not fo much with an intent 
 of obflructing your particular views, as in order 
 to difappoint the hopes of thofe who may be de- 
 firous of this expedition to Alexandria, mere- 
 ly from the ambition of commanding an army. 
 The whole world is fenfible indeed, of the re- 
 gard which the fehate has ftiewn to your chara- 
 cter : and it is notorioufly owing to the artifice* 
 of your enemies, that the houfe did not divide 
 upon the queftion propofed in your favor. But 
 mould the fame perfons under a pretended zeal 
 for the public, (tho* in fact upon the moil infa- 
 mous motives) attempt to bring this affair be- 
 fore a general affembly of the people j we have 
 concerted our mcafures fo well, that they cannot ' 
 poflibly effect their defigns without having recourfe 
 to violence - t or at leaft without fetting the or- 
 F 2 dinances
 
 68 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.6 9 7.dinances of cur country, both civil and religi- 
 Sj a t avowed defiance '.But I will neither 
 oftentatiouQy difplay my own endeavors to afiift 
 you in this conjuncture, nor dwell upon the 
 unworthy treatment you have received from 
 others. What merit, indeed, can I thence claim 
 tomyfelf, who could, not acquit half the obliga- 
 tions I owe you, were I even to facrifice my 
 life to your fervice ? On the other hand, what 
 avails it to difquiet my mind with complaining 
 of thofe injuries, which I cannot reflect upon 
 without the deepeft concern ? I will therefore 
 only add, if methods of violence Ihould be em- 
 ployed, I cannot pretend y in this general con- 
 tempt of all legal authority, to anfwer for the 
 event: In every other refpect I will venture to 
 allure you, that both the fenate and the people 
 
 3 It was no very difficult matter for the contending parties 
 in the republic, when they were difpofed to ohru& the 
 defigns of an oppofite fadtion, to find an expedient for that 
 purpofe. One cannot but wonder indeed that any public 
 bufmcfs could be carried on, when nothing more v,-;is ne- 
 ce/Tary to emburrafs the proceedings, -than to procure foine 
 tribune to interpofe his negative, or any msgiibute to ul> 
 feme the havens. This latter was a fpecics of divination, 
 praclifed among the Romans, in order to determine whe- 
 ther any fcheme under deliberation, would be prejudicial 
 or advantageous to the ftate. It confided in remarking 
 certain appearances in the heavens, or particular modes 
 in the voice or flight of birds, which were fuppcfed inti- 
 mations of good or ill fuccefs. while this ceremony was 
 performing, no aflembly of the people could 'be legally 
 held, nor any aft pafs into a law. To both rhefe methods, 
 it is probable, Cicero here alludes. 
 
 Will
 
 BOOK I. OF CICERO. 69 
 
 will pay the higheft attention to your dignity and A. 11.697. 
 diarader. Farewel. 
 
 1. T T E R XVII. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 f I '1HERE is nothing I more ardently wifh, 
 JL than to convince both your felf, and the 
 world, with how much gratitude I retain the 
 remembrance of your fervices, I cannot however 
 but extremely regret, that your affairs fhould 
 have taken fuch a turn fmce your abfence, as to 
 give you occafion of trying the affection and fi- 
 delity of your friends. You are fenfible, as 
 I perceive by your laft letter, that you have 
 been treated with the fame infincerity by thofe, 
 who ought to have concurred in fupporting 
 your dignities, as I formerly experienced from 
 fome of my pretened friends, in the affair of my 
 banifhment. Thus, whilil I was exerting the 
 utmoft efforts of my vigilance, my policy, and 
 my interefl, in order to ferve you in the article 
 relating to Ptolemy j I was unexpectedly alarm- 
 ed in a point of much more important concern, 
 by the infamous law which Cato has lately pro- 
 pofed to your prejudice*. Where affairs are 
 
 4 Caius Cato, in orjler to cut off all hopes at once from 
 F 3 thus
 
 7 o THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 697. thus embroiled, every thing is, undoubtedly, to 
 feared: yet my principal apprehenfion, I 
 confefs, arifes from the treachery of your falfe 
 friends. But however that may be, I am ear- 
 neflly endeavoring to counter-act the malevolent 
 defigns of Cato. 
 
 As to the Alexandrian commiffion, both your 
 felf and your friends will, I truft, have abun- 
 dant reafon to be fatisfied with my conduct. 
 But at the fame time I fnuft fay, I greatly fear 
 it will either be taken out of your hands, or en- 
 tirely dropped : and I know not which of thefe 
 alternatives I fhould leaft choofe. However we 
 have another expedient in referve, which (fhould 
 we be driven to it) neither Selicius, nor my 
 felf difapprove. By this fcheme we mail, on 
 the one hand, prevent the fenate from refuting 
 to aflift Ptolemy, and, on the other, remove all 
 appearance of our being difappointed, if that- 
 peffon mould be employed, who, it is more 
 than probable, will now obtain this commiffion. 
 To be fhort, I mail take fuch precautions, that, 
 mould our defigns fail, you may not feem to 
 have fuffered the difgrace of a repulfe ; yet at 
 the fame time I lhall remit nothing of my belt 
 
 JLentulus of being employed in this contdled commiffion, 
 propofed a law to the people for recalling him from his 
 . Ad ^.F.i. 3. 
 
 efforts
 
 BOOK I. OF CICERO. 71 
 
 efforts to fupport your claim, fo long as there A.U. 697. 
 fliall be the leaft profpeft of fuccefs. But which ( 
 ever way this point may finally be determined, 
 it will be agreable to t'hofe wife and elevated fen- 
 timents you poflefs, to confider the true glory of 
 your character, as refulting entirely from the 
 dignity of your actions and the virtues, of 
 your heart. And fhould the perfidioufnefs 
 of a certain party deprive you of fome of 
 thofe honors, which fortune has confer red 
 upon you; be allured, it will caft a much 
 darker made on their characters than on yours. 
 In the mean while, your affairs are the conflant 
 fubject of my thoughts : as I neglect no oppor- 
 tunity of acting in them for your beft advan- 
 tage. I concert all my meafures for this purpofe 
 with Selicius : and indeed, I know not any one 
 of your friends who has a greater mare of good 
 fenfe, or a "more affectionate zeal for your fervice. 
 Farewel. 
 
 F 4 LET-
 
 72 TKE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 LETTER XVIIL 
 
 , 
 
 To the fame*. 
 
 ."\7' OU are informed, I imagine, by many 
 ' A hands, of what pafFes here. I will leave it 
 therefore to your other friends to fupply you 
 with an account of our traiifactions, and con- 
 tent myfelf with only fending you my conje- 
 6tures. To this end I muft previoufly acquaint 
 you, that on the 6th of February, Pompey made 
 a fpeech in a general aflembly of the people in 
 favor of Milo -, during which he was infulted 
 with much clamor and abufe. Cato afterwards 
 inveighed in the fenate againft Pompey with great 
 acrimony, and was heard with the moil pro- 
 found fiience and attention : both which circum- 
 ftances feem to have affected him very fenfibly. 
 Now from hence I furmize, that he has entirely 
 laid afide all thoughts of being employed in the 
 Alexandrine expedition. That affair remains} 
 as yet entirely open to us : for the fenate has 
 hitherto determined nothing to your prejudice, 
 but what they are obliged, in deference to the 
 oracle, to refufe to every other candidate for 
 
 * This and the foregoing letter are blended together in 
 the common editions : but they are here feparated upon 
 the au;hority' of Manutius and Gronovins. 
 
 this
 
 EOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 73 
 
 this office. It is my prefent hope therefore, asA.U.6g7. 
 well as endeavor, that the king may throw him- 
 felf into your hands, when he fhall find that he 
 cannot, as he expected, be reftored by Pompey ; 
 and that unlefs he is replaced upon his throne 
 by your afiiftance, his affair will be entirety 
 dropped. And this ftep he will undoubtedly 
 take, if Pompey fhould give the leaft intimation 
 of its being agreable to him. But I need not 
 tell you the difficulty of difcovering the fenti- 
 ments of 3, man of his referve. However I 
 fhall omit no method in my power to effeft 
 this fcheme : as I fhall eafily, I truft, be able 
 to prevent the injurious defigns of Cato. 
 
 I do not find that any of the confulars arc 
 in your intereft, except Hortenfius and Lucullus: 
 all the *eft of that rank either openly, or in a 
 more concealed manner, oppofe your views. 
 Neyerthelefs, my friend, be not difcouraged: 
 on the contrary, let it be ftill your hope, not- 
 withftanding the attempts of the worthlefs Cato, 
 that you will again mine out in all your former 
 luftre a . Farewel. 
 
 3 See remark 4. p. 69. 
 
 LET-
 
 }4 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 JL E T T E R XIX. 
 
 To- the fame; 
 
 A.U.697.^7" O'U will receive a full account from Pollioy 
 JL of all that has been tranfacted in your af- 
 jfeitf :- as he was not only prefent, but a principal 
 msnager. Believe 'me, Lam much concerned 
 atJrhfl unfkYorabl6afpec~t of this bufincfs. How- 
 ever- it affords me a very feniible eonfolation, 
 diatthere is ftr&ngcreafon to hope, the prudence 
 of< your friends will be able to elude the' force 
 of thofe iniquitous fchemes, which, have been 
 projected 1 to your prejudice. Even time itfelf 
 will! probably contribute to this end : as it often 
 wears . out the malevolence of thofe who either 
 pEofdiedly, or in a difguifed manner, mean one 
 illl I am yet faith** confirmed in thefe pleaf- 
 ifig' hopes, whenever I refle6t upon the faction 
 that was formerly- raifed againft myfelf : of 
 W-ltich I fee a very lively image in ; the prefent 
 oppofition to you. In the latter inftance indeed 
 the attack is by no means fo extenfive or fo 
 dangerous as that which was made upon me ; 
 neverthelefs there is in general a ftrong fimili- 
 tude between the two cafes : and you muft par- 
 don me> if I cannot fear upon your account 
 5 what
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 7$ 
 
 what you never thought reafonable to be ap-A.U.697* 
 prehenfive of on mine. But whatever may be s 
 the event^ convince the world that you are in- 
 fluenced by thofe principles for. which I hay.e- 
 admired you from your earlieft youth : and be- 
 lieve me, my friend, the malice of your enemies 
 will only ferve to render your character fo mucfaj 
 the more illuflrious. In the mean time, do m^ 
 the juftice to hope from my affection whatever, 
 the warmeft friendfhip can effect : and be afiu^ 
 redj I fhall not difappoint your expectations. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 To Lucius Lucczius *. 
 
 I Have frequently had it; -in my intentions- 
 __ to talk with you upon the fubject of this 
 letter -, but a certain aukward ; modefty, has al- 
 
 1 It is very litde that is known of Lucceius more than. 
 what the following letter informs us. Cicero in one of 
 his orations fpeaks of his moral charafter with the higheft 
 applaufe, reprefenting him as a man of the greateft huma- 
 nity and of the molt unblemished honor. All that has 
 been tranfmitfed down v to us of his public tranfaftion* is 
 that he was joint candidate with Caifar in folliciting the 
 cenfullhip in oppofition to Bibulijs : in which however he 
 did npt {ucceed. In the civil war which afterwards broke 
 out, he took part with Pompey ; if, not actively, at leaft by 
 his good wilhes and advice: for it appears by a paffage 
 in Casfar's commentaries, that the former was wholly guid- 
 ed by his counfcls. It is nnnecefrary.t.0 mention the high 
 
 ways
 
 76 THE L E T T E R S BOOK I, 
 
 JLU. 697. ways retrained me from propofing in pcrfon, 
 what I can with Icfs fcruple requeft at this diftr 
 ance : for a letter, you know, fpares the con- 
 fufion of a blufh. I will own then, that I have 
 a very ftrong, and, I truft, a very pardona- 
 ble pafiion, of being celebrated in your wri- 
 tings : and tho' you have more than once 
 given me afTurance of your intending me 
 that honor ; yet I hope you will excufe my im- 
 patience of feeing your defign executed. I had 
 always, indeed, conceived an high expectation 
 of your performances in this kind : but the fpe- 
 cimen I have lately feen of them is fo far fupe- 
 rior to all I had figured in my imagination, 
 that it has fired me with the moft ardent defire of 
 being immediately diftinguifhed in your glorious 
 annals. It is my ambition, I confefs, not only 
 to live for ever in the praifes of future ages, but 
 to have the prefent fatisfaction, likewife, of fee- 
 ing myfelf ftand approved in the authoritative 
 records of my ingenious friend. I am fen- 
 frble at the fame time, that your thoughts are 
 already deeply engaged in the profecution 
 of your original defign. But as I perceive 
 you have almoft completed your account 
 
 reputation he had gained by his literary abilities, as this 
 part of his chauder will be fuinciently laid open to the 
 * t. fro Ca/io. Suet. inC 
 
 part ot his chandler will be fuinciently laid open to the 
 reader, in the prefent letter. Orat. fro Ctetio. Suet, in CcrJ. 
 if). C*>f. de bell. cii>. iii;
 
 BOOK L OF C I C E R O. 77 
 
 of the Italic and Marian civil wars % and^.U.697, 
 remember you propofed to carry on the remain- 
 der of our hiflory in a regular feries ; I can- 
 not forbear recommending it to your confidera- 
 tion, whether it would be beft to weave the re- 
 lation of Catiline's confpiracy into the general 
 texture of your performance, or caft it into a 
 diftincl: work. It is certain, feveral of the 
 Greek hiftorians will juftify you in this latter 
 method. Thus Califthenes wrote a narrative of 
 the fiege of Troy, as both Timseus and Poly- 
 bius did of the Pyrrhic and Numantine wars, 
 in fo many detached pieces from their larger 
 hiftories J . As to the honor that will arife to 
 
 * The Italic war which broke out an. Urb. 663 owed its. 
 rife to a rejefted claim of the Italian provinces to be ad- 
 mitted into the freedom of the city. Jt employed the arms 
 of the republic for more than two years, and occafioned 
 greater blood fhed and devaluation than thofe wars in which 
 ihe had been engaged with Hannibal and Pyrrhus. To- 
 wards the clofe of it, Cicero, who was at that time about 
 1 8 years of age, ferved as a volunteer under the father of 
 Pompey the great. Flor. iii. 18. Philty. xii. The Marian 
 civil war immediately fucceeded the Italic, and was occa- 
 fioned by the infatiable ambition of Marius. This haugh- 
 ty Pxoman envying Sylla the honor of leading the army gf 
 the republic againft Mithridates, to which he had been ap- 
 pointed by the fenate, procured a law for diverting him 
 of that command and transferring it into his own hands. 
 This war was carried on between the two contending 
 chiefs and their adherents, with various fuccefs and the 
 moft unparalleled cruelty on both fides, till it terminated 
 in the perpetual diftatorfhip of Sylla. Flor. iii. zi.P/ut. 
 in vit. Mar. andSyll. 
 
 3 Califthenes lived in the times of Alexander the great, 
 and attended that illuJlrious commander in fcis expedition into 
 
 me,
 
 7 g THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.697.me, it will be much the fame, I muft own, 
 upon which ever fcheme you may determine to 
 proceed : but I mall receive fo much the earlier 
 gratification of my wifhes, if, inflead of waiting 
 till you regularly advance to that period of our 
 annals, you mould enter upon it by this method 
 of anticipation. Befides, by keeping your mind 
 attentive to one principal fcene and character, 
 you will treat your fubject, I am perfuaded, fo 
 much the more in detail, as well as embellim it 
 with higher graces. I muft acknowledge it is 
 not extremely modeft, thus to impofe a tafk up- 
 on you which your occupations may well juftify 
 you in refufing ; and then add a farther requefr, 
 that you would honor my actions with your ap- 
 plaufe : an honor, after all, which you may not 
 think, perhaps they greatly deferve. How- 
 
 Perfia. Timasus was by birth a Sicilian-, and floriftied about 
 the year of Rome 471 : he appears by the character which 
 Cicero gives of him in another part of his writings, to have 
 been a very learned and elegant hiftorian : as he was an 
 author in great efteem with Atticus. Plutarch however 
 fpeaks of him with much contempt, for having affefted to 
 rival Thucydides : and he is noted by Longinus as a writer 
 that abounded with cold and puerile conceits. He acknow- 
 ledges neverthelefs that Tinueus had a flowing imagination, 
 and upon fome oceafions rofe up to the true fublime. 
 Polybius, who died about 17 years before Cicero came in- 
 tt> the world, wrote a general hiftory in. forty books : only 
 five of which have reached thefe times. But he is not 
 more diftinguifhed by his competitions, than by the friend- 
 fhip he enjoyed with Scipio andLslius. De Orat. ii. 5. 8. 
 Ad Att. vi. i . Pint, in <vit. A/V/>. Langin. Se3. 4. Vofs. dt 
 Hi/}.. Greec, i. 9. 12. 19, 
 
 ever,
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 7$ 
 
 ever, when a man has once tranfgreffed the bounds A.U. 697. 
 of decency, it is in vain to retract-, and his wifeft 
 way is to pufh on boldly in the fame confident 
 courfe, to the end of his purpofe. I will venturfe 
 then, earneftly to intreat you, not to confine 
 yourfelf to the ftrict laws of hiftory, but to givft 
 a greater latitude to your encomiums, than, 
 pofibly, you may think my actions can claim. 
 I remember,- indeed, you declare in one of your 
 very elegant prefaces, that you are as inflexible 
 to all the pleas of affection, as Xenophon repre- 
 fents Hercules to have been to thofe of plea- 
 fure*. Let me hope, neverthelefs, if friend- 
 fhip mould too ftrongly recommend my actions 
 to your approbation, you will not reject her ge- 
 nerous partiality ; but give fomewhat more to 
 affection, than rigorous truth, perhaps, can 
 juflly demand. 
 
 4 The ftory to which Cicero here alludes, is this : Her- 
 cules when he was yet a youth, as Prodicus relates the 
 fable, retired into a place of undifturbed folitude in order 
 to determine with himfelf what courfe of life he ftioald 
 purfue. Whilft he was in the midft of his contemplations, 
 Pleafure and Virtue appeared to him under the figures of 
 two beautiful women ; and each accofted him in her turn. 
 He heard their refpedtive pleas with great attention : but 
 Virtue gained her caufe and entirely won the heart of the 
 future hero. If th Englifh reader is difpofed to know this 
 ftory in all its circumftances, he will find it wrought up in- 
 to a very beautiful poem by the Revd. Mr. Lowth and in- 
 erted in Polymetis, p. 135, 
 
 If
 
 TitE LETTERS Boas: t, 
 If I mould prevail upon you to fall in with 
 my propofal, you will find the fubjedl, I per- 
 fuade myfelf, not unworthy of your genius and 
 your eloquence. The entire period from the 
 rife of Catiline's confpiracy to my return from 
 banimment, will furnim, I fhould imagine, a 
 moderate volume. It will fupply you likewife 
 with a noble occafion of difplaying your judge- 
 ment in politics, by laying open the fource of 
 thofe civil diforders, and pointing out their pro- 
 per remedies, as well as by giving your reafons 
 for approving or condemning the feveral tranf- 
 actions which you relate. And mould you be 
 difpofed to indulge your ufual fpirit of freedom, 
 you will have an opportunity of pointing out at 
 the fame time, with all the feverity of your in- 
 dignation, the treachery and perfidioufnefs of 
 thofe who laid their ungenerous fnares for my 
 deftruction. I will add too, that this period of 
 my life will furnim you with numberlefs inci- 
 dents, which cannot but draw the reader's at-* 
 tention, in a very agreable manner : as nothing 
 is more amufmg to the mind than to contem- 
 plate the various viciffitudes of fortune. And 
 tho* they were far, 'tis true, from being ac- 
 ceptable in experience, they cannot fail of giv- 
 ing me much entertainment in defcription : -as 
 there is an inexpreflible fatisfaction in, reflect- 
 2 ing
 
 BOOK I. or C I C E R O. . J?, 
 
 ing at ones eafe, on diftrefles we have formerly A.U.6Q7; 
 fufTered. There is fomething likewife in that *^* 
 companion' which arifes from reading an ac- 
 count of the misfortunes which have attended 
 others, that cafts a moft agreable melancholy 
 upon the mind. Who can perufe the relation 
 of the laft moments of Epaminondas at the bat- 
 tle of Mantinea, without finding himfelf touch- 
 ed with a pleafing commiferation ? That glori- 
 ous chief, you may remember, would not fuf- 
 fer the dart to be drawn out of his fide, till h 
 was informed that his fhield was fafe from the 
 hands of his enemies : and all his concern a- 
 midft the anguifh of his wound was, to die with 
 glory *. What can be more interefting alfo 
 than the account of the flight and death of The- 
 miftocles 6 ! The truth of it is, a mere narra- 
 
 5 Epaminondas headed the forces of the Thebans^ in a 
 battle which they fought with the Lacedemonians at Man- 
 tinea, a town in Arcadia. The Thebans gained the vic- 
 tory, but loft their invaluable commander : whofe death 
 was attended with the circumftances which Cicero here 
 mentions, Jujtin. vi. 7, 8. 
 
 6 Themiilocles after having diftinguifhed himfelf among 
 his countrymen the Athenians by his military virtues^ 
 particularly in the \yars in which they were engaged with 
 Xerxes, had rendered himfelf fo popular; that it was 
 thought neceilkry to remove him : and accordingly he 
 was obliged to withdraw from Athens. As the hiftorians 
 mention nothing of his return, Manutius propofes an 
 emendation fuggefted to him by one of his friends, who 
 imagined that iniiead of rcditu it fliould be read interitu. 
 
 VOL, L O tiv*
 
 8* THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.697-tive of general fads, affords little more en- 
 tertainment to the reader, than he might find in 
 perufmg one of our public regifters a . Where- 
 as in the hiftory of any extraordinary perfon, 
 our fear, and hope, our joy and forrow, our 
 aftonilhment and expectation, are each of them 
 engaged by turns. And if the final refult 
 of all mould be concluded with fome remarka- 
 ble cataftrophy, the mind of the reader is filled 
 with the higheft poflible gratification. For 
 thefe reafons I am the more defirous of per- 
 fuading you to feparate my ftory from the ge- 
 neral thread of your narration, and work it up 
 into a detached performance : as indeed it will 
 exhibit a great variety of the rrioft interefting and 
 affecting fcenes. 
 
 This would agree very well with the account which is 
 given of his death : for having been received in his exile 
 by Artaxerxes, he was appointed to command a body of 
 f6rces in an expedition which that prince was preparing 
 againft the Grecians. But Themiftocles rather than turn 
 his arms againft his country, chofe to put an end to his 
 life by a draught of poifon. Ptut. in -vita Themijl. 
 ' * Thefe originally were books preferved in the pontifical 
 college, wherein the feveral divifions of the Roman year were 
 marked out as they were regulated by Numa, and the parr 
 ticular fellivals noted upon which it was unlawful to tranfaft 
 r.ny public affairs. Thefe regifters in the later ages of the 
 republic were much enlarged, and contained a fort of 
 journal of the rnoft memorable events both civil and reli- 
 gious that happened in every year. Li<v.\. 19, 20. Dif- 
 . iur In fujiti par Couture dans les Mem. tit lit. dt f Academ. 
 
 When
 
 BOOK I. OP C I C E R O. 83 
 
 When I tell you it is my ambition to be cele- A. 11.696. 
 brated by your pen, I am by no means appre 
 henfive you will fufpect me of flattery. The 
 confcioufnefs of your merit muft always incline 
 you to believe, it is envy alone that can be filenC 
 in your praife : as on the other fide, you cannot 
 imagine me fo weak as to defire to be tranfmit- 
 ted to pofrerity by any hand, which could hot fe- 
 cure to itfelf the fame glory it beftowed. When 
 Alexander chofe to have his picture drawn by 
 Apelles 7, and his ftatue formed by Lyfippus *, 
 it was not in order to ingratiate himfelf 
 with thofe diftinguifhed artifts: it was from 
 a firm perfuafion, that the works of thefe admi- 
 red geniufes would do equal credit both to his 
 reputation and their own. The utmoft how- 
 ever, that their art could perform, was to per- 
 petuate the perfons only of their celebrated con- 
 temporaries : but merit needs not any fuch vifi- 
 ble exhibitions to immortalize its fame. Accord- 
 ingly the Spartan AgefilauSj who would never 
 fuffer any picture or ftatue of him to be taken ?, 
 
 7 See an account of this celebrated Grecian painter, in 
 remark 29 on the i6th letter of the following book. 
 
 8 A famous ftatuary : of whom Demetrius, as cited by 
 Quintilian, remarks, that he was more celebrated for tak- 
 ing a ftrong than an agreable likenefs. Quint, bifl. Orat. 
 xii. 10. 
 
 9 Agefilaus king of Sparta, was one of the moft confi- 
 tlerable perfons of his age both for civil and military vir- 
 tues ; iufojvKh that he jullly acquired the appellation of 
 
 G 2 i
 
 $4 THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U.697.is not lefs univerfally known, than thofe who 
 h a ve been moft fond of having their perfons co- 
 pied out for pofterity. The fmgle treatife which 
 Xenophon has written in praife of that renown- 
 ed general, is more to his glory, than all the 
 pictures and ftatues of all the artifts in the uni- 
 verfe. It would be a much higher fatisfaetion 
 to me therefore, as it would be a far greater 
 honor, to be recorded by your hand than that 
 of any other ; not only becaufe your genius 
 would raife and adorn my actions with the fame 
 advantage as Timasus * has difplayed thofe of 
 
 Agefilaus the great. But tho T nature had been uncommon- 
 ly liberal to him in the nobler endowments of the mind, 
 ftie had treated him very unfavorably in thofe of the body. 
 He was remarkably low of Itature j had one leg fhorter 
 than the other; and fo very defpicable a countenance, 
 that he never failed of raifing contempt in thofe who were 
 unacquainted with his moral and intellectual excellencies, 
 It, is no wonder therefore that he was unwilling to be deli- 
 vered down to pofterity, under the difadvantages of fo un- 
 J>romifing a figure. Plut. in vif. Agefil. Corn. Nep. in vi-r 
 fa Agefil 8. 
 
 1 Timoleon is orre of the nobleft ehara&ers in all anti- 
 quity, and diftinguifhed not only by his private virtues,, 
 but by approving himfelf upon every occafion the great af- 
 fertor of public liberty. He was employed by the Corin- 
 thians as general of thofe forces which they fent to the re- 
 lief of the Syracufans, againft the execrable tyranny of 
 Dionyfius. He executed this commijOTion with great honor 
 and mccefs : for having driven Dionyftus out of Sicily, and 
 reftored the inhabitants to their rights and privileges, he 
 refigned the fapreme command. He continued however to 
 live among the Syracufans as a private man, enjoying, 
 as Plutarch obfcrves, the glorious fatisfaftion of feeing fo 
 many cities owe their eafe and happinefs to his generous 
 and heroic tabors, Plut, in <vit, Titnol. 
 
 Timo-
 
 BOOK I. OF CICERO. 8$ 
 
 Timoleon 1 , or Herodotus* thofe of Themif- A.\J.6<& 
 tocles * , but becaufe of the additional credit I 
 (hall receive From the applaufe of fo illuftrious, 
 fo experienced, and fo approved a patriot. By 
 this means I fhall 'enjoy, not only the fame 
 glorious privilege which, as- Alexander obferv- 
 ed when he* was at Sigeum, Achilles received 
 from Homer * ; but what is flill more irripor^ 
 tant, the powerful' teftimoriy of a man who "is 
 himfelf ch'ftinguifried by the nobleft and rrioft 
 uncommon virtues. Accordingly, I have been 
 always wonderfully pleated with the fentiment 
 which' -NseVius 16 ' puts into the mouth of He&df; 
 
 * The works of Timasus are loft. 
 
 3 Herodotus florimed about 440 years before the birth 
 of Chrift, under the reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes, kings 
 ofPerfia. 
 
 4 See above remark 6. 
 
 5 Alexander being elefted commander in chief of the 
 confederate troops which the Grecians fent againft Xeroxes, 
 crolfed the Hellefpont with his army and landed at Sigeum, 
 a promontory near Troy, where he vifited the tomb of 
 Achilles. Upon this occafion he is faid to have broken out 
 into the following exclamation : " O happy youth ! ixj 
 *' having found an Homer to celebrate thy virtues!" P.lut. 
 in wit. Alex. Cic. pro Arch. poet. 
 
 6 A dramatic poet who died at Rome an. Urb. 550 
 about 203 years before the chriftian aera: fome fragments of* 
 his works ftill remain. The fentiment here quoted from 
 him, is truely noble; as there is not, perhaps, a. more 
 certain indication of a low and little mind, than to be 
 elevated by undiflinguifhing applaufe, or deprefled by vul- 
 gar cenfure. Trophies of honor, or monuments of difgrace, 
 are not the works of ever)' hand. Some men are incapable 
 of blafling a reputation, but by approving it : and are ne- 
 rer fatyrifls, but when they mean to be panegyrifts.' 
 
 G 3 where
 
 86 THJE BETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 697. where that hero, fpeaking of the approbation he 
 d received frorn his illuftrious father, adds, 
 that it gave him fo much the more fatisfa&ion, 
 as coming from one who was himfelf the great 
 object of uniyerfal applaufe. But fhould want 
 of leifure, (for it would be an injuftice to our 
 friendfhip to fuppofe it can be want of inclina- 
 tion,) fhould your occupations then prevent 
 your compliance with this my requeft , I may 
 perhaps be obliged to take a method, which* 
 j:ho' often condemned, is fupported neverthcr 
 Jels, by feveral cqnfiderable examples : I mean, 
 to be the hiftorian of my own tranfactions. 
 But you are fenfible, there are two inconveni- 
 ences which attend this fcherne : for a man muft 
 neceflarily be more referved in fetting forth thofc 
 parts of his conduct which merit approbation; 
 as he will be inclined entirely to pafs over others 
 which may deferve reproach. I muft add like- 
 wife, that what a writer fays to his own advan- 
 tage, always carries with it a lefs degree offeree 
 and authority, than when it comes from any 
 other pen. In a word, the world in general i 
 little difpofed to approve any attempt of this kind. 
 On the contrary, one often hears the more mo- 
 deft method of the poets at the Olympic games, 
 recommended upon fuchoccafions, who, after they 
 Jiave crowned the feveral vidprs, antf publicly 
 
 called
 
 BOOK I. OF C I C E R O. 87 
 
 called over their names, always employ fomeA.U.697. 
 ether perfon to perform the fame office to them- 
 felves, that they may not be the heralds of their 
 own applaufe. This imputation therefore I 
 would willingly avoid : as I certainly fhall, if 
 you fhould comply with my requeft, and take 
 this employment out of my hands. 
 
 You will be furprifed, perhaps, that I fpend 
 fo much time and pains in folliciting you for 
 this purpofe, after having fo often heard you 
 declare your intentions of giving the world a 
 very accurate hiftory of my adminift ration. 
 But you muft remember the natural warmth 
 of my temper, and that I am fired, as I told 
 you in the beginning of my letter, with an im- 
 patient defire of feeing this your defign carried 
 into execution. To own the whole truth, I Snt 
 ambitious of being known to the prefent gene- 
 ration by your writings, and to enjoy in my 
 life time a fore-tafte of that little mare of glory 
 which I may expect from future ages, Jf it be 
 not too much trouble therefore, I mould be 
 glad you would immediately let me know your 
 refolution. And fhould it prove agreable to 
 my requeft, I will draw up fome general me- 
 moirs of my tranfactions for your ufe : if other" 
 wife, I will take an opportunity of difcourfing 
 Farther with you upon this affair in perfon. In 
 G 4 the
 
 88 THE LETTERS BOOK I, 
 
 A,y.6 9 7.the mean time, continue to polifh the wor^ 
 u have begun, and to love me as ufual 7, 
 Farewel. 
 
 7 Pliny has made a requeft to Tacitus, of the fame 
 nature with that which is the fubjecT: of the letter before 
 us : and tho' it is by no means enlivened with fo much 
 fpirit, it is diftated, however; by a far lefs ex-twagant 
 paffion. He confefies himfelf fond indeed of being tranf r 
 mitted to pofterity, by the pencil ' of that celebrated hitto- 
 rian : but adds at the fame time, that he is far from defi- 
 ring him to paint his adlions in colors more ftrong than 
 faft will juftify. This exprefs reftridlion feems to gknce at 
 that moft extraordinary paffage jp the prefent epiftle, where 
 Cicero intreats his friend not to confine himfelf to the ftrit 
 laws of hiilory but to give a greater latitude to hjs enco- 
 miums than Lucceius might polftbly think his actions could 
 claim." And never did vanity, it muft be acknowledged, 
 litter or conceive a more ridiculous and contemptible vvilh ! 
 The voice of praife can alone be juftly. pleafing, when it 
 harmonizes with confcious merit : and the applaufe that 
 does not accord with truth, muft of all difTonancies, .furely, 
 prove the moft ofrenftve to a well-formed ear. But it is ex- 
 tremely obfervable how moch Cicero's judgement was at 
 variance with his practice : 'for he has himfelf (hewn in 
 very ftrong terms, the abfurdity of claiming more reputa- 
 tion than a man has merit to fupporL It is folid worth 
 alone, he juftly remarks, that can fecure a lafting fame : 
 for nothing can be durable that is fictitious. The former, 
 fays he, nrikes its root deep, and ipreads far : white the 
 latter foon withers and dies away like the beauties of a 
 trannen^ flower. Pera gloria, radices asit, et propagatur : 
 Ji8a omnia celeritcr, tanrjuam flcfculi, decidant ; nee Jimulatum 
 jotejl ej/e quidqi'.am diuturnum. De offic. ii. 12. 
 
 E T-
 
 POOK I. OF C I C E R O. 89 
 
 ir.iq & 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 QUINTUS METELLUS NEPOS*, to CICERO. 
 
 fH O S E calumnies with which that moft A.U.6g7, 
 virulent, furely, of the . human race 9 
 is perpetually loading me in his public ha- 
 rangues, are well compenfated by the fatisfa- 
 6tion I receive from your, obliging offices. 
 When I confider indeed the worthlefs hand 
 from whence thefe arrows take their flight, I 
 look upon them with the contempt they deferve j 
 and am very willing he mould ceafe to aft as 
 
 8 It is impofiible to determine exa&ly when this letter 
 was written, as it carries no internal marks fufiicient to 
 point out its date with precifion. Ragazonius, who has 
 taken the pains to fettle the order of thefe epiftles, places 
 it under the prefent year, and fuppofes it to have been 
 written by Metellus when he was governor in Spain: to 
 which province he went as prqconful after the expiration of 
 his confulfhip. 
 
 9 The commentators fuppofe that the perfon here allud- 
 ed to, is Clodius . who was now yEdile, and employing the 
 power which that office gave him, to the fame factious 
 purpofes as he had exercifed his late tribunelhip. But this 
 conjedure appears altogether groundlefs. For Cicero tak- 
 ing notice to Atticus of the death of Metellus, which feems 
 to have happened ibon after this letter was written, tells 
 him it was probable that he had appointed Clodius his 
 heir: a circumftance utterly inconfiftent with the fuppofition 
 above mentioned. The fame letter may be produced as 
 an evidence likewife, that whatever were the good offices 
 which Metellus here acknowledges, they did not proceed 
 from the fuggeftions of Cicero's heart : for he {peaks of 
 him to Atticus as of one whofe character and conduct he 
 greatly difapproved. Ad Att. iv. 7. 
 
 a reJa-
 
 9 o THE LETTERS BOOK I. 
 
 A.U. 697. a relation, fincelhavc the pleafure to fee you 
 a ff ume t hat character in his flead. To fay the 
 truth , notwithftanding I had formerly fo much 
 regard for him, as to have twice preferved him 
 even in fpite of himfelf, I mould now be glad to 
 forget there is fuch a perfon in the world. 
 
 That I might not trouble you too frequently 
 with my letters, I have written to Lollius con- 
 cerning my affairs : who will let you know what 
 meafures I am defirous may be taken in regard 
 to the accounts of this province *. If it be. 
 pofiible, let me ftill enjoy a place in your aflfe- 
 ftion. Farewel. 
 
 * Spain, 
 
 I, E T-
 
 LETTERS 
 
 O F 
 
 \ : ^> if; 
 
 Marcus Tullius Cicero 
 
 T O 
 
 Several of his FRIENDS. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 JL E T T E R I. 
 
 To QUINTUS ANCHARIUS *, ProeonfuL 
 
 I Recommend the two fons of my very ex- A.U.69*. 
 cellent friend Aurelius, as well-deferving *-^VNJ 
 your efteem. They are adorned, indeed, 
 with every polite and valuable qualification: as 
 
 4 Quintus Ancharius was tribune an. Urb. 694 : when 
 he diltinguiihed himfelf by his refolute oppofition to the 
 &&ious meafures of his collegue Vatinius. In the year 
 1 97 be was chofen praetor ; and at the expiration of that 
 
 they
 
 92 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 698. they are in the number likewife ofthofewith 
 w hom I moft intimately converfe. If 'ever then 
 my recommendation had any weight with you, 
 (and much, I am fenfible, 'it ever had) let it 
 prevail, I conjure yoQ7 in the prefent inftance'. 
 And be allured, the honors with v/hich you fhall 
 diftinguifh thefe my friends, will not only in- 
 diffolubly unite to you two excellent and grate- 
 fuf y6rmg men, but at the fame' riffle 1 confer a 
 very fmgular obligation upon myfelf. Fare- 
 weL 
 
 L 
 
 To PUBUUS LENTULUS : -Proconful. 
 
 I Have received your letter, wherein you afTurc 
 me, that the frequent accounts I fend of your 
 affairs, together with the convincirigproofs I have 
 given you of my friendfhip, are circumstances 
 extremely agreable to you. I mould ill defer vc, 
 ilkfced 1 , thofe fingulair fkvbrs you have conferred 
 upon me, if I were capable xrf refufing you my 
 beft fcrv'ices : And nothing is -more pleafing to 
 me, in this long and very diftant feparation, 
 
 office, he fuceeeded Pifo In the government of Macedonia: 
 in v/hich province this letter is addrcfled to him. Orat. 
 > Fihii 36. Roi}rm<ii-kontbeeJ>ift. of Cc. 
 
 " ^ * ' * } , 
 
 than
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E sR O. 93 
 
 than thus to converfe with you as often as pof- A. 0.69$. 
 fible. If you do not hear from me as frequent- 
 ly as you wifh ; it is folely becaufe I dare not 
 trull my letters to every conveyance. But 
 when ever I Jhall be able to put them into hands, 
 upon which I may fafely rely , be allured I mail 
 not fuffer the opportunity to flip by me. 
 
 It is not eafy to give a fatisfactory anfwer to 
 your inquiry concerning the fincerity of your 
 profeffed friends, and the difpofition of others 
 in general towards you. This only I will ven- 
 ture to fay, that a certain party, and particu- 
 larly thofe who have the ftrongeft obligations, 
 as well as the greateft abilities to diftinguifh 
 themfelves in your fervice, look upon you with 
 envy : That (agreably to what I have myfelf 
 experienced upon a different occafion) thofe 
 whom, in juftice to your country, you have 
 neceflarily offended, arc your avowed oppofers; 
 as others, whofe intereft and honors you have 
 generoufly fupported, are much lefs inclined to 
 remember your favors than to oppofe your glo- 
 ry. Thefe are circumftances, indeed, which I 
 long fufpected and have often intimated to you: 
 but of which I am now moft thoroughly con- 
 vinced. I obferved upon the fame occafion 
 (and I believe I told you fo in a forrr>?r letter,) 
 both Hortenfms and Lucullus to be extremely
 
 LETTERS BOOK It 
 
 A.U.6<j8. in your interefls : as among thofe who were in 
 the magiftracy, Lucius Racilius appeared very 
 iincerely and affectionately to efpoufe your caufe. 
 But, excepting the two former, I cannot name" 
 any of the confulars, who difcovered the leaft 
 degree of friendfhip towards you, when your 
 affair was before the fenate. As for my own 
 endeavors-, they might perhaps be generally 
 confidered as flowing rather from thofe fingu- 
 lar favors I have received at your hands, than 
 From the uninfluenced dictates of my real fenti- 
 ments. With regard to Pompey, he feldom 
 attended the houfe at that feafon : but I muft do 
 him the juftice to fay, he often takes an oppor- 
 tunity, without my previoufly leading him into 
 the fubject, of difcourfmg with me concerning 
 your affair : as well as very willingly enters into 
 the converfation, whenever I ftart it myfelf. 
 Your laft letter, I perceived, was extremely 
 agreable to him : and I could not but obferve 
 with equal admiration and pleafure, the polite 
 and moft judicious manner in which you ad- 
 drefied him. Before he received this letter, he 
 feemed a little inclined to fufpect, that the no- 
 tion which fome had entertained of his inclina- 
 tion to be your competitor, had alienated you 
 from him. But you have now wholly fixed 
 that excellent man in your intereft : who 1n 
 
 : \ truth.
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 9$ 
 
 truth, had all the antecedent reafons for being A.U. 69?. 
 fo, that an uninterrupted feries of the higheft 
 fervices could poffibly give him *. I muft con- 
 fefs, he always appeared to me, even when 
 the conduct of Caninius had raifed the ftrong- 
 eft fufpicions of the contrary 6 , to favor youf 
 interefts: But I can now aflure you, that I 
 found him, after he had perufed your letter, 
 entirely difpofed to promote whatever may con- 
 tribute either to your intereft, or your honors. 
 You may confider then what I am going to 
 offer, as his immediate fentiments and advice ; 
 as indeed it is the refult of frequent confulta- 
 
 5 See remark 6. p. 56. 
 
 * It was an ufual artifice with Pompey to employ his 
 friends in follicitng thofe honors in his behalf, to which he 
 affe&ed to appear himlelf perfectly indifferent, or even averfe. 
 This was his policy in the preient inftance : and at the 
 fame time that he pretended to ferve Lentulus in this affair j 
 his creature Caninius, a Tribune of the people, was pra&i- 
 fmg every ftratagem in order to procure this commiffion 
 for Pompey. *' And tho' Cicero (as Mr. Rofs obferves) 
 ' either out of a tendernefs for Lentulus^ or out of an ap- 
 " prehenfion of difpleafmg Pompey to whom he was at 
 *' this time making his court, reprefents him in this place 
 " as afting an honeft and friendly part : yet in a letter to 
 " his brother, where he may be fuppofed to deliver his 
 " real fcntiments, he {peaks quite differently : nam quod de 
 " Pomptio Caniniiu agit y faae quam refrixit : neqve enimres 
 " probatur ; et Pompeius nojler in amicitia P. Lentuli vitupera- 
 " fur, et hefcule non eft idem. Ep. vi. L. z. The truth of 
 " the cafe is this, when Pompey found, it was impoffible 
 " for him to procure this commiffion, he pretended a 
 <v friendfljip for Lentulus, and joined with Cicero in giv- 
 " ing the advice, which makes a great part of this 
 *' letter.". 
 
 tionS
 
 9 6 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 698. tioris which we have held together. Accord- 
 ingly we are of opinion that it may be proper 
 for you to confider, whether any advantages 
 may be derived from your being in pofieffion of 
 Cilicia and Cyprus. For if there fhould appear 
 a fufficient probability of being able to make 
 yourfeif mailer of Alexandria and Egypt, we 
 think it equally for your own honor and that- 
 of the republic ?, to march thither with your 
 army, fupported by your fleet ; having firft 
 left the king at Ptolemais, or fome other con- 
 venient place in that neighborhood. By thefg 
 
 7 A general fketch of Ptolemy's char after has already been 
 given in the notes on the preceeding book : and it appears 
 from thence that nothing could be lefs to the honor of 
 the commonwealth, than to interpofe in behalf of this 
 juftly-rejefted monarch. Cicero himielf reprefents him in 
 one of his orations, as unworthy of the crown he wore: eum 
 (fays he) neijue genere tuque animo regis ejje, inter omnes fere 
 video con-venire. In Rull. ii. But what is ftill more extra- 
 ordinary, Cicero makes the very meaftrres which he here fo 
 ftrongly recommends to Lentulus, an article of his charge, 
 againft Anthony. It was by the perfuafion of the latter" 
 that Gabinius undertook (as has already been obferved) 
 the reftoration of Ptolemy : and Anthony commanded die 
 Roman cavalry in that expedition. This affords a topic of 
 great indignation in one of the Philippics; and Cicero 
 there fpeaks of this tranfaftion (as he ought always to have 
 fpokcn of it) as a moft impudent violation of all authority 
 both facred and civil: inde iter (fays he) ad Alexandriam 
 contra fenatus auftoritatem, contra rempublicam et religiones. 
 Philip, ii. 19. But what opinions muft every unprejudi- 
 ced reader conceive of our author, when he thus finds him 
 condemning ar.d approving the fame tranfadion, and ad- 
 vifmg his friend to purfue a ftep which he afterwards pub- 
 licly and juftly reproached in his adverfary ? See remark 2^ 
 P<5'- 
 
 means
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 97 
 
 means when you mall have quieted the diftur-A.U.6g8. 
 bances in Alexandria, and fecured it by a pro- 
 per number of forces ; Ptolemy may fafely take 
 pofieflion of his kingdom. Thus he will be 
 reftored by you, as the fenate had once 8 de- 
 creed : and reftored too without an army, agre- 
 ably to the fentiments of thofe who infift upon 
 obferving the injunctions of the oracle. We 
 are the rather confirmed in recommending this 
 meafure, as there is no decree of the fenate fub- 
 fifting, which particularly prohibits you from 
 replacing Ptolemy on his throne. As to the or- 
 der which abfolutely forbids all afTiftance what- 
 foever to be given to him , you know it was 
 not only protefted againft, when it was voted, 
 but is generally looked upon rather as the warm 
 dictates of an exafperated faction, than as 
 having the full authority of a decree of the 
 fenate. However, we deem it neceflary to add, 
 that we are fenfible the world will judge of the 
 propriety of this fcheme, entirely by the event. 
 Should it fucceed as we wilh ; your policy and 
 refoludon will univerfally be applauded : on the 
 other hand, mould it mifcarry ; it will un- 
 doubtedly be condemned as an action of ill- 
 confidered and unwarrantable ambition. How 
 
 8 See remark 5. p. 54. of this vol. 
 
 VOL. I. H AT
 
 98 TfcE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.698.far this enterprife may be practicable, you, who 
 are fituated almoft within view of Egypt, are 
 the moft competent judge. If therefore you 
 are well fatisfied of being able to render yourfelf 
 mafter of that kingdom, we are clearly of opi- 
 nion you mould not delay your march one mo- 
 ment : but if you are doubtful of the fuccefs, 
 it is our advice that you by no means make the 
 attempt. This I will venture to allure you, 
 that, mould you execute this project in the man- 
 ner we wifh, there will be a very confiderable 
 party to give it applaufe, even during your ab- 
 fence : as all Rome will unite in the fame ap- 
 probation, the moment you mail return amongfb 
 us. Neverthelefs I am perfuaded, if this fcheme 
 mould not take the defired effect, it may be at- 
 tended with very difagreable confequences to 
 yourfelf ; not only upon account of that order 
 of the fenate which I juft now mentioned, but 
 likewife in regard to the oracle. When there- 
 fore, I recommend fuch meafures as you {hall 
 have full aflurance will terminate in your glory* 
 I muft at the fame time ftrongly diffuade you 
 from engaging in them, if you fhould have the 
 leaft reafon to apprehend an oppofition. For 
 (I repeat it again) the world will be determined 
 in their opinion cf this whole tranfaclion, not as 
 it is reafonable, but as it mall be fuccefsful. 
 
 2 If
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 99 
 
 If the method here propofed, mould appear tooA.U.egS. 
 dangerous to be hazarded in your own perfon ; ^* 
 we think it may at leaft be advifeable to aflift the 
 king with a number of your forces ; provided 
 he mail give fufficient fecurity to your friends 
 in the province, for repaying them the money 
 they have advanced in fupport of his caufe. 
 And indeed the circumftances and fituation of 
 your government render it extremely eafy, ei- 
 ther to promote or obftrudl his reftoration, as 
 you mall fee proper. After all, you are the 
 belt judge what method will be mod expe- 
 dient to purfue : I thought it my part, how- 
 ever, to inform you of thefe our concurrent fen- 
 timents. 
 
 You congratulate me on the profperous fitu- 
 ation of my affairs in general, and particularly 
 ,on the friendlhip of Milo, together with the 
 vain and ineffectual Ichemes of the worthlefs 
 Clodius. It is no wonder you mould rejoice in 
 thefe the generous effects of your own amicable 
 offices. But to fay truth, fuch an incredible 
 perverfenefs (not to give it a more fevere ap- 
 pellation) prevails amongft a certain party, that 
 they rather choofe to alienate me by their jea- 
 lounes from the common caufe, than to retain 
 me in that intereft by their favor and encou- 
 H 2 rage-
 
 TOO THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.ogS-ragement'. I will own to you, their malice 
 almoft driven me from thofe principles 
 which I have fo long and fo invariably purfu- 
 ed. At lead if they have not provoked me fo 
 far, as to make me for getthe dignity of my cha- 
 raber ; they have taught me that it is high time 
 I fliould aft with a view likewife to my own fe- 
 curity. I might, confiftently with the ftricteft 
 duties of patriotifm, reconcile both thefe diftincl: 
 ends, were there any honor or fortitude in thofe 
 of confular rank. But fuch a meannefs of fpi" 
 rit prevails in general among them, that, inflead 
 of applauding the refolution with which my 
 a&ions have been ever uniformly directed in 
 the caufe of the commonwealth, they look with 
 envy upon thofe dignities to which my public 
 fervices have advanced me. I the rather men- 
 tion this, as it is to you that I am principally 
 indebted, not only for the happinefs of being 
 reftored to my country, but almoft for my very 
 firft fuccefsful fteps in the paths of patriotifm, 
 and of glory. 
 
 9 Cicero was at this time afting a part which gave great 
 and juft offence, to thofe who were in the true intereft of 
 their country ; as he was falling in with the meafures of 
 C-efar, Pompey, and Craffus. He endeavors therefore to 
 palliate this unworthy conduft, as well as he can : but as 
 he enters more fully into the motives of this ftep in the 
 1 6th letter of this book ; the reader is referred to the ob- 
 fervations upon that epiftle. 
 
 I perceive
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R (X 101 
 
 I perceive this oppofition does not proceed A.U. 698. 
 (as I formerly fufpected) from my not be- 
 ing of noble birth ' : fince they were actuated, 
 I have obferved, by the fame malignant ipirit 
 againfl yourfelf, who are confefledly defcended 
 from one of the firft families in Rome. Ac- 
 cordingly, tho' your enemies are contented to fee 
 you among thofe of principal rank in the repub- 
 lic, they will by no means fuffer you to foar high- 
 er. I rejoice that the parallel beteen us extends 
 no farther : and tho* we have met with an equal 
 degree of malice from the world, that the con- 
 fequences however have proved extremely diffe- 
 rent. For a wide difference there furely is, 
 between fuffering fome diminution in point of 
 honors, and being abandoned to total ruin. IF 
 I have not greater reafon to lament this cruel 
 outrage of my adver fades, it muft be attributed 
 to your generous interpofition : as it was by 
 your means it proved, in the final event, of far 
 more advantage to my reputation, than of pre- 
 judice to my fortunes. Suffer me then, from a 
 principle of gratitude as well as affection, to 
 exhort you, earneftly to purfue the dictates of 
 
 1 Nobility among the Romans was confidered, (as Manu- 
 tius obferves upon this paffage) not in oppofition to the 
 Plebeian rank ; for many Plebeian families were noble : 
 but in contra-diflin&ion to thofe whofe anceitors had not 
 borne any of the honorable magiftracies in Rome. And 
 of this number was Cicero. 
 
 H 3 that
 
 102 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 698. that well-regulated ambition, with which you 
 enflamed from your earlieft youth: nor 
 let any injurious treatment deprefs that heroifm 
 of your mind, which I have ever admired and 
 valued. The world, believe me, entertains 
 the higheft opinion of your merit, and loudly 
 proclaims that enlarged and generous fpirit 
 which diftinguifhes all your actions : as it par- 
 ticularly remembers, to your immortal honor* 
 the patriotifm of your illuftrious confulfhip. 
 You arc fcnfiblc therefore, how much the ieaft 
 additional glory, which mall accrue to you from 
 your civil and military conduct in the govern- 
 ment of your province,\vill encreafeandftrengthen 
 this general luftre of your reputation. But let 
 me exprefs my wifhes at the fame time, in the 
 firft place, that you would not engage in any 
 enterprize with your army, without having long 
 and maturely examined it in all its confequences, 
 nor without being fufficiently prepared to 
 carry it into execution : and in the next, that 
 you would be perfuaded, of what I doubt not 
 you are already fenfible, that you will find 
 it extremely eafy to continue in the poiTcfiion of 
 that pre-eminence amongil your fellow citizens, 
 to which you have always afpired. That you 
 may not imagine, however, I am offering the 
 idle tribute of unnecefihry advice, I muft add, 
 
 that
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 103 
 
 that I could not reflect upon the treatment we A. 11.698. 
 have both received, without thinking it proper 
 to exhort you well to confider for the future, 
 on whom you repofe your confidence. 
 
 As to your inquiry concerning the fituation 
 of public affairs ; there are great divifions 
 amongft us : but the zeal and prudence of -the 
 refpective parties are by no means equal. Thofe - 
 who enjoy the largeft mare of wealth and 
 power z , have gained a fuperiority of credit like- 
 wife by the folly and inftability of their antago- 
 nifts : as they have .obtained from the fenate, 
 with very little opposition,' what they had no 
 hopes of receiving even from the people, with- 
 out railing great diilurbances. Accordingly 
 the houfe has voted Cadar a fum of money 
 for the payment cf his army, together with a 
 power of nominating ten lieutenants : as they 
 have alfo, without the leaft difficulty, difpenfed 
 with the Sempronian law for appointing him a 
 fucceffor '. I do but {lightly touch upon thefe 
 
 4 Ca-far, Pompey, and Crafius. 
 
 3 Thefe immoderate and fatal conccflions to Carfax's 
 ambition, were abfolutely ,unconftitutional, and moft evi- 
 dently tended to the fubverfion of the Republic. But if 
 the reader is furprifed at fo mean and fo impolitic a com- 
 pliance on the part of the fenate : how much higher will 
 his wonder rife, when he is informed that Cicero himfelf 
 was the chief advifer and promoter of thefe very jneafures 
 which he here condemns? If this were a fal which ftood 
 upon the credit of hiftorians ; the paffage befor us would 
 
 H 4 parti-
 
 104 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. 0.698. particulars, as I cannot reflect on our affairs 
 i t h an y fatisfa&ion. However I mention them 
 as fuggefting an ufeful caution to both of us, to 
 preferve a proper poife between our intereft and 
 our honor, and not to advance one by an un 
 due depreffion of the other. A maxim this, 
 which I have learned, not fo much from my 
 favorite philofophy, as from fad experience : 
 and which I would recommend to you, ere 
 you are taught it by the fame unpleafmg method 
 of conviction. 
 
 Your congratulations on my daughter's mar- 
 riage with Crafiipes *, are agreable to your ufu- 
 al politenefs : I hope and believe this alliance 
 
 ftrongly incline one to fufpeft, that they had mifreprefent 
 ed the truth. But we have a teftimony to produce, which 
 tho' of undoubted authority, is the laft one fhould have ex- 
 pe&ed in the cafe : for it is the teftimony of Cicero him- 
 ielf. In a fpeech which he pronounced at the bar either 
 a little before, or foon after the date of this letter, he 
 mentions each of thefe particular grants which he enume- 
 rates to Lentulus, and then adds : liarum ego fententiarum 
 et Princeps et Audtor/a/. Orat. pro Ba/Lo, 27. 
 
 The Sempronian law here fpoken of, was procured by C, 
 Sempronius Gracchus, a tribune of the people, A. U. 631. 
 and enacled, that the fenate mould annually appoint fuc- 
 cefibrs to the confular provinces. 
 
 Tullia, when me married Craffipes, was the widow 
 of Pifo, furnamed Frugi : of whom an account 'has been 
 given in the notes on the former book. This fecond match 
 did not prove fo fatisfaftory, as Cicero here promifes him- 
 felf : for Craffipes foon took a difguft to Tullia, which 
 ended in a divorce. As he is very feldom and but flight- 
 ly mentioned in Cicero's writings, all that we know of 
 kirn is, that he was a nobleman of the firft rank. 
 
 will
 
 BOOK IL &?>*- CICERO. 105 
 
 will yield me great fatisfadion. -Your fon is aA.U.6 9 8. 
 
 V""" 
 
 youth of fo promifing a turn, that I cannot 
 forbear conjuring you to train him up in thofe 
 refined arts, which have ever been your pecu- 
 liar tafte and ftudy : but chiefly in that bell 
 and nobleft discipline, the imitation of your ex- 
 alted virtues. Believe me, I greatly love and 
 eflcem him, not only in return to the fingular 
 affection he has ever fhewn me, but particular- 
 ly as he is the fon, and the worthy fon too, &f 
 my valuable friend. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 To FABIUS GALLUS*. 
 
 I Received your letter immediately upon my 
 return ftom Arpinum, together with one 
 likewiie from Avianus b , in which he very ge- 
 neroufly offers to give me credit as long as I 
 fnall require. Now let me defire you to ima- 
 gine youriclf in my fituation, and then tell me, 
 whether I can, with a good grace, afk .him to 
 allow me even the lead time for the payment 
 
 of this money, much lefe above a year ? In* 
 
 v j ;r.-7 siii 
 
 a The fame perfon to whom the 1 1 th letter of the fore- 
 going book is written. 
 
 b He feems to have been the proprietor of the ftatue* 
 mf ptioned below. 
 
 deed
 
 io6 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. U. 698. deed, my dear friend, I mould not have been 
 this difficulty, if you had not exceeded the 
 limits of my commiffion, both in the particulars 
 and the fum. However, I am not only wil- 
 ling to ratify the agreement you have made for 
 the ftatues you mention, but am likewife much 
 obliged to you. I am fenfible indeed that in 
 the zeal of your friendfhip, you have pure hafed 
 for me what pleafed your own eye, and what 
 you imagined would be worthy of mine : and I 
 always confidered you as a man of the moft ju- 
 dicious and elegant tafte in every kind. Never- 
 thelefs, I mail be extremely glad if Damafippus c 
 mould continue in the refolution, of taking 
 thefe figures off my hands : for, to own the plain 
 truth, I have no fort of inclination to them my- 
 felf. As you were not apprized of my inten- 
 tions, you have actually confented to pay more 
 for thefe four or five pieces of fculpture d , 
 than. I would have given for all the ftatues in 
 the univerfe. You compare the images of the 
 prieflertes of Bacchus, to thofe of the Mufes 
 which I bought of Metellus. But furely, my 
 
 ? Damafippus was a celebrated virtuofo of thefe times, 
 who after having ruined his fortunes by his extravagant 
 paflion for antiques, turned Stoic. Horace has ridiculed 
 his character and his converfion with great humor, in one 
 of his fatyrs. Vid. Horat. Sat. ii. 3. 
 
 14 Thefe ftatues appear, by what follows, to have been 
 three Bacchanals, a Mars, and fome figure defigned for the 
 fupport of a table, 
 
 friend*
 
 BOOK IT. OF C I C E R O. 107 
 
 friend, the two inftances are by no means par- A.U. 698. 
 allel. For in the firft place, the Mufes them- ' / ^ w 
 felves would have condemned me, if I had even 
 rated them at fo extravagant a price : and in 
 the next, I purchafed the figures you mention- 
 as bearing an allufion to my ftudies, and af- 
 fording a fuitable ornament to my library-^ 
 But where can I, with any propriety, placttl 
 thefe Bacchanals ? That they are extremely 
 beautiful, as you affure me, I know full we&~ 
 for I have frequently feen them : and therefore 
 I fhould particularly have named them to ybu^ 
 if they had fuited my purpofe. The purchafeS 
 which I ufually make of this kind, are fuch 
 only as are proper to embeliifh my Pal^flra % 
 in the fame manner as the public GymnaJia 
 are generally decorated. But would it .not be 
 abfurd enough, my good friend, if I, who up- 
 on all occafions, you know, have diftinguilhed 
 myfelf as the friend of peace, fhould erecV'a 
 
 e The Paladtra was properly a part of thofe public build- 
 ings, which the Grecians (from whom the Romans took 
 them) called Gymnafia : which were originally defigned 
 forexercifes of various kinds, and in which, in after-times, 
 the philofophers likewife held their fchools. What Cicero 
 here calls his Pal<eftra, feems to be the fame building 
 which in a letter to Atticus he terms his Academia, and 
 which appears to have been fome jpartmente, or perhaps 
 a diftinft building, of his Tufculan villa, appropriated 
 principally to the purpofes of ftudy, but adapted alib to 
 thofe bodily exercifes which the anticms ieldom paffed a 
 day without pradtifing. Vid, ad Att. i. 5, 6, 9. 
 
 ftatue
 
 io8 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 U.eS.ftatue of the God of war. It is well there was 
 not a Saturn too : for how could I have expected 
 to have been out of debt, whilft I had lived un- 
 der the afpect of two fuch unlucky divinities f ? 
 Mercury would have been a much more wel- 
 come gueft: as I mould have hoped by his 
 influence, to have made a more advantageous- 
 bargain * with Avianus. As to the figure de- 
 figned for the fupport of a table, which you in- 
 tended to referve for your own ufe ; you mall 
 have it, if you ftill remain in the fame mind : 
 if not, I am ready to take it myfelf. Upon 
 the whole, however, I had much rather have 
 employed this money in the purchafe of a little 
 lodge at Tarracina h , that I might not always 
 trouble my friend arid hoft. But this miftakc 
 is partly owing to the carelefsnefs of my freed- 
 man, in not obferving the inftruclions I gave 
 him -, and partly alfo to Junius : whom I fup- 
 pofe you know, as he is a particular friend of 
 Aviamus. As I have lately made fome additi- 
 
 f Alluding (as Macutius obferves) to the notions of the 
 judicial aftrologers : who pretended that Mars and Saturn 
 were unlucky planets. 
 
 6 Mercury was fuppofed to prefide over commerce: 
 from whence it is probable that the Mercuriaks, mentioned 
 in a letter of Cicero to his brother, were a company of mer- 
 chants. Vid. JtfO.F.ii. 5. 
 
 k It is now called Terradna : a town in the campagna di 
 Roma. It lay in the road from Rome to Cicero's villa at 
 Joraute. 
 
 onal
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 109 
 
 onal apartments to my little portico at Tufcu- 
 ianum 1 , I was defirous of adorning thm with a 
 few pictures : for if I take pleafure in any thing 
 of this kind, it is in paintings. However, if 
 I muft have thefe ftatues, let me know where 
 they are, when they will arrive, and by what 
 conveyance you purpofe to fend them. For if 
 Damafippus mould change his intentions of 
 buying them, I mall find, perhaps, fome pre^ 
 tender to his tafte, who may be glad of the pur- 
 chafe : and I mould be willing to part with it 
 even at a lofs. 
 
 When I received your firft letter concerning 
 the houfe you want to take, belonging to Cafli- 
 us, I was juft fetting out* from Rome, and 
 therefore I left your commifflon with my daugh- 
 ter. However I took an opportunity myfelf of 
 talking upon this affair with your friend Nicia : 
 who, you know, is very intimate with CafTius. 
 At my return hither, and before I had opened 
 your laft letter, I inquired of Tullia what me 
 had done in this matter. She told me, me 
 had applied to Licinia to fpeak to her brother 
 
 1 Cicero, if we may credit the inve&ive afcribed to 
 Salluft, expended immenfe fums in this his favorite villa : 
 which probably was a very fine one when it came into 
 his poffeffion, as it originally belonged to Sylla the dicta- 
 tor. Some confiderable remains of it are ftill (hewn at 
 Grotta Ferrata. Sallujl. dedam. in Cic. 63. Plin. H. N. 
 v-vii. 
 
 i Caflius :
 
 no THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.698.Cafllus : but I believe he is not upon very good 
 terms with his fitter. The anfwer which Li- 
 cinia gave my daughter was, that her huf- 
 band being gone into Spain, me durft not re- 
 move 1 in his abfence and without his know- 
 ledge. I am greatly obliged to you for being 
 fo defirous of my company as to be impatient 
 to get into a houfe where you may, not on- 
 ly be near me, but actually under the fame 
 roof. Be afiured, I am no lefs defirous of ha- 
 ving you for my neighbor : and as I am fenfi- 
 ble how much it will contribute to our mutu- 
 al fatisfaction, I mall try every expedient for 
 that purpofe. If I mould have any fuccefs, I 
 will let you know : in the mean while, I beg 
 you would return me a particular anfwer to 
 this letter, and tell me at the fame time when 
 I may expect to fee you. Farewel. 
 
 ' This lady feems to have been the tenant of the houfe,. 
 which Gallus wanted either to buy or hire. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. in 
 
 ., . ^xv? 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 To PUBLIUS LENTULUS : Proconful. 
 
 MARCUS Plaetorius will fully inform A.U.6 9 g. 
 you of the promifTes we have received 
 from Pompey, together with every other cir- 
 cumftance that has been either attempted, pr ef- 
 fected in your favor. He was not only prefent 
 indeed, but a principal agent throughout the 
 whole proceedings : as he acted in every article 
 of your concerns, agreably to what might be 
 expected from a judicious, a vigilant, and an 
 affectionate friend. To him likewife, I mull 
 refer you for an account of public affairs : as 
 I know not well what to fay of them myfeif. 
 Thus much, however, I can aflure you, that 
 they are in the hands (and in the hands they are 
 likely to remain) of our profefled friends J . As 
 for myfeif, both gratitude and prudence, toge- 
 ther with your particular advice, have deter- 
 mined me, as they ought, to join in his 6 inter- 
 eft, whom you were formerly defirous of afib- 
 ciating with you in mine. You are fenfible 
 neverthelefs, how difficult it is to renounce 
 
 s Cajfar, Pompey, and Craffus, 
 6 Pompey. 
 
 our
 
 ii2 THE LETTERS BOOK H. 
 
 A.U.698.our old and habitual notions of politics: 
 efpecially under a full perfuafion of their recti- 
 tude. However I conform myfelf to his fyftem, 
 fmce I cannot with any decency oppofe him : 
 and what ever fome may perhaps imagine, I 
 am by no means acting in this a counterfeit 
 part. The truth of it is, Pompey has gained 
 fuch an abfolute poflefllon of my efteem, that 
 I begin to look upon every thing as juft and 
 reafonable, which falls in with his intereft or 
 inclination ?. I mould think too it would be 
 no imprudent refolution even in his adverfaries 
 themfelves, to defift from an oppofition to which 
 they are evidently unequal. In the mean time, 
 I have the fatisfaction to find the world in ge- 
 neral agreed, that my character requires I mould 
 fupport, or at leaft not obftruct, the meafures 
 of Pompey : while fome are even of opinion I 
 may reafonably retire from all public bufmefs, 
 to my favorite purfuks of a literary kind. And 
 indeed were I not prevented by my friendfhip 
 to Pompey, I mould moft certainly adopt this 
 latter fcheme, as of all others the moft fuitable to 
 my inclinations. For I can now no longer main- 
 tain that dignity in the fenate, and that free- 
 dom in the common-wealth, which was the fm- 
 
 7 Sec remark ijth on letter 16, of this book. 
 
 gle
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R (X 113 
 
 gle .motive of my ambition, and the fole end I A.U.6g. 
 propofed to myfelf in all my labors : a misfor- ^*^ 
 tune, however, which is not peculiar to myfelf, 
 but extends to every Roman in general. In a 
 word, I am under the fad neceffity either of 
 tamely fubmitting to the fentiments of thofe 
 few who lead the republic, or of imprudently 
 joining, in a weak and fruitlefs oppofition*. 
 I the rather mention this, that you may deli- 
 berate, before your return amongft us, what 
 part it may be advifable for you to act in the 
 prefent conjuncture. To fpeak freely ; the mea- 
 fures both of thofe of Senatorian and Eque- 
 ftrian rank, and iride"ed the whole fyftem of 
 the common-wealth in general, are totally 
 changed. All therefore that I have now to 
 wilh, is the prefervation of the public tranquil- 
 
 a A determined patriot could not have been reduced to 
 the alternatives which Cicero here mentions; as there 
 was a third expedient which every man of ftridl politi- 
 cal integrity, who dared to act up to hJs principles 
 would undoubtedly have embraced. " An honeft 
 " phyfician (fays Sir William Temple) is excufed for 
 *' leaving his patient, when he finds the difeafe grown 
 " defperate, and can by his attendance expecl only to re- 
 " ceive his own fees, without any hopes or appearance of 
 " deferring them/' Our author in one of his orations 
 mentions it to the immortal honor of the celebrated Me- 
 tellus, that de Civitaie decedere quam ae featentia maluit : and 
 he who is actuated by the fame fublime patriotifni, will 
 neve'r find himfelf under the poor neceflity of juflifying wrong 
 meafures, by the impoffibility of en- forcing right ones. See 
 remark 30. on letter ib of this book. 
 
 VOL, I. I fity:
 
 114 THE LETTERS Bookll. 
 
 .U.egS.lity : which thofe who are in the adminiftration 
 m to give us a profpect of enjoying, if a 
 certain party could be prevailed upon to fubmit 
 with lefs impatience to their power. As to any 
 hopes of fupporting in the fenate that true con- 
 fular character of a firm and inflexible patriot \ 
 it is in vain now to expect it : every means for 
 that purpofe is totally loft, by the miftaken 
 conduct of thofe who difobliged Pompey 8 , and 
 difiblved that ftrong union which fubfifted be* 
 tween the fenate and the Equeftrian order *. 
 
 8 Pompey was very defirous of having the fevcra! grants 
 which he had made to the cities of Ana, after his defeat 
 'of Mithridates, confirmed by the fenate : in which he 
 was ftrongly oppofed by Cato, Metellus Celer, Lucullus 
 arid others. This occafioned a breach between Pompey and 
 the fenate, and gave Caefar an opportunity of eftablifhing 
 an : intereft with the former : which at that juncture he 
 sfdund neceflary for his purpofes. Accordingly, being foon 
 after elefted conful, he procured a law from the people to 
 ratify thefe acls. Suet, in Jul. Ca-f. 19. 
 
 9 The farmers of the public revenues, who were com- 
 .pofed of the principal perfons among the Equeftrian order, 
 having, as they pretended, rented fome branch of the fi- 
 hances at too high a rate, applied to the fenate for relief. 
 Their demands, it feems, were unreafonable : however, in 
 the fituation wherein public affairs then flood, it was 
 thought prudent by the more moderate party, not to dif- 
 blige fo confiderable a body of men. But Cato obftinate- 
 ly oppofed their demands : and by his means the fenate, 
 after keeping them in fufpence for feveral months, at length 
 rejected their petition. But Caefar, who knew how to turn 
 every incident to his advantage, took up the interefts of thefe 
 Icnight? : and in his confulmip obtained from the people 
 a remifficn of one third part of the ftipulated rent. This 
 fmgle piece of policy (as> one of the Greek hiftorians ob- 
 ferves) gave him a more confiderable acceflion of power, 
 
 But
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R Q. 
 
 But to return to what more immediately A.U.6<jg. 
 
 ^ 
 
 relates to your own private affairs , Pompey is 
 extremely your friend: and by all that I can 
 x>bferve, you may obtain any thing you fhall 
 defire during his confulfhip . At leaft I Ihall 
 follicit him very ftrenuoufly for that purpofe 
 as you may rely upon my mod active offices in 
 every inftance where you are concerned, I am 
 well perfuaded my affiduity upon this occafion 
 will not be difagreable to him : on the contrary* 
 he will receive it with pleafure, were it for no 
 other reafon than as affording him a proof of 
 my grateful difpofitkm. In the mean time, I 
 intreat you to believe, that what ever bears the 
 leaft connection with your interefts, is of more 
 importance to me than my own. From thefe 
 fentiments it is, that I defpair not only of being 
 able to return, but even fufficiently to acknow- 
 ledge, the infinite obligations I owe you. Tho* 
 at the fame time I am confcious of having ex- 
 erted, upon all occafion s, the inoft unwearied 
 
 j - r 
 
 endeavors in your fervice, 
 
 It is rumored here, that you have obtained a 
 complete victory : and we impatiently expect an 
 
 even than he had before acquired by means of the peo- 
 ple; as it gained over a much more important order to 
 his party. Ad Att. ii. i . Suet, in JuL C&f. 20. Ap. B. 
 C. ii. 
 
 1 Pompey and Craflus were at this time confuls. 
 
 I 2 exprefs
 
 n6 THE LETTERS SOOK: II. 
 
 A.U, 698. exprefs with the confirmation of this agreable 
 LX * V " N; news. 1 have already talked with Pompey up- 
 on this fubjecl: : and as foon as your courier ar- 
 rives, I fhall employ my utrnoft diligence m 
 convening the fenate. In fine, were I to perform 
 much more for your intereft than lies within the 
 compafs of my prefent power, I fhould ftill think 
 I had fallen far IKort of what you have a right 
 to expert. Farewel. 
 
 
 
 LETTER V 
 tai ^ T T b R V ' 
 
 To MARCUS MARIUS 2 . 
 
 IF your general valetudinary, difpofition pre- 
 vented you from being a fpeclator of our late 
 public entertainments 3 j it is more to fortune than 
 to philofophy that I am to impute your abfencc. 
 But if you declined our party for no other rea- 
 
 a The perfon to whom this letter is addrefled, feems to 
 have been of a temper and conftitution, that placed him 
 far below the ambition of being known to pofterity. But 
 a private letter from Cicero's 'hand, has been fnfficient to 
 difpel the obfcurity he appears to have loved, and to render 
 his retirement confpicuous. 
 
 3 They, were exhibited by Pompey at the opening of hib 
 theatre : one of the moft magnificent ftruftures of antient 
 Rome, and fo extenfive as to contain no lefs than 80,000 
 fpeftators. It Was built after the model of one which he 
 faw at Mitylene, in his return from the Mithridatic war; 
 and adorned with the nobleft ornaments of ftatuary and 
 
 Sinting. Some remains of this immenfe building, ftill 
 bfift. liv. xxxix. P/in. H, N, vii. 3* Pint, in vit. Pomp. 
 
 fon
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 117 
 
 ion than as holding in jufl? contempt what the A.U.6g8. 
 generality of the world fo abfurdly admire, I ^* 
 muft at once congratulate you both on your 
 health and your judgment. I fay this upon a 
 fuppofition however, that you were enjoying the 
 philofophical advantages of that delightful fcene, 
 in which, I imagine, you were almoft wholly de- 
 ferted. At the fame time that your neighbors, 
 probably, were nodding over the dull humor of 
 our trite farces ; my friend, I dare fay, was in- 
 dulging his morning meditations in that elegant 
 apartment, from whence you have opened a 
 profped to Sejanum, thro* the Stabian hills *. 
 
 4 Sejanum (if that be the true reading : for the Mfs. are 
 extremely difagreed) is found in no other ancient author. 
 Stabize was a maritime town in Campania, fituated upon the 
 bay of Naples, from whence the adjoining hills here men- 
 tioned took their name. One may figure the philofophical 
 Marius as looking down upon the world "from this his 
 delightful retirement, with reflections of the fame kind as 
 thofe which the poet has fo exquifitely imaged, in the fol- 
 lowing beautiful lines : 
 
 Here, pn a Jingle plank, thrown fafe onjhore, 
 
 I hear the tumult of the diftant throng, 
 
 As that of Seas remote, or dying jlorms t 
 
 And meditate onfcems more Jilent Jit II. 
 
 Here, like a Jhepherd gazing from hi 's but, 
 
 Touching his reed, or leaning on bisjiajf, 
 
 Eager ambition 's fiery chace I fee : 
 
 1 fee the cir fling hunt of noi/y men, 
 
 Surft law's enclofure,leap the mounds of right f 
 
 Furjuing and purjud: each others prey ; 
 
 As wolves for rapine, as the fox for ivi/es : 
 
 'Till death, that mighty hunter, earths them all! 
 
 YOUNO* 
 
 I 3 A0d
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 .11.698. And whilft you were employing the reft of the 
 y in thofe various polite amufements, which 
 you have the happy privilege to plan out for 
 yourfelf; we, alas, had the mortification of 
 tamely enduring thofe dramatical reprefenta- 
 tions, to which Mascius s , it feems, our profef- 
 fed critic, had given his infallible fanction ! But 
 as you will have the curiofity, perhaps, to re- 
 quire a more partiaular account ; I muft tell you, 
 that tho' our entertainments were extremely mag- 
 
 5 This perfon is fuppofed by the commentators, to be 
 the fame to whofe judgment Horace advifes the Pifos to re- 
 fer their poetical compofitions : 
 
 <S/ quid tamen ollm 
 
 Scripjeris, in Mteti defcendat judic'u aures. Art poet. 386. 
 But the compliment paid in thefe lines to the tafte of Me- 
 tius, ill agrees with the contemptuous manner in which Ci- 
 cero here fpeaks of Pompey's dramatic Cenfor. 
 
 It appears by an antient fcholiaft on Horace, that Au- 
 guflus inftituted a kind of poetical court of judicature, con- 
 fifting of five judges : the chief of which was Metius Tarpa, 
 mentioned in the verfes above quoted. They held their 
 aflemblies in the temple of Apollo : and no poet was per- 
 mitted to bring his play upon the ftage without their ap- 
 probation. Domitian feems to have improved upon this 
 eftablifhment, and extended it into an academy that dif- 
 tributed prifes to thofe who excelled, not only in poetical, 
 but profe compofitions. We have feen focieties of this fort 
 formed amongtf our neighbor-nations, with good efFeft: 
 and perhaps if in this inftance, as well as in fome others, we 
 were to follow their example; h might prove a means, not 
 only of refining our language, and encouraging a fplrit of 
 polite literature, but of calling off our minds from thofe 
 political fpeculations, which, tho' the privilege indeed, are 
 not always the hanninefs of every idle Briton. Doc. re- 
 wcrj.y.vr /I; .\. $at , : :i \. hi'. <f Horace. Suet it: Damit. 4. 
 
 nifkent 
 4
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 
 
 nificent indeed, yet they were by no means fuch A.U.69*. 
 as you would have relifhed : at leaft if J. may 
 judge of your tafte by my own. Some of thofe 
 actors who had formerly diftinguiflied themr 
 Delves with great applaufe, but had long fmce 
 retired, I imagined, in order to preferve the re- 
 putation they had raifed -, were now again intro- 
 duced upon the flage : as in honor, it feems, of 
 the feftival. Among thefe was my old friend 
 /Efopus * : but f<x different from what we once 
 
 6 He excelled in tragedy, and was the moft celebrated 
 After that had ever appeared upon the Roman Jfage. Ci- 
 cero experienced tke advantage of his friendmip and his ta- 
 Jents during his exile : for AEfopus being engaged in a 
 part upon the ftage, wherein there were feveral pafTages 
 that might be applied to our author's misfortunes ; this ex- 
 cellent tragedian pronounced them with f0 peculiar and 
 affefting an emphafis, that the whole audience immedi- 
 ately took the allufion : and it had a better effecl, as Ci- 
 cero acknowledges, than any thing his own eloquence 
 could have exprefled for the fame purpofc. But it is not in 
 this inftance alone that Cicero was obliged to AEfopus; as 
 it was by the advantage of his precepts and example, that 
 he laid the foundation of his oratorical fame, and im- 
 proved himfelfin the art of elocution. The high value 
 which the Romans fet upon the talents of this pathetic 
 aftor, appears by the immenfe eftate which he acquired 
 jn his profeflion: for he died worth almoft aoo,ooo/. ller- 
 ling. He left a fon behind him, whofe remarkable extra- 
 vagance is recorded by the Roman fatyrift. This youth 
 having received a. prefent from a favorite lady of a pearl 
 out of her ear, worth a million of feiterces, or about 8000 /. 
 of our money, diffolved it in a liquid and gallantly drank 
 it off: to the health, we may fuppofe, of his generous 
 miilrefs. Pliny the naturalift, who likewife mentions this 
 itory, adds, that he prefented at the fame time to each of 
 his guefts a cup of the fame valuable ingredient. Orat. prs
 
 120 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. 1^698. knew him, that the whole audience agreed he 
 
 " 
 
 ought to be excufed from acting any more. 
 For when he was pronouncing the celebrated 
 oath, 
 
 If I deceive, be Jove's dread vengeance burl* d, &c. 
 
 *&i - 
 
 the poor old man's voice failed him : and he 
 
 had not ftrength to go through with the fpeecji. 
 As to the other parts of our theatrical enter- 
 tainments, you know the nature of them fo well, 
 that it is fcarce neceffary to mention them. 
 They had lefs indeed to plead m their favor, 
 than even the moft ordinary reprefentatipns of 
 this kind can ufually claim. The enormous 
 parade with which they were attended, and 
 which, I dare fay, you would very willingly 
 have fpared j dellroyed all the grace of the per- 
 formance. What pleafure could it afford to a 
 a judicious fpectator, to fee a thoufand mules 
 prancing about the ftage, in the tragedy of Cly- 
 taemneftra , or whole regiments accoutred in fo- 
 reign armor, in that of the Trojan horfe ? In a 
 word, what man of fenfe could be entertained 
 with viewing a meek army drawn up on the 
 ftage in battle array ? Thefe, I confefs, are fpe- 
 .ctacles extremely well adapted to captivate vul- 
 
 Sext. 56. Plut. in<uit. Cicer. Macrob. Saturn, ii. IO, Jior. felt. 
 *i. 3-ver. 239. Piin. H, N, x, 51, 
 
 gar
 
 BOOK. II. OF C I C E R O. 121 
 
 gar eyes : but undoubtedly would have had no A.U.698, 
 charm in yours. In plain truth, my friend, 
 you would have received more amufement from 
 the dulleft piece that Protogenes could poflibly 
 have read to you v, (my own orations however 
 let me always except) than we met with at thefc 
 ridiculous mews. I am well perfuaded at leaft, 
 you could not regret the lofs of our Ofcian and 
 Grecian farces 8 . Your own noble fenate will 
 always furnim you with drollery fufficient of 
 the former kind 9 : and as to the latter, I know 
 you have fuch an utter averfion to every thing 
 that bears the name of Greek, that you will 
 
 7 It was ufual with perfons of diftinftion amongft the 
 Romans, to keep a flave in their family whofe fole bufi- 
 nefs it was to read to them. Protogenes feems to have at- 
 tended Marius in that capacity. 
 
 3 The Ofcian farces were fo called from the Ofci, an 
 ancient people of Campania, from whom the Romans re- 
 ceived them. They feem to have been of the fame kind 
 with our Bartholomew drols, and to have conlilted of 
 low and obfcene humor. As to the nature of the Greek 
 farces, the critics are not agreed. Manutius fuppofes they 
 differed only from the former, as being written in the 
 Greek language. Bat it does not appear that Greek plays 
 were ever reprefented upon the Roman ftage : and the 
 molt probable account of them is, that they were a fort 
 of pantomimes in imitation of thofe on the Grecian the- 
 atre. LI--J. vii. 2. Mo-nv. rem. fur les letl. a Att. vi. 
 449. 
 
 - 9 The municipal or corporate towns in Italy were go- 
 verned by ruagiltrates of their own, who probably made 
 much the fame fort of figure in their rural fenate, as 
 our BurgeiTes in their town-hall. This at leaft (eems t 
 .have been the cafe in that corporation to which Marius 
 Jaelonged, and to have given occafion to our author's 
 raillery, 
 
 not
 
 122 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.698.not even travel the Grecian road to your villa 
 As I remember you once defpifed our formi- 
 dable gladiators *, I cannot fuppofe you would 
 
 1 Perhaps the Grecian road might be much out of re- 
 pair, and little frequented at the time when this letter was 
 written : and on that circumftance Cicero, it is poflible, 
 may have founded his witticifm. Among the many in- 
 ilances of Roman magnificence, ^hat of their public roads 
 is particularly obfervable. They were formed at an im- 
 menfe coft, and extended to a great diftance from all 
 fides of the city. Lipfius computes the Appian way at 3 50 
 miles , fome part of which ftill remains as entire as when 
 it ( was firft made ; tho' it has now fubfifted above 1 800 
 years. It is 1 2 feet broad, and chiefly eompofed of blue 
 Hones about a foot and a half fquare. Criminals of a lefs 
 atrocious fort, were generally employed in thofe ufeful 
 works : and perhaps it might be well worthy the confide- 
 ratiem of the legiflature, whether punimments of this kind 
 in delinquencies of the fame nature, might not in all re- 
 {pefts be of more advantage to the public, than that which 
 ieems to have fo little effect in reftraining the violences 
 that are daily committed amongft us. Lipf de magnif, 
 Rom. Burners Tra<v. let. iv. Plin. Epijl. x. 33. 
 
 2 Grxvius fuppofes (and it is a conjecture extremely pro- 
 bable) that this alludes to fome fervices which Cicero had 
 deceived from Marius, in defending him againft the out- 
 rages of Clodius's mob. 
 
 The f rft flv^w of gladiators exhibited in Rome, was giverj 
 by the Bruti in honor of their father's obfequies ; about 
 200 years before the date of this letter. Originally the 
 unhappy wretches who were expofed in this manner, were 
 either prifoners taken in war, or public criminals : but in 
 procefs of time it grew into a profeflion, and there were 
 men who hired themfelves out for this purpofe. Atticus, 
 who feems to have omitted no opportunity of improving 
 his finances, had a band of gladiators which he let out on 
 public occauons, to thofe who were not rich enough to main* 
 tain them at their own expencs. The pafTion for thefe com- 
 bats became at length fo immoderate, that it was ufual to 
 exhibit matches of gladiators at their private entertain- 
 ments : and not only men of the firft quality, but even 
 women entered thefe lifts. Realbn ? mod undoubtedly, 
 
 have
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 123 
 
 have looked with lefs contempt on our athletic 1 A - u - 
 performers: and indeed Pompey himfelf ac- 
 knowledges, that they did not anfwer the pains 
 and expence they had coft him. The remaind- 
 er of our diverfions confifted in combats of 
 wild beafts', which were exhibited every morn- 
 
 cannot but rife up againft fpe&acles of this fanguinary 
 kind. It is obfervable, however, that they were not in- 
 troduced among the Romans till they began to be civilized : 
 and their paffion for thefe cruel combats feems to have 
 gathered flrength in proportion as their manners, in all other 
 refpe&s, became more refined. There is indeed a won- 
 derful difpofition in human nature, to be pleafed with fights 
 of horror : which even the moft polite nations, in their 
 higheft periods of improvement, have not been able en- 
 tirely to fubdue. A very ingenious French writer imagines, 
 that if we did not profefs a religion which abfolutely for- 
 bids the wanton deftrudion of our fpecies, we mould foon 
 convert our prize-fighters into gladiators, and be as fan- 
 guinary in our diverfions as the Romans themfelves. Liv. 
 xxxix. 22. Ad Att. iv. 8. Strab. v. p. 173. Stat. Sylv. i. 
 6. ver. 53. Suet, invit. Jul. 39. Reflex, fur la foef. et fur la 
 feint, i. 1 8. 
 
 1 The athletic games were of a lefs cruel kind than 
 thofe defcribed in the preceeding note, as they principally 
 confifted of running, wreftling and boxing-matches. It 
 fometimes happened indeed that one of the combatants loft 
 his life : but this was contrary to the laws of the fport 4 
 and if it appeared to have been the effeft of defign in his 
 adverfary, tho' he was not punifhed with death, he was 
 punifhed in a way ftill more dreaded, by being deprived 
 of the crown that would otherwife have been due to his 
 viflory. Paufardas mentions an athletic combatant who 
 having incurred this penalty, \v.:s fo affeftcd by the difgrace, 
 that he loft his fenics. 
 
 J Beafts of the wildeft and moft uncommon kinds were 
 fent fpr upon thefe occasions, from every corner of thu 
 known world : and Dion Caffius relates, that no lefs than 
 too lions were killed at thefe hunting-matches with which 
 Ppmpey entertained the people. Dio, Lib. xxxix, 
 
 ing
 
 124 Tl ? E LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A-U.698. ing and afternoon during five days fuccefiively: 
 " and magnificent, it muft be owned, they were. 
 Yet after all, what entertainment can pofTibly 
 arife to an elegant and humanized mind, from 
 feeing a noble beaft ftruck to the heart by its 
 mercilefs hunter, or one of our own weak fpecies 
 cruelly mangled, by an animal of much fupe- 
 rior ftrength ? But were there any thing really 
 worth obferving in fpeclacles of this favage kind; 
 they are fpectacles extremely familiar to you : 
 and thole I am fpeaking of, had not any pecu- 
 liar novelty to recommend them. The laft day's 
 fport was compofed entirely of elephants : which, 
 tho* they made the common people flare indeed, 
 did not feem however to afford them any great 
 fatisfaclion. On the contrary, the terribk 
 (laughter of thefe poor animals, created a ge- 
 neral commiferation: as it is a prevailing notion, 
 that thefe creatures in fome degree participate of 
 o,ur rational faculties +. 
 
 That you may not imagine I had the happir 
 nefs of being perfectly at my eafe during the 
 whole of this pompous feftiva] ; I muft acquaint 
 
 4 This was not merely a vulgar opinipn, but entertain- 
 ed by fome of the learned among the ancients, as appears 
 from the lafl cited hjftorian : who likewife takes notice 
 how much the fpeftators of Pompey's mews were affe&ed by 
 rhc mournful cries of thefe poor animals. Dio, Lib. xxxix.
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 125 
 
 you, that while the people were arnuimg them- A.U.69 
 felves at the plays, I was almoft killed with the 
 fatigue of pleading for your friend Callus Ca- 
 ninius. Were the world as much inclined to 
 favor my retreat, as they fhewed themfelves in 
 the cafe of ^fopus ; believe me, I would for 
 ever renounce my art, and fpend the remainder 
 of my days with you and fome others of the 
 fame philofophical turn. The truth of it is; 3 
 began to grow weary of this employment, even 
 at a time when youth and ambition prompted 
 my perfeverance : and I will add too, when I 
 was at full liberty to exercife ; it in defence of 
 thoie only whom I was inclined to affift. But 
 in my prefent circumftances, it is abfolute 
 flavery. For, on the one fide, I never ex- 
 pect to reap any advantage from my labors 
 of this kind -, and on the other, in compliance 
 with follicitations which I cannot refufe, I am 
 fometimes under the difagreable neceffity of ap- 
 pearing as an advocate in behalf of thofe, who 
 ill deferve that favor at my hands *. For thefe 
 
 reafons I am framing every pofTible pretence For 
 
 I 
 
 * Cicero was now wholly under the influence ofPorfl- 
 pey and Csefar : but the particular internets of his unwor- 
 thy fubmiffion to which he here only alludes, are mention- 
 ed more fully in a lubfequent letter to Lentulus, and will 
 be confidered in the remarks on that epiftle. See letter 1 5. 
 sfthjs book, remarks 5, 34 and 39. 
 
 living
 
 126 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 698. living hereafter according to my own tafte and 
 fentiments : as I highly both approve and ap- 
 plaud that retired fcene of life which you have 
 fo judicioufly chofen. I am fenfible at the fame 
 time, that this is the reafon you fo feldom 
 vifit Rome. However I the lefs regret that 
 you do not fee it oftener, as the numberlefs 
 unpleafmg occupations in which I am en- 
 gaged, would prevent me from enjoying the 
 entertainment of your converfation, or giv- 
 ing you that of mine : if mine, indeed, can 
 afford you any. But if ever I mould be fa 
 fortunate as to difentangle myfelf, in feme de- 
 gree at leaft, (for I am contented not to be 
 wholly releafed) from thefe perplexing embarraf- 
 ments j I will undertake to mew even my ele- 
 gant friend, wherein the trueft refinements of 
 life confift. In the mean while, continue to 
 take care of your health, that you may be able, 
 when that happy time mail arrive, to accompany 
 me in my litter to my fevcral villas. 
 
 You muft impute it to the oxcefs of my friend- 
 Ihip, and not to the abundance of my leifure, that 
 I have lengthened this letter beyond my ufual ex- 
 tent. It was merely in compliance with a re- 
 queft in one of yours, where you intimate a de- 
 fire that I would compenfate in this manner 
 what you loft by not being prefent at our pub- 
 
 '. lie
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 127 
 
 lie diverftons. I fhall be extremely glad, if IA.U.6 9 8. 
 have fucceeded : if not, I fhall hatfe the fatis- 
 faction however to think, that you will for the 
 future be more inclined to give us your com- 
 pany on thefe occafions, than to rely on my 
 letters for your amufement. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 To QUINTUS PHILIPPUS : Proconful 3 . 
 
 rr\ HO* 1 am too well convinced of your 
 JL friendfhip and efteem, to fufpecl: that you 
 are unmindful of my former application in be- 
 half of my friends Oppius and Egnatius ; yet 1 
 cannot forbear again recommending their joint 
 affairs to your protection. My connection in- 
 deed with the latter is of fo powerful a kind, 
 that I could not be more follicitous for my own 
 perfonal concerns. I intreat you therefore to 
 give him proofs of my enjoying that mare of 
 your affection, which I perfuade myfelf I pof- 
 
 a The perfon to whom this letter is addrefled, and the 
 time when it was written, are equally unknown. Pighiui 
 fuppofes he was governor of Alia, in the year of Rome 
 708. Butinthis inftance theufual accuracy of that labori- 
 ous annalift, feems to have failed him. For it appears by a 
 letter of congratulation which Ckero writes to Philippus 
 upon his return from the province, that he muft have been 
 proconful at fome period previous to the civil war: Grafubr 
 tibi (fays he) quod ex provincid falvum te ad tuos r?cej>iji2 n>- 
 REPUBLICAN Epiji. FatmL xiii. 73. 
 
 fefs :
 
 J2 8 THE LETTERS BOOK IL 
 
 A. 0.698. fefs : and be afiured you cannot mew me a; 
 ^"V^ more agreable inftance of .your friendlhip. 
 Farewei. 
 
 - i 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 To MARCUS LICINIUS GRASSUS*. 
 
 A.U.699- T Am perfuadcd that all your friends have iri- 
 JL formed you, of the zeal with which I lately 
 both defended and promoted your dignities ? 
 
 * He 'had been twice conful in conjunction with Pom - 
 pey, and was at this time governor of Syria : to which 
 province he fucceeded at the expiration of his fecond con- 
 fulate, the year preceeding the date of this letter. He was 
 efteemed among the confiderable orators of bis age : but his 
 principal diflinftion feems te have been, his immenfe 
 wealth, the greateft part of which he acquired by fharing 
 in the confiscated eftates of thofe unhappy victims who 
 fell a facrifice to the cruel ambition of Sylla. In his firil 
 coniulate he gave a general treat to the people upon ten 
 thoufand tables, and at the fame time diftributed to them 
 a largefs of three months provifion of corn. .Pint, in wit. 
 Craffi. Dion Caff, xxxix. 
 
 7 Craflus accepted the rirovmce of Syria, merely with a 
 deiign of making war upon the Parbhians : for which how- 
 ever there was no other pretence, than what his boundlefs 
 avarice and ambition fuggefted. Accordingly, fome of the 
 tribunes endeavored to obftrucl his levies for this expedi- 
 tion : and when that attempt failed, Ateius, one of their 
 number, had recourfe to certain fuperftitious ceremonies 
 of their religion, and devoted him in form to deftruftion. 
 It was a general perfuafion that none ever efcaped the effect 
 of thofe myflcrious execrations : and in the preient inftance 
 the event happened to correfpond with this popular belief. 
 For Crafius, together with his army, perifhed in his enter- 
 prize. The judicious Manutius conjectures, that after Craf- 
 fus had left Rome fome motion was made in the fenate for 
 recalling him, which gave occafion to Cicero's fervices and 
 
 as
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 129 
 
 as indeed it was too warm and tooconfpicuoits to A. 11.699, 
 
 "~" 
 
 have been patted over in filence. The oppofi- 
 tion I met with from the confuls, as well as 
 From feveral others of confular rank, was the 
 ilrongeft I ever encountered : and you muft 
 now look upon me as your declared advocate 
 upon all occafions, where your glory is con- 
 cerned. Thus have I abundantly compenfated 
 for the intermifiion of thofe good offices, which 
 the friendfhip between us had long given you a 
 right to claim : but which, -by a variety of acci- 
 dents, have lately been fomewhat interrupted* 
 There never was a time, believe me, when I 
 wanted an inclination to cultivate your efteem, 
 or promote your intereft. Tho', it muft be 
 owned, a certain fet of men* who are the bans 
 of all amicable intercourfe, and who envied us 
 the mutual honor that refulted from ours, have 
 upon fome occafions been fo unhappily fuccefs- 
 ful as to create a coolnefs between us *. It has 
 
 to the prefent letter. This fuppofition however, tho' indeed 
 highly probable, is riot fupported by any of the hiftorians. 
 Plut. in <vit. Craffi. Dio xxxix. Vel. Paterc. ii. 46. 
 
 8 The confuls of this Year were L. Domitius Aheno- 
 barbus, and Appius Claudius Pulcher. 
 
 9 How effectually foever Cicero might have ferved 
 Craflus upon the occafion to which this letter relates ; it 
 is moft certain his good offices did not proceed from a 
 principle of friendship. It is extremely probable indeed 
 that his fupporting thecaufe of Crafius in the fen.ate, is one 
 of thole iiiftances of our author's fhbjeftion, of which he 
 complains in the preceeding letter : and that it was entirely 
 
 VOL, I. K hap-
 
 130 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. 11.699. happened however, (what I rather wifhed than 
 expected) that I have found an opportunity^ 
 even when your affairs were in the moft prof- 
 perous train, of giving a public teftimony by 
 my fervices to you, that I always moft fmcere- 
 ly preferved the remembrance of our former 
 amity. The truth is, I have approved my- 
 felf your friend, not only to the full conviction 
 of your family in particular, but of all Rome in 
 general. In confequencc of which, that moft va- 
 luable of women, your excellent wife 1 , together 
 
 in compliance with the inclinations of Csefar and Pompey, 
 with whom Craffus was now united. The coolnefs here 
 mentioned feems to hare fubfifted ever fmce the affair of 
 Catiline : in whofe confpiracy, as one of the witneffes ex- 
 amined upon that occafion depofed, CrafTus was concerned. 
 There were few indeed who gave credit to this evidence : 
 and the fenate, upon the motion of Cicero, voted it falfe 
 and malicious. CrafFus neverthelefs affured Saluft, (as that 
 kiftorian declares) that this affront was thrown upon him by 
 the artifices of Cicero himfelf. But whether Craflus had any 
 juft ground for this fufpicion, or whether it was fuggefled to 
 him by the falfe infmuations of thofe to whom Cicero here 
 alludes, is a queftion by no means capable of being deter- 
 mined by any circumftance in the hiftory or character of 
 the two men. It is certain that Craffus from this time 
 conceived a ftrong and lafting averfion to our author; as 
 on the other hand, that Cicero after the death of Craffua 
 publifhed an oration in which he exprefsly charged him 
 with being engaged in this confpiracy. However a formal 
 reconciliation had lately pa/Ted between them : and when 
 Crafiijs fet out for his eaftern expedition, they parted with 
 all the exterior marks of a fmcerc friendihip. Ad Att. iv. 
 13. Saluft Bel. Cat. 49. Pint, in vit. Cratf. Ep. Fan. 
 i. 9. 
 
 1 This lady's name was Tertulla : and if Suetonius may 
 be credited, fhe was better acquainted with fome of Cas- 
 par's talents than was altogether confident with her being 
 
 with
 
 BooKlL OF C I C E R O. 131 
 
 with thofe illuftrious models of virtue and filial A.U. 699. 
 piety, your two amiable fons, have perpetual re- 
 courfe to my affiftance and advice : as the whole 
 world is fenfible, that no one is more zealoufly 
 difpofed to ferve you than myfelf. 
 
 Your family-correfpondents have informed 
 you, I imagine, of what has hitherto pafled in 
 your affair, as well as of what is at prefent in 
 agitation. As for myfelf, I intreat you to do 
 me the juftice to believe, that it was not any 
 fudden flart of inclination, which difpofed me 
 to embrace this opportunity of vindicating your 
 honor : on the contrary, it was my ambition 
 from the firfl moment I entered the Forum, to 
 be ranked in the number of your friends 2 . 
 And I have the fatisfaction to refletf, that I 
 have never, from that time to this hour, fail- 
 ed in the highefl fentiments of efteem for you : 
 as I doubt not you have always retained the 
 fame affectionate regard towards me* If the 
 effects of this mutual difpofition have been in- 
 terrupted by any little fufpicions, (for fufpicions 
 only, I am fure, they were) be the remembrance 
 
 (what Cicero here calls her) fkt tnoft valuable of all --jwrtten. 
 Suet, in J. C<ff. 50. 
 
 * CraiTus was almoft ten years older than Cicero j fo 
 that when the latter firft appeared at the bar> the former 
 had already eftablifhcd a character by his oratorical 
 abilities. 
 
 K 2 Of
 
 ,- 2 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.6 9 9-of them for ever blotted out of our hearts. I 
 a m perfuaded indeed from thofe virtues which 
 form your character, and from thofe which I 
 am defirous mould diftinguim mine, that our 
 friendly union in the prefent conjuncture, can- 
 not but be attended with equal honor to us 
 both. What inftanees you may be willing to 
 give me of your efteem, muft be left to your 
 own determination : but they will be fuch, I 
 flatter myfelf, as may tend moft to advance my 
 dignities. For my own part, I faithfully pro- 
 mife the utmoft exertion of my beft fervices, in 
 every article wherein I can contribute to encreafe 
 yours. Many, I know, will be my rivals in 
 thefe amicable offices : but it is a contention in 
 which all the world, I queftion not, and par- 
 ticularly your two fons, will acknowledge my 
 fuperiority. Be aflured, I love them both 
 in a very uncommon degree : tho' I will own, 
 that Publius J is my favorite. From his infan- 
 
 3 Whatever fincerity might be wanting in our author's 
 profefiions of friendship to the father ; it is certain he had 
 a, very unfeigned affection for the fon : as indeed Cicero 
 had been greatly obliged to his zealous fervices when he 
 was perfecutcd by Clodius. Soon after this letter was 
 written, Publius followed his father with a body of Gal- 
 lic cavalry into Parthia, where he behaved with uncom- 
 mon bravery : but perimed in that unfortunate expedition. 
 He fell, not indeed by the enemy, but by the hand of one 
 of his attendants : who llabbed him by his own orders, as 
 fcorning to furvive fo fhauieful a defeat. Cic . in Brut, Pint, 
 ia vit. CraJJj,
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 133 
 
 cy indeed, he difcovered a fmgular regard to A. U. 699, 
 me : as he particularly diflinguiihes me at this - 
 time with all the marks even of filial refpect and 
 affection. 
 
 Let me defire you to confider this letter, not 
 as a ftrain of unmeaning compliment, but as a 
 facred and folemn covenant of friendfhip, 
 which I mall moft fmcerely and religioufly ob- 
 ferve *. I mall now perfevere in being the ad- 
 vocate of your honors, not only from a 
 motive of affection, but from a principle of 
 conftancy : and without any application on your 
 part, you may depend on my embracing every 
 opportunity, wherein I mail think my fervices 
 may prove agreable to your intereft, or your 
 inclinations. Can you once doubt then, that 
 
 4 It has been afierted in thefe remarks, that Cicero 
 acled a counterfeit part in his profefnons of friendfliip to 
 CraiTus : but as he here very ftrongly affirms the contrary, 
 it will be proper to produce the evidence. This indeed is **. 
 Cicero himfelf: who in a letter to Atticus written not long 
 before the prefent, and wherein he gives an account /of 
 the departure of Crafius for his Parthian expedition, fpeaks 
 of him in a ftyle utterly irreconcileable with the -fenti- 
 ments he here profefies, and in terms of the utmoft con- 
 tempt. Crajjiim noflrum, fays he, minore dlgnitate aiunt pro- 
 fecium paludatum, quam olim L. Paulum. O HOMINEM 
 NECjjJAKi f It muft be owned at the fame time, that it is 
 highly probable the heart of CrafTus was as little concern- 
 ed in their pretended reconcilement as that of Cicero : for 
 Craflus generally regulated his attachments by his intereft, 
 and was no farther a friend or an enemy than as it faked 
 with his avarice and ambition. Ad Att. iv. 13. 'Pint, in 
 '//. Craffi 
 
 K 3 any 
 
 < :- :-.-:: urtara.*:!? c9s/-vrl 01 >>rn. J
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 A-U.69g.any requeft to me for this purpofe, either by 
 or your family, will meet with a moft 
 punctual obiervance ? I hope therefore you will 
 not fcruple to employ me in all your concerns, 
 of what nature or importance foever, as one 
 who is moft faithfully your friend : and that 
 you will direct your family to apply to me in 
 all their affairs of every kind, whether relating 
 to you or to themfelvcs, to their friends or 
 their dependents. And be allured, I mall fpar<: 
 no pains to render your abfence as little uneafy 
 to them as poffible. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 To JULIUS CAESAR. 
 
 I Am going to give you an inftance how 
 much I rely upon your affectionate fervices, 
 not only towards myfelf, but in favor alfo of 
 my friends. It was my intention, if I had 
 gone abroad in any foreign employment, that 
 Trebatius mould have accompanied me: and 
 he would not have returned without receiving 
 the higheft and moft advantageous honors I 
 
 5 Czfar was at this time in Gaul, preparing for his firft 
 expedition into Britain : which, as Tacitus obferves, he 
 rather difcovered than conquered. 
 
 fc See an account of him in the following letter. 
 
 fhould
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 135 
 
 fliould have been able to have conferred upon A. 11.699. 
 him. But as Pompey, I find, defers fetting "^ 
 out upon his commifiion longer than I ima- 
 gined ; and I am apprehenfive like wife that the 
 doubts you know I entertain in regard to my 
 attending him, may poflibly prevent, as they 
 will certainly at leaft delay, my journey j I take 
 the liberty to refer Trebatius to your good of- 
 fices, for thofe benefits he expedited to have re- 
 ceived from mine. I have ventured indeed to 
 promife, that he will find you full as well-dif- 
 pofed to advance his intereft, as I have always 
 aflured him he would find me : and a very ex- 
 traordinary circumftance occurred, which feem- 
 ed to confirm this opinion I entertained of your 
 generofity. For in the very inftant I was talk- 
 ing with Balbus upon this fubject, your letter 
 was delivered to me : in the clofe of which you 
 pleafantly tell me, that " in compliance with 
 *' my requeft, you will make Orfius king of 
 *' Gaul, or aflign him over to Lepta, and ad- 
 
 7 A law had lately pafled, by which Pompey was in- 
 veiled with the government of Spain during five years : 
 and it was upon this pccafion that Cicero had thoughts of 
 attending him as his lieutenant - Pompey however, inflead 
 of going to his province, chofe to continue in Italy ; tho' 
 he ieems to have .amufed Cicero with a notion of his in- 
 tending the contrary. For it appears by a letter to Atticus 
 written towards the latter end of this year, that pur author 
 had fixed the day for his departure. Pint, invit. Pomp. 
 M Att. iv. 1 8. 
 
 K 4 " vance
 
 136 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. 11.699. vance any other perfon whom I fhould be in- 
 ~ ct c li ne d to recommend." This had fo remark- 
 able a coincidence with our difcourfe, that it 
 {truck both Balbus and niyfelf, as a fort of a 
 happy omen that had foinething in it more 
 than accidental 8 . As it was my intention, 
 therefore, before I received your letter, to have 
 tranfmitted Trebatius to you -, fo I now con- 
 fign him to your patronage as upon your own 
 invitation. Receive him then, my dear Csefar, 
 with your ufual generofity , and diflinguifh 
 him with every honor that my follicitations can 
 
 8 Among the various kinds of omens obferved with 
 much fuperfHtion by the Romans, that of words happening*" 
 to coincide with any particular fubjeft under confideration, 
 was efleemed of fmgular regard. A remarkable inftance 
 of this fort, is recorded by Livy. After the burning of 
 Rome by the Gauls, it was debated whether the capital 
 city mould not be removed into the country of the Veii. 
 This point was long and warmly difcuffed, till at length 
 the quelKon was decided by an officer of the guards who 
 accidentally pafling by the fcnate-houfe with his compa- 
 ny, called out to the enfign, &#//#, ftaiue jignum : hie 
 manebimus cptitne. Thefe words being heard by the fathers 
 in council, were confidered as a divine intimation : and 
 it was immediately and unanimoufly agreed to rebuild the 
 city on its former fite. Ca;far, of all the Roman hiftorians, 
 has moft avoided the marvellous of this kind : and it is ob- 
 fervable, that he does not mention a Jingle prodigy through- 
 out his whole Commentaries, except in his relation of the 
 battle of Pharfalia. Upon that occafion indeed he very 
 artfully falls in with this popular fuperftition, and gives an 
 account of many predi&ive intimations of that day's im- 
 portant event. And nothing, in truth, could be more to 
 his purpofe than this indiredl manner of perfuading his 
 countrymen, that the Gods were parties in his caufe. Li-v. 
 V. 55. Caf. bel. civ. iij. 85, 
 
 induce
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 137 
 
 induce you to confer. I do not recommend A - u - 699- 
 him in the manner you fo juftly rallied, 
 I wrote to you in favor of Orfius : but I will 
 take upon me to aflure you, in true Roman 
 fmcerity, that there lives not a man of greater 
 modefty and merit. I muft not forget to men- 
 tion alfo (what indeed is his diftinguifhing quar 
 lifkation) that he is eminently fkilled in die 
 laws of his country 9, and happy in an im^ 
 common ftrength of memory. I will not 
 point out any particular piece of preferment, 
 which I wifh you to beftow upon him : I 
 will only in general intreat you to admit him 
 into a mare of your friendlhip. Neverthe- 
 lefs, if you mould think proper to diftinguifh 
 him with the tribunate or prefecture J , or any 
 other little honors of that nature ; I mail have 
 
 9 The profeffion of the law was held among the Ro- 
 mans, as it is with us, in great efleem : but this body of men 
 feern in general to have a&ed rather in the nature of our 
 chamber-counfel, than as advocates at the bar. The lat- 
 ter was properly the province of thofe whom they called 
 fhejr orators : and for which every man of good fenfe, a 
 ready utterance, and a general knowledge of the conftitu- 
 tions of his country, was thought qualified. Cic. de off. ii. 
 19. de Orat. 55, &c. 
 
 1 The military tribunes were next in rank to the lieute- 
 nants or commanders in chief under the general ; as the 
 frafeSus legions was the moft honorable poft in the Ro- 
 man armies after that of the military tribunes. The bu- 
 finefs of the former was, among other articles, to decide 
 all controverfies that arofe among the foldiers ; as that of 
 the latter was to carry the chief ftandard of the Legion. 
 
 j no
 
 . '138 THE L E T T E R S BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. no manner of objection. In good earneft, I 
 intirely rclign him out of my hands into yours, 
 which never were lifted up in battle, or pledged, 
 in friendmip, without effe<5t But I fear I have 
 prefled you farther upon this occafion than was 
 neceflary : however I know you will excufe my 
 warmth in the caufe of a frienfl. Take care 
 of your health, and continue to love me. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 To TREE AT i us z . 
 
 I Never write to Caefar or Balbus, without 
 taking occafion to mention you in the ad- 
 vantageous terms you deferve: and this in a 
 flyle that evidently diftinguifhes me for your 
 fincere well-wifher. I hope therefore, you will 
 
 * This is the fame perfon In whofe behalf the foregoing 
 letter to Czfar is written, and which feems to have had fo 
 good an effeft, that we find him mentioned by Suetonius 
 as in the number of Caefar's particular favorites. He ap- 
 pears in this earlier part of his life to have been of a more 
 gay and indolent difpofition than is confiftent with making 
 a figure in bufmefs ; but he afterwards however, became a 
 very celebrated lawyer : and one of the moft agreable fa- 
 tyrs of Horace is addrefied to him under that honorable 
 character. If the Englifh reader is defirous of being ac- 
 quainted with the fpirit of that performance, he will find it 
 preferved, and even improved, among Mr. Pope's excellent 
 imitations of Horace, Suet, in -<uit. Jul. C&far. Hor, Sat. 
 -ii. i. Popes poems vol. ii. p. 109. 
 
 check
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 
 
 check this idle pafiion for the elegancies ofA.U.699. 
 Rome, and refolutely perfevere in the purpofe ^ 
 of your journey, till your merit and afllduity 
 fliall have obtained the defired effecl:. In the 
 mean time, your friends here will excufe your 
 abfence, no lefs than the ladies of Corinth did 
 that of Medea *in the play *, when Ihe artfully 
 perfuades them not to impute it to her as a 
 crime, that me had forfaken her countiy : For, 
 as me tells them, 
 
 I'here are who dift ant from their native foil? 
 Still for their own and country's glory toil: 
 While fome^f aft-rooted to their parent-fpot, 
 In life are ufelefs, and in death forgot. 
 
 In this laft inglorious clafs you would moft cer- 
 tainly have been numbered, had not your friends 
 all confpired in forcing you from Rome. But 
 more of this another time : in the mean while 
 let me advife you, who know fo well how to 
 manage fecurities for others, tofecure youriHf 
 
 -* '-., R ^ 
 
 3 Medea being enamored of Jafon, aflifted him in ob- 
 taining the golden fleece, and then fled with him from her 
 father's court. He afterwards however deferted her for 
 Creufa, the daughter of Creon king of Corinth, whom 
 Medea deftroyed by certain magical arts. Ennius, a Ro- 
 man poet who florimed about a century before the date of 
 jhis letter, formed a play upon this ftory: from whofe per- 
 formance the following lines are quoted. 
 
 from
 
 140 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. from the Britifh charioteers*. And fmce I 
 have been flaying the Medea, let me make my 
 exit with the following lines of the fame tra- 
 gedy, which are well-worth your conftant re- 
 membrance: 
 
 His wifdom, fure^ onfollfs confines lies, 
 Who's wife for others; for himfelf^ unw/fe,, 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 I Take all opportunities of writing " in your 
 favor : and I mould be glad you would let 
 me know with what fuccefs. My chief reli- 
 ance is on Balbus : in my letters to whom 
 I frequently and warmly recommend your 
 intereft. But why do you not let me hear 
 from you every time my brother difpatches a 
 courier ? 
 
 I am informed there is neither gold nor filver 
 in all- Britain *. If that mould be the cafe, I 
 
 * The armies of the ancient Britons were partly com- 
 pofed of troops who fought in open chariots ; to the axle- 
 trees of which were fixed a kind of fhort fey the. C*f. ae bell. 
 Gall. iv. 29. Sir William Temple's introduction to the Hijl. of 
 England. 
 
 * A notion had prevailed among the Romans, that Britain 
 abounded in gold and filver mines : and this report, it i s 
 
 would
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 141 
 
 would advife you to feize one of the enemy's A>U. 699. 
 militaiy cars, and drive back to us with 
 expedition. But if you think you ihall be able 
 to make your fortune without the afliilance of 
 Britilh fpoils ; by all means eftablifh yourfelf in 
 Casfar's friendfhip. To be ferious, both my 
 brother and Balbus will be of great fervice to 
 you for that purpofe : but, believe me, your 
 own merit and afliduity wiil prove your beft re- 
 probable, firft fuggefled to Csefar the defign of conquering 
 our ifland. It was foon difcovered however, that thefe 
 fources of wealth exifted only in their own imaginations: 
 and all their hopes of plunder ended in the little advan- 
 tage they could make by the fale of their prifoners. Ci- 
 cero taking notice of this circumftance to Atticus, ridicules 
 the poverty and ignorance of our Britifh anceftors; which 
 gives occafion to the ingenious hiftorian of his life to 
 break out into the following pertinent and ufeful obferva . 
 tions : " From their railleries of this kind (fays Dr. Mid- 
 " dleton) one cannot help reflecting on the furprifing fate 
 " and revolutions of kingdoms : how Rome, once the 
 miftrefs of the world, the feat of arts, empire and glo- 
 ry, now lies funk in floth, ignorance, and poverty ; en- 
 flaved to the moft cruel as well as to the moft contemp- 
 tible of tyrants, fuperftition and religious impofture : 
 while this remote country, anciently the jeft and contempt 
 of the polite Romans, is become the happy feat of liber- 
 ty, plenty and letters, florirfhing in all the arts and re- 
 finements of civil life ; yet running perhaps the fame 
 courfe, which Rome itfelf had run before it ; from vir- 
 tuous induftry to wealth ; from wealth to luxury ; from 
 luxury to an impatience of difcipline and corruption of 
 morals ; till by a total degeneracy and lofs of virtue, 
 being grown ripe for deftruclion, it falls a prey at laft to 
 fome hardy oppreftbr, and, with the lofs of liberty, 
 lofing every thing elfe that is valuable, finks gradual- 
 ly again into its original barbarifm." Ad Alt, iv. Life 
 ofdc. ii. 102. 
 
 com-
 
 I 4 2 THE LETTERS BQOK IL 
 
 A.U. 699. commendation. You have every favorable cir- 
 <>/r ^ NJ cumftance indeed for your advancement, that 
 can be wifhed. On the one hand, you are in 
 the prime and vigor of your years ; as on the 
 other, you are ferving under a commander diftin- 
 guilhed for the generofity of his difpofition, and 
 to whom you have been recommended in the 
 ftrongeft terms. In a word, there is not the 
 leafl fear of your fuccefs, if your own concur- 
 rence be not wanting. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 I Have received a very obliging letter front 
 Caefar, wherein he tells me, that tho* his 
 numberlefs occupations have hitherto prevent- 
 ed him from feeing you fo often as he wilhes, 
 he will certainly find an opportunity of being 
 better acquainted with you. I have aflured 
 him in return, how extremely acceptable his 
 generous fervices to you, would prove to my- 
 felf. But furely you are much too precipitate 
 in your determinations : and I could not but 
 wonder that you mould have refufed the ad- 
 vantages of a tribune's commiflion : efpecially 
 
 as
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 143 
 
 as you might have been excufed, it feems,A.U.699 
 from the functions of that poft. If you con- 
 tinue to act thus indifcretely, I mall certainly 
 exhibit an information againft you to your friends 
 Vacerra and Manilius. I dare not venture 
 however, to lay the cafe before Cornelius : for 
 as you profefs to have learned all your wifdom 
 from his inftructions ; to arraign the pupil of 
 imprudence, would be a tacit reflection, you 
 know, upon the tutor. But in good earneft, 
 I conjure you not to lofe the faireft opportunity 
 of making your fortune^ that probably will ever 
 fall again in your way. 
 
 I frequently recommend your interefts to. 
 Precianus, whom you mention ; and he writes 
 me word that he has done you fome good of- 
 fices. Let me know of what kind they are. I 
 expect a letter upon your arrival in Britain. 
 Farewel. 
 
 *?<>Y -^ 
 
 LET-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 To the fame. 
 
 Have made your acknowledgments to my 
 brother, in purfuance of your requeft : and 
 am glad to have an occafion of applauding you 
 for being fixed at laft in fome fettled refolution. 
 The ftyle of your former letters, I will own, 
 gave me a good deal of uneafmefs : and allow 
 me to fay, that in fome of them you difcovered 
 an impatience to return to the polite refinements 
 of Rome, which had the appearance of much 
 levity : that in fome I regretted your indolence, 
 and in others, your timidity : as they frequently 
 likewife gave me occafion to think, you were not 
 altogether fo reafonable in your expectations, as 
 is agreable to your ufual modefty. One would 
 have imagined, indeed, you had carried a bill of 
 exchange upon Casfar, inftead of a letter of re- 
 commendation : as you feemed to think you 
 had nothing more to do than to receive your 
 money and haften home again. But money, 
 my friend, is not fo eafily acquired: and I 
 could name fome of our acquaintance who have 
 been obliged to travel as far as Alexandria in 
 purfuit of it, without having yet been able to 
 
 obtain
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 145 
 
 obtain even their juft demands 6 . If my incli- A.U.6qg. 
 nations were governed folely by my intereft, I 
 mould certainly choofe to have you here : as 
 nothing affords me more pleafure than your 
 company, or more advantage than your advice 
 and afTiftance. But as you fought my friend- 
 fhip and patronage from your earlieft youth ; I 
 always thought it incumbent upon me to act 
 with a difinterefted view to your welfare : and 
 not only to give you my protection, but to ad- 
 vance, by every means in my power, both your 
 fortunes and your dignities. In confequence of 
 which I dare fay you have not forgotten thofe 
 unfollicited offers I made you, when I had 
 thoughts of being employed abroad ?. I no 
 fooner gave up my intentions of this kind and* 
 perceived that Caefar treated me with great dif- 
 tinction and friendlhip, than I recommended 
 you in the ftrongeft and warmed terms to his 
 favor : as indeed I perfectly well knew the fm- 
 gular probity and benevolence of his heart. Ac- 
 cordingly he mewed, nor only by his letters to 
 me, but by his conduct towards you, the great 
 regard he paid to my recommendation. If you 
 
 6 This alludes to thofe who fupplied Ptolemy with mo- 
 ney when he was folliciting his affairs in Rome: an ac- 
 count of which has already been given in the notes on the 
 foregoing book. See rem. 2. p. 51 . of this vol. 
 
 7 See rein. 7. p. 135. of this vol. 
 
 VOL. L JL have
 
 146 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. have any opinion therefore of my judgement, 
 or imagine that I fmcerely wifh you well; let 
 me perfuade you to continue with him. And 
 notwithftanding you mould meet with fome 
 things to difguft you j as bufmels, perhaps, or 
 other obftru&ions may render him lefs expedi- 
 tious in gratifying your views than you had 
 reafon to expect ; ftill however perfevere : and 
 truft me, you will find it prove in the end 
 both for your intereft and your honor. To 
 exhort you any farther, might look like imperti- 
 nence : let me only remind you, that if you 
 lofethis opportunity of improving your fortunes, 
 you will never meet again with fo generous a 
 patron, fo rich a province, or fo convenient a 
 feafon for this purpofe. And (to exprefs my- 
 felf in the ftyle of you lawyers) Cornelius has 
 given bis opinion to the fame effect. 
 
 I am glad for my fake, as well as yours, that 
 you did not attend Casfar into Britain : as it 
 has not only faved you the fatigue of a very dif- 
 agreable expedition, but me likewife that of be- 
 ing the perpetual auditor of your wonderful 
 exploits. Let me know in what part of the 
 world you are likely to take up your winter- 
 quarters, and in what poft you are, or expect to 
 be, employed. Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 147 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 IT is a confiderable time fmce I have heard A - u - 6 99 
 any thing from you. As for myfelf, if I 
 have not written thefe three months, it was be- 
 caufe, after you were feparated from my bro- 
 ther, I neither knew where to addrefs my let- 
 ters, nor by what hand to convey them. I 
 much wifh to be informed how your affairs go 
 on, and in what part of the world your winter- 
 quarters are likely to be fixed. I mould be 
 glad they might be with Casfar : but as, I 
 would not venture in his prefent affliction 8 to 
 trouble him with a letter, I have written upon 
 that fubject to Balbus. In the mean while, let 
 me intreat you not to be wanting to yourfelf : 
 
 8 Caefar about this time loft his daughter Julia, who 
 died in child-bed. She was married to Pompey, who 
 was fo paflionately fond of her, that me feems, during the 
 fhort time they lived together, to have taken entire pof- 
 feflion of his whole heart, and to have turned all his am- 
 bition into the fmgle defire of appearing amiable in her 
 eye. The death of this young lady proved a public cala- 
 mity, as it diflblved the only forcible bond of union be- 
 tween her father and her hufband, and haftened that rup- 
 ture which ended in the deftrudion of the commonwealth. 
 It is in allufion to this, that the elegant Paterculus calls 
 her, medium male cobarentis inter Pompeium et C&farem con- 
 cordat pignus. Plut. in <vit. Pomp, et Cetfar. Vel. Paterc. 
 a. 47. 
 
 L i and
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 for my own part, I am contented to give 
 up fo much more of your company, provided 
 the longer you ftay abroad the richer you mould 
 return. There is nothing, I think, particular- 
 ly to haflen you home, now that Vacerra is 
 dead. However you are the beft judge : and 
 I mould be glad to know what you have deter- 
 mined. 
 
 There is a queer fellow of your acquaintance, 
 one Octavius or Cornelius (I do not perfectly 
 recollect his name) who is perpetually in- 
 viting me as a friend of yours, to fup with him. 
 He has not yet prevailed with me to accept his 
 compliment: however, I am obliged to the 
 man. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 To MuNATIUS 9 . 
 
 LUCIUS Livineius Trypho, is the freed- 
 man of my very intimate friend Regulus : 
 And tho' the misfortunes of the latter cannot 
 raife him higher in my affection, they have 
 
 9 The perfon to whom this letter is addrefled, is un- 
 known ; as is the precife time likewife when it was writ- 
 ten : It feems probable however, not to have been very 
 long after Cicero's return from banifhment. For by the 
 expreffion, his noftrjs temporibus, he undoubtedly alludes 
 (as Mr. Rofs obferves) to the misfortunes which were brought 
 tipon him by Clodius, 
 
 however
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 149 
 
 however rendered me more afliduousto teftifyit in A,U.69g. 
 every inftance wherein he is the leaft concerned. 
 But I have ftill a farther reafon to intereft my- 
 felf in behalf of his freed-man : as I experien- 
 ced his fervices at a feafon, when I had the : 
 belt opportunity of proving the fincerity of 
 my friends. I recommend him therefore to your 
 protection with all the warmth of the moil feri- 
 fible gratitude : and I mall be extremely -obli- 
 ged to you for mewing him, that you place to 
 your own account, thofe many dangerous win- 
 ter-voyages he formerly undertook upon mine/ 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 To TREBATIUS. 
 
 I Perceive by your letter, that my friend C- 
 far looks upon you as a moft wonderful law- 
 yer : and are you not happy in being thus pla- 
 ced in a country, where you make fo confide- 
 rable a figure upon fo fmall a Hock 3 ? JBut 
 
 * The ludicrous afcthor of the tale of r. tub has applied 
 this pafTage with more humor, perhaps, .than it was firft 
 conceived. He is accounting for the propagation of the 
 feveral abfurd doctrines of philofophy and religion that 
 
 have prevailed in the world, by fuppofmg that -e"very fyf- 
 tem-maker is always fare of finding a fet of difciples 
 
 1 f_ *. _/" J .!! .._.] t2 rii . i i - i 
 
 s one 
 
 with 
 
 whofe tone of underltandings is exactly pitched to the ab- 
 furdity or extravagance of his tenets. " And in this
 
 150 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699.. with how much greater advantage would your 
 
 *~^ ^ noble talents have appeared, had you gone into 
 
 Britain ? Undoubtedly there would not have 
 
 been fo profound a fage in the law, throughout 
 
 all that extenfive ifland. 
 
 Since your epiftle has provoked me to be 
 thus jocofe, I will proceed in the fame ftrain, 
 and tell you there was one part of it I could not 
 read without fome envy. And how indeed 
 could it be otherwife, when I found, that, whilft 
 much greater men were in vain attempting to 
 get admittance to Caefar, you were fmgled out 
 from the crowd and even fummoned to an audi- 
 ence x ? But after giving me an account of af- 
 fairs which concern others why were you fi- 
 lent as to your own ? Allured as you are that I 
 
 " circumftance, fays he, lies all the fkill or luck of the 
 *' matter. Cicero underftood this very well, when writing 
 " to a friend in England, with a caution, among other 
 " matters, to beware of being cheated by our hackney- 
 " coachmen (who it fcems, in thofe days, were as errant 
 " rafcals as they are now) has t'hcfe remarkable words : 
 <f eft quod gaudeai te in ijla loco, menij/e, ubi aliquid fapere I'i- 
 " derere. For to fpeak a bold truth, it is a fatal mifcar- 
 " riage, fo ill to order affairs, as to pafs for a fool in one 
 " company, when in another you might be treated as a 
 ' philofopher. Which I defire fome certain gentlemen of 
 *' my acquaintance to lay up in their hearts as a very rea- 
 " fonable innuendo." Tale of a tub, p. 164. 
 
 1 Trebatius, it is probable, had informed Cicero in the 
 ktter to which this is an anfwer, that he had been fum 
 jnoned by Caefitr to attend him as his afleflbr upon fome 
 trial : which feems to have Jed our author into the raille- 
 fjes pf this and the proceeding pafjages. 
 
 intereft
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 151 
 
 intereft myfelf in chem with as much zeal as ifA.U.6g9. 
 they immediately related to myfelf. Accord- 
 ingly, as I am extremely afraid you will have 
 no employment to keep you warm in your win- 
 ter-quarters, I would by all means advife you 
 to lay-in a fufficient quantity of fuel. Both 
 Mucius and Manilius z have^roflf their opinions 
 to the fame purpofe ; efpecially as your regimen- 
 tals , they apprehend, will fcarce be ready foon 
 enough, to fecure you againft the approaching 
 cold. We hear however there has been hot 
 work in your part of the world : which fome- 
 what alarmed me for your fafety. But I com- 
 forted myfelf with confidering, that you are 
 not altogether fo defperate a foldier, as you are 
 a lawyer. It is a wonderful confolation indeed 
 to your friends to be aflured, that your paflions 
 are not an over-match for your prudence. Thus, 
 as much as I know you love the water ; you 
 
 1 Mucius and Manilius, it muft be fuppofed, were two 
 lawyers, and particular friends of Trebatius : as the humor 
 or this witticifm evidently confifts in an allufion to that 
 profeffion. 
 
 3 In the original it is, Jludiofiffimm homo itatandi^ the 
 ambiguity of which could not have been preferred in a 
 more literal tranflation. The art of fwimming was among 
 the number of polite exercifes in antient Rome, and efteem- 
 ed aneceflary qualification for every gentleman. Thus we 
 find Cato the elder, himfelf inftruding his fon in this ac- 
 complifhment : as Auguftus likewife performed the fame 
 office in the education of his two grandfons, Caius and 
 
 L 4 would
 
 152 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.y. 699. would not venture, I find, to crofs it with Cse- 
 far : and tho' nothing could keep you from the 
 
 Lucius. It was indeed one of the efiential arts in mili- 
 tary difcipline, as both the foldiers and officers had frequent- 
 ly no other means of purfuing or retreating from the ene- 
 my. Accordingly the Campus Martius, a pi ace where the 
 Roman youth were taught the fcience of arms, was fitua- 
 ted on the banks of the Tiber : and they conftantly finifh- 
 ed their exercifes of this kind, by throwing themfelves into 
 the river. This (hews the wonderful propriety of thofe 
 noble lines which Shakefpear puts into the mouth of Cafli- 
 us, in that mafterly fcene, where he is endeavoring to found 
 the fentiments, and fire the indignation of Brutus towards 
 Cxfar. 
 
 We can both 
 
 Endure the winter's cold as well as he. 
 For once upon a raw and gufly day, 
 The troubled Tyber chafing with his ihores, 
 Caefar fays to me, " Dar'it thou, Caffius, now 
 " Leap in with me into this angry flood, 
 " And fwim to yonder point ?" Upon the word 
 Accoutred as J was, I plunged in, 
 And bade him follow : fo indeed he did. 
 The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it 
 With h'fty fmews, throwing it afide, 
 And ftemmihg it with hearts of controverfy. 
 But ere we could arrive the point propofed, 
 Caeiar cry'd, " Help me, Caffius, or I fink." 
 I, as ^Eneas, our great annefcor, 
 Did from the flames of Troy upon his moulder 
 The old Anchifes bear, fo from the waves of Tyber 
 Did I the tir'd Cxfar: and this man 
 Is now become a God, &c. 
 
 Monfieur Dacier obferves, that this paffage of Cicero difco- 
 vers the jufmefs of thofe verfes in Horace, where Treba- 
 tius is reprefented as advifing the Roman fatyrift to ,fwim 
 profs the Tyber, as an excellent remedy againfl his 
 poetical propenfity ; fmce, like other phyficians, he pre- 
 fcribed a regimen, it fec-ms, moft agreeable to his own tafte 
 and practice. Plut. invit. Cato. Cetifor. Suet, in <vit. dugujli 
 64. Veget. de re mi lit. i. 10. Dacier 'rem.fur la. Sat. i. du li<v. 
 ii. fUor. 
 
 tembats
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 153 
 
 combats* in Rome; you were much too wife, I A.U.6gg. 
 perceive, to attend them in Britain . 
 
 But pleafantry apart : you know without my 
 telling you, with what zeal I have recommend- 
 ed you to Casfar ; tho' , perhaps you may not 
 be apprifed, that I have frequently, as well as 
 warmly, written to him upon that fubject. '-'ft* 
 had for fome time, indeed, intermitted my fol- 
 licitations, as I would not feem to diftruft his 
 friendfhip and generofity : however I thought 
 proper in my laft to remind him once more 
 of his promife. I defireyou would let me know 
 what effect my letter has produced : and at the 
 fame time, give me a full account of every thing 
 that concerns you. For I am exceedingly anxi- 
 ous to be informed of the profpect and fitua- 
 tion of your affairs ; as well as how long you 
 imagine your abfence is likely to continue. Be 
 perfuaded, nothing could reconcile me to this 
 feparation but the hopes of its proving to your 
 advantage. In any other view, I mould not 
 be fo impolitic as not to infift on your return : 
 as you would be too prudent, I dare fay, to 
 delay it. The truth is, one hour's gay, or fe- 
 rious converfation together, is of more import^ 
 ance to us, than all the foes and all the friends 
 
 4 Alluding to his fondnefs of the gladiatorial games. 
 ? See remark 5. p. 134. of this vol. 
 
 that
 
 154 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.6gg. that the whole nation of Gaul can produce. I 
 Jntreat you therefore to fend me an immediate 
 account in what pofture your affairs ftand : and 
 be afliired, as honeft Chremes fays to his neigh- 
 bor in the play 6 , 
 
 Whatever cares thy lairing bofom grieve* 
 My tongue Jhatt foothe them, or my hand relieve. 
 FareweL 
 
 LETTER XVL 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 YO U remember the character given of the 
 Phrygians in the play 7 ; " that their wif. 
 c< dom ever came too late :" but you are refol- 
 vcd, my dear cautious old gentleman 8 , that 
 no imputation of this kind mail be fixed upon 
 you. Thank heaven indeed, you wifely fubdu- 
 cd the romantic fpirit of your nrft letters , as 
 
 6 In Terence's play called the Self-tormenfer. 
 
 7 A tragedy called the Trojan horfe ; which Teems by 
 Cicero's frequent quotations from it, to have been in 
 great efteem. 
 
 8 The celebrated Monfieur Dacier produce s this paflage 
 as a proof that Trebatius muft have been more than four- 
 fcore yean, of age, when Horace addrefled the fatyr to 
 him mentioned in the remarks on the preceeding letter. 
 But that learned critic has been led into this error, by tak- 
 ing in a ferious fenfe, what Cicero moft evidently meant in 
 a ludicrous one. 
 
 ventures
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 155 
 
 you were not fo obftinately bent upon new ad-A.TJ.6g9. 
 ventures as to hazard a voyage for that 
 into Britain : and who, in troth, can blame 
 you? It is the famedifpofition, I imagine, that has 
 immoveably fixed you in your winter-quarters : 
 and certainly there is nothing like acting with 
 circumfpection upon all occafions. Take my 
 word for it, Prudence is the fafeft fhield. 
 
 If it were ufual with me to fup from home, 
 moft undoubtedly I could not refufe your gal- 
 lant friend Octavius. I will own, however, I 
 love to mortify the man's vanity : and whenever 
 he invites me, I always affect to look with fome 
 furprize, as not feeming to recollect his perfon. 
 Serioufly, he is a wondrous pretty fellow : 
 what pity it is that you did not take him abroad 
 with you ! 
 
 Let me know how you are employed, and 
 whether there is any probability of feeing you 
 in Italy this winter. Balbus allures me, that 
 you will certainly return immenfely rich : but 
 whether he means in $ie vulgar fenfe, or agree- 
 ably to the maxim of his friends the ftoics, 
 who maintain, you know, that " every man is 
 *' rich who has the free enjoyment of earth 
 *' and air j" i$ a (Joybt which time will clear 
 
 vp, 
 
 Jfind
 
 156 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U-699- I find by thofe who come from your part of 
 the world that you are grown wonderfully re- 
 firved: for they tell me, you anfwer no que- 
 ries 6 . However, it is on all hands a fettled 
 pointy (and you have reafon, certainly, to 
 congratulate yourfelf upon it) that you are the 
 moil profound fage in the law throughout the 
 whole city of Samarobriva 10 . Farewel. 
 
 9 The witticifm of this paflage confifb in the double 
 fenfe of the verb refpondere, which, befides its common ac- 
 ceptation, fignifies likewife the giving an opinion as a lawyer. 
 This conceit, fuch as it is, feems to have been a favorite 
 one with our author : for he repeats it in a fubfequent let- 
 ter, where he is raillying another of his friends upon an oc- 
 cafion of the fame nature. But 
 ^ 
 
 Antoni gladios potnit conttmaere, Jifec 
 
 Omnia dixi/et! Juv. 
 
 * A principal Town in Gaul, now called Amiens, and 
 where Trebatius feems to have had his winter-quarters. 
 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 157 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 To LENTULUS. 
 
 IT is with fingular pleafure I perceive by your AJJ.tfg^. 
 letter that you are fenfible, I will not fay 
 of my affection only, but of my devotion to- 
 wards you. Even that facred term indeed can 
 but ill exprefs the fentiments you merit from 
 me : and if you efteem yourfelf (as you would 
 perfuade me) obliged by my endeavors to fervc 
 you, it is your friendfhip alone which can 
 make you think fo. I am fure at leaft I could 
 not refufe you my beft good cfrices, without 
 being guilty of the moft unpardonable ingra- 
 titude. You would have experienced, however, 
 much flronger and more powerful inftances of 
 my friendfhip, if, inftead of being thus long fe- 
 parated from each other, we had pafled this in- 
 terval together at Rome. It is not only in the 
 particular article you mention, and in which 
 no man is more qualified to mine, that I impa- 
 tiently wifh to receive you as my co-adjutor ; 
 it is not, I fay, in the fenate alone that our 
 amicable concurrence would have been diftin- 
 guifhed : it would have appeared confpicuous, 
 my friend, in every act of public concern- 
 i ment.
 
 158 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.6gg.ment. Suffer me then to add, ere, agreably 
 to your requeft, I inform you of my political 
 fentiments and fituation , that if fortune had 
 not thus divided us, I mould have enjoyed in 
 you a wife and faithful guide j as you would 
 have found in me, a kind, a friendly, and, 
 perhaps, no unexperienced affociate. How- 
 ever, I rejoice (as undoubtedly I ought) at the 
 honorable occafion of your abfence, and in 
 which your military conduct and fuccefs has 
 procured you the illuftrious title of Imperator '. 
 Neverthelefs, I muft repeat it again, it is ow- 
 ing to this circumftance, that you have not re- 
 ceived far more abundant and efficacious fruits 
 of that friendfhip, to which you have fo undif- 
 puted a claim. In particular, I mould moft 
 flrenuoufly have united with you in taking juft 
 vengeance on thofe whofe ill offices you have 
 experienced, partly in refentment of your hav- 
 ing fupported and protected me in my adverfi- 
 ty, and partly as they envy you the glory of 
 fo generous an action. One of them, however, 
 has fufnciently anticipated our revenge, and 
 drawn down by his own hands the chaftife- 
 ment he merits from ours. The perfon I mean 
 
 1 Hiftory is altogether filent as to the occafion upon 
 which Lentulus was fluted by his army with this title.
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 159 
 
 is that man who has ever diftinguiihed himfelf A.U.699. 
 by oppofing his benefactors, and who, after 
 having received from you the higheft fervices, 
 fingled you out as the object of his impotent 
 malice. This man, in confequence of being 
 detected in his late infamous attempts, has en- 
 tirely and irretrievably loft at once both his ho- 
 nor and his liberty 2 . As to yourfelf, tho* I 
 had much rather you fhould gain experience by 
 my mistortunes than your own ; yet it affords 
 me fome confolation under your prefent dilap- 
 pointment J , that you have not paid Ib fevere 
 a fine as I did, for being taught the little de- 
 pendence there is upon the profelTions of the 
 world. A reflection this, which may very 
 properly ferve as an introduction to the ac- 
 count you require of the motives of my late 
 tranfactions. 
 
 You are informed then, it feems, that I am 
 reconciled with Csefar and Appius*: a ftep, 
 you allure me, which you do not difapprove. 
 
 * The conje&ure of Manutius feems highly probable, 
 that the perfon to whom Cicero alludes is Caius Cato, 
 whofe ill offices to Lentulus have been often mentioned 
 in the proceeding letters. But what the fecret practices 
 were which had been difcovered fo much to his difgrace, 
 is a point in which hiitory does not afford any light. 
 
 J In not obtaining the commiffion to replace Ptolemy 
 on his throne. 
 
 4 He was embroiled with Appius, as being the brother of 
 his inveterate enemy, Clodius, 
 
 But
 
 i6o THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. But you are at a lofs to guefs what reafons could 
 induce me to appear at the trial of Vatinius, not 
 only as an advocate, but as a witnefs in his 
 favor *. To fet this matter in the cleareft light, 
 it will be neceflary to trace back the motives of 
 my conduct to their original fource. Let me 
 obferve then, my Lentulus, that when I was 
 recalled from exile by your generous offices, I 
 confidered myfelf as reflored, not only to my 
 friends and to my family, but to the common- 
 wealth in general. And as you had a right to 
 the beft returns of my affection and gratitude 
 
 5 It was cuftomary at tryals for the perfon arraigned, 
 to produce witnefles to his character, who were called 
 Laudatores : and ten was the number requifite for this 
 purpofe. Vatinius was tribune of the people in the confu- 
 late of Caefar, and had been in the number of Cicero's 
 moft inveterate enemies, as he was his conftant oppofer 
 likewife in politics. He was a man of a moft abandoned 
 chara&er, and whofe perfon (as Paterculus aflures us) was 
 not lefs deformed than his mind. A very learned and po- 
 lite author, whofe juft efteem for Cicero's writings has be- 
 trayed him, perhaps, into fome partiality towards his ac- 
 tions, acknowledges that " the defence of Vatinius gave 
 " a plaufible handle for fome cenfure upon Cicero." The 
 truth of it is, the cenfure was more than plaujlble: for 
 nothing certainly could difcover more meannefs of fpirit 
 than thus, in compliance with thofe in power, not on- 
 ly to defend Vatinius as an advocate, but to bear public 
 teftimony likewife to his general good conduft. Some co- 
 lorable excufe indeed may be given for the former, by 
 confidering it in the light which Valerius Maxlmus has 
 placed it ; as an inftance of Cicero's generofity towards his 
 enemies : but the latter feems to ftand beyond the reach 
 even of a plaxfible juftification. Paterc. ii. 69. Vol. 
 Max. iv. 2. 
 
 for
 
 II. OP C I C E R O. i6r 
 
 for the diftinguimed part you afted in that af- A.U.699. 
 fair ; fo I thought there was fomethihg more 
 than ordinary due from me to my country, 
 which had fo fmgularly co-operated with you 
 upon this occafion. I often took an opportu- 
 nity, during your confulate, of publicly de- 
 claring thefe my fentiments in the fenate : as I 
 always, you well know, exprefTed myfelf to the 
 fame purpofe in our private converfations. Ne- 
 verthelefs, I had many reafons at that time to 
 be highly difgufted. I could not, in truth, 
 but obferve the difguifed malice of fome and 
 the coolnefs of others, whe'n you were endea- 
 voring to procure a decree for reftoring the in- 
 Icription of that honorable monument of my 
 public fervices, which had been erected by the 
 fenate 6 . But it was not only in this inftance 
 that thofe who had many obligations to concur in 
 your good offices towards me; acted a part I 
 had little r'eafon to expect. They looked in- 
 deed with much ungenerous indifference on die 
 
 6 The exprefllon which Cicero mikes ufe of in this 
 place, is ambiguous : ntque ds monumentis mcis ab Us eulju- 
 tm es &t. The commentators have fuppofed that this re- 
 lates to Cicero's houfe : bat Mr. Ro'fs, with much greater 
 probability, imagines it alludes to the dtriv.m Libertcti:, 
 which had been erected by order of the fenate as a me- 
 morial of Cicero's fervices in refcmng the common- wealth 
 from the dangerous confpiracy of Catiline. For Clodiua 
 had crazed the original infcription and placed his 6wa 
 name in its Head,. See rem. 27. on this letter. 
 
 * M
 
 1 62 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. cruel outrage which was offered to my brother 
 d myfelf under our own roof 7 : and theeftimate 
 they made in purfuance of the fenate's order, of 
 the damages I had fuftained by thefe acts of vio- 
 lence, was far unequal to my real lofs 8 . This 
 laft article of their injuflice, tho' leaft indeed in 
 my concern, I could not but very fenfibly feel 
 amidft the general wreck of my fortunes. But 
 
 7 : Clodius, after having procured a law which de- 
 elated it treafon to vote or take any ftep towards re- 
 calling Cicero from his banifhment, proceeded to pillage 
 and burn all his houfes both in town and country. Ci- 
 cero, however, being reftored, in the manner which he 
 himfelf will relate in a fubfequent part of this letter, the fe- 
 nate decreed that his houfes Ihould be rebuilt at the public 
 expence. But while the workmen were employed on his 
 Palatine houfe, and had carried it up almoft to the roof, 
 Clodius made a fecond attack, and after driving them off", 
 fet fire to the adjoining edifice which belonged to Cicero's 
 brother, and wherein he himfelf likewife at that time was ; 
 fo that they were both obliged to make their efcape with 
 the utmoit precipitation. Ad Att. iv. Orat. poft red. 
 
 8 His houfe upon the Palatine hill in Rome together 
 with his Tufculan and Formian villa's were jointly eftima- 
 ted at 22,occ/. a valuation univerfally, condemned as ex- 
 tremely unequitable. But " thoie who had dipt his wings 
 *' (as he exprefies himfelf in a ktter to Atticus upon this 
 " occafion) were not difpofed they fliould grow again." 
 It feems highly probable that Lentulus himfelf was in this 
 number : as it appears by a letter of our author to his bro- 
 ther, that he had reafons to be diflatisfied with his conduft 
 towards him. But tho' in the paffage before us he fpeaks 
 of the injuilice that had been done him, as arifmg folely 
 from thofe who were concerned with Lentulus in taking 
 an eftimste of his lofies ; yet at the fame time he expref. 
 fes himfelf in fuch a manner, as to throw a very artful 
 reproach upon the latter. Ad Att. iv. 2. Ad. J^. F. 
 ii. 2. 
 
 tho'
 
 V? 2 
 
 BOOK It. OF C I C E R O. 163 
 
 tho* thefe mortifying marks of their difpofition A - U ' 6 99 
 towards me, weje much too notorious to efcape 
 my obfervation j they could not efface the more 
 agreable impreflions of their former friendfhip. 
 For this reafon, notwithftanding thofe high 
 obligations I had to Pompey, of which youyour- 
 felf were witnefs and have often mentioned ; not- 
 withftanding alfo the affection and efteem which 
 I always entertained for him ; yet I ftill firmly 
 adhered to my political principles : nor fuffered 
 thefe confiderations of private amity to influ- 
 ence me in favor of his public meafures. Ac- 
 cordingly when Vatinius (who at the trial of 
 P. Sextius 9 was examined as a witnefs againft 
 him) intimated that Caefar's fuccefles had re- 
 conciled me to his party; I told him, in the 
 prefence of Pompey, that I preferred the fate 
 of Bibulus, unhappy as he might efteem it, to 
 all the fplendid triumphs of the moft victorious 
 general I0 . I afferted likewife upon another 
 
 " 9 P. Sextius was a tribune of the people A. U. ,96. 
 " in the coniuKhip of Lentulus, and a great inftrurnent in 
 " reftoring Cicero. lie refitted the fusion of Ciodius by 
 " force of anus, and was upon that account in the fol- 
 " lowing year accufed cf public violence by M.-TuIlius 
 " Albinovanus. Cicero defended him in an excellent 
 " pration which is flill extant, and he was acquitted by 
 ** the fuffiages of all the judges." Mr. Rofs. 
 
 10 M. Calpurnius Bibulus was joint conful with J. C^E- 
 far A. U. 694. The fenate fccured the election of the for 
 met, in order to hi$ being a check to the ambitious defigos 
 
 M 2 occaficn
 
 164 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.699.occafion (and afierted too in the hearing of 
 Pompey) that the fame perfons who confined 
 Bibulus to his houfe, had driven me from mine. 
 Indeed the whole feries of thofe interroga- 
 tories 11 which I put to Vatinius at this trial, 
 was entirely defigned as an invective againil his 
 tribunate : and I particularly expofed with 
 much freedom and indignation, his contempt 
 of the Aufpices, his corrupt diflribution of 
 foreign kingdoms ", together with the reft of his 
 
 of his collegue : and it was thought of fo much importance 
 to the republic that he mould be chofen,. that even 
 Cato did not fcruple upon this occafion to employ methods 
 of bribery for that purpofe. But Bibulus after many vain 
 efforts of patriotifm, and being grofsly infulted in the 
 forum by Catfar's mob, at length withdrew from the fun- 
 -ftions of his office, and voluntarily confined himfelf (as 
 Suetonius relates) to his own houfe ; tho' by the expref- 
 fion which Tally here ufes, it rather feems as if Crcfar had 
 employed fome force in keeping him there. After which, 
 as the fame hiftorian informs us, Caefar governed the re- 
 public without controle. Suet, in Jul. Cffar. c. 20. 
 
 " JI Cicero inftead of examining Vatinius upon the 
 " fafts in his evidence againft Sextius, put to him a feries 
 " of qaeftions in fuch an artful manner, that he expofed 
 " all the intrigues and iniquity of his tribunate. This 
 " examination is ftill extant under the title of Interragatio 
 tf in Vat'iinum." Mr. Ro/s. 
 
 '* It is wholly uncertain to what particular fafts Cicero 
 alludes, when he imputes to fatirrius what he calls the do- 
 natio regnorum : however by comparing this expreffion with 
 the oration to which it refers, and with a pa/fage in a let- 
 ter to Atticus, it feems probable that Vatinius, when he 
 was tribune, had been bribed to procure a confirmation 
 from the people of fane difputed regal title, or perhaps 
 to obtain afliihnce from the republic in transferring a con- 
 tcflcd Crown from its rightful poflefTor into the hands of 
 in ufurper. It U certain, at leaft/ that fuch unworthy me- 
 
 violent
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 165 
 
 violent and illegal proceedings. But it was A.U.699- 
 not only upon this occafion that I fpoke thus 
 unrefervedly : I frequently avowed my fenti- 
 ments with the fame refolute fpirit in the fe- 
 nate. Thus when Marcellinus and Philip- 
 pus were * confuls, I carried a motion that 
 the affair of the Campanian lands " fhould be 
 referred to the re-confideration of a full houfe l * 9 
 on the 1 5th of May following. Now tell me, 
 
 thods were frequently praftifed at this time, in order to 
 gratify the infatiable avarice and profufion of thefe degene- 
 rate Romans. Orat. in Vatin. Ad Att e ii. 9. 
 
 * They were confuls A. U. 697, 
 
 13 The lands in Campania, a diftricl in Italy now cal- 
 led the Terra di iavoro in the kingdom of Naples, were 
 partly appropriated to the ufe of the republic* and partly 
 in private hands. Caifar had procured a law for divid- 
 ing the former among 25,000 poor citizens ; and for pur- 
 chafing ths latter in order to inveft them in the fame man- 
 ner. Both thefe deiigns feem to have been very artfully 
 calculated by Cfefar to promote and facilitate his grand 
 purpofe of ufurping the fupreme power. For by parcel- 
 ling out thefe lands among the common people which be- 
 longed to the republic, he fecurcd the populace to his in- 
 tereit, and at the fame time deprived the government of 
 thofe very corifiderable fupplies both of money and corn 
 which it derived from its* dernefnes in Campania : as on 
 the other fide, by purchafingthe remainder of thefe eftatcs, 
 he muft necefTarily have weakened thofe public trcafures 
 which were already much impoverished, and confequently 
 rendered the common-wealth lefs capable of oppofing 
 his ambitious meafures. Suet, in J. Caf. c. 20. Cic. Ag- 
 rar, ii. 29. x 
 
 14 A decree of the fenate had not its complete force 
 unlefs it patted in a full houfe ; that is, when a compe- 
 tent number of the members were prefent. It feems by a 
 paflage which Manutius quotes from Dio, 1. 54. that be.- 
 Ibre the times of Auguiius, who made feme alteration 
 therein, the number requifrte to make au ad valid was 
 40, 
 
 M 3 my
 
 166 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. U. 699- my friend, could I pofllbly have made a bolde r 
 or more formidable attack upon this party ? 
 could I poflibly have given a more convincing 
 evidence, that I had not departed from my old 
 principles, notwithstanding all I had formerly 
 fuffered for their fake ? The truth of it is, this 
 motion greatly exafperated, not only thofe whom 
 it was reafonable to expect it would offend, 
 but others upon whom I did not imagine it 
 would have had any fuch effect. Pompey, foon 
 after this decree had paffed, fet forward upon 
 his expedition into Sardinia and Africa % with- 
 out giving me the leafl intimation of his being 
 difgufted. In his way thither he had a con- 
 ference with Cxfar at Luca b , who made great 
 
 a This expedition of Pompey into Sardinia and Africa, 
 was in purfuance of the commiffion with which he hatf 
 been inverted for fupplying the public magazines with corn. 
 Seerem. 6. p. 56. of this vol. 
 
 b Luca was a frontier town in Csefar's province of 
 Cifalpine Gaul, adjoining to Italy : it ftill fubMs under 
 the fame name, and is a celebrated republic. It was Cag- 
 far's policy at the end of every campaign, to fix his win- 
 ter-quarters as near Italy as poffible, in order to be within 
 obfervation ofwhatpafled at 'Rome. A numerous court 
 was immediately formed around him in thefe places of his 
 refidence, confuting of the moft diflinguifhed perfons in 
 Rome and the neighboring provinces : and no lefs than 
 200 fenators have been obferved among his attendants up- 
 on thefe occafions. Candidates for offices ; voung men 
 who had run out their eftates ; and, in a word, all whofe 
 affairs of any kind were embarralTed, flocked to him in 
 thefe cities: and by liberal conccflions to their refpeftive 
 wants and interefts, he ftrengthened his faftion and for- 
 
 com-
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C R O. 167 
 
 complaints of this motion. He had before, itA.U.699. 
 *eems, been informed of it by Craffus at kaven- 
 na c ; who took that opportunity of incenfing him 
 againft me. And it appeared afterwards, that 
 Pompey was likewife much dhTatisfied upon 
 the fame account. This I learnt from feveral 
 hands, but particularly from my brother, who 
 met him in Sardinia, a few days after he had 
 left Luca. Pompey told him he was extremely 
 glad of that accidental interview, as he wanted 
 much to talk with him. He begun with fay- 
 ing, that as my brother flood engaged d for 
 my conduct, he fhould expect him to exert all 
 his endeavors to influence me accordingly. 
 Pompey then proceeded very warmly to re- 
 monftrate againft rny late motion in the fenate; 
 reminding my brother of his fervices to us both, 
 and particularly of what had paffed between 
 them concerning Casfar's edicts, and of thofe 
 
 warded his grand enterprize. It was thus (as the judici- 
 ous Plutarch obferves) he had the addrefs to employ the 
 forces of the republic againft Gaul, and the fpoils of Gaul 
 againft the republic. Plut, in Caf. & Pomp. Suet, in 
 Jul. 
 
 e A city in Cifalpine Gaul, ftill fubfifting under the fame 
 name, in the Pope's dominions. 
 
 A This alludes to thofe engagements which Quintus Ci- 
 cero entered into in behalf ot his brother, in order to in- 
 duce Pompey to favor his recall from banimment. And it 
 appears by what follows, that he promifed on the part of 
 Cicero an unlimited refignation to the meafures of that am- 
 bitious chief. 
 
 M affuran-*
 
 168 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A-fc- 6 99-afiiirances, he faid, my brother had given him 
 
 ** 
 
 of the meafures I would purfue with refpeft to 
 that article. He added, that my brother himfelf 
 was a witnefs that the fteps he had formerly 
 taken for procuring my recall,, were with the 
 full confent and approbation of Csefar. Upon 
 the whole therefore, he intreated him, if it were 
 either not in my power or my inclination to 
 fupport the intereft and dignity of the latter, 
 that he would at leaft prevail with me not to 
 oppofe them. The account which my brother 
 gave me of this converfation, together with a 
 meffage I had before received from Pompey by 
 Vib~llius, to requeft that I would not proceed 
 any farther in the affair of the Campanian lands 
 till his return, threw me into a very ferious train 
 of reflections. I could not but think, after 
 having performed and fuffered fo much for my 
 country, that I might now at leaft be permit- 
 mitted to confider what was due to gratitude 
 and to the honor of my brother : and as I had 
 ever conducted myfelf with integrity towards 
 the public ; I might be allowed, I hoped, to a& 
 the fame honeft part in my more private con- 
 nections '*, 
 
 1 5 The deftrnftive views of C,rfar in procuring the law 
 in queftionj have been already cpnfidered in thefe notes : 
 therefore, undoubtedly, is ths rcufon which Cicero 
 
 During
 
 BOOK. II. OF C I C E R O. 169 
 
 During the time I was engaged in thefe votes A.U.699. 
 and other proceedings with which Pompey ap- 
 peared thus diflatisfied, I was informed of what 
 patted in the converfations of a fet of meri^ 
 whom you will now guefs without my naming. 
 This party, tho* they approved of my public 
 meafures, as being agreable to what had ever 
 been their profefled fentiments ; were yet fo un- 
 generous as to exprefs great fatisfaction in be- 
 lieving, that my conduit would by no means 
 oblige Pompey, at the fame time that it would 
 highly cxafperate Csefar. Well might I refent, 
 
 here afligns, for renouncing an oppofition fo evidently jm-r 
 portant to the true intereit of his country. Had Caefar and 
 I'ompey indeed been ever fo much his real friends, no 
 confiderations of amity ought to have prevailed with him to 
 have acquiefced in a fcheme, which was contrary to the 
 fentiments of all the real patriots of the republic, and con- 
 trary likewife to his own : a fcheme which he himfelf tells 
 Atticus was formed for the deftrudlion of the common- 
 wealth. Ad Att. ii. 17. Had he attended to the indifputa- 
 ble maxim which he himfelf lays down in one of his philofo- 
 cal treatifes, it would have decided at once the conduft 
 which became him to obferve upon an occafion, wheife 
 private friendship interfered with more extenfive obliga- 
 ions : H<?c prima lex in amicitia fanciatur (fays he) ut ne- 
 que rogetnui res turpes, nee faciamus rcgati. But the truth of 
 it is, private friendmip was not concerned in the cafe : for 
 he well knew that neither Pompey nor Csefar had any at- 
 tachments to him of that kind. It was fear alone that 
 determined his refolution : and having once already fuf- 
 fered in the caufe of liberty, he did not find himfelf difpo- 
 fed to be twice a Martyr. The aukward manner, how- 
 ever, in which he attempts to ju&fy himfelf throughout 
 this letter, very evidently ftiews how impoifiblc it is to bid 
 farevyel to integrity with a good grace. 
 
 lndeed. r
 
 I7 o THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. indeed, fo injurious a treatment; but much 
 more when I faw them, even before my face, 
 malicioufly encouraging and carefling my avow- 
 ed enemy : l6 mine do I call him ? Rather let 
 me fay an enemy to the laws and tranquillity 
 of his country, and to every character of worth 
 and virtue amongft us. 
 
 Their malevolence, however, had not the 
 effect they intended, and it could not warm me 
 into thofe tranfports of indignation, of which 
 my heart is now, indeed, no longer fufcepti- 
 ble. On the contrary, it only induced me to 
 examine my fituation in all its various circum- 
 ftances and relations, with the greateft cool- 
 nefs and impartiality : the procefs and refult of 
 which I will lay before you, in as few words as 
 I am able. 
 
 There have been times, as experience no lefs 
 than hiftory has taught me, when the power of 
 the common-wealth was in worthlefs and wicked 
 hands. In fuch a conjuncture, no hope of in- 
 tereft (which I have at all times moft heartily 
 contemned) nor fear of danger (which, up- 
 on fome occafions, however, has influenced the 
 the- greateft minds) mould prevail with me to 
 co-operate in their meafures : no not tho* I 
 were attached to them by the ftrongeft ties of 
 
 16 Clodius. 
 
 frien^fhip
 
 BOOK II. OP C I C E R O. 171 
 
 friendihip and gratitude. But when a man 'ofA.U 
 Pompey's diftinguimed character prefides over 
 the republic; a man who has. acquired that 
 eminence of power and honor by the moft he- 
 roic actions, and the moft fignal fervices ; I 
 could not imagine it would be imputed to me 
 as a levity of difpofition, if in fome few in* 
 fiances I declined a little from my general max- 
 ims, and complied with his inclinations '*. But 
 my justification, I thought, would ftill rife in 
 its ftrength, when it mould be remembered 
 that I favored his credit and dignity even from 
 the earlieft part of my life ; as I particularly 
 promoted them in my prsetorfhip and confu- 
 late : when it mould be remembered, that he 
 not only affifled me with his vote and his influ- 
 ence in the fenate during my adverfity, but 
 
 17 It appears by what has already been remarked, that 
 Cicero's compliance can by no means be confidered in the 
 favorable light which lie here reprefentsit ; but was in reality 
 a confeffion moft injurious to his honor and fatal to the 
 liberties of Rome. It is certain likewife, that it was not 
 from any advantageous opinion of Pompey's political cha- 
 rader and defigns, that he was induced to fall in with his 
 meafures. On the contrary, Cicero moft undoubtedly had 
 no efteem for him : and as to his political views, he faw 
 and acknowledged long before the date of this letter, that 
 they were turned on the deftrudtion of the republic, Opo~ 
 AoyHftew? (fays he in one of the epiftles to Atticus) rvga.*- 
 3 wTjtiva.fna.i ; as in another written upon the breaking 
 put of the civil war, he calls him Continent aTroAmxorra- 
 'rov : a man utterly unacquainted with the arts of govern- 
 ment. Ad Att, ii. 17. viii. 16, See remark 4. p. 27.
 
 I 7 2 THE LETTERS BOOK IT. 
 
 A.U. 699. joined his counfels and his efforts with yours, 
 for the fame generous purpofe : in a word, 
 when it mould be remembered, that he has no 
 other enemy in the whole common-wealth, 
 except the man who is my profcfled adverfa- 
 ry l8 . In confequence of thefe fentimcnts, it 
 was abfolutely necefiary for me, you fee, to 
 unite with Caefar, as one who was joined in the 
 fame views and the fame intereft. His friend- 
 ifhip likewife which, you are fenfible, my bro- 
 ther and I have long fhared, together with his 
 humane and generous difpofition which I have 
 abundantly experienced both by his late letters 
 and his good offices towards me, contributed 
 greatly to confirm me in thefe refolutions. To 
 .which I muft add, that the common-wealth in 
 general feemed to be moft ftrongly averfe from 
 giving any oppofition to thefe extraordinary 
 men : more efpecially after Casfar had perform- 
 ed fuch great and glorious exploits for the 
 honor of his country. But what had ftill a 
 farther, and very powerful weight in my deli- 
 berations, was Pompey's having engaged his 
 word for me to Co? far, as my brother had given 
 the fame affurances to Pompey. 
 
 18 Clodius, after having driven Cicero out of Rome, 
 entered moft itrenuoufly into the oppofition againil Pompey 
 and Caefar. Manutius. See below, rcm. 24. 
 
 Plato,
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 173 
 
 Plato, I remembered, lays it down as a max- A- u - 6 99 
 im in his divine writings, that " the people 
 " generally model their manners and their fen- 
 " timents by thofe of the great:" a maxim 
 which at this junfture, I thought, merited my 
 particular attention. I was convinced indeed 
 of its truth, when I reflected on the vigorous 
 refolutions which were taken in the fenate, on 
 the memorable ' Nones of December : and it 
 feemed no wonder fo noble a fpirit fhould 
 appear in that aflembly, after the animating 
 example I had given them upon my firft en- 
 tering on the confuiar office. I recollected al- 
 fo, that during the whole time which intervened 
 between the expiration of my confulfhip, and 
 that of Casfar and Bibulus *% when I ftill re- 
 tained a very confiderable authority in the fe- 
 nate, all the better part of the republic were 
 
 united in their fentiments. On the other hand, 
 
 IT . urt Jri:!- ti >: 
 
 IQ The fifth. It was on this day, in the confulfhip of 
 Cicero and Antonius A. U. 690. that the fenate came to a 
 refolution of innidting capital punilhment on all thofe who 
 "were concerned in Catiline's confpiracy: " And it is cer- 
 " tain (as the learned and polite hiftorian of Cicero's life 
 ** obfen'es) that Rome was indebted to him on this day 
 " for one of the greateft deliverances which it had ever 
 . " received fince its foundation ; and which nothing perhaps 
 " but his vigilance and fagacity could have fo happily el- 
 fefted." Pot. i. 231. 
 
 * e Cicero was chofen conful in the year of Rome 690. 
 Caefar and Bibulus in the year 694. 
 
 Wut
 
 174 THE LETTERS Boole IL 
 
 A. U. 699. about the time you took pOrTeffion of your go- 
 vernment in Spain, the common-wealth could 
 not fo properly be faid to be under the admi- 
 niftration of confuls, as of infamous barterers 
 of provinces 21 , and the mean vafTals and mi- 
 flitters of fedition. It was then that difcord 
 and faction fpread thro* all ranks amongft us : 
 and I was marked out as the victim of party 
 rage. In this critical feafon however, not on- 
 ly every man of worth, but the greater part of 
 the fenators, and indeed all Italy in general, 
 rofe up with remarkable unanimity in my 
 caufe ". What the event proved, I forbear to 
 
 *' The confuls to whom Cicero alludes, are Lucius 
 Calpurnius Pifo, whofe daughter Casfar had married ; and 
 Aulus Gabinius, a dependent and favorite of Pompey. 
 They fucceeded Cnefar and Bibulus in this office in 69$, 
 the year when Cicero went into exile. " Clodius fecured 
 " them to his meafures by a private contraft to procure for 
 " them, by a grant from the people, two of the beft go- 
 " vernments of the empire : Fifo was to have Macedonia 
 ** with Greece and Theflaly ; Gabinius, Cilicia. For 
 " this price they agreed to ferve him in all his defigns, 
 " particularly in the oppreffion of Cicero.". Middlet. life 
 ofdc. i. 336. 
 
 " 2Z Clodius procured a law, importing, that luboeve)' 
 tc bad taken the life of a citizen uncondenmed and without a 
 ' trial, Jhould be prohibited from fire and <water. Tho' Ci- 
 ' cero was not named, yet he was marked out by this 
 law. His crime was, the putting Catiline's accomplices 
 to death ; which tho 1 not done by hit. fingle authority, 
 but by a general vote of the fenate, and after a folemn 
 hearing and debate, was alledged to be illegal and con- 
 trary to to the liberties of the people. Cicero finding 
 him felf thus reduced to the condicion of a criminal, 
 changed his habit upon it, as was ufual in the cafe of 
 
 4. men-
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 
 
 mention : as in truth it is to be imputed to a.A..\J.6gg. 
 complication of errors and artifices. But this ^ 
 I will fay, it was not forces, fo much as leaders 
 to conduct them, that were wanting to me at 
 this crifis. I muft add, that whatever cenfure 
 may juftly fall on thofe who refufed me their 
 affiftance; moft certainly they who firft pro- 
 mifed it and then deferted me, are not lefs to 
 be blamed * J . In a word, if fome of my friends 
 may well be reproached for the timid, tho' fin- 
 cere, counfels they gave me -, how much more fe- 
 
 " a publick impeachment; and appeared about the ftreets 
 " in a mourning gown to excite the companion of his 
 fellow-citizens : whilft Clodius, at the head of his mob, 
 contrived to meet and infult him at every turn. Bat 
 Cicero foon gathered friends enough to fecure him 
 from fuch infults ; and the whole body of the knights. 
 " together with the young nobility to the number of 
 20,000, headed by Craflus the fon, all changed their 
 habit and perpetually attended him about the city to im- 
 plore the protection and afliftance of the people.'* Plut. 
 in Cic. Orat. pojl red. Middlet. life ofdc. i. 340. 
 
 13 In this number was Pompey himfelf, whotho' he had 
 given Cicero the moft folemn afiurances that he would at 
 the hazard of his life, proteft him againft Clodius ; yet 
 when afterwards our author foli cited the execution of this 
 promife, he treated him with much rudenefs as well as 
 great treachery, and abfolutely refufed to concern himfelf 
 in the affair. Ad Att. ii. 20. x. 4. It feems altogether 
 unaccountable that Cicero mould 'be fo injudicious as to 
 touch upon a circumfhrtce that deftroys the -whole force of 
 his apology ; fo far I mean, as he intended to juftify his 
 conduct by his friendfhip to Pompey. For it exceeds .all 
 power of credulity to imagine, that he could really be in- 
 fluenced by a motive of that kind xvith refpecl to a 
 man, whofe infmcerity he had fo lately and fo feverely 
 xperiencid . 
 
 * : vere
 
 176 THE LETTERS BQOK it 
 
 A.U. 699. vere mft their condemnation prove, who art- 
 fully alarmed me with their pretended fears ? 
 Let it be noted at the fame rime to my ho- 
 nor, that zealous as my fellow- citizens mewed 
 thcmfclves to rife up in the defence of a man 
 who had formerly flood forth in theirs -, yet I 
 would not fuffer them to be expofed (unfup- 
 ported as they were by thofe who ought to have 
 been their protedors) to the barbarous infults 
 of a lawlefs banditti. On the contrary, I ra- 
 ther choie the world mould judge by the power 
 of my friends in recalling me from my exile, 
 what their honeft unanimity could have effected, 
 had I permitted them to have drawn their fwords 
 to prevent it. 
 
 You were fenfible of this general zeal in my 
 favor, when you undertook my caufe: and 
 you not only encouraged, but confirmed it, by 
 your influence and authority. I (hall always 
 moft willingly acknowledge, that you were 
 afiifted upon this occafion by forne of the moft 
 confiderable perfons in Rome ** ; who, it muft 
 
 ** Clodius was fo elated with his fuccefs againftCicerO', 
 that he had no iboner driven him out of Rome, than he 
 conceived hopes of rendering himfelf no kfs formidable to 
 Caifar and Pompey. Accordingly he entered into an open 
 ppofition againfl them both ; which he carried on with 
 fo much warmth and petulance, that at length they found 
 it expedient for their puspofcs to ingrtify him by recalling 
 Cicero. 
 
 JM
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C R O. 177 
 
 i 
 be owned, exerted themfelves with much greater A.U-699- 
 
 " 
 
 vigor in procuring my return, than in prevent 
 ing my banifliment. And had they perfifted 
 in the fame refolute difpofition, they might have 
 recovered their own authority at th& fame time 
 that they obtained my reftoration. The fpirits, 
 in truth, of the ariftocratical part of the repub- 
 lic were at this juncture greatly raifed and ani- 
 mated, by the inflexible patriotifm of your con- 
 duct during your confulmip, together with 
 Pompey's concurrence in the fame meafures. 
 Caefar likewife, when he faw the fenate diftin- 
 guiming his glorious actions by the mpft fmgu- 
 lar and unprecedented honors, joined in adding 
 weight to the authority of that aiTembly. Had 
 thefe happy circumftances therefore been right- 
 ly improved, it would have been impoflible for 
 any ill-defigning citizen, to have violated the 
 laws and liberties of the common-wealth. But 
 let me intreat you to reflect a moment on the 
 fubfequent conduct of my political afibciates. 
 In the firft place, they fcreened from punifh- 
 ment that infamous intruder on the matron-my- 
 fteries, who mewed no more reverence for the 
 awful ceremonies of the goddeis in whafe honor 
 thefe iacrcd folemnities are celebrated, than 
 for the chaftity of his three filters **. And thus 
 
 45 Clodius (as Plutarch relates the ftcrv) had ?.r. intrr--; 
 VOL. I. N by
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.tL699.by preventing a worthy tribune of the people 
 obtaining that juftice upon Clodius which 
 he endeavored to procure, they deprived future 
 times of a moft falutary example of chaftifed 
 fedition 26 . Did not they fuffer likewife that mo- 
 
 with Pompeia, Cefar'3 wife : but as he could not eafily 
 gain acceis to her, he took the opportunity while fhe was 
 celebrating the myfteries of the bona Dea at her own houfe, 
 to enter difguifed in a woman's habit. While he was wait- 
 ing in one of the apartments for Pompeia, he was difcover- 
 ed by a maid fervant of Oefar's mother ; who immediately 
 giving the alarm, he was driven out ef this female aflem- 
 bly with great indignation. The bona. Dea, as the fame 
 author informs us, was fuppofed to have been a Dryad with 
 whom the God Faunus had an amour, Thefe rites were 
 held in the highefl veneration, and conducted with the moft 
 profound fecrecy. They were celebrated annually by wo- 
 men at the houfe of the conful orpra^tor, and it was not 
 lawful for any male to be prefent. Seneca tells us, they 
 carried this precaution fo far, that if there happened to be 
 a picture of any male animal in the room where thefe my- 
 ftic ceremonies were performing, it was thought neceflary it 
 Ihould be veiled. Plat, in C<zf. Sen. rp. 97. 
 
 Clodius was fufpe&ed of having a criminal commerce 
 with his three fitters. 
 
 Z6 Lentulus immediately upon entering on his confular 
 office A. U; 696 moved fhe fenate that Cicero might be 
 reftored : in which he was fecondcd by Pompey with much 
 zeal, and the whole houfe unanimoufly concurred in the 
 motion. Serranus, however, a tribune of the people, in- 
 terpoiing his negative, no decree could pafs at that time ; 
 neverthelefs it was with one confent refolved, that on the 
 22d of the fame month a law mould be propofed to the people 
 for Cicero's recall. When the appointed day arrived, the 
 friends of Cicero found the forum in the pofTeflion of Clo- 
 dius, who had planted his mob there over-night, in order 
 to prevent the promulgation of this law. A very bloody 
 fkirmifli enfued, in which feveral lives were loft and many 
 other outrages committed : in confequence of which, Clo- 
 dius was impeached by Milo as a difturbcr cf the public 
 peace. But Metellus, the collegue of Lentulus, together 
 with Appws {he prstor, sjpd. Serranus the tribune, deter 
 
 nument.
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 179 
 
 nument, that glorious monument, which wa$A.U.6g9. 
 erected, not indeed with the fpoils I had gain- 
 ed in foreign wars, but by the generofity of 
 the fenate for my civil fervices -, did they act 
 moft fhamefully fuffer it to be infcribed with 
 the name of the cruel and avowed enemy of 
 his country 2 ? ? Obliged, moft certainly^ I am to 
 them for having reftored me to the common- 
 wealth : but I could wifh they had conducted 
 themfelves, not only like phyficians whofa view* 
 terminate merely in the health of their patients, 
 but like the Aliptas i8 alfo, who endeavor to 
 eftablifh the fpirits and vigor of thofe under their 
 care. Whereas they have acted with regard to 
 
 mined to fcreen Clodius : and accordingly by a moft dan- 
 gerous exercife cf their authority, they publifhed their fe- 
 veral edids commanding all farther proceedings in this pro- 
 fecution to be difcontinued. It was a very impolitic power 
 (as a late ingenious writer upon government obferves) which 
 was lodged in tribunes, of thue preventing the execution of 
 the laws as well as the paffing them, and which caufed in- 
 finite mifchiefs to the republic. Orat. pro Sext. 34, 35. 41 . 
 LEfprit des loix, i. 223. 
 
 ' 27 After the fuppreffion of Catiline's confpiracy, th 
 fenate decreed that a temple ihould be ereded to Liber- 
 ty, as a public monument of their late happy deliverance. 
 This temple was raifcd at the foot of Mount Palatine, 
 near Cicero's hcuie. And as the infcription fixed there- 
 on, undoubtedly mentioned Cicero with honor, Clcdias 
 erafed thofe words, and placed his own name in their 
 ftead . 1 ' Maniitius . 
 a8 The Alipla: were perfons who prepared the bodies of 
 the athletic combatants, by unctions and other proper me- 
 thods for rendering them vigorous and afcive in their gy.Ti- 
 naftic exercifes. 
 
 N 2 H3C,
 
 i8o THE LETTERS BOOK IT. 
 
 A.U. 699. me, as Apelles did in relation to his celebrated 
 picture of Venus ** : they have finifhcd one 'part 
 of their work with great fkill and accuracy, 
 but left all the reft a mere rude and imperfect 
 fketch. 
 
 In one article, however, I had the fatisfaclion 
 to difappoint my enemies. They imagined my 
 banifhment would have wrought the fame effect 
 on me, which they falfely fuppofed a calamity of 
 a like kind produced formerly in Quintus Metel- 
 lus. This excellent perfon (whom I look upon 
 to have been a man of the greateft fortitude and 
 magnanimity of any in his times) they repre- 
 
 as> Apelles, one of the greateft matters of painting in 
 antiem Greece, was a native of Coos, and florilhed in the 
 1 1 zth Olymp. or about 332 years before Chrift. His prin- 
 cipal excellency confuted in the inimitable grace which 
 diftinguifhed all his performances. Pliny the elder has, by 
 a very llrong expreliion, informed us of the amazing force 
 of his pencil : pinxit (fays that author) qu/f pngl non po/font, 
 tonitrua, fulgura et fulgctra. He could even convey ideas 
 which feemed impoflible to be railed by colors, and ani- 
 mate his fublime pieces with all the terrors of thunder and 
 lightening. His capital performance was a figure of Ve- 
 nus, which appears to have been at Rome in the times of 
 Auguftus. The lower parts of this picture being damaged, 
 no painter would venture to retouch it. Something of tru- 
 fame kind is mentioned to the honor of Raphael, whole 
 paintings in the little Farnefe at Rome being fomewhnr 
 ipcilcd, it was with the gveatcft difficulty that even Carlo 
 Maratti was prevailed upon to reftore them. ApclleS be- 
 gan a fecond figure of Venus which he intended mould ex- 
 cel his firit : but he died before he had proceeded any 
 farther in that defign than the head and fhoulders. Qusrttt. 
 xii. XO. Plin, H. N. XX.xv. 10. Rfffx. fur la Pocf. et fur la 
 pclnt. 
 
 fentcd
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 181 
 
 fented as broken and difpirited after his return A.U.699. 
 from exile . But if broken he really were, it ^ 
 
 iri oj noij&n 
 
 50 (X Csccilius Metellus was in the number of thofe wh 
 oppofed the faftion of Caius Marius : in confcquence of 
 which he was at length driven into exile. The immediate 
 occafion, however, of his fenteuce was this: Saturninui, a 
 tribune of the people, and creature of Marius, propcfed a 
 law in the year 653 which, among other things enacted, 
 that " the fenators mould fwear to ratify whatever the 
 " people ordained." This oath Metellus, with the true 
 fpirit of antient Rome, refolutely refufed to take: and 
 when his friends reprefented to him the dangerous confe- 
 quences which would probably attend his perfevering in 
 that honeil refolution, he nobly replied, it is the charade- 
 rijiic of a man of 'virtue and Ixmor to aft rightly, whatever 
 ionfequences may enfue. Accordingly a decree pafTed in an 
 aflembly of the people, for his banifhment : and when his 
 friends offered him their afliftance to withftand this piece of 
 public injuftice, he gcneroufly refufed their aid ; for, laid 
 he, either public meafures 'will be changed, and the people will 
 repent of the injury they have done me ; and then IJhall be re- 
 called <vcith honor : or they U7// continue in the fame fenti- 
 ments ; and in that cafe banijhment ivill be a happinejs. He 
 gready chofe therefore to withdraw himfelf from the de- 
 llruftive politics of his country ; and retiring to Rhodes, 
 he calmly fpent his time in philofophical ftudies. His vir- 
 tues, however, prevailed at laft over the iniquity of his per- 
 fecutors, and he was reftored to the republic notwithftand- 
 ing all the oppelition of Marius. Cicero has recorded a 
 circumftance relating to Metellus, that gives one the high- 
 eft idea of the charadler he enjoyed amongft his country- 
 men. He was accufed, it feems, by the Marian fadlion of 
 having been guilty of public extortion : but when he en- 
 tered upon his defence and produced his accounts, the 
 judges refufed to infpeft them, as being well convinced 
 that Metellus had a foul much too enlarged to be capable 
 of any thing fo mean as injuftice. I cannot forbear men- 
 tioning likewife a noble exprefton of this great man in a 
 letter written during his banilhment, as it mews the fpirit 
 with which he bore his misforune. llli (inimici fc.) jure 
 gt bone/late inter diffi ; ego neque aqua neque igni careo, et futn- 
 
 N 3 could
 
 182 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A. U. 699. could not be the effect of his adverfity : as it is 
 certain he iubmitted to his fentence without the 
 leaft reluctance, and lived under it, not only with 
 indifference, but with chearfulnefs. The truth 
 is, no man ever equalled him in the ftrength and 
 heroifm of his mind : no, not even the cele- 
 brated Marcus Scaurus himfelf* 1 . Neverthe- 
 
 ina gkria fruxifcor. " Whilft my enemies, fays be, vainly 
 ** hoped to banifh me from the common benefits of fociety, 
 " which however I ilill enjoy, together with the higheft 
 " glory ; they have much more feverely banifhed from 
 *' their own breafts all fentiments of juftice and honor." 
 One cannot but acknowledge with regret, that neither the 
 enemies nor the friends of Cicero did him juftice, when 
 they compared him to Metellus : for, befides the great fu- 
 periority of the latter in the prefent inftance, he upon all 
 occasions ac~ted confidently with his avowed political prin- 
 ciples, and preferved an uniform and unfullied reputation 
 to the end 01 his days. Plut. in wit. C. Mar. Ep. ad Att. i. 
 16. Or at. pro Balbo in princip. Aul. Gel. xvii. 2. Sal. bel. 
 Jugarih. 47. 
 
 ' ' M. yEmilius Scaurus was advanced a fecond time to the 
 honor of the confular office, in the year of Rome 646, having 
 enjoyed that dignity eight years before. He is mentioned 
 by Cicero among the orators of that age : but there was 
 more of force and authority in what he delivered, than of 
 grace in his manner, or elegance in his expreffion. He was 
 accufed in his latter days of having carried on a traiterous 
 correfpondence with Mithridates. The mort ipeech which 
 he made in his defence i.; extremely remarkable, and gives 
 one a lively image of that manly contempt with which a 
 mind confcious of its integrity ought ever to treat the calum- 
 nies of an accufer who!"-; known character affords the bed and 
 jnofi expeditious antidote againft his malice. The venera- 
 ble old man flood forch in the midft of the aflembly, and 
 addreff.ng hirr.felf to the whole audience, fpake to this ef- 
 fe&: " It is fomewhat hard, my countrymen, that I mould 
 ** be obliged to give an account to the prefent generation, 
 '* of what I tranfadled before they were bern. But not- 
 
 left
 
 BOOK IT. OP C I C E R O. 183 
 
 lefs, fuch as they had heard, or at leaft chofc A.U. 699, 
 to imagine Metellus to have been, they figured 
 me to themfelves : or, if pofiible indeed, even 
 yet more abject. The reverfe, however, proved 
 to be the cafe : and that general concern which 
 the whole republic expreffed at my abfence, in- 
 fpired me with more vigorous fpirits than I 
 had ever before enjoyed. The truth is, the 
 fentence of banimment againft Metellus was re- 
 pealed by a law proposed only by a fingle tri- 
 bune of the people : whereas I was recalled from 
 mine upon the motion of the conful himfelf'*, 
 and by a law in which every magiftrate of Rome 
 concurred* Let me add likewife, that each 
 order and degree in the commonwealth, head- 
 ed by the fenate and fupported by all Italy, 
 
 withftanding the greater part of this Afiembly are too 
 
 young to have been witneffes of the fervices and honors 
 
 of my former life, I will venture to reft the whole of 
 
 my defence upon a fingle queftion. Varius, then, af- 
 
 ferts that Scaurus was bribed to betray his country ; Scau- 
 
 rus, on the other hand, utterly denies that he ever was 
 
 tainted with a crime of this nature. Now lay your hands 
 
 upon your hearts, and tell me, my fellow- citizens,, to 
 
 which of thefe two men you will give credit?" The 
 
 people were fo ftruck with the honeft fimplicity of this 
 
 ipeech, that Scaurus was difmifled with honor, and his 
 
 infamous accnfer hi/Ted out of the AfTembly. De clar. 
 
 Orat. no, ill. fa!. Max. iii. 7. Salujl. lei. jugurth. Orat. 
 
 fro Frontcio. Act. \ . in Verr. 
 
 31 Lentulus, the perfon to whom this letter is addrcf. 
 fed. 
 
 N 4 zealoufly
 
 184 THE LETTERS BOOK If. 
 
 i. 699, zcaloufly united in one common effort for re- 
 "" 
 
 covering me to my country. Yet high as thefe 
 
 unexampled honors were, they have never ela- 
 ted my heart with pride, or tempted me to af- 
 fume an air which could give juft offence even 
 to the moft malevolent of my enemies. The 
 whole of my ambition is, not to he wanting 
 either in advke or afTiftance to my friends ; or 
 even to thofe whom I have no great reafon to 
 rank in that number. It is this, perhaps, which 
 has given the real ground of complaint to thofe 
 who view only the luftre of my actions, but 
 cannot be fenfible of the pains and follicitude they 
 coft me. But whatever the true caufe may be, 
 the pretended one is, my having promoted the 
 honors of Casfar : a circumftance which they 
 interpret, it feems, as a renunciation of my old 
 maxims. The genuine motives however of my 
 conduct in this inftance are, not only what I 
 juft before mentioned, but particularly what 
 I hinted in the beginning of my letter, and will 
 now more fully explain. 
 
 You will not find then, my friend, the arif- 
 tocraiical part of the republic difpofed to purfue 
 the fame fyftem, as when you left them. That 
 fyftem I mean, which I endeavored to eftablilh 
 when I was conful, and which, tho' afterwards 
 
 occa-
 
 BOOK. IL OF C I C E R O. 185 
 
 occafionally interrupted, and at length entirely A.U. 699. 
 overthrown, , was again fully reftored during 
 your adminiftration. It is now however totally 
 abandoned by thole who ought moft ftrenuoufly 
 to have fupported ir. I do not affert this upon 
 the credit only of appearances, in which it is 
 exceedingly eafy to diffemble : I fpeak it upon 
 the unqueftionable evidence of fads, and the 
 public proceedings of thofe who were ftyled pa- 
 triots in my confulate. The general fcheme of 
 politics therefore being thus changed, it is 
 time, moft certainly, for eyery man of prudence 
 (in which number I have the ambition to be 
 juftly accounted) to vary likewife his particular 
 plan. Accordingly, that chief and favorite guide 
 of my principles whom I have already quoted, 
 the divine Plato himfelf aclvifes, not to prefs 
 any political point farther than is confonant to 
 the general fenfeof the community: for methods 
 of violence, he maintains, are no more to be ufed 
 towards one's country, than one's parent. Upon 
 this maxim, he tells us, he declined engaging in 
 public affairs : and as he found the people of A- 
 thens confirmed by long habit in their miftaken 
 . notions of government, he did not think it lawful 
 to attempt by force, what he defpaired of effect- 
 ing by perfuafion. My fituation, however, is in 
 
 this
 
 1 86 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.699- this refped different from Plato's : for on the one 
 hand, as I have already embarked in public affairs, 
 it is too late to deliberate whether I fhould now 
 enter upon them or not ; fo on the other, the 
 Roman people are by no means fo incapable of 
 judging of their true intereft as he reprefents the 
 Athenians. It is my happinefs, indeed, to be 
 able by the fame meafures to confult at once both 
 my own and my country's welfare 3J . To thefe 
 
 33 If Cicero was fmcere in what he here aflerted, and 
 really imagined that by falling in with the fchemes of Cs- 
 far and Pompey, he could more effe&ually ferve his coun- 
 try, as well as himfelf ; his policy, as far as we can judge 
 of it at this diftance, feems to have been very extraordinary. 
 To have fupported the one in oppofition to the other, might, 
 perhaps, have been a probable method of defeating the de- 
 iigns of both ; as they could neither of them have advanced 
 to fo formidable a height, if they had not mutually aflifted 
 in raiiing each other. But to join in their coalition, was 
 in effect to be acceflbry in cementing an union moft evi- 
 dently calculated for the ruin of the commonwealth. This 
 reafoning is not built merely upon diftant fpeculation, but 
 is fupported by the exprefs teftimony of one who was not 
 only an after in this important fcene, but well underftood the 
 plot that was carrying on. "You are miftaken (faid Cato 
 ' to thofe who were lamenting the breach that afterwards 
 ' happened between Pompey and Caefar) you are miftaken 
 ' in charging our calamities on that event: they owe their 
 rife to another caufe, and began, not when Pompey and 
 Caefar became enemies, but when they were made 
 friends." The difficulty of juftifying Cicero in this meafure 
 grows ftill ftronger, when it is remembered that he muft 
 have been fenfible at this very time, how much was to 
 be dreaded from the power of thefe his pretended friends. 
 For he afTures Atticus in a letter which was written at the 
 breaking out of the civil war, that he forefaw the ftorm 
 that had been gathering to deftroy the Republic, fourteen 
 years before it fell ; and calls the union of thefe ambitious 
 chiefs, feeler at a confenjicnis fides, a wicked confederacy. To 
 
 confi?
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. ig ? 
 
 confiderations I muft add thofe uncommon ads A.u. 699. 
 of generofity, which Csfar has exerted 
 towards my brother and myfelf : fo much in- 
 deed beyond all example, that even whatever 
 had been his fuccefs, I fhould have thought it 
 incumbent upon me, at lead to have defended 
 him. But now, diftinguifhed, as he is, by fuch 
 a wonderful feries of profperity, and crowned 
 with fo many glorious victories, I cannot but 
 eileem it a duty which I owe the republic, ab- 
 ftracted from all perfonal obligations to himfelf, 
 to promote his honors as far as lies in my power. 
 And believe me, it is at once my confeffion and 
 my glory, that next to you, together with the 
 other generous authors of my reftoration, there 
 is not a man in the world from whom I have re- 
 ceived fuch amicable offices. 
 
 And now, having laid before you the princi- 
 pal motives of my conduct in general, I mall 
 be the better able to fatisfy you concerning my 
 behavior with refpect to Craflus and Vatinius 
 jn particular: for as to Appius and Casfar, I 
 have the pleafure to find that you acquit me of 
 all reproach. 
 
 which he adds, that they had upon all occafions preferred 
 the intereft of their families, and the advancement of their 
 power, to the honor and welfare of their country. Plttt. 
 wit. Pomp, Ad Att. x. 4. 
 
 My
 
 iS8 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.69g. My reconciliation then with Vatinius *< was 
 W"^ effected by the mediation of Pompey, foon af- 
 ter the former was elected Praetor. I muft con- 
 fefs, when he petitioned to be admitted a can- 
 didate for that office, I very warmly oppofed 
 him in the* 5 fenate : but it was much lefs from 
 my refentment to the man himfelf, than in or- 
 der to fupport the honor and intereft of Cato *. 
 Soon after this he was impeached : and it was 
 in compliance with the earneft follicitation 
 of Csfar, that I undertook his defence. But 
 you mud not inquire why I appeared at this 
 trial, or indeed at any other of the fame kind, 
 as a witnefs in favor of the accufed i left I 
 fliould hereafter have an opportunity of retort- 
 ing the queftion upon you. Tho' to fay truth, 
 I may fairly afk it even now : for do you not 
 remember, my friend, in whofe behalf it was 
 that you formerly tranfmitted certain honorable 
 
 34 Some obfervations have already been made upon 
 Cicero's conduft with regard to Vatinius; fee remark the 
 5th. on this letter. 
 
 a Cato, the year before the date of this letter, had foli- 
 cited the Praetorlhip, in order to arm himfelf with the au- 
 thority of that important office againft the dangerous defigns 
 of Crafius and Pompey ; who were at that time Confuls. 
 But they were too well aware of the honeft purpofes of this 
 inflexible Patriot, not to obftruft his eleftion : and accord- 
 ingly they carried it againfl him in favor of the pliant and 
 worthlefs Vatinius, whofe pretenfions they fupported by 
 every infamous method of artifice, corruption, and violence. 
 fkt. in vit. Caton. 
 
 teftimo-
 
 ,11 vjo* 8 % 3 T,T 3 ,1 a-T 8&i. 
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. ,89 
 
 teflimonials even from the utmoft limits of the A. 11.699. 
 Roman empire ? You need not fcruple, how- 
 ever, to acknowledge the fact : for I have acted, 
 and (hall continue to act, the fame part towards 
 thofe very perfons. But to return to Vatinius : 
 befides the reafons I have already afllgned, I 
 was provoked to engage in his defence, by an 
 oppofition of the fame fort which the parafite 
 
 35 The paffage in the original, it is acknowledged, does 
 not abfolutely imply the fenfe which is given to it in 
 the tranflation. It runs thus: cum quidem ego ejus petitionem 
 gravijjimis in fenatu fententiis oppugnajjem. But it is not eafy 
 to conceive in what manner the competition between Cato 
 and Vatinius in relation to the office of Praetor, could come 
 before the Senate, unlefs the authority of that affembly 
 were fome way neceflary in nominating or recommending 
 the candidates to the people. This interpretation feems 
 to be favored by a paflage in one of Pliny's letters. Meo 
 fujfragio (fays he, fpeaking of a friend for whom, not being 
 legally qualified to fue for the Tribunate, he had obtained 
 a difpenfation from the Emperor for that purpofe) Meo fuf- 
 fragio pervenit ad jus Tribunatum petendi, quern nifi obtiriet in 
 fenatu, *vereor ne decepij/e Cafarem <uidear. ii. 9. That the 
 Senate originally claimed this prerogative with refpeft to 
 the eleftion of Kings, is indisputable. Patrts decrewrunt 
 (as Livy informs us) ut cum poj>ulus rtgem juffijfet, id fie 
 ratum ejff, fi patres auflores ferent. i. 1 7. It is equally 
 clear likewiie that the Senate exercifed a privilege of the 
 fame kind after the republican government was eitablimed : 
 for Cicero taking notice in one of his orations of an unfuc- 
 cefsful attempt that had been formerly made by that Auguft 
 aflembly in order to extend their power, adds ; turn enint 
 tnagijlraium non gerebat is qui cepf>'at t jt patres aufiores non erant 
 fafii, Orat. pro Plane. 3. But the difficulty is, this fpesch 
 was delivered in the very fame year in which the prefent 
 letter was written ; fo that the pafiage quoted from it feems 
 to imply that no fuch right fubfifted at the time under con- 
 fideration : and indeed Dr Chapman produces it in confir- 
 mation of this notion. (Eflay on R. S. p. 317.) The diffi- 
 culty however, may, perhaps^ be folved by fuppoung that 
 
 recom-
 
 190 THE LETTERS BOOK IL 
 
 A.U. 699. recommends to the amorous foldier in the play * 6 . 
 The obfequious Gnatho, you know, advifes his 
 friend the captain whenever his miftrefs endea- 
 vors to pique his jealoufy by mentioning his 
 rival Phaedria, to play off Pamphila upon her 
 in return. Thus, as I told the judges at this 
 trial, fince certain honorable perfons who were 
 formerly much in my interest, had thought 
 proper by many little mortifying inftances in 
 the fenate, to carefs my avowed enemy before 
 my face ; I thought it but equitable to have a 
 Clodius on my part, in oppofition. to the Clo- 
 dius on their's. Accordingly I have upon ma- 
 ny occafions acted fuitably to this declaration : 
 and all the world acknowledges I have rea- 
 fon 37. 
 
 Cicero's meaning is to be taken reftri&ively, and that the 
 prerogative of the Senate in the nomination of candidates 
 for the feveral magistracies, or at leaft in confirming their 
 election, was aboliihed only with refpecl to the election 
 of ^Ediles, which it is certain he had principally in view ; 
 but remained, neverthelefs, in its ufual force as to all others. 
 Conjectures are allowable in points of fo much obfcurity, 
 and in which neither critics nor commentators afford any 
 light : but what folidity there may be in that which runs 
 thro' the prefent remark, is fubmitted to the judgment of 
 more fuccefsful inquirers. 
 
 36 The Eunuch of Terence. 
 
 37 The conduft of Cicero with regard to Vatinius ap- 
 pears by no means parallel with that of the ariftocratical 
 party towards Clodius. The latter was now at variance with 
 Caefar andPompey: and it was undoubtedly a juft and ra- 
 tional policy to take advantage of that diflention, and en- 
 deavor by an artful management to gain him over to th 
 
 Having
 
 OF C I C E R O. 191 
 
 Having thus explained my conduct with re- A.U.699. 
 gard to Vatinius, I will now lay before you - 
 tliofe motives which determined me in refpect 
 to Crafius * 8 . I was willing, for the fake of 
 the common caufe, to bury in oblivion the 
 many and great injuries I had formerly receiv- 
 ed from him. Agreeably to this difpofition, 
 as we were then upon good terms, I mould 
 have borne his unexpected defence of Gabini- 
 us J 9, (whom he had very lately with fo much 
 
 caufe of liberty. But Cicero's engaging in the fupport of 
 Vatinius, cannot be juftified by any political reafons of this 
 nature : and to fpeak truth, it feeins to be altogether with- 
 out excufe. For Vatinius was actually in league with 
 the enemies of his country : To efpoufe his caufe therefore 
 was to ftrengthen their faclion, and facrincing public inte- 
 reft to private pique. 
 
 36 See the remarks on the yth letter of this B. particu- 
 larly rem. 6. and 9. p. 128. 
 
 39 Aulus Gabinius was Conful the fame year in which 
 Cicero was fo outrageoufly perfecuted by Clodius ; with 
 whom (as has been obferved in the notes above) Gabinius 
 moft zealoufly concurred. To give his character as Cicero 
 himfelf has drawn itinfeveral of his orations, he was effe- 
 minate in his mien, difTolute in his principles, and a pro- 
 feffed libertine in every kind. After the expiration of hi* 
 Confulate in 696 he went governor into Syria ; from whence 
 he was recalled the following year by a decree of the Senate, 
 Cicero fpoke very warmly in favor of the decree; and it is 
 probable that the difpute here mentioned between him and 
 Craffus, happened in the debates which arofe upon this oc- 
 cafion. Not many months after the date of this letter, 
 Gabinius was impeached for male-pradices during the ad- 
 minittration of his proconfular government : and Cicero 
 was now fo entirely at the difpofal of Cxfar and Pompey, 
 that, in compliance with their reqaeft, he meanly undertook 
 his defence. But it was not without great ftruggles with 
 himfelf that he fubmitted to an office fo unworthy of his 
 
 4 warmth
 
 i 9 2 TH LETTERS BOOK IL 
 
 A.U.699. warmth oppofed ; if he had avoided all perfonal 
 reflections on myfelf. But when, with the moft 
 unprovoked violence, he broke in upon me 
 whilft I was in the midft of my fpeech ; I muft 
 confefs it raifcd my indignation : and perhaps I 
 took fire fo much the fooner, as poffibly there 
 frill remained in my heart lome latent fparks of 
 my former refentment. However, my behavi- 
 or in the fenate upon this occafion, was much 
 and generally applauded. Among the reft, I 
 was complimented likewife by the fame men 
 whom I have often hinted at in this letter ; and 
 who acknowledged I had rendered a very efTen- 
 tial fervice to their caufe, by that fpirit which 
 I had thus exerted. In fhort, they affected to 
 fpeak of me in public, as being now indeed re- 
 ftored to the common- wealth in the bed and 
 
 principles and his character. However, he endeavored td 
 reprefent it to the world as an aft of pure generofity : and 
 indeed the fentimenf with which he defended himfelf from 
 the cenfure that pafled upon him on this occafion, is truly 
 noble : Neque me <vero paemtet mortales inifnicitias, fempiternas 
 amicifias habere. But Gabinius was by no means entitled to the 
 benefit of this generous maxim : nor was It true (as will in- 
 conteftably appear by a paflage I mail prefently have occa- 
 fion to produce) that Cicero was governed by it in the 
 eafe under confideration. Cicero's conduft indeed upon this 
 occafion is fo utterly indefenfible, that his very ingenious 
 and learned advocate Dr. Middleton himfelf is obliged tor 
 confefs, that it was " contrary to his judgment, his refolu- 
 " tion, and his dignity." Orat. pro Sext. in Pifo de Prov. 
 conjuiar.proRabir. Plut. in int. Caton. Utken. LiffofCictr.il. 
 121. 8vo. Ed. See remark 44 below, 
 
 moft
 
 Book it w C 1C ER O. 193 
 
 moft glorious fenfe. Neverthelefs, they had the A.U. 699. 
 malice in their private converfations (as I was L/ * 
 informed by perfons of undoubted honor) to 
 exprefs fingular fatisfaction in the new variance 
 that had thus happened between CrafTus and my- 
 felf: as they pleafed themfelves with imagining 
 it would for ever throw me at a diftance from 
 thofe who were joined with him in the fame in- 
 tereft *. Pompey in the mean time employed 
 incredible pains to clofe this breach : and Ca^far 
 alfo mentioned it in his letters, as an accident 
 that gave him much concern; Upon thefe con- 
 fiderations therefore I thought it expedient to 
 act agreably both to the dictates of my natural 
 temper, and to that experience which I had gain- 
 ed by my former misfortunes. In purfuance of* 
 thefe fentimentsj I confented to a reconcile- 
 ment : and in order to render it more confpicu- 
 ous to the world, Craflus fet out for his govern- 
 ment 41 almoft from under my roof : for having 
 
 40 Csefar and Pompey. The former (who was undoubt- 
 edly as much fuperior to the reft of his contemporaries in 
 genius as in fortune) finding it neceflary for his purpofes 
 that Craflus and Pompey mould aft in concert, procured a 
 reconciliation between them : and by this means, fays Plu- 
 tarch, formed that invincible Triumvirate, which ruined the 
 authority both of the Senate and the people; and of which 
 he alone received the advantage. Pint, in Crajf. 
 
 41 The province of Syria was allotted to CrafTus, for 
 which he fet out a month or two before tlie expiration of* 
 his confulate in the year, 698, and from whence he never 
 
 VOL. I, O invited
 
 194 THE LETTERS BOOK If. 
 
 A.U. 699. invited himfelf to fpend the preceding night 
 w ith me, we flipped together in the gardens of 
 my fon in-law Craffipes ^. It was for thefe rea- 
 fons that I thought my honor obliged me to de- 
 fend his caufe in the fenate*' : and I confefs I 
 mentioned him with that high applaufe, of 
 which, it feems, you have been informed. 
 
 Thus I have given you a full detail ' of the 
 feveral views and motives by which I am go- 
 verned in the prefent conjuncture, as well as of 
 the particular difpofition in which I ftand with 
 refpect to the (lender part I can pretend to claim 
 in the adminiftration of public affairs. And, 
 believe me, I fhould have judged and acted 
 entirely in the fame manner, had I been totally 
 free from every fort of amicable biafs. For, on 
 the one hand, I mould have efleemed it the mod 
 abfurd folly to have attempted to oppofe fo fu- 
 perior a force -, and on the other, fuppofmg it 
 poflibie, I fhould yet have deemed it imprudent 
 to weaken the authority of perfons fo eminently 
 and fo j uftly diftinguifhed in the commonwealth +*. 
 Befides, it appears to me to be the dictates 
 
 returned: as has already been obfervcd in the notes on the 
 ^th letter of this book. 
 
 ** Thefe gardens were fituated a fmall diftance from 
 Rome on the banks of the Tiber. Ad Att. iv. 12. Ad >. 
 F. iii. 7. 
 
 Seerem. 7. p. 128. of this vol. 
 
 ** It will appear very evident, perhaps, from the fore- 
 
 of
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 195 
 
 of found policy, to aft in accommodation to A. 11.699. 
 particular conjunctures, and not obftinately 
 perfevere in one invariable fcheme, when pub- 
 lic circumftances together with the fentiments of 
 the beft and wifeft members of the communi- 
 ty, are evidently changed. In conformity to 
 this notion, the moft judicious reafoners on the 
 great art of government, have univerfally con- 
 demned an inflexible perfeverance in one uni- 
 form tenor of meafures. The (kill of the pilot 
 is fhewn in weathering the ftorm at leaft, tho* 
 
 going obfervations, that what Cicero here aflerts, could 
 not poffibly be his real fentiments. That it was not pra- 
 cticable to bring down Csefar and Pompey from that height 
 of power to which they were now arrived, will not, proba- 
 bly, be difputed : tho' at the fame time it is very difficult 
 to fet limits to what prudence and perfeverance may effect. 
 This at leaft feems undeniable, that if their power were 
 abfolutely immoveable, Cicero's conduct was in the num- 
 ber of thofe caufes which contributed to render it fo. How- 
 ever, one cannot but be aftonifhed to find our author feri- 
 oufly maintaining, that granting it had not been impoffible, 
 it would yet have been impolitic, to have checked thefe 
 towering chiefs in their ambitious flight. For it is plain 
 from a pafTage already cited out of his letters to Atticus 
 (fee above remark 33.) that he long forefaw their immode- 
 rate growth of power w"ould at laft over-run the liberties of 
 the commonwealth. It had already indeed deftroyed his 
 own : and this too by the confeffion of himfelf. For in a 
 letter which he writes to his brother, taking notice of the 
 ftrong applications that Pompey had made to him to defend 
 Gabinius, he declares he never will comply with that un- 
 worthy requeft, fo long as he retained the leaft fpark of li- 
 berty. But comply however he actually did : equally, in 
 truth, to his own difgrace, and to the confutation of the 
 doctrine he here advances. Ad ^ F, iii. i . See remark 
 39. above, 
 
 02 h^
 
 7 06 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U.6 9 9.he ihould not gain his port: but if Ihifting his 
 fails, and Changing his direction will infallibly 
 carry him with fecurity into the intended har- 
 bor.; would it not be an inftance of moft un- 
 reafonable tenacioufnefs to continue in the more 
 hazardous courfe wherein he began his voyage ? 
 Thus (and it is a maxim I have often 'had oc- 
 cafion to inculcate) the point we ought all of u$ 
 to keep in view in our adminiftration of the 
 commonwealth, is the final enjoyment of an 
 honorable repofe : but the method of fecuring 
 to ourfelves this dignity of retreat, is by hav- 
 ing been inflexible in our intentions for the 
 public welfare, and not by a pofitive perfevc* 
 ranee in certain favorite modes of obtaining 
 it +*. To repeat therefore what I juft now de- 
 clared, had I been abfolutely uninfluenced by eve- 
 ry motive of friend fhip, I mould ftill have pur- 
 fued the fame public meafures in which I am 
 
 45 The reafoning which Cicero here employs is ccr>- 
 tainly juil, coniidered abllradtedly : bat by no means ap- 
 plicable to the prefent cafe. The queftion between the 
 ariftocratical party, and thofe who were favorers of Casfar 
 and Pompey, was, not what road ihould be taken to the 
 fame end ; but whether Rome mould be free or enflaved. 
 Let who would then have changed their fentiments in this 
 point, it became not the fat/:er of bis country to encreafe the 
 number. But as Cicero acquired that moft honorable of all 
 appellations, by Catiline, he loft it again by Clodius : or 
 to exprefs the fame thing in his own words, non recordor {as 
 he .confefles to Atticus) unde cectderim, fid nude furrexerim. 
 jUAtt.iv. 1 6. 
 
 now
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 197 
 
 now engaged. But when gratitude and refent-A.U. 699, 
 ment both confpire in recommending this fcherne 
 of action to me, I cannot hefitate a moment 
 in adopting it ; efpecially fmce it appears molt 
 conducive to the intereft of the republic in' ge- 
 neral, as well as to my own in particular. To 
 fpeak freely, I act upon this principle fo much 
 the more frequently and with the lefs referve, 
 not onry as my brother is Lieutenant under Csc- 
 far, but as the latter receives the (lighted action 
 or even word of mine in his favor, with an air 
 that evidently mews he confiders them as obli- 
 gations of the mofb fenfible kind. And in fact, 
 I derive the fame benefit from that popularity 
 and power which you know he pofieffes, as 
 if they were fo many advantages of my 
 own. The fum of the whole in fhort is this : 
 I imagined I had no other method of counter* 
 acting thofe perfidious defigns With which a cer- 
 tain party were fecretly contriving to undermine 
 me, than by thus uniting the friendmip and 
 protection of the men in power, with thofe inter* 
 nal aids which Jiave never yet been wanting to. 
 my fupport ". 
 
 e There is no charafter in all antiquity, perhaps, that 
 lies fo open to difcovery as that of Cicero ; and yet there 
 is none at the fame time which feems to be lefs generally 
 ^r.dcrflcod. Had there been no other of his writings ex- 
 (ant, however, but this fingl* letter * the patriot; chara&er, 
 
 C>3 I am
 
 19$ THE LETT E R S BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699: I am we ll perfuaded, had you been in Rome, 
 you would have concurred with me in thefe fen- 
 timents. I know indeed the candor and mo- 
 deration of your temper , and I know too that 
 your heart not only glows with friendfhip to- 
 wards me, but is wholly untainted with male- 
 volence towards others : in a word, I know that 
 as you pofiefs every fublime and generous affe- 
 ction, you are incapable of any thing fo mean 
 as artifice and difguife. Neverthelefs, even 
 this elevated difpofition has not fecured you 
 from the fame unprovoked malice, which 
 I have experienced in my own affairs. I doubt 
 not therefore if you had been an actor in this 
 fcene, the fame motives would have fwayed 
 your conduct, which have. governed mine. But 
 
 one fliould have imagined, would have been the lafl that the 
 world would ever have afcribed to our author. It is ob- 
 fervable (and it is an obfervation for which I am obliged 
 to a gentleman who amidft far more important occupations 
 did not refufe to be the cenfurer of thefe papers) that " the 
 principles by which Cicero attempts to juftify himfelf in 
 this epiftle, are fuch as will equally defend the moft 
 abandoned proititution and defertion in political conduft. 
 Perfonal gratitude and refentment ; an eye to private and 
 particular intereft, mixed with a pretended regard to 
 public good ; an attention to a brother's advancement 
 and farther favor ; a fenfibility in being carefied by a 
 great man in power ; a calculation of the advantages 
 derived from the popularity and credit of that great man 
 to one's own perfonal felf ; are very weak foundations in- 
 deed, to fupport the fuperftrudure of a true patriot's cha- 
 ra&cr. Yet thefe are the principles which Cicero here 
 1' cxprcfjly avows and defends !" 
 
 however
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 199 
 
 however that may, I mall moft certainly fub-A.U.699. 
 mit all my actions to your guidance and ad- 
 vice, whenever I lhall again enjoy your compa- 
 ny : and I am fure you will not be lefs attentive 
 to the prefervation of my honor, than you for- 
 merly were to that of my perfon. Of this at 
 leafl you may be perfuaded, that you will find 
 me a faithful friend and aflbciate in all your 
 counfels and meafures : as it will be the firil and 
 daily purpofe of my life, to fupply you with 
 additional anc} more powerful reafons for re- 
 joicing in thofe obligations you have conferred 
 upon me. 
 
 As you defire me to fend you thofe compofi- 
 rions which I have written fmce you left Rome, 
 I mail deliver fome orations into the hands of 
 Menocrates for that purpofe. However, not 
 to alarm you, their number is but inconfide- 
 rable : for I withdraw as much as poflible from 
 the contention of the bar, in order to join thofe 
 more gentle mufes, which were always my de- 
 light, and are particularly fo at this junc- 
 ture. Accordingly I have drawn up three di- 
 alogues upon oratory, wherein I have endeavor- 
 ed to imitate the manner of Ariftotle. I truft 
 they will not prove altogether ufelefs to your 
 fon, as I have rejected the modern precepts of 
 rhetoric, and adopted the antient Ariftptelian 
 O 4 and
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK If* 
 Ifocratic rules. To this catalogue of my 
 Writings I muft alfq add an hiftorical poem 
 which I have lately compofeci in three cantos, 
 upon the fubjecl of nty banimm'ent * 6 j and as 
 a lafting, memorial likewise of your friendfhip 
 and my gratitude. This I fhould long fmcc 
 have transmitted to you, had it been my imme- 
 diate intention to make it public. But I am 
 difcouraged from this defign at prefent, not in- 
 deed as fearing the reientment of thofe who 
 may imagine themfelves the objects of my fa- 
 tyr, (for in this refpect I have been extremely 
 tender) but as finding it impoflible to make 
 particular mention of every one from whom I 
 received obligations at that feafon. However, 
 when I mall meet with a proper opportunity, I 
 will fend it to you ; fubmitting my writings as 
 well as my actions entirely to your judgment* 
 I know indeed thefe literary contemplations have 
 ever been the favorite employment of your 
 thoughts no lefs than mine +?, 
 
 46 This poem Cicero delivered fealed up to his fon ; en- 
 . joining him at the fame time not to publim or read it, till 
 after his death. Manut. 
 
 7 To turn from the actions of Cicero to his writings, is 
 changing our point of view, it muft be acknowledged, 
 extremely to his advantage. It is on this fide indeed, that 
 his character can never be too warmly admired : as admii 
 red it will undoubtedly be fo long as manly eloquence and 
 genuine philofophy have any friends. Perhaps there is 
 iomethjng iu that natural mechanifm of the human frame 
 
 Your
 
 BOOK II, OF C I C E R O. 201 
 
 Your family concerns which you recommend A. 0.699. 
 to me, are fo much a part of my own^ that I 
 am forry you mould think it neceflary even to 
 remind me, of them. I could riot therefore read 
 your follicitations foi 1 that purpofe, without forr.e 
 uneafmefs. 
 
 I find you were prevented by an 
 from going the laft fummer* 8 into 
 which was the occafton, it fems r of y$uf hot- 
 fettling my brother's affairs in that province^ 
 However you give me aflurance that you will ; 
 now take all pbflible methods of adj lifting thenk^ 
 You cannot indeed oblige hini more: and life- 
 will think himfejf as much- indebted to you for 
 procuring him this additional farm, as if you 
 had fettled him in the porTeffiort of his patrimo- 
 ny. In the nrean time, I intreat you to inform 
 me frequently and freely of all your affairs, and 
 particularly give me an account of the ftudies 
 and exer'cifes in which your fon is engaged. 
 For be well perfuaded, never friend was more 
 pgreable or more endeared to another, than 
 
 neceflary to ccnftitute a fine genius, which is not altogether 
 favorable to the excellencies of the heart. It is certain at 
 leaft (and let it abate our envy of uncommon parts) that 
 great fuperiority of intellectual qualifications, has not of- 
 ten been found in conjun&ion with the much nobler advan- 
 tages of a moral kind. 
 
 48 The ifland of Cyprus was united with the govern- 
 ment of Cilicia, 
 
 you
 
 202 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U-699-you are to me : and of this truth I hope to rcn- 
 dcr not only you, but all the world, and even 
 poflerity itfelf, thorougly fenfible. 
 
 Appius*' has lately declared in the fenafcc 
 (what he had before indeed often intimated in 
 converfation) that if he could get his proconfu- 
 Jar commiflion' confirmed in an afFembly of the 
 Curiae s , he would call lots with his collegue 
 for the particular province to which they mould 
 refpectively fucceed: if not, that by an ami- 
 cable agreement between themfelvos he had re- 
 folved upon yours* 1 . He added, that in the 
 cafe of a conful it was not abfolutely neceffary, 
 tho' perhaps it might be expedient, to procure 
 a law of this kind : and as a government had 
 been appointed him by a decree of the fenate, 
 he was intituled, he faid, in confequence of the 
 
 49 Appius Claudius Pulcher, one of the prefent confuls. 
 See remark 3 OB letter 3 of the third book. 
 
 50 Romulus divided the city into a certain number of 
 <fiflric"ls called Curias, which fomewhat refembled our Pa- 
 rjjhes. When the people were fummoned together to tranf- 
 aft any bufmefs agreably to this divifion, it was called an 
 afietnbly of the Curias : where the moft votes in every Curia 
 was confidered as the voice of the whole diftricl, and the 
 moft Curias as the general content of the people. Ken. 
 K.A. 
 
 51 The fenate annually nominated the two provinces to 
 which the confuls mould fucceed at the expiration of their 
 office : but it was left to the confuls themfelves to deter- 
 mine, either by cafting lots, or by private agreement, 
 which of the particular provinces fo afligned, they fhould 
 rUpeftively adroinifter. Manut. de leg. c. x. 
 
 Cor-
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O, 203 
 
 Cornelian law, to a military command, till the A. 11.699. 
 time of his entrance into Rome * a . I know not 
 what accounts you may have received of this 
 matter from your other friends : but I find the 
 fentiments of the world are much divided. 
 Some are of opinion, that you are not obliged 
 to refign your government, if" your fucceffor 
 mould not be authorized by an afiembly of the 
 Curias : whilft others maintain, that notwith- 
 flanding you mould think proper to leave the 
 province, you may neverthelefs depute a perfon 
 tp prefide in your abfence. As to myfelf, I 
 am not altogether fo clear with refpect to the 
 law in queftion : tho* I muft own at the fame 
 
 52 Tho' the nomination of the proconfular provinces was 
 a privilege referved to the fenate, yet it was the preroga- 
 tive of the people to confer on the proconfuls the power of 
 executing the military functions, and likewife, it fhould 
 feem, to grant the neceflary appointments for conveying 
 them to their refpeftive governments. By a law however 
 which was made by Cornelius Sylla during his Didator- 
 fhip, in the year 672, it was enafted, that whatever ma- 
 giftrate at the expiration of his office mould obtain a pro- 
 vince by a decree of the fenate, he mould be inverted with 
 the full power of a proconful, notwithstanding his com- 
 miffion were not confirmed by an aflembly of the Curiac. 
 But Sylla's diftatorfhip being confidered as an ufurpation, 
 it is probable from the paflage before us, that this law was 
 riot generally efteemed valid. Appius neverthelefs endea- 
 vored to avail himfelf of it, from an apprehenfion that he 
 might meet with forne obftruftion in the ufual method of 
 applying for a ratification of his powers : and indeed it 
 may be colledled from a letter to Atticus, that he at laft fet 
 forward to his government without the fancUcn of the peo- 
 ple. Manut. fie leg. Gra-TJ. prtsf. in atitig. i . Ad Att, 
 iv. 1 6. 
 
 time
 
 204 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. time, my doubts are by no means confiderable. 
 ^^ Of this however I am perfectly fure, that it is 
 agreable to your honor, and to that generofity 
 of conduct in which I know you place your 
 higheft gratification, quietly to yield up your 
 province to your fucceffor ; efpecially as you 
 cannot' in this inilance oppofe his ambitious 
 Views, without' incurring the fufpicion of being 
 influenced by the fame motives yourfelf. But 
 be 1 that as it will, I thought it incumbent upon 
 me to inform yen of my fentiments : as I (hall 
 certainly defend yours which ever way they may 
 determine you to acl. 
 
 After I had finished my letter, I received your 
 lad concerning the farmers of the Revenues * J . 
 Your decifion appears to me, I muft own, per- 
 fectly equitable ; yet at the fame time, I cannot 
 but wifh you might be fo happy as not to dif- 
 guft a body men, whofe intereft you have hi- 
 therto always favored. However, you may be 
 aflured I fhall fupport the decrees you have 
 made upon this occafion : tho' you well know 
 
 53 The fociety of farmers of the public revenues among 
 the Romans was a body of men in high repute, as being 
 compofed of the principal perfons of the equeftrian order : 
 Flos equitum Rcmarcrum, fays Cicero, ornamentum c'i<vitat;i\ 
 fimamentum reip. Publiianarvm ordine continetur. Pro Plane. 
 DifpHtes frequently arofe between thefe and the tributary 
 provinces : and it is to fome difference v f this kind wherein 
 Lentulus had given judgment againft them, that Cicero feema 
 te allude. 
 
 I eht;
 
 BOOK 1L OF C I C E R.O. 2.0$ 
 
 the temper and difpofition of thefe people, and 
 what formidable enemies they proved to the ex- 
 cellent Quintus Scsevola * 4 . I would recom- 
 mend it to you therefore, if poflible, to recover 
 their good graces, or at leafb to foften them. 
 The talk,' I confefs, is difficult : but prudenqe, 
 I think, requires you mould ufe your beft en- 
 deavors for that purpofe. Farewel. 
 
 nrrf^i^i^%^^rfer;al?n-:.!^:r' **?&& 
 s * There were two very eminent perfons of this name ip. 
 Cicero's time. The firft, the moft celebrated lawyer and 
 politician of his age, is distinguiflied by the title of Augur. 
 The other who was high Prieft, was flain at the enterance 
 of the temple of Vefta, as he was endeavoring to make his 
 efcape from that general mafTacre of the Senators which was 
 perpetrated by the orders of the young Marius. To which 
 of thefe Tully alludes, is uncertain. Manutius fuppqfes to 
 the former : but without affigning his reafons. It feem.s not 
 unlikely however to be the latter : as there is a paflage in 
 Valerius Maximus, by which we find that he exercifed hi> 
 Afiatic Government with fo much honor and integrity, that 
 the Senate in their fubfequent decrees for nominating the 
 Proconfuls to that province, always recommended him as an 
 example worthy of their imitation. It appears by a fragment 
 of Diodorus Siculus, that he endeavored during his admi<- 
 mftration in Afia to reform the great abufes which were 
 committed by the Farmers of the revenues in his province^ 
 and imprifoned many of them for their cruel oppreffions of 
 the people. This drew upon him their indignation : but in. 
 what particular inftance he was a fuffcrer by it, hiftory does 
 not mention, tiv. epit. 86. Val. Max. viii. YJ". 
 
 LET-
 
 206 Tft LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 To Lucius CULLEOLUS, Proconful'. 
 
 A.U.699. y T was with the warmeft exprefliona of grati- 
 -I tude that my friend Lucceius * acquainted 
 
 I me, you had generoufly allured his agents of 
 
 your afliftance : as indeed I know not a man in 
 the world who has a heart more fenfible of obli- 
 gations. But if your promifes only were thus 
 acceptable to him; how much more will he 
 think himfelf endebted to you when you mall 
 have performed (as I am well perfuaded you 
 will moft faithfully perform) thefe your obliging 
 engagements ? 
 
 The people of Bullis * have intimated a dif- 
 pofition to refer the demands in queftion be- 
 tween Lucceius and themfelves, to Pompey's 
 arbitration : but as the concurrence of your in- 
 fluence and authority will be neceflary, I very 
 ftrongly intreat you to exert it for this pur- 
 pofe. 
 
 1 The perfon to whom this letter is addrefled and the 
 Province of which he was Proconful, are equally un- 
 known. 
 
 * An account of Lucceius has already been given in rem. 
 I. p. 75. of this vol. 
 
 3 Geographers are not agreed as to the fituation of this 
 City* fom placing it in Illyria, others in Macedonia. 
 
 I It
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O. 2.07 
 
 It affords me great fatisfa&ion to find that A.U.^99. 
 
 ~~ 
 your letter to Lucceius, together with your 
 
 promifes to his agents, have convinced them, 
 that no man has more credit with you than my- 
 felf : and I earneftly conjure you to confirm them 
 in thefe fentiments by every real and fubftantial 
 fervice in your power. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 YOU could never have difpofed of your 
 favors where they would be more grate- 
 fully remembered, than on my friend Lucceius. 
 But the obligation is not confined to him only ; 
 as Pompey likewife takes a fhare in it : and 
 whenever I fee him (as it is often that I do fee 
 him) he never fails of exprefimg in very ftrong 
 terms how much he thinks himfelf indebted to 
 you. To which I will add (what I know will 
 give you great fatisfa&ion) that it afforded me 
 alfo a very fenfible pleafure. As you cannot 
 now difcontinue thefe obliging offices, without 
 forfeiting your character of conftancy ; I doubt 
 not of your perfevering in the fame friendly 
 fervices for your own fake, which you at 
 firft engaged in for ours. I cannot forbear 
 neverthelefs mod earneftly intreating you 
 
 to
 
 208 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 .U.egg.to proceed in what you have thus generoufly be- 
 gun, till you fhall have perfectly completed the 
 purpofes for which we requeued your aflift- 
 ance. You will by this means greatly oblige 
 not only Lucceius, but Pompey : and never, I 
 will venture to aflufe you, can you lay out your 
 fervices to more advantage. I have nothing 
 farther to add, as I gave you my full fentiments 
 ,of public affairs in a letter which I wrote to you 
 a few days ago, by one of your domeftics,, 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XX, 
 
 To CURIUS, ProconfuH 
 
 I Have long been intimately connected with 
 Quintus Pompeius, by a variety of repeated 
 good offices. As he has upon many former 
 pccafions fupported his interefts, his credit and 
 his authority in your province, by my influ- 
 ence , fo, now the adminiftration is in your 
 hands, he ought undoubtedly to find by tnc 
 effects of this letter, that none of your pr-ede- 
 ceffors have ever paid a greater regard to my 
 recommendations. The ftrict union indeed that 
 fubfifts between you and my felf, gives me 
 
 * The perfon to whom this letter is addrefied, and the 
 lime when it was written, are unknown* 
 
 a night
 
 BoosL-IL OF .CICERO. 209 
 
 a right to expert, that you will look upon A.U. 699. 
 every friend of mine as your own. But 
 moft earneftly intreat you to receive Pompeius 
 in fo particular a manner intoyour protection and 
 favor, as to convince him that nothing could 
 have proved more to his advantage and his ho* 
 nor, than my application to you in his behalf* 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXL 
 
 pov- 01 >jf.:.i o;:xbn '{ ^.TI o? -^Iw^rl 
 
 To B A s i L i u s'** 
 
 . ...i, ...... i,.. . <.i-13ill 'flT QJ ci'/v&I luOV 1C I 
 
 I Congratulate both you and myfelf on the pfe* 
 fent joyful occafion. All your affair's here are 
 much my concern : as your perfoh is infinitely 
 dear to me. Love me in return: and let me 
 know what you are doing, and what is going 
 
 forward in your part of the world.' ' Farewel. 
 
 uni llo e! i 
 
 b If Bafilius be the true name of the perion to whom 
 this letter is infcribed, (and indeed all the editions agree in 
 calling him fo) no account can be given concerning him. 
 But if we may be allowed to fuppofe the genuine reading to 
 be Bacilus ; he was praetor in the year 708: and Csefar not 
 having given him a province, as was ufual, at the expira- 
 tion of his office, he was fo mortified with the affront that 
 he put ah end to his life. Dio t xliii. p. 237. 
 
 VOL. 1 P LET-
 
 210 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 LETTER XXIL 
 To QUINTUS PHILIPPUS, Proconful b . 
 
 A.U.699. T Congratulate your fafe return from your 
 JL province in the fulnefs of your fame, and 
 amidft the general tranquillity of the republic. 
 If I were in Rome, I mould have waited upon 
 you for this purpofe in perfon, and in order 
 likewife to make my acknowledgments to you 
 for your favors to my friends Egnatius and 
 Oppius. 
 
 I am extremely forry to hear, that you have 
 taken great offence againft my friend and hoft 
 Antipater. I cannot pretend to judge of the 
 merits of the cafe : but I know your character 
 too well not to be perfuaded, that you are inca- 
 pable of indulging an unreafonable refentment. 
 I conjure you however, by our long friendfhip, 
 to pardon for my fake his fons, who lie entire- 
 ly at your mercy. If I imagined you could not 
 grant this favor confidently with your honor, 
 I mould be far from making the requeft : as my 
 regard for your reputation is much fuperior to 
 all confiderations of friendfhip which I owe to 
 
 fc See rem. a p. 1 27. of this vol. 
 
 ihis
 
 BOOK II. OP C I C E R (X 211 
 
 this family. But if I am not miftaken, (as in- A.U.egg. 
 deed I very poffibly may) your clemency to- 
 wards them will rather add to, than derogate 
 from, your character. If it be not too much 
 trouble therefore, I mould be glad you would 
 let me know how far a compliance with my re- 
 queft, is in your power : for that it is in your 
 inclination I have not the leaft reafon to doubt. 
 Farewel. 
 
 P 2 LET-
 
 212 THE LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 To Lucius VALERIUS *, the lawyer. 
 
 FOR 1 why fliould I not gratify your vanity 
 with that honorable appellation ? Since, as 
 the times go, my friend, confidence will readi- 
 ly pafs upon the world for (kill. 
 
 I have executed the commiflion you fent me, 
 and made your acknowledgments to Lentulus. 
 But I wifh you would render my offices of this 
 kind unnecefTary, by putting an end to your te- 
 dious abfence. Is it not more worthy of your 
 mighty ambition to be blended with your learn- 
 ed brethren at Rome, than to ftand the fole 
 
 4 Valerius is only known by this letter and another .where- 
 in Cicero recommends him to Appius as a perfon who lived 
 in his family, and for whom he entertained a very Angular 
 affection. By the air of this epifile he feems to have been 
 one of that fort of lawyers who may more properly be faid to 
 be of the profeflion than the fcience. But as the vein of hu- 
 mor which runs thro' this letter, partly confids in playing 
 upon words, it is not very eafy, perhaps it is impofiible, to 
 be preferred in a tranflation : and as it ;iiludes to circum- 
 ftances which are now altogether unknown, it mult necefla- 
 rily lofe much of its original Spirit. 
 
 5 The abrupt beginning of this letter has induced fome 
 of the Commentators to fufpeft, that it is not entire. But 
 Manutius has very juftly obferved, that it evidently refers to 
 the infcription: and he produces an inftance of the fame 
 kind .from' one of the cpiftles to Atticus. Vid. adAtt. iii. 
 20. 
 
 great
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R 0. 2 f 3 
 
 great wonder of wifdom amidft a parcel of pal- A. U. 60)9. 
 try Provincials 6 ? But I long to rally you in per- 
 fon : for which merry purpofe, I defire you 
 would haften hither as expeditioufiy as pofllble. 
 I would by no means, however, advife you to 
 take Apulia in the way, left fome difaftrous ad- 
 venture in thofe unlucky regions, mould prevent 
 our welcoming your fafe arrival. And in truth, 
 to what purpofe mould you vifit this your na- 
 tive province ~ ? For, like Ulyfles when he firft 
 
 6 After this paflage in the original, Cicero goes on in 
 the following ftrain : Quanquam qui ijlinc <veniunt, partitn 
 te fuperbum fj/e dicunt, quod nih.il refpondeas ; partim con- 
 tumdiofum^ quod male refpondeas. The tranflator how- 
 ever has ventured to omit this v/itticifm, upon the advice of 
 Horace : 
 
 <t>u..f 
 
 Defperat tentatamtefeere poj/e, relinqtnt. 
 
 It is a pun indeed which has already occurred in one of 
 the preceding letters to Trebatius, where our Author plays 
 in the fame manner upon the equivocal fenfe of the verb 
 refpondere. Seep, i 56. of this vol. Voiture has managed an 
 allufion of this kind much more fuccefsfully. Si i>ous pretend&z 
 (fays that agreable writer to his friend the plenipotentiary at 
 Munfter) queladignlte de pie mpotentiare <vous difpenfederefpondre, 
 Pr.tiiiiian a<voit aja charge toiitcs Iti affaires de F empire Romaza, et 
 je <z;ous monjirerai en cent lieux dans de grcs li-vr-es, Papinianus re- 
 fpondit, et refpondit Papinianus. Les plus /ages et les plus 
 prudens etoient ceux qui ancient actoustume de ripondre t ci 
 de la refponfa fapientum, et prudentum reiponfa. Les oracles 
 metjfs, quanJ *vous en fcriez UK, rifpondoient ; et il neft fas 
 qu'aux cboffi inanimetSf qui ne fe mettent qutlquefttii en devoir de . 
 ripondre : \. .,; . t ^ 
 
 Les eaux ft les rochers et Its bois lui refpondmt. 
 
 Let. de Voit. i. 165. 
 
 7 Manutius imagines that Cicero means to rally the ob- 
 
 P 3 returned
 
 214 T*E LETTERS BOOK II. 
 
 A.U. 699. returned to his Ithaca, you will be much too 
 
 fcurity of his friend's birth. Perhaps it would be nearer the 
 truth to acknowledge, that it is impoflible to know what 
 he means: Yet as this fenfe is as confluent with the 
 original as any other, it is adopted in the translation. But 
 if mis very learned commentator be right in his general 
 notion of this paflage, he is certainly deceived jn his inter- 
 pretation of tanquam UlyJJes, cognofces tuorum neminetn, with 
 which the letter concludes. For he takes the verb 
 
 in its ufual acceptation : by which means he makes Cicero 
 miftake fo well known a ftory as' that of the behavior of 
 Ulyfies upon his firft return to Ithaca. However, he is per- 
 fuaded that this is a defigned mifreprefentation in his au- 
 thor : and difcovers I know not what improvement of the 
 humor by this very perverfion of the fable. The labors, of 
 this penetrating conimentator have caft fuch a light upon 
 the writings of Cicero, that even his errors deferve to be 
 treated with refpect; otherwife one might juftly laugh at a 
 notion fo exactly in the true fpirit of a fanciful critic, who 
 refines upon his own miftakes. It is a miftake nevertheless in 
 which all the fucceeding commentators concur with him, 
 except Mr. Rofs, who has removed the whole difficulty of 
 the pafTage by explaining cognofco in the fenfe of agnofco. 
 This fenfe (in which indeed it is not unfrequently ufed) 
 reconciles the allufion to the truth of the fact : and where 
 a word has feveral fignifications, it would be out of all 
 rule of criticifm to underftand it in an application the leaft 
 favorable to an author's meaning. It is not always fo 
 eafy, however, to juftify Cicerb with refpedt to Homer, and 
 he has in one inftance at leafi, been betrayed into an error 
 in quoting that poet. The inftance occurs in his Tufculan 
 difputations, where he takes notice of that pafTage in the 
 feventh Iliad in which Ajax is defcribed as going forth to 
 accept the challenge of Hector. Vidimus, fays he, progre- 
 dientem apud Homerum, Ajactm mult a cum hilaritate cum depug- 
 naturui eflet cum Heflore ; cujus, ut armafumpjit, ingrejffio l<eti- 
 tiam attulit fociis, terrorem autcm hojlibus : ut ipfttm Hetforcm, 
 quemadmodum eft apud Homerum, toto peftore tremerftem, 
 fwvocafle ad pugitam pceniteret. Tuff. difp. iv. 22. But Ho- 
 jner by no means reprefents Hector "thus totally djfmty- 
 cd at the approach of his adverfary : as indeed it would, 
 been inconfifient with the general character of that 
 
 prudent^
 
 BOOK II. OF C I G E R O. 
 
 prudent, undoubtedly, to lay claim to your no- 
 ble kindred. Farewel. 
 
 .- -^nUirfto vimoi 
 Hero to have defcribed him under fuch circumftances of 
 
 obna[ln/.'i;' r^e v.<7 u 
 
 '; To Ji x<xt A/<H //.Ey lyij&f'i' et7o%ourre$' 
 Tpwat; ^IE Tpfl(*o? (vo WTrrjAvSe yt/as fxarof* 
 EXTOJI T' aivrtf fiffcoj >i rsfif^'ff'* ifa.taiffff'it. 
 
 Ver. 214, 
 
 '" ' u-J Wifittl";-' :;?*;;>?;; "'ji/i^/ '<3 fTC: - *fcJ"333" !KI;)L. * -f 
 
 JBut there is a great difference (as Dr. Clarke obferves in 
 his remarks upon thefe lines) between 0u/*o? m rsQeaviv w- 
 
 Taa^iv, and xa^trj i ry/Bft-'i 1 {Gc^of> Or TfOfAo? iro; vwij^fGE 
 yv*. The Trojans, fays Homer, trembled at the fight of 
 Ajax ; and even Heftor himfelf felt fome emotion in his 
 breaft : or to exprefs it in the fame fpirit of poetry which 
 .tliftinguifhes the original : 
 
 Thro' ev'ry Argi<ve heart nena trcmfyort ran : 
 All Troy flood trembling at the mighty man. 
 E'v'n Hettor paused', and with new doubt oppreft, 
 Felt his great heart fufpended in bit breajt. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 Perhaps this flip of attention in fo great an author may 
 not be improperly pointed out, as engaging the candor of- 
 *he reader towards thofe errors of the fame nature, which 
 he will too probably meet with in the courfe of this at- 
 tempt. 
 
 *WU 
 
 ' -vA 1 >;h^ 
 
 :[ . x V>r^, ,> i 
 
 sRwvn ti 
 
 . 
 
 P 4 LET-
 
 (- 
 
 gf 
 
 ' 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 .' ;> ^:f^- 
 O F 
 
 O*T? fH"^ 
 
 Marcus Tullius Cicero 
 
 ^ o 
 Several of his FRIENDS. 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 LETTER i; - 
 
 To CAIUS CURIO r . 
 
 THOUGH I am forty you Ihould fuf- A.U. 7 oo. 
 pe6t me of neglefting you j I will 
 acknowledge that I am not fo much 
 concerned at your reproaches for my not writ- 
 ing, as I am pleafed to find that you are defi- 
 
 1 Curio was a young nobleman of great parts, fpSri$, 
 .and eloquence ; but addi&ed, beyond all raodefty or mea- 
 
 rous
 
 218 THE LETTERS BOOK III, 
 
 A.U. 700. rous of hearing from mt^ Confcious indeed of 
 no t meriting your friendly accufation, the in- 
 
 fure, to the prevailing luxury and gallantries of a moft 
 diilblute age. After having diffipated his fortune by ex- 
 travagant indulgences, for which no eftate could fu-ffice; he 
 fell an eafy prey to corruption. Accordingly Csfar paid 
 his debts, amounting to almoft 500,0007. and by that 
 means gained him over from the caufe of liberty, to be- 
 come one of the warmeft and moft aftive of his partizans. 
 Jt is generally imagined that Virgil glances at him in thofe 
 well-known lines, wendidit hie auro patriam, Sec. tho' in- 
 deed they are applicable to fo many others of his contem- 
 poraries, that there feems no great reafon to imagine the 
 poet had Curio particularly in his view. Lucan mentions 
 him as one whofe talents would probably have been of the 
 higheft honor and benefit to his country, if he had lived in 
 times of lefs contagious depravation : 
 
 flaud alium tanta. ei<vem tullt indole Roma, 
 Aut cui plus leges deberent, reftafequenti. 
 Perdita tune urbi nocuerunt fecula, pojlquam 
 Ambitus et luxus, et opum metuftidafacultas, 
 'franf-verfo mentem dubiam tojrrente tulerunt, 
 
 jljoul more formed to aid his century's caufe, 
 Avenge her infults, andjupport her laws, 
 Rome never knew; but ab ! in evil hour, 
 fate bade tbee li<ve when virtue ivas nt more / 
 When laixlefs lujl ofpoiur, and a^rlce dread, 
 And baneful luxury tbe land o'er fprtad. 
 Thy twarvring mind tbe torrent ill-nuitbjlood, 
 Jlornetfcarcc rejlfting, down th" impetuous flood. 
 
 He diftinguifhed himfelf with great travery in fupport of 
 Casfar's caufe in Africa, where Varus commanded on the 
 part of the republic. But after Ibme fuccefsful engage- 
 ments, he loft his life before the battle of Pharfalia, in an 
 a&ion againft the troops of Juba near Utica. At the time 
 when this letter, and the reft that are addrefled to hinj in 
 the prefent book, were written, he refided in Afia, where, 
 as Manutius conjectures, he was employed in quality of 
 ,*juaeftor to Caius Clodius. VeL Paterc. ii. 48. Plut'tnvit. 
 G<zf. Val. Max. ix, 6. ^. vi, 6zo. Luc. iv. '814. Liv. 
 efit. no. 
 
 itance
 
 BOOK. III. OF C I C E R O.- T ' : 219 ' 
 
 ilance it afforded me tb'at my letters were accep- A.U.yoo. 
 table to you, was a very agreable proof of the 
 continuance of that affection which I have al- 
 ready fo frequently experienced, Believe me, 
 I have never omitted writing, when ever any 
 perfon offered whom I imagined likely to cotf- 
 vey my letters into your hands : and which of 
 your acquaintance, I will venture to afk, is a 
 more punctual correfpondent than myfelf? In 
 return, however, I have fcarce received more 
 than one or two letters from you fmce you left 
 Rome : and thofe too extremely concife. Thus, 
 you fee, I can juftly retort your charge : you 
 muft not therefore pafs too fevere a fentence on 
 your part, if you hope to receive a favorable 
 one on mine. But I will dwell no longer on 
 this article than to aflfure you, that fince you 
 are difpofed to accept thefe memorials of my 
 friendfhip, I doubt not of acquitting myfelf to 
 your full fatisfaction, 
 
 Tho' I regret extremely the being thus long- 
 deprived of your very agreable company; yet I 
 cannot but rejoice at an abfence which has con- 
 tributed fo much to your honor : as fortune in- 
 deed, has in all that concerns you anfwered 
 
 ** * Curio had been moft probably abfent from Rome 
 " about two years r . for Caius Clodius, to whom he is fup- 
 " pofed to have been quaeilor, obtained the government of 
 i! A/U an. urb. 698. Pig. Annal." Mr. Reft. ^
 
 220 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A. U. 700. my warmeft wilhes. I have only to offer 
 u one fhort piece of advice: and I offer it 
 in compliance with the fmcere dictates of 
 that fmgular affection I bear you. Let me 
 earneftly then intreat you, to come well-prepa- 
 red at your return to act up to thofe great ideas 
 which the world has, with fb much reafon, 
 conceived of your fpirit and talents. And as 
 nothing can ever wear out the deep impreflions 
 your good offices have flamped upon my mind ? -, 
 fo I hope you will not forget on your .fide, that 
 you could not have attained thofe honors or 
 advantages that attend you, if you had not in 
 the earlier part of your life complied with my 
 faithful and affectionate admonitions 4 . Have 
 I not reafon then to expect in return, that 
 as the weight: of old age now begins to 
 bend me down 5 , you will fuffer me to repofe 
 
 3 Curio aflifted him in his conteft with Clodias. See 
 rcm. c. on the 141}! let. of this book. 
 
 * Curio, when he was a very young man, had entered 
 into a commerce of the mod criminal and deteftable kind 
 with Antony. His father in order to break off this infa- 
 mous intercourfe, was obliged to call in Cicero to his af- 
 fiftance ; who by his prudent and friendly advice weaned 
 the fon from a paflion not lefs expenfive, it feems, than it 
 was execrable : and by this merms (as Cicero reproaches 
 .Antony in one .of his Philippics) he faved an Uluftrious 
 family from utter ruin. P/ut. in. wit. Anton^ Cic. Pint. 
 ii. 1 8. 
 
 5 Cicero was at this time in the 54th year of his age. 
 j&vxr.
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O, J 221 
 
 my declining years upon your youth and friend- A.U.yo 
 ihip? Farewel. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 ft -; :-, /rg-o}^; IJOT bsMi 
 
 To TREBATIU.S,J.J j ^. 
 
 IF you were not already in the number of our 
 abfentees, undoubtedly you would be tempt- 
 ed to leave us at this juncture : for what bufmefs 
 can a lawyer expect in Rome, during this long 
 and general fufpenfion of all juridical proceed- 
 ings 6 ! Accordingly, I advife my friends who 
 have any actions commenced againft them, to 
 petition each fucceflive interrex f for a double 
 enlargement of the ufual time for putting in 
 their pleas : and is not this a proof how wonder* 
 ' ' 
 
 ; Y :M ' ' : # 
 
 * The feuds in the republic were raifed to fo greac A 
 height towards the latter end of the preceeding year and 
 the beginning of the prefent, that the office of the late 
 confuls had expired feveral months, before new ones cbuld^ 
 be eledled. In exigencies of this kind the conftitution had 
 provided a magiftrate called an Interrex, to whom the cdnfu- 
 lar power was provifionally delegated. But public bufinefs, 
 however, was at a (land, and the courts of judicature in 
 particular were {hut up, during this interregnum : a cir- 
 cumftance from which Cicero takes occafion to enter into 
 his ufual vein of pleafantry with Trebatius, and to rally him 
 in perpetual alluiions to his profeflion. Dto, xl. 
 
 7 This office of Interrex continued only five days : at 
 the expiration of which, if confuls were not chofen, a 
 new Interrex was appointed for the fame {hort period. And 
 in this manner the fuccefiion of thefe occafional magiftrates 
 was carried on, $1 the eleftiQns were determined, 
 
 fullv
 
 222 THE LETTERS BOOK HI. 
 
 A.U. 700. fully I have profited by your fage inftru&ions 
 in the law 8 ? But tell me, my friend^ fmce your 
 letters, I obferve, have lately run in a more en- 
 livened ftrain than ufual, what is it that has ele- 
 vated you into fo gay a humor ? This air of 
 pleafantry I like well ; it looks as if the world 
 went fuccefsfully with you : and I am all irrr- 
 patience to know what it is that has thus raifed 
 your fpirits. You inform me indeed, that Cse- 
 far does you the honor to advife with you. For 
 my own part, however, I had rather hear that 
 he confulted your intereft, than your judgement. 
 But ferioufly ; if the former is really the cafe, or 
 there is any probability of its proving fo, let 
 me intreat you to continue in your prefent 
 Jituation, and patiently fubmit to the inconve- 
 niences of a military life: as on my part, I 
 fhall fupport myfelf under your abfehccwith the 
 hopes of its turning to your advantage. But 
 if all expectations of this kind are at an end ; 
 let us fee you as foon as poffible : and perhaps 
 
 8 The minute forms of law -proceedings among the Ro- 
 mans is not fufficiently known, to diftinguim precifely the 
 exaft point on which Cicero's humor in this paffage turns : 
 and accordingly the explanations which the commentators 
 have offered are by no means fatisfaftory. It would be 
 foreign to the purpofe of thefe remarks, to lay before the 
 reader their feveral conjectures : it will be fufficient in ge- 
 neral to obferve, that there was fome notorious improprie- 
 ty in the advice which Cicero here reprefents himfelf as 
 having given to his friends, and in which the whole force 
 ef his pleafantry confifts, 
 
 fome
 
 BOOK fll. OF CICERO. 323 
 
 fome method may be found here, : of improving -A.U. 700, 
 your fortunes. If not, we mall at kaft have 
 the fatisfaction of enjoying each others compa- 
 ny: and one hour's converfation together is of 
 more value to us, my friend, than the whole 
 city of Samarobriva?. Befides, if you return 
 foon, the difappointment you have fuffered may. 
 pafs unremarked : whereas a longer purfuit t$ 
 no purpofe, would be fo ridiculous a cir.cumr, 
 ftance, that I am terribly afraid it would fcarce 
 cfcape the drollery of thofe very arch fellow* * ; 
 
 9 A city in Belgic Gaul; and probably the place where- 
 in Trebatius had his prefent quarters. 
 
 1 Laberius was a Roman Knight, who diftinguifhed 
 himfelf by his comic humor : as he had written fevera! 
 farces which were a&ed with great applaufe. He was 
 prevailed upon by Csefar to take a part himfelf in one of 
 iiis own performances : and the prologue \vhich he fpoJce 
 upon that occaiion is ftill extant. The T whole composition 
 is extremely fpirited, and affords a very sWvantageous Speci- 
 men of his genius: but there is fomething fo peculiarly juft 
 and beautiful in the thought of the concluding lines, that the 
 reader, perhaps, will not regret the being carried out of his 
 way inorder to obferveit. Laberius was 60 years ofage,wiea 
 in complaifance to Csfar he thus made his firf: entrance up- 
 on the ftage : and in allufion to a circumftance fo little favo- 
 rable to his appearing with fuccefs, he tells the audience, 
 
 Vt bedera ferpens vires arloreas vecat ; 
 It a me vetitjias amplexu annorum en f cat: 
 SepuUbri Jimi/is, nihil niji nomen retineo f 
 
 While round the oak the fraudful ivy twines, 
 Rolb '</ of 'its jlrengtb the jap left tree declines. 
 ^hus envious ** ad'vanc'd <vuitb Jlealin^ pace, 
 
 y chili ' d limbs ', and kills ivitb cold embrace. 
 
 e empty monuments to heroes fame, 
 all I ivai retaining b:it the 
 
 Of all I ivaj retaining b:tt the name ! 
 
 m. 11. 7 
 
 ,aberius 
 
 L
 
 224 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 AAJ. 700. Laberius and my companion Valerius z . And 
 what a burlefque character would a Britifh law- 
 yer furnim out for the Roman ftage ! You may 
 fmile perhaps at this notion : but tho' I mention 
 it in my ufual ftyle of pleafantry, let me tell 
 you it is no jefting matter. In good earneft i 
 if there is any profpedt that my recommenda- 
 tions will avail in obtaining the honors you de- 
 ferve ; I cannot but exhort you, in all the fince- 
 rity of the warmeft friendfhip, to make your- 
 felf eafy under this abfence, as a means of in- 
 creafmg both your fortunes and your fame : if 
 not, I would ftrongly advife your return. I 
 have no doubt, however, that your own merit 
 in conjunction with my moft zealous fervices,, 
 will procure you every advantage you can reafo- 
 nably defire. Farewel. 
 
 a This Valerius is fuppofed by fomc of the commenta- 
 tors to be Quintus Valerius Catullus, a celebrated poet. 
 who, as appears by his works which are Hill extant, was 
 patronized by Cicero. But the opinion of Manutius is 
 much more probable, that the perfon here meant is the fame 
 to whom the laft letter of the firfl book in this collection i* 
 addreffedj and who is likewife mentioned in the following 
 epiftle. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 225 
 
 LETTER Hi: 
 
 To APPIUS PULCHER'. 
 
 IF the genius of Rome were himfelf to give A.U. 700. 
 you an account of the commonwealth, you 
 could not be more fully apprifed of public af- 
 fairs, than by the information you will receive 
 from Phanias : a perfon, let me tell you, not 
 only of confummate politics, but of infinite cu r 
 riofity. I refer you therefore to him, as to the 
 fhortefl and fafeft means of being acquainted 
 with our fituation. I might truft him likewife 
 with affuring you at the fame time of the friend- 
 ly difpofition of my heart towards you : but That 
 is an office which I muft claim the privilege of 
 executing with my own hand. Be perfuaded 
 then, that I think of you with the higheft af- 
 fection : as indeed you have a full right to 
 
 3 Appius Clodius Pul elver had been conful the preceed- 
 ing year, and was at this time govenor of C:liciu< The 
 particular traits of his charafter will be '"occafionally mark- 
 ed out in the obfervaticrns on the feventl letters addrefed 
 to him in this, and the fubfequent books. In the mean 
 time it may be fufficient to obferye, that Cicero very zea- 
 loufly cultivated his friendship, not from any real opinion 
 of his merit, but as one whole powerful alliances rendered 
 him too conliderable to be defpifed as an enemy. For one of 
 Appius's daughters wns married to Pompey's fon, and the 
 other to Brutus. See life cfdc. ii. zc^. $vo. ed. j>. Fam. 
 
 '' VOL. I, thefe
 
 226 THE LETTERS BOOK 111. 
 
 thcfe fentiments, not only from the many gene- 
 rous and amiable quaMties, of your mind, but 
 from that grateful fenfibility with which, as I 
 am informed both by your own letters and the 
 general account of others, you receive my beft 
 fervices. I mall endeavor therefore, by my future 
 good offices, to compenfate for that long in- 
 termifTion which unhappily fufpended our former 
 intercourfe *. And fmce you feem willing to re- 
 new our amicable commerce ; I doubt not of 
 engaging in it with the general approbation of 
 the world *. 
 
 Your freedman Cilix, was very little known 
 to me before he delivered your obliging letter 
 into my hands : the friendly purport of which 
 
 4 Appius was brother to Cicero's declared enemy, the 
 turbulent Clodius, which cccafioned that interruption of 
 their friendmip to which he here alludes. It appears by a 
 paffage in the oration for Milo, that Clodius in the abfence 
 of his brother had forcibly taken pofleflion of an eftate be- 
 longing to Appius : and the indignation with which this 
 piece of injuftice muft neceflarily raife in the latter, ren- 
 dered him, it is probable, fo much the more difpofed to a 
 re-union with Cicero. Orat. pro Mil. 27. 
 
 5 The whole paflage in the original, ftands thus : Idque 
 me, quoniam tu ita vis, puto non in<vita Minerva faMurum : 
 " quana quidem ego, fi forte de tuis fumpfero, non folum 
 " Pallada, fed etiam Appiada nominabo." The former 
 part of this fentence is tranflated agreably to the inter- 
 pretation of the learned Gronovius : but the latter is 
 wholly omited. For notwithftanding all the pains of the 
 commentators to explain its difficulties, it is utterly unin- 
 telligible : at leaft, I do not fcfuple to confefs, it is fo ta 
 inc. 
 
 he
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R a 227 
 
 he confirmed with great politenefs. The ac- A -U-7oo- 
 count indeed he gave me of your fentiments, as 
 well as of the frequent and favorable mention 
 you are pleafed to make of rny name, were cir- 
 cumftances which I heard with much pleafure. 
 In Ihort, during our two days converfation to- 
 gether, he entirely won my heart : not to the 
 excluiion however, of my old friend Phania&; 
 whofe return I impatiently expect. I imagine 
 you will fpeedily order him back to Rome: and I 
 hope you will not difmifs him without fending 
 me at the fame time your full and unreferved 
 commands. 
 
 I very ftrongly recommend to your patronage 
 Valerius the lawyer 6 ; even tho' you mould dif- 
 cover that he has but a (lender claim to that 
 appellation. I mention this, as being more 
 cautious in obviating the flaws in his title^ than 
 he ufually is in guarding againft thofe of his cli- 
 ents. But ferioufly, I have a great affection 
 for the man: as indeed 1 he is my particular 
 friend and companion. I muft do him the 
 juftice to fay, that he is extremely fenfible of 
 the favors you have already conferred upon 
 him. Neverthelefs he is defirous of my recorrf- 
 mendation, as he is perfuaded it will have much 
 
 6 See the laft letter cf the firft baok and the remarks* 
 thereon. 
 
 Qj2 weight
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK 1H. 
 
 A.U. 700. weight with you : and I intrcat you to convince 
 him that he is not miftaken. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 To CAIUS MEMMIUS ?, 
 
 YOUR tenant Caius Evander, is a perfon 
 with whom I am very intimate : as his 
 patron Marcus ^Emilius is in the number of my 
 moft particular friends. I intreat your permif- 
 fion therefore, that he may continue fome time 
 longer in your houfe, if it be not inconvenient 
 to you : for as he has a great deal of work upon 
 his hands, he cannot remove fo foon as the firft 
 of July, without being extremely hurried. I 
 fhould be afhamed to ufe many words in folli- 
 citing a favor of this nature at your hands : and. 
 I am perfuaded that, if it is not very much to 
 your prejudice, you will be as well inclined to. 
 grant me this requeft, as I mould be to comply 
 with any of yours. I will only add therefore, 
 that your indulgence will greatly oblige me. 
 Farewel. 
 
 7 See an account of him in remark 5. on the zzd letter 
 of this book. 
 
 LET-
 
 BooKlII. OF CICERO. 2_ y . 
 
 
 
 | 
 > **" i :F'i'S T b R V. 
 
 : -f6 :; T*EBATIUS. 
 
 Oifvr f o:fc nb v ,00 j m ^niiL'^i sc 
 
 I Was wondering at the long interinifiion of A.U. 700. 
 your letters, when my friend Panfa account-. '~ 
 ed for your indolence, by afliiring me that you 
 were turned an Epicurean. Glorious effecl: 
 kideed of camp-con verfation ! But ifameta- 
 morphofis fo extraordinary has been wrought in 
 you amidft the martial air of Samarobriva, 
 what would have been the confequence had I 
 fent you to the fofter regions of Tarentum 8 f 
 I have been in fome pain for your principles, I 
 confefs, ever fjnce your intimacy with my friend 
 Seius. But how will you reconcile your tenets 
 to your profeifion, and act for the interefl of 
 your client, now that you have adopted the 
 maxim of doing nothing but for your own ? 
 With what grace can you infert the ufual claufe 
 in your deeds of agreement : The parties to tbefe 
 frefents as becomes good men and true^ &c ? For 
 neither truth, nor truft can there be in thofe, who 
 
 8 Tarentum was a city in Italy diftinguifhed for the foft- 
 ncfs and luxury of its inhabitants. Geographers inform us 
 that the greateit part of their year was confumed in the ce- 
 lebration of Hated fcftivals. V"td. Bunon. continent, in 
 
 0.3
 
 230 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U.yoo.profefledly govern themfelves upon motives of 
 abfolute felfifhnefs ? I am in fome pain like- 
 wife, how you will fettle the law concerning 
 the partition of " rights in common :" as there 
 can be nothing in common between thofe, who 
 make their own private gratification the fole 
 criterion of right and wrong. Or can you 
 think it proper to adminifter an oath, while 
 you maintain that Jupiter is incapable of all re- 
 fcntment ? In a word, what will become of the 
 good people of Ulubrae 9 who have placed them- 
 felves under your protection ; if you hold the 
 maxim of your feel:, that " a wife man ought 
 " not to engage himielf in public affairs ?" In 
 good earnefl I mall be extremely forry, if it is 
 true that you have really deferted us. But if 
 your converfion is nothing more than a conve- 
 nient 'compliment to the opinions of Panfa, I 
 will forgive your difli mutation, provided, you 
 let me know foon how your affairs go on, and 
 in what manner I can be of any fervice in them. 
 Farewd. 
 
 " 9 Cicero jocofely fpeaks of this people, as if they be- 
 " longed to the moft conftderable town in Italy : whereas 
 " it was fo mean and contemptible a place, that Horace, 
 " in order to fliew the power of contentment, fays, that 
 '.' a perfon poflefTed of that excellent temper of mind, may 
 happy even at Ulubrx : 
 
 ^ Eft Ulubris. aninxxfite von deficit a-r l uui.'" > 
 
 Mr. Rofs. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK III. OF C J C E R O. 231 
 
 o 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 To CAIUS CURIO. 
 
 UR friendfhip, I truft, needs not any A - u -7- 
 pther evidence to confirm its fmcerity, 
 
 than what arifes from the teilimony of our own 
 hearts. I cannot, however, but confider the 
 death of your illuftrious Father, as depriving 
 me of a mod venerable witnefs to that fingular 
 affection I bear you f . I regret that he had not 
 the fatisfaction of taking a laft farewel of you, 
 before he clofed his eyes : as it was the only 
 circumftance wanting to render him as much 
 fuperior to the reft of the world in his do- 
 meftic happinefs, as in his public fame *. 
 
 I fmcerely wilh you the happy enjoyment of 
 your eftate : and be afTured, you will find in 
 me a friend who loves and values with the fame 
 tendernefs as your father himfelf conceived for 
 you. Farewel. 
 
 1 See remark 4 on the firft letter of this book. 
 
 * He was conful in the year of Rome 676, where he 
 aftcd with great fpirit in oppofition to the attempts of Sicini- 
 us for reltoring the tribunitial power, which had been much 
 abridged by Sylla. In the following year he went gover- 
 nor into Macedonia, and by his military conduct in that 
 province obtained the honor of a triumph. He diftinguifh- 
 ed himfelf among the friends of Cicero when he was at- 
 tacked by Clodius. Freinjhem. fupplem. in Lii>. xci. ciii. 
 
 LET.
 
 TH* LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 To TREBATIUS. 
 
 you ferioufly fuppofe me fo unreafo- 
 nable as to be angry, becaufe I thought 
 you difcovered too inconftant a difpofition in 
 your impatience to leave Gaul ? And can you 
 poflibly believe it was for that reafon I have thus 
 long omited writing ? The truth is, I was only 
 concerned at the uneafmefs which feemed to 
 have overcafl your mind: and I forbore to 
 write, upon no other account but as being en- 
 tirely ignorant where to direct my letters. I 
 fuppofe however that this is a plea which your 
 loftinefs will fcarce condefcend to admit. But 
 tell me then, is it the weight of your purfe, 
 or the honor of being the counfellor of Csefar, 
 that moft difpofes you to be thus infuffcrably 
 arrogant? Let me periiri if I do not believe 
 that thy vanity is fo immoderate, as to choofe 
 rather to. ftjare in his councils than his coffers. 
 J3ut Jfhculd he admit: you into a participation 
 of both, you will undoubtedly fwell into fuch 
 intolerable airs, that no mortal will be able to 
 endure you : or none at leaft except myfelf, 
 "who am philofopher enough, you know, to 
 
 endure
 
 BOOK- HI. OF C I C E R O. 233 
 
 endure any thing. But I was going to tell you, 
 that as I regretted the uneafmefs you formerly 
 exprefied ; fo I rejoice to hear,, that you are 
 better reconciled to your fituation. My only 
 fear is, that your wonderful fkill in the kw 
 will little avail you in your preffcnt quarters : 
 for I am told that the people you have to deal 
 with, 
 
 Reft the jlrength of their caufe on the force of 
 
 their might, 
 Ami rhefw&rd is fupreme arbitrator of right . 
 
 As I know you do not choofe to be concerned 
 in forcible entries^ and are much too peaceably 
 difpoied to be fond of making ajfaults, let me 
 leave a piece of advice with my lawyer, and by 
 all means recommend it to you to avoid the 
 Treviri * : for I hear they are moft formidable 
 fellows. I wim from my heart, they were as 
 harmlefs as their name-fakes round the edges of 
 our coin*. But I muft referve the reft of my 
 
 3 Ennius. 
 
 * The Treviri were a mofl warlike people, bordering 
 on Germany. They were defeated about this time by La^ 
 bienus, one of C'ajfar's lieutenants in Gaul. Cafar. Bel, 
 Gal. viii. 
 
 \ s Therpublic coin was under the infpe&ion of three of- 
 ficers called Treviri monetafes : and feveral pieces of mo- 
 ney are ftill extant in the cabinets of the curious, infcribed 
 with the names of thefe magiftrates. Fid. Petri Bembi efiji. 
 afud tolanut, . .. 
 
 jokes
 
 234 T E LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U.' 700. jokes to another opportunity: in the mean 
 * i/ * time, let me defire you would fend me a full 
 
 account of whatever is going forward in your 
 
 province. Farewel. 
 
 March the 4th. 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 TO CORNIFICIUS 3 . 
 
 YOUR letter was extremely agreable to 
 me in all refpects, except that I was forry 
 to find by it, you had flighted my lodge at 
 SinnuefTa. I mail not exeufe the affront you 
 have thus paifed upon my little hovel, unlefs 
 you give me double fatisfa&ion by making ufe 
 both of my Cuman and Pompeian villas. Let 
 me intreat you then to do fo : and to preferve me 
 likewife in your affection. I hope you will 
 provoke me to enter into a literary conteft with 
 you, by fome of your writings: as I find it 
 much eafier to anfwer a challenge of this kind, 
 than to fend one. However, if you fhould 
 perfevere in your ufual indolence, I mail ven- 
 ture to lead the way myfelf ; in order to iliew 
 you, that your idlenefs has not infected me.: 
 
 Stc an account of him, vol. iii. p. 61. re^n. 6. 
 
 I
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 235 
 
 I Heal a moment to write this whilftl am i 
 the fenate : but you fhall have a longer let- 
 ter from me \vhen I fhall be lefs engaged. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 To TREBATIUS. 
 
 >' ? *i ' -t'i 'ii -JKjlT ri'^'<Jt\ ***- 
 
 I Am giving 7011 an inftance that thofe who Jove 
 are not eafily to be pleafed, when I aflure you, 
 that tho' I was very much concerned when you told 
 me that you continued in Gaul with reluclance, 
 yet I am no lefs mortified now your letter informs 
 me, that you like your fituation extremely well. 
 To fay the truth, as I regretted you Ihould not 
 approve a fcheme, which you purfued upon 
 my recommendation ; fo I can ill bear that any 
 place Ihould be agreable to you where I am 
 not. Neverthelefs, I had much rather endure 
 the uneafmefs of your abfence, than fuffer you 
 to forego the advantages with which, I hope, 
 it will be attended. It is impoflible therefore 
 to exprefs how much I rejoice in your having 
 made a friendfhip with a man of fo improved 
 an underftanding and fo amiable a difpofition as 
 Matius : whofe efteem, I hope, you will endea- 
 vor to cultivate by every means in your power. 
 
 For,
 
 236 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A,U . 700. For, believe me, you cannot bring home a more 
 valuable acquifition. . Farewel. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 To C A 1 17 s Cy R i o. 
 
 YO U mull not impute it to any neglect in 
 Rupa, that he has not executed your 
 commiffion : as he omitted it merely in compli- 
 ance with the opinion of myfelf and the reft of 
 your friends. . We thought it moft prudent 
 r,hat no Heps mould be taken during your 
 abfence, which might preclude you from a 
 change of meafures after your return : and 
 therefore that it would be beft he mould not 
 fagnify your intentions of entertaining the peo- 
 ple with public games 6 . I may perhaps in 
 Ibme future letter give you my reafons at large 
 againft your executing that defign : or rather, 
 that you may not come prepared to anfwer my 
 
 c Curio's pretence for exhibiting thefe games, was to pay 
 an honor to the memory of his father, lately deceafed : but 
 his principal motive was to, ingratiate himfelf with the 
 people, who were paffionately attached to entertainments 
 of this kind. As Cicero well-knew the profufion of Cu- 
 li'o's temper, and that the fcheme he was meditating could 
 not be" executed without great expence ; he a&ed a very 
 judicious and honeft part, in laboring to turn him afide 
 from a project that would contribute to embarrafs his finan- 
 ces, and moft probably therefore impair the foundations of 
 his integrity. 
 
 objections,
 
 BOOK Iltr OF C I C E R 0. ' 237- 
 
 abjections, 1 believe it will be the wifeft way to A^U.yo*; 
 referve them till we meet. If I Ihould not 
 bring you over to my fentiments, I .{hall have 
 the fatisfaction, at lead, of difcharging the part 
 of a friend : and mould it happen (which I 
 hope however it will not) that you mould here- 
 after have occafion to repent of your fcheme^ 
 you may then remember that I endeavored to 
 difiuade you againft it. But thus much I will 
 how fay, that thofe advantages which Fortune 
 m conjunction with your own induftry and na- 
 tural endowments, have put into your poffef- 
 lion, fupply a far furer method of opening your 
 way to the higheft dignities, than any oftenta-, 
 tious difplay of the moft fplendid fpeftacles. 
 The truth of it is, exhibitions of this kind, as 
 they are inftances of wealth only, not of merit, 
 are by no means confidered as reflecting any 
 honor on the authors of them : not to mention, 
 that the public is quite fatiated with their fre- 
 quent returns. But I am fallen unawares into 
 what I defigned to have avoided, and point- 
 ing out my particular reafons againft your 
 fcheme. I will wave all farther difcufiion there- 
 fore of this matter till we meet - y and in the 
 mean time inform you, that the world en- 
 tertains'''^ higheft opinion of your virtues. 
 
 What-
 
 238 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 700. Whatever advantages may be hoped from the 
 mo ft exalted patriotifm united with the greateft 
 abilities- ; the public, believe me, experts from 
 you. And mould you come prepared (as I am 
 fure you ought, and I truft you will) to act up 
 to thefe its glorious expectations ; then, indeed, 
 you will exhibit to your friends and to the com- 
 mon wealth in general, a fpectaele of the no- 
 bleft and moft affecting, kind'. In the mean 
 while be affured, no man has a greater fhare 
 of my affection and efteem than yourfelf. Fare- 
 wel. 
 
 7 Curio was not of a difpofition to Men to this pru- 
 dent counfel of his friend: but in oppofition to all the 
 grave advice of Cicero, he perfevered in his refolution, 
 and executed it with great magnificence. The confe- 
 qaencc was, juft what Cicero forefaw and dreaded : he 
 contracted debts which he was incapable of difcharging, 
 and then fold himfelf to Cafar in order to latisfy the 
 clamors of his creditors. See rem. I. on the firft letter of 
 this book. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 239 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 To TREBATIUS. 
 
 TWO or three of your letters which lately A ^^ I * 
 came to my hands at the fame time, tho* 
 of different dates, have afforded me great plea- 
 fure: as they were proofs that you have re- 
 conciled yourfelf, with much fpirit and refolu- 
 tion, to the inconveniences of a military life. 
 I had fome little fufpicion, I confefs, of the 
 contrary : not that I queftioned your courage, 
 but as imputing your uneafmefs to the regret 
 of our feparation. Let me intreat you then to 
 perfevere in your prefent temper of mind : and 
 believe me, you will derive many and confide- 
 rable advantages from the fervice in which you 
 are engaged. In the mean while, I mail not 
 fail to renew my follicitations to Caefar in your 
 favor, upon all proper occafions ; and have 
 herewith fent you a Greek letter to deliver tq 
 him for that purpofe : as, in truth, you cannot 
 be more anxious than I am that this expedition 
 may prove to your benefit. In return, I de- 
 fire you would fend me a full relation of the 
 Gallic war : for, you muft know, I always de- 
 4 pend
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK lit 
 A.U.roo.pend moft upon the accounts of thole who arc 
 haft engaged in the action. 
 
 As I do not im^gme you are altogether fa 
 confiderable a perfon as to retain a fecretary in 
 your fervice, I could not but wonder you mould 
 trouble yourfelf with the precaution of fending 
 me feveral copies of the fame letter. Your par- 
 fimony, however, deferves to be applauded ; as 
 one of them, I obferved, was written upon a 
 tablet that had been ufed before. I cannot 
 conceive what unhappy compofition could be fo 
 very miferable as to deferve to give place upon 
 this occafion : unlefs it were one of your own 
 conveyances. I flatter myfelf, at leaft, it was 
 not any fpritely epiflle of mine- that you thus 
 difgraced, in order to fcrible over it a dull one 
 of your own. . Or was it your intention to inti- 
 mate affairs go fo ill with. you x that you could 
 not afford any better materials ? If that mould 
 be your cafe, you muft e'en thank yourfelf for 
 not leaving your modefty behind you. 
 
 I mall recommend you in very ftrong terms 
 to Balbus, when he returns into Gaul. But 
 you muft not be furprifed if you fhould not 
 hear from me again fo foon as ufual : as I mail 
 be abfent from Rome during all this month. I 
 write this from Pomptinus, at the villa of Me- 
 trilius Philemon, where I am placed within v 
 
 hearing
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 241 
 
 hearing of thofe croaking clients whom you re- A - u -7- 
 commended to my protection : for a prodigious 
 number, it feems, of your 8 Ulubrean frogs 
 are aflembled, in order to compliment my am* 
 val among them. Farewel. 
 
 April the 8th. 
 
 P. S. I have deftroyed the letter I received 
 From you by the hands of Lucius Aruntius, 
 tho' it was much too innocent to deferve fo fe- 
 vere a treatment. For, it contained nothing 
 that might not have been proclaimed before a 
 general affembly of the people. However it 
 was your exprefs defire I mould deftroy it : and 
 I have complied accordingly. I will only add, 
 that- 1 wonder much at not having heard from 
 you fmce ; efpecially as fo many extraordinary 
 events have lately happened in your province. 
 
 8 Cicero ludicroufly gives the inhabitants of Ulubrse this 
 appellation, in allufion to the low and marshy fituation of / 
 their town. See rem. 9. p. 230. of this voL 
 
 VOL. I. R LET*
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 To CAIUS CURIO. 
 
 A.U.7oo.XJUMBERLESS are the fubjefts, which 
 JL i| may enter into a correfpondence of 
 the epiftolary kind : but the moft ufual, and 
 which indeed gave the firft rife to this amicable 
 commerce, is, to inform an abfent friend of thofe 
 private affairs, which it may be neceffary either 
 for his intereft or our own, that he mould 
 know. You muft not, however, expect any 
 thing of the latter fort from me: as your family 
 correfpondents, I am fenfible, communicate to 
 you what relates to your own concerns ; and 
 nothing new has happened in mine. There are 
 two other fpecies of letters, with which I am 
 particularly pleafed : thofe, I mean, that are 
 written in the freedom and pleafantry of com- 
 mon converfation , and thofe which turn upon 
 grave and moral topics. But in which of thefe 
 it would be leaft improper for me to addrefs 
 you at this juncture, is a queftion not eafily de- 
 termined. Ill, indeed, would it become me to 
 entertain you with letters of humor, at a feafon 
 when every man of common fenfibility has bid- 
 den
 
 BOOK III. OP C I C E R O. 243 
 
 den adieu to mirth 9. And what can Cicero A - u - 7- 
 
 >.-j-.if 
 
 write that mall deferve the fe'rious thoughts 
 of Curio, unlefs it be on public affairs ? My 
 iituation, however, is fuch, that I dare not truft 
 my real fentiments of thofe points in a letter : 
 and none other will I ever fend you 2 . Thus 
 precluded then as I am from every other topic, 
 I mull content myfelf with repeating what I 
 have often urged : and earneflly exhort you to 
 the purfuit of true and folid glory. Believe me, 
 it will require the utmoft efforts of your care and 
 refolution, to act up to thofe high and uncom- 
 mon expectations which the world has conceiv- 
 ed of your merit. There is indeed but one pof- 
 fible method that can enable you to furmount 
 
 -- r > L'fi ' "'* '"* *\dt fir *!} "2" 
 9 Affairs at Rome were at this time in the utmoft con- 
 
 fufion, occaiioned (as has already been pbferved in the 
 notes above) by the faftious interruption that was given to 
 the ufual ele&ion of the magistrates. This ftate oF tumult, 
 or indeed, to fpeak more properly, of almoft abfolute an- 
 archy, was however fomewhat compoied towards the lat- 
 ter end of the prefent year, by the eleftibn ofDpmitius 
 Calvinus and Valerius Meflala to the ccnfular office. Dio, 
 xl. p. 141. 
 
 1 The diflurbances mentioned in the preceding note, 
 were artfully fomented by Cajfar and Pompey, in order to 
 turn them to the advantage of their ambitious purpofes. 
 But this was too delicate a circumftance for Cicero to ex- 
 plain himfelf upon: efpecially as he was now cultivating a 
 friendfhip with both. / 
 
 * The text in the original is evidently defe&ive : atque 
 in hoc gentre hac me a cauj'a eft, uf neque ea qure non fsntio ve- 
 limjcnbere. The fenfe is fupplied in the tranflation, in a 
 way that feemed to coincide beft with this mutilated fen- 
 tence. 
 
 R 2 this
 
 244 TH LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.u. 700. this arduous tafk. The method I mean, is by 
 diligently cultivating thofe qualities which are the 
 foundation of a juft applaufe : of that applaufe, 
 my friend, which, I know, is the conftant object 
 of your warmeft ambition. I might add much 
 more to this purpofe : but I am fenfible you 
 ftand not in need of any incitements. And in- 
 deed I have thrown out thefe general hints, far 
 lefs with a view of inflaming y&ur heart, than of 
 teftifying the ardency with which I give you mine. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LET T E R XIII. 
 
 To ME M MI us. 
 
 I Claim the promife you gave me when we met 
 laft ; and defire you to treat my very intimate 
 and zealous friend Aulus Fufius in the manner 
 you allured me you would. He is a man of let- 
 ters as well as great politenefs : and indeed in 
 every view of his character he is highly deferving 
 your friendmip. The civilities you mail mew 
 him will be extremely agreable to me : as they 
 will at the fame time for ever attach to your 
 intereft a perfon of-n. moil obliging and friendly 
 difpofition. Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 245 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 To CATUS CURIO, 
 
 PUBLIC affairs are fo circumftanced, that A.U. 700, 
 I dare not communicate my fentiments of 
 them in a letter. This however, I will ven- 
 ture in general to fay, that I have reafon to 
 congratulte you on your removal from the fcene 
 in which we are engaged. But I muft add, that 
 in whatever part of the world you might be 
 placed, you would ftill (as I told you in my 
 laft') be embarked in the fame common bot- 
 tom with your friends nere. I have another 
 reafon likewife for rejoicing in your abfence, 
 as it has placed your merit in full view of fo 
 confiderable a number of the moft illuftrious 
 citizens, and allies of Rome : as indeed the re- 
 putation you have acquired is univerfally, and 
 withoutthe leaft exception, confirmed to us on all 
 hands. But there is one circumftance attending 
 you, upon which I know not whether I ought to 
 fend you my congratulations, or not : I mean 
 with refpecl: to thofe high and fingular advanta- 
 
 3 The letter to which Cicero refers, is not extant. 
 
 R 3 ges
 
 246 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 700. ges which the commonwealth promifes itfelf 
 your return amongft us. Not that I fuf- 
 peel your proving unequal to the opinion the 
 world entertains of your virtues ; but as fearing 
 that whatever is moft worthy of your care 
 will be irrecoverably loft ere your arrival to 
 prevent it: fuch, alas, is the Weak and well- 
 nigh expiring condition of our unhappy re- 
 public ! But prudence, perhaps, will fcarce 
 juflify me in trufting even this to a letter : 
 for the reft therefore I muft refer you to 
 others. In the mean while, whatever your 
 fears or your hopes of public affairs may be ; 
 think, my friend, inceffantly think on thofe 
 virtues which that generous patriot muft poffefs, 
 who in thefe evil-times and amidft fuch a ge- 
 neral depravation of manners, glorioufly pur- 
 pofes to vindicate the antient dignity and li- 
 berties of his opprefled country. Farewel. 
 
 LE -
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 247 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 To TREBATIUS. 
 
 IF it were not for the compliments you fentA.U.yoo. 
 me by Chryfippus the freedman of Cyrus 
 the architect, I mould have imagined I no lon- 
 ger poflefied a place in your thoughts. But fure- 
 ly you are become a moft intolerable fine gen- 
 tleman, that you could not bear the fatigue of 
 writing to me ; when you had the opportunity of 
 doing fo by a man whom, you know, I look 
 upon afc one almoft of my own family. Per- 
 haps however, you may have forgotten the ufe 
 of your pen : and fo much the better, let me 
 tell you, for your clients ; as they will lofe no 
 more caufes by its blunders. But if it is myfelf 
 only that has efcaped your remembrance , I 
 muft endeavor to refrefh it by a vifit, before I 
 am worne out of your memory beyond all power 
 of recollection. After all, is it not the appre- 
 henfions of the next fummer's campaign, that 
 has rendered your hand too unfteady to perform 
 its office ? If fb, you muft e'en play over again 
 the fame gallant ftratagem you practlfed laft 
 year in relation to your Britifli expedition, and 
 frame fome heroic excufe for your abfencc. 
 
 How-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 A. U.yoo. However, I was extremely glad to hear by 
 t^VV; Chryfippus, that you are much in Caefar's good 
 graces. But it would be more like a man of 
 equity^ methinks, as well as more agreeable to 
 my inclinations 9 if you were to give me fre- 
 quent notice of what concerns you, by your own 
 hand : a fatisfaction I Ihould undoubtedly enjoy, 
 if you had chofen to fludy the laws of good 
 fellowmip, rather than thofe of contention. 
 You fee I railly you, as ufual, in your own way, 
 not to fay a little in mine. But to end ferioufly ; 
 be allured, as I greatly love you, I am no lefs 
 confident than defirous of your affection in re- 
 turn. Farewel. 
 
 / 
 LETTER XVI, 
 
 To PUBLIUS SEXTIUS*. 
 
 I Hope you will not imagine by my long filence, 
 that I have been unmindful of our friend- 
 fhip, or that I had any intention of dropping 
 my ufual correfpondence with you. The fin- 
 
 * The commentators are greatly divided as to the 
 time when this letter was written, and the perfon to 
 whom it is addrrefled. To examine the feveral reafons 
 upon which they fupport their refpeftjve opinions, would 
 be leading the Englifh reader into a field of criticifm 
 which could afford him neither amufement nor inftru- 
 clion. The fubjeft indeed of this letter, which is mere- 
 ly confolatory to a friend in exile, is not of confe- 
 quence enough to merit any pains in afcertaining (if it wer 
 
 cere
 
 BOOK II. OF CICERO. 249 
 
 cere truth is, I was prevented from writing du- A.U. 700. 
 ring the former part of our feparation, by thofe 
 calamities in which the general confufion of the 
 times had involved me : as I afterwards delayed 
 it, from an unwillingnefs to break in upon you 
 whilft your own fevere and unmerited injuries 
 were yet frelh upon your mind. But when I 
 reflecl: that a fufficient time has elapfed, to wear 
 off the firft impreflions of your misfortunes ; 
 and confider likewife the virtues and magnani- 
 mity of your heart ; I think I may now write 
 to you confiftently with my general caution of 
 avoiding an unfeafonable officioufnefs. 
 
 You are fenfible, my dear Sextius, that I 
 warmly flood forth your advocate, when a pro- 
 fecution was formerly commenced againft you 
 in your abfence : as afterwards, when you was 
 involved in that accufation which was brought 
 againft your friend, I exerted every means in 
 my power for your defence. Thus likewife up- 
 on my return into Italy b , tho' I found your af- 
 fairs had been managed in a very different man- 
 
 poflible to afcertain) its precife date : and it is fufficient to 
 obferve, that it contains nothing but what perfectly co- 
 incides with the circumftances both of Cicero's affairs and 
 thofe of the republic in the prefcnt year. As to the per- 
 ibn to whom this letter is written ; it is impoffible to de- 
 termine any thing concerning him : for the Mfs. and print- 
 ed copies are by no means agreed as to his name j fome 
 Calling him Titius, others Sit/us, and others Sextius. 
 
 b Probably, when he returned from exile : in the year 
 6?6, 
 
 ner
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 . 7co. ner than I mould have advifed -, yet I omitted 
 no opportunity of rendering you my utmoft fer- 
 vices. And upon this occafion when the cla- 
 mor that was raifed againft you on account of 
 the corn c , by thofe that were the enemies, not 
 only of yourfelf, but of all who endeavored to 
 affift you ; when the general corruption of the 
 judges , and in Ihort, when many other public 
 iniquities, had prevailed to your condemnation 
 againft all truth and juftice; I was not wanting in 
 my befl good offices of every kind towards your 
 fon. Having therefore thus faithfully perform- 
 ed every other facred duty of friendfhip, I would 
 not omit this likewife of intreating and exhort- 
 ing you to bear your afflictions as becomes a 
 man of your diftinguifhed fpirit and fortitude. 
 In other words ; let me conjure you to fupport 
 with refolution thofe common vicifiitudes of 
 Fortune^ which no prudence can prevent, and 
 for which no mortal is anfwerable , remember- 
 ing, that in all popular governments, as well 
 as in Our own, it has been the fate of many of 
 the beft and greateft men to fall a facnfice to 
 the injuftice of their country. I will add, (and 
 
 c It was the brafmefs of the JEdiles, amongfl other parts 
 of their duty, to fuperintend the markets and public 
 magazines of corn. It feems probable therefore from this 
 paiisge, that Sextius was banifhed for fome real, or pre- 
 tended, mifcondud in the adminiih-ation of that office. 
 
 4 I \vifh
 
 BOOK. III. OF C I C E R O. 251 
 
 I wifh I could with truth be contradicted) that 
 flie injurious fentence you lament, has only ba- 
 nifhed you from a commonwealth in which 
 no rational mind can 1 receive the leaft fatis- 
 faction. 
 
 If I were to fay nothing of your fon, it would 
 look as if I were inattentive to chat general ap^ 
 plaufe which his virtues fo juflly receive: 
 on the other hand, were 1 1 tell you all that I 
 hear and think of him, I am afraid I fhould on- 
 ly renew your grief for being thus feparated 
 from his company. However, you Ihould 
 wifely consider his uncommon virtues as a pof- 
 feiiion which infeparably attends you, in whatever, 
 part of the world you may be placed. For 
 furely the objects of the mind are not lefs in- 
 timately prefent with us, than thofe of the 
 eye. The reflection, therefore, on his fmgular 
 merit and filial piety ; the fidelity of myfelf and 
 the reft of thofe friends whom you have found, 
 and will ever find, to be the followers, not. of 
 your fortune, but of your virtue > and above 
 all, the confcioufnefs of not having deferred 
 your fufFerings ; are circumftances which ought 
 $o adminifter the higheft confolation to you. 
 And they will more effectually do fo, if you 
 confider, that it is guiit, and not misfortune j 
 ones own crimes, and not the injufticc of others, 
 
 which
 
 252 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 700. which ought to* difturb the ferenity of a well 
 regulated mind. In the mean time be affured, 
 that, in compliance with the dictates of that 
 friendlhip I have long entertained for you, 
 and of that efteem which I bear for your fon, I 
 fhall neglect no opportunity both of alleviating 
 your afflictions, and of contributing all I can to 
 fupport you under them. In a word, if upon 
 any occafion you mould think it neceffary to 
 write to me ; you mail find that your applica- 
 tion was not made in vain. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XVH, 
 To CURIO. 
 
 IDifpatch Sextus Villius, a domeftic of my 
 friend Milo, to meet you with this letter, 
 notwithftanding we have received no account of 
 your being yet advanced near Italy. However, 
 we are allured that you are fet forward from 
 Afia*: and as it is generally believed it will 
 not be long ere you arrive in Rome, I perfuade 
 myfelf the importance of the affair which occa- 
 fions you this application, will juftify my defire 
 of making it as early as pofiible. 
 
 4 See p. 218. rem. \, towards the end. 
 
 If
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 
 
 If I.eftimated my fervices towards you, by theA.U. 
 fame enlarged ftandard that you gratefully mea- 
 fure them yourfelf; Ilhouldbe extremely refcrved 
 in requeftingany confiderable favor at your hands. 
 It is painful, indeed, to a man of a modeft and 
 generous mind, to follicit great obligations from 
 thofe whom he has greatly obliged ; left he 
 mould feem to claim the price of his good offices, 
 and afk a matter of right rather than of grace. 
 But I can have no fcruples of this fort with re- 
 fpecl: to you ; as the fervices you have conferred 
 upon me, and particularly in my late troubles, 
 are not only of the higheft, but moil confpicu- 
 ous nature. An ingenuous difpofition, where it 
 already owes much, is willing to owe more : 
 and it is upon this principle that I make no dif- 
 ficulty of requefting your afliftance in an article 
 of the laft importance to me. I have no reafon 
 indeed to fear, that I mould fink under the 
 weight of your favors, even if they were to rife 
 beyond all number: as I truft there is none 
 fo confiderable that I mould not only receive 
 with gratitude, but return with advantage. 
 
 I am exerting the utmoft efforts of my care, 
 my induftry, and my talents, in order to fecure 
 the election of Milo to the confulate : and I think 
 
 myfelf bound upon this occafion to give a proof 
 
 to
 
 254 T E LETTERS BOOK III- 
 
 ,U. 700. to the world, of the more than common affec- 
 tion with which I enter into his intereft. I 
 am perfuaded, no man ever was fo anxious 
 for the prefer vation of his own perfon and for- 
 tunes, as I am that Milo may obtain this honor : 
 an event, upon which the fecurity of my own 
 dignities, I am fenfible^ depends. Now the af- 
 fiflance which it is in your power to give my 
 friend, is fo very considerable, that it is all we 
 want to be allured of victory : for thus our forces 
 ftand. In the firfl place, Milo's conduct to- 
 wards me in his tribunate 6 , has gained him (as 1 
 hope you perfectly well know) the affections of 
 all our patriots : as the liberality of his temp- 
 er and the magnificence of his mews have 
 fecured to him the favor of the popu- 
 lace 7 . In the next place, all the young part 
 of the republic, together with thofe who have 
 the moll influence in elections, are wholly in his 
 rntereft, as having received, of expecting to re- 
 
 c Mild was tribune in the year of Rome 696 : at which 
 time he conferred very fingular obligations on Cicero, by 
 moft zealoufly exerting all his power and credit in promot- 
 ing his recall from exile. Orat. pro Milan. 
 
 1 Milo had diflipated three very confiderable eftates in 
 the extravagant mews which, upon different occafions, he 
 had exhibited to the people : as he was likewife at this time 
 propofmg to entertain them in the fame magnificent man- 
 ner, at the expence of 250,0007. Orat. pro Milan. 25. Ad 
 . 9. 
 
 ceivc,
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 255 
 
 ceive, the benefit of his own popularity and ac- A.U. 700. 
 tive offices upon occafions of a like nature. 
 J will add likewife, that he has my fuffrage : 
 which, tho' it may not draw after it any very con- 
 fiderable effects, is however univerfally approv- 
 ed as a tribute which is juftly his due : and fo 
 far, perhaps, it may be confidered as of fome 
 weight with the public. All therefore that we 
 farther require, is a perfon to appear as the 
 leader of thefe our rude forces, and to unite 
 them together under one head : and had we the 
 choice of the whole world, we could not fix 
 upon a man fo well qualified for this purpofe as 
 yourfelf. If you believe then that I have any 
 worth or gratitude, or can even infer it from 
 thefe my earnefl endeavors to ferve Milo ; in a 
 word, if you efleem me deferving of your 
 favors, I intreat you to co-operate with me in 
 this affair, upon which my character (or to come 
 Hill nearer to the truth) upon which almofl my 
 very prefervation depends 8 . With regard to 
 
 8 Gicero was particularly concerned to ftcure Milo's 
 ele&ion, not only from a principle of gratitude, but of 
 felf-prefervation. For Clodius, our author's implacable 
 enemy, was now folliciting the office of prator: and .if 
 Milo' were reje&ed from the confulfhip, it would fall into 
 the hands of Plautus Hypfaeus and Metellus Scipio, who 
 were both under the influence of Clodius, By this means 
 the latter would once again have been armed with the prin- 
 cipal authority of the commonwealth : and Cicero knew bf 
 lad and recent experience, that he hati every thing to fear 
 
 Milo
 
 256 THE LETTERS BOOK lit 
 
 A.U. 700. Milo himfelf, I will only aflure you, that 
 
 you never can oblige a man of a more folid 
 turn of mind, of a more refolute fpirit, or one 
 who, if you mould embrace his intereft, will 
 receive your good offices with a more affectionate 
 gratitude. You will at the fame time alfo confer 
 fo fingular an honor upon myfelf, as to con- 
 vince me, that you have no lefs regard for the 
 fupport of my credit, than you formerly Ihew- 
 cd for the fafety of my perfon. I mould en- 
 large much farther upon this fubject, if I were 
 not perfuaded, that you are perfectly fenfible of 
 the infinite obligations I have received from 
 Milo -, and that it is incumbent upon me to 
 promote his election with my utmoft zeal, and 
 even at the hazard of my life 9. I will only 
 then in one word recommend this affair, and 
 
 from fuch an enemy when he could add power to malice. 
 His intereft therefore confpired with his friendfhip in fup- 
 porting the pretenfions of Milo, who had upon all occa- 
 iions oppofed the defigns of Clodius with great warmth 
 and fpirit : and who in the prefent inftance would have 
 proved a counter ballance, if Clodius mould have attempt- 
 ed a fecond time to fall with his whole weight upon Cicero. 
 Fid. Orat. pro Milan, pajfim. 
 
 9 In this declining ftate of the republic, the elections 
 were carried on, not only by the moil fhameful and avow- 
 ed bribery, but by the feveral mobs of the refpe&ive can- 
 didates. Thefe, it may well be imagined, were both 
 difpofed and prepared to commit every outrage, that the 
 caufe of their leaders mould require. Accordingly the 
 party of Milo and that of his competitors had fuch frequent 
 and bloody engagements with each other, as to raife a ge- 
 neral apprehenfion of a civil war. Pint, in vit. Caton. 
 
 i therein,
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 257 
 
 and therein the moft important of my con-A- u -7- 
 cerns, to your favor and protection: and be 
 aflured, I lhall efteem your compliance with my 
 requeft as an obligation fuperier, I had almoft 
 faid, even to that for which I am fo greatly in- 
 debted to Milo. The truth of it is, it would 
 give me more pleafure to make him an effectu- 
 al return for the very confiderable part he bore 
 in my reftoration, than I received even from 
 the benefit of his good offices themfelves. And 
 this, I am confident, your, fingle concurrence 
 will fully enable me to perform '. , Farewel. 
 
 1 Soon after this letter was written, an unfortunate adven- 
 ture difconcerted all Cicero's meafures in behalf of his friend, 
 and obliged him, inftead of folliciting any longer for Milo 
 as a candidate, to defend him as a criminal. It happened 
 that Milo and Clodius having met as they were travelling 
 the Appian road, a rencounter enfued, in which the latter 
 was killed. Milo was arraigned for this murder : and be- 
 ing convicted, was fentenced to banimment. Cicero, in 
 his defence, labored to prove by a variety of circumflancei 
 that this meeting could not have been premeditated on the 
 part of his client : and indeed it feems probable that it was 
 not. But however cafual that particular incident might 
 have been ; Milo, it is certain, had long before determin- 
 ed to aflaffmate Clodius : and it a'ppears too, that Cicero 
 himfelfwas apprifed of the defign This is evident from 
 a letter to Atticus written abour 4 years antecedent to the 
 fal of which I am fpeaking. Reum Publium, fays Cicero, 
 (nijt ante occifut erit) fore a Milone puto. Si fe inter *uiam ob- 
 tulerit, occifum iri ab ipfo M: lone video, Non dulit at facer e ; 
 prtefefert. Dio, xl. p. 143, 146. Orat. pro Milon. ad Art. 
 iv. 3. 
 
 VOL. I, S L E T-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 
 To TITUS FAD i us*. 
 
 U.-oo.T Know not any event has lately happen- 
 VN; -* ed, that more fenfibly affects me than your 
 difgrace. Far therefore from being capable of 
 giving you the confolation I wifh ; I greatly 
 (land in need of the fame good office myfeif. 
 Neverthelefs, I cannot forbear, not only to ex- 
 hort, but to conjure you likewife by our friend- 
 Ihip, .to collect your whole ftrength of reafon, 
 in order to oppofe your afflictions with a firm 
 and manly fortitude. Remember, my friend, 
 that calamities are incident to all mankind, but 
 particularly to us who live in thefe miferable 
 and diftracted times. Let it be your confola- 
 tion, however, to reflect, that you have loft far 
 kfs by fortune, than you have acquired by me- 
 rit : as there are few under the circumftanccs of 
 your birth, who ever raifed themfelves to the fame 
 
 * It is altogether uncertain to whom this letter is ad- 
 drefled; as there is great variety in the feveral readings of 
 its inscription. If the title adopted in the translation be 
 the true one, (and it is that which has the greatclt num- 
 ber of commentators on its fide,) the perfon to- whom it 
 is written was qnaeftor to Cicero in his confulate ; and af- 
 terwards one of thofe tribunes who in the year of Rome 
 696, promoted the law by which he was reftored to his 
 country. l''id. adAtt/vi 2$. 
 
 dignities ;
 
 III. OP CICERO. 259 
 
 dignities ; tho* there are numbers of the highest A - u 7- 
 quality who have funk into the fame difgrace. 
 To fay truth; fo wretched is the fate which 
 threatens our laws, our liberties and our confti- 
 tution in general, that well may he eftee'm him- 
 felf happily dealt with, who is difmified from 
 fuch a diflempered government upon the leaft 
 injurious terms. As to your own cafe in par- 
 ticular, when you reflect that you are ftill unde- 
 prived of your eftate ; that you are happy in 
 the affections of your children, your family, 
 and your friends; and that in all probability you 
 are only feparated from them for a ihort interval : 
 when you reflect, that among the great number 
 of impeachments which have lately been carried 
 on 3 , yours is the only one that was confidered 
 as entirely groundlefs ; that you were condemn- 
 ed by a majority only of one fmgle vote ; and 
 that too univerfally fuppofed to have been given 
 in compliance with fome powerful influence., 
 
 * The circumftance here mentioned, renders it probable 
 that the letter before us was written in the prefent year. 
 For Pompey being at this time appointed fole conful, made 
 feveral falutary regulations with refpeft to the method of 
 trials, and encouraged profecutions againft thofe who had 
 been guilty of illegal practices in order to fecure their ele- 
 ilions. Accordingly, many perfons of the fall rank in 
 Koine were arraigned and convided: and Fadius ieems 
 to have been one of that number. Plut. in <vit. Pomp, et 
 Cat on, 
 
 S a Thefc
 
 260 THE LETTERS BOOK IIL 
 
 A.U. 700. Thefe, undoubtedly, are confiderations which 
 ^""V^ ought greatly to alleviate the weight of your 
 misfortune. I will only add, that you may al- 
 ways depend upon rinding in me that difpofi- 
 tion both towards yourfelf and your family, as 
 is agreable to your wilhes, as well as to what 
 you have a right to expect. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 To TITUS TITIUS*. 
 
 IT is by no means as fufpecting that my for- 
 mer recommendation was not fufHcient, that 
 I g* ve Y ou tn i s f econ d trouble ; but merely in 
 compliance with the requeft of my friend Avia- 
 nus Flaccus : to whom I neither can, nor in- 
 deed ought to refufe any thing. The truth is, 
 notwithftanding your very obliging anfwer when 
 1 mentioned his affair to you in perfon, and 
 that I have already written to you in ftrcng 
 terms upon the fame fubject ; yet he imagines 
 I : cannot too often apply to you in his behalf 
 I hope therefore you will excufe me, if in thus 
 yielding to his inclinations, I mould feem to 
 
 * The perfon to whom this letter is infcribed, is wholly 
 unkown : and the occafion upon which it was written is 
 not of importance enough to deferve any animadverfions. 
 
 forget
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 261 
 
 forget that you are incapable of receding from A.U. 700; 
 your word ; and again intreat you to allow him 
 a convenient port and fufficient time for the ex- 
 portation of his corn. Both thefe favors I ob- 
 tained for him when Pompey had the commif- 
 fion in which you are now employed : and the 
 term he granted him was three years. To' 
 fay all in one word, you will very fenfibly oblige 
 me by convincing Avianus, that I enjoy the' 
 fame mare in your affedlion, which he juftly 
 imagines he potteries of mine. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 To TR E B A T i u s. 
 
 i 
 
 Acquainted you with the affair of Slims. lie 
 has fmce been with me : when I informed 
 him that it was your opinion we might fafely 
 enter into the ufual recognizance. But he has 
 confulted,. he tells me, with Servius, who af- 
 fures him that where a teftator has no ppweiTtq 
 make a will, it muft be considered, to all in-. 
 tents and purpofes, as if it had never fubfifted : 
 3nd Omlius, it feems, agrees in this opinion. 
 He told me at the fame time, that he had not 
 applied to y ou u Pn this fubject: but defired I 
 would recommend both himfelf and his caufe to 
 S 3 your
 
 262 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 700. ypur protection. I* do not know a worthier 
 man than Silius, nor any one, excepting your- 
 felf, who is more my friend. You will ex- 
 tremely oblige me therefore, my dear Treba- 
 tius, by calling upon him in order to give 
 him the promife of your affiftance : and I ear- 
 neftly intreat you, if you have any regard for 
 me, to pay this vifit as focn as poffible. Fare- 
 wel. 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 To MARCUS MARIUS. 
 
 V 
 
 I Shall punctually execute your commiiTion : 
 But is it not a moft wonderful fpecimen 
 of your fagacity, thus to employ a man in 
 making a purchafe for you, whofe intereft it is 
 to advance the price as high as poflible ? Above 
 all I moft admire the wifdom of your reftric- 
 tion, in confining me to a particular fum. For 
 had you trufted me with an unlimited order, I 
 mould have thought myfelf obliged in point of 
 friendfhip, to have fettled this affair with my 
 coheirs upon the moft advantageous terms in 
 your behalf: whereas now I know your price, 
 you may depend upon it, I mail rather fet up 
 a fictitious bidder, than fuffer the eftate to be 
 
 fold
 
 BOOK III. OP CICERO. 263 
 
 fold for lefs than the money you mention. But A.U.7oo. 
 jetting apart ; be allured I fhall difcharge the ^ 
 commiflion you have amgncd me, with all the 
 care I ought. 
 
 I know you are well-pleafed with my vidlory 
 over Burfa * : but why then did you not, more 
 warmly congratulate me upon the occafion ? 
 You were miftaken in imagining the character ' 
 of the man to be much too defpicable to ren- 
 der this event a matter of any great exultation. 
 On the contrary, the defeat of Burfa has afford- 
 ed me a more pleafing triumph, even than the 
 fall of Clodius. Much rather indeed would I 
 fee my adverfaries 'vanquimed by the hand of 
 
 SifittVfJItein^^ftt^ 1 #r. y^K'^T Jr 
 
 5 Minutius Plancus Burfa was tribune the year before 
 this letter was written, and had difhnguiihed himfelf by in- 
 flaming thofe difturbances in Rome, which were occafion* 
 cd by the afiaflination of Clodius. Th body of Clodius 
 being produced before the people in the Forum ; Burfa, 
 together with one of his collegues, infufed fuch a fpirit of 
 riot into the populace, that fnatching up die corpfe, they 
 inftantly conveyed it to the curia hojlilia ; (a place in which 
 the fenate fometiincs aflembled,) where they paid it the 
 funeral honors. This they executed in the moft infolent 
 and tumultuous manner, by erecting a funeral pile with the 
 benches, and fetting fire to the fenate-houfe itfslf. Burfa, 
 not fatisfied with thefe licentious outrages, endeavored like- 
 wife to inftigate the mob to fall upon Cicro, the avowed 
 friend and advocate of Milo, by whom Clodius had been 
 killed. Cicero therefore, as ioon as Burfa was out of his office 
 (for no magiftrate could be impeached during his miniftry) 
 
 exhibited an information againft him, for this violation of 
 the public peace : and Burfa being found guilty, was fen- 
 tenced to fuffer banimment. Dio, xl. p. 143, 146. Jfcou. 
 trgumtnt. in Oral, pro Milan. 
 
 S 4 juftice,
 
 264 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 \.U.yoo.jufticG, than of violence : as I would choofe it 
 iliould be in a way that does honor to the 
 friends of my caufe, without expofing them at 
 the fame time to any uneafy confequences. But 
 the principal fatisfaction I derive from this affair, 
 is in that honeft and undaunted zeal with which 
 I was fupported againft all the incredible efforts 
 of a very great man 6 , who moft warmly ex- 
 erted his power in favor of my antagonift. I 
 will mention another circumftance likewife that 
 recommends this victory to me, and which, 
 tho' perhaps you will fcarcely think it a proba- 
 ble one, is neverthelefs moft affliredly the cafe : 
 I have conceived a much ftronger averfion to 
 this man, than I ever entertained even againft 
 Clodius himfelf. To fpeak truth, I had open^ 
 ly declared war againft the latter : whereas I 
 have been the advocate and protector of the for- 
 mer. Befides, there was fomething enlarged at 
 leaft in the views of Clodius, as he aimed by 
 my deftruction at overturning the whole com- 
 'monwealth : and even in this he acted lefs from 
 the motions of his own breaft, than by the infti- 
 gations of a party who were fenfible they could 
 never be fecure, whilft I had any remaining 
 credit. But the contemptible Burfa, on tho 
 
 * Pompey. Vid. Dio. p. 146, 
 
 con-j
 
 JOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 265 
 
 ontrary, fmgled me out for the object of hisA.U.7oo. 
 malice, in mere gaiety of heart : and without 
 the leaft provocation, offered himfelf to fome of 
 my enemies as one who was entirely at their fer- 
 vice upon any occafion wherein they could em- 
 ploy him to my prejudice. Upon thefe confi- 
 derations, my friend, I expect that you warmly 
 congratulate my fuccefs : as indeed I efleem it 
 an event of very confiderable importance. Ne- 
 ver, in truth, did Rome produce a fet of more 
 inflexible patriots, than the judges who prefid- 
 cd at this trial : as they had the honeft courage 
 to pafs fentence againft him, in oppofition to 
 all the power and influence of the very perfon 
 by whom they were appointed 7 to this honorable 
 office. And undoubtedly they would not have 
 acted with fuch uncommon fpirit, had they not 
 confidered the infults I fuffered from this m^n, 
 as fo many indignities offered to themfelves. 
 
 I have at prefent a great deal of troublefome 
 bufmefs upon my hands : as feveral confiderable 
 impeachments are going forward, and many 
 new laws are in agitation. It is my daily wilh 
 
 7 Pompey, in his late confulftiip, made fome altera- 
 tions with refpeft to the method of chooling the judges, 
 and elefted a certain number out of the three orders of 
 the ftate, for the cognizance of civil and criminal caufes. 
 Manut. <te leg. p. 122. Fel. Patm. ii. 76. 
 
 there: -
 
 266 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A. U. 700. therefore, that' no intercalation* may protract 
 v "'^'' thefe affairs beyond the ufual period, and pre- 
 vent the pleafure I propofe to myfelf, of paying 
 you a vifit very foon. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 To TREBATIUS. 
 
 YO U laughed at me yefterday, when I ad- 
 vanced over our wine, that it was a que- 
 ftion among the lawyers, whether an action of 
 theft could be brought by an heir, for goods 
 ftolen before he came into pofieJTion. Truf it 
 was late when I returned home, and I had drunk 
 pretty freely, I turned to the place where this 
 queftion is difcufled, and have fent you an ex- 
 
 8 The Roman months being lunar, a proper number of 
 fupplemental days were added every two years in order to 
 adjuft their reckoning to the courfe of the fun. This was 
 called an intercalation: and was performed by the pontifi- 
 cal college, at their own difcretion. Accordingly they of- 
 ten exercifcd this important truft as intereft or ambition di- 
 clated : and by their arbitrary intercalations either adyanc- 
 $d or retarded the ftated times for tranfa&ing civil or reli- 
 gious affairs, as beft fuited the private purpofes of them- 
 felves or their friends. By this means thefe unworthy ob- 
 fervers of the heavenly motions, had introduced fo great 
 a confufion into their calendar, that, when Caefar under- 
 took its reformation, all the feafons were mifplaced ; and 
 the appointed feftivals for harveft and vintage, were no 
 longer found in the fummer and autumn quarters. Suet, in 
 JuL 40. Macreb. Saturn. I. 
 
 trad
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 267 
 
 trad: of the pafiage : in order to convince you, A.U. 700. 
 that a point which you imagined had never been 
 maintained by any man, was acTtually held by 
 Sextus ^lius, Marcus Manlius, and Marcus 
 Brutus a . But notwithftanding thefe great names, 
 I agree in opinion with Scasvola and Trebatius". 
 Farewel. 
 
 a Thefe were all of them lawyers of great note in their 
 refpeftive generations, and whofe writings in the feience 
 they profeffed were held in much efteem. The two for- 
 mer florifhed about the year of Rome 545, and 600 : the 
 latter about the year 630. Pompon, de orig. "Juris. 
 
 b Scaevola was one of the names of Trebatius, as ap- 
 pears by a letter to Atticus wherein he is fo called. There 
 was likewife a Quintus Mucius Sczvola, a lawyer of very 
 confltierable eminence, who lived about 50 years before 
 the prefent date, and who compiled a body of laws in 
 eighteen volumes. Manutius imagines therefore, that in 
 allufion to this perfon, Cicero jocularly feparates the names 
 Sftzvo/a and Trebatius by an intervening copulative, as 
 if he were fpeaking of twcr different men, thV he only 
 ineans his friend to whom he is writing. 
 
 LET-
 
 268 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 TO APPIUS PULCHER. 
 
 U. 700. T Find myfelf obliged, contrary indeed to my 
 ""V ^ JL expectation as well as my wifhes, to accept 
 the government of your province'. Amidft 
 the numberlefs uneafy thoughts and occupations 
 which this circumftance occafions me, it is my 
 fingle confolation, that I could not have fuc- 
 ceeded any man in this employment who could 
 be more difpofed than yo.urfelf, to deliver it up 
 
 !' 9 The great commotions that had been raifed the laft 
 year in Rome, on account of the elections, have already 
 been mentioned in the notes above. In order therefore to 
 remedy thefe evils for the future, by abating the intempe- 
 rate ardor with which the magiftracies were purfued ; it was 
 thought expedient to deprive the practormip and confulate 
 of one of their principal and molt tempting advantages. 
 This confifted in the government of provinces : to which 
 thofe magiftrates of courfe fucceeded at the expiration of 
 their refpeftive adminiibrations. For thefe governments 
 not only fecured them from any impeachments during the 
 time they continued in them, but were likewife inexhau- 
 iUble fources of wealth to thofe, who were not fcrupulous 
 in the means of obtaining it. Accordingly a law patted, 
 by which it was enacted, that no future prsetor or conful 
 fliould be capable of a provincial charge, till five years af- 
 ter the expiration of his office : and in the mean time, that 
 the provinces mould be fupplied from among thofe of pre- 
 torian and canfular rank, v. - ho had laid down their offices 
 witKo.ut fucceeding to any government. Cicero was of this 
 number : and it is probable there were fo few of them, that 
 he was not at liberty to refufe, what it is very certain ho 
 ijul no inclination to accept. Di t xl. p. 142,
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 269 
 
 to me as little embarrafled as poffible. I hope A - u - 7- 
 you entertain the fame opinion of my difpofi-. 
 tion with regard to you : and be afiured I mail 
 never difappoint you in this expectation. I 
 moil earneflly then iatreat you, by all the ties 
 of our friendfhip in particular, as well as by that 
 uncommon generofity which diftinguilhes your 
 actions in general, to rejider me upon this occa- 
 fion every good office in your power : as un- 
 doubtedly, there are many. 
 
 You will obferve from the decree of the fe- 
 nate, that I was under a neceffity of accepting 
 the government of fome province : and I muft 
 repeat it once more, the cafe with which I mall 
 pafs thro' the functions of my miniftry, depends 
 upon your fmoothing, as far as in you lies, the 
 difficulties at my firft entrance. You are the 
 bell judge in what particular inftances you can 
 contribute to this end : I will only in general , 
 
 befeech you to do fo in every article wherein 
 you imagine your fervices may avail me. I 
 might enlarge on this fubject, if either your 
 own generous temper, or our mutual friend- 
 Ihip, would fuffer me to dwell upon it any 
 longer : and I may add too, if the nature of 
 my requeft did not fufficiently fpeak for itfelf. 
 I will only therefore afTure you, that if I mould 
 riot makr this nnt>lication in vain, you may de-
 
 270 THE LETTERS BotfK III 
 
 A.U. 700. pcnd upon receiving a ftrong and lafting fatisfa- 
 <5tion from the faithful returns of my gratitude. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 To the fame. 
 
 I Arrived on the 22d of May at Brundifium, 
 where I found your lieutenant r Quintufi 
 Fabius : who agreably to your orders informed 
 me, that it is highly expedient Cilicia fliould be 
 Itrengthened with an additional number of for- 
 ces. This was conformable, not only to my own 
 fentiirents, who am more immediately concern- 
 ed in the fecurity ^of that province, but to the 
 opinion likewife of the fenate : who thought it 
 reafonable, that both Bibulus * and myfelf 
 mould reinforce our refpective legions with re- 
 cruits from Italy. But it was ftrongly oppofed 
 by Sulpicius J the conful : tho' not without ve- 
 
 1 Every proconful, or governor of a province, was ac- 
 companied with a certain number of" lieutenants, in propor- 
 tion to his rank and quality. Theie officers ferved him as 
 a kind of firft minifters in civil affairs : as they commanded 
 in chief under him when he took the field. 
 
 * Some account has already been given of Bibulus in 
 the notes on the preceding book. See rem. 10. p. 163. 
 He was appointed governor of Syria, a province border- 
 ing on that of Cilicia : to which Cicero was on his way 
 when he wrote the preient letter, and all the fubfequent 
 ones in this book. 
 
 nr
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 271 
 
 rv warm remonftrances on our parts. Howe- A.U. 700. 
 ver, as it feemed to be the general inclination 
 of the fenate that we fhould haften our depar- 
 ture -, we were obliged to fubmit : and we fet 
 forward accordingly. 
 
 Let me now repeat the requeft I'made in my 
 laft from Rome, and again intreat you to favor, 
 me in all thofe inftances wherein one friend can 
 oblige another who fucceeds to his government. 
 In mort 1 , let it be your care to convince the 
 world, that I could not have followed a more 
 affectionate predeceflbr : as it mail be mine to 
 give confpicuous proofs, that you could not 
 have refigned your province to one more fin- 
 cerely devoted to your intereft. 
 
 I underftood by the copy which you commu- 
 nicated to me of thofe difpatches you fent to 
 the fenate, that you had actually difbanded a 
 confiderable part of your army. But Fabius 
 allures me, this was a point which you only had 
 in your intention , and that when he left you, 
 the whole number of your legions was com- 
 plete. If this be the cafe, you will greatly 
 oblige me by keeping the few forces under your 
 command, entire : as I fuppofe the decree of 
 
 3 Servius Sulpicius Rufus was conful this year, together 
 with Marcus Claudius Murcellus. For a more particular 
 account of the former, See rem. i. p. 119. vol. ii. and of 
 the latter, rein. 3. let. 31. of this book.
 
 272 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U.yoo.the fenate which paffed in, relation to this arti- 
 cle, has already been tranfmitted to you. To 
 comprife all in one word, I pay fo great a defer- 
 ence to your judgement, that whatever mea- 
 fures you may think proper to purfue, I fhall 
 undoubtedly believe them reafonable : tho* I am 
 perfuaded at the fame time, you will purfue 
 fuch only as mail appear to be for my be- 
 nefit. 
 
 I am waiting at Brundifium for my lieute- 
 nant Caius Pontinius, whom I expect here on 
 the firft of June : and I fhall take the earlieft 
 opportunity after his arrival, of proceeding on 
 my voyage. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 COELIUS+, to CICERO. 
 
 A GREABLY to my promife when we 
 xV. parted, I have fent you a full account of 
 every event that has happened fmce you left 
 Rome. For this purpofe, I employed a perfon 
 to colled: the news of the town : and am only 
 
 4 Manutius has with great induftry drawn together the 
 feveral fcattered paflages in the antient hiftorians, relating 
 to Coelius: and it is but a piece of juftice due to that learn- 
 ed critic to acknowledge, that the following account is ex- 
 trafted from thofe materials, which his labors fpared me the 
 trouble of colle&ing.
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 273 
 
 airraid you will think he has executed his office A. U. 70 z. 
 much too punctually. I am fenfible at t 
 fame time, that you are a man of infinite curi- 
 ofity , and that travellers take pleafure in being 
 informed of every little circumftance tranfacted 
 at home. But I hope you will not impute it to 
 me as any want of refpect, that I affigned over 
 this employment to another hand. On the 
 contrary, as much engaged as I really am, and 
 as little fond of writing as you know me to be, 
 I fliould with great pleafure execute any com- 
 miflion which gave me occafion to think of 
 
 Marcus Ccelius was tribune of the people, the year 
 before this letter was written. He diftinguimed himfelf in 
 that office by zealoufly and boldly fupporting the rights 
 of the fenate and the interefts of the ariftocratical party, 
 againft the feditious attacks of the oppofite faction. When 
 the civil war broke out between Pompey and Caefar, he 
 afFe&ed at firft to (land neuter: he afterwards however 
 thought proper to join with the latter. But Caefar not gra-i 
 tifying his ambition in the manner he expe&ed, he chang- 
 ed fides, and raifed great difhirbances in Rome in favor of 
 Pompey. 
 
 Ccelius applied himfelf early to the art of oratory : and 
 for that purpofe was introduced by his father to the ac- 
 quaintance of Cicero, under whofe infpeftion he formed 
 his eloquence. His parts and genius foon diftinguifhed 
 him in the forum : but tho' his fpeeches were conceived 
 with peculiar fpirit and vivacity, his language was thought 
 forced, and the harmony of his periods too much neg- 
 lected. His morals were fuitable to the degenerate age in 
 which he lived ; luxurious and difiblute : as his temper was 
 remarkably inflammable, and apt to kindle into the moil im- 
 placable refentments. Cic. orat. pro Ccclio. Ctsf. Bel. Civ. in. 
 PeL Paterc. ii. Dia'og. de cauf. corrupt, eloquent. Senec. de 
 Ira, iii. See rem. 6. p. 145. and rem. 12. p. 147. of vol. 
 ii. 
 
 ' VOL. I, T you.
 
 274 TE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A. 0.702. you. I truft however, when you call your eye 
 ^^^ upon this volume of news, you will very rea- 
 dily admit my excufe : as I know not indeed 
 who elfe except the compiler, could find leifure, 
 I will not fay to tranfcribe, but even to perufe 
 fuch a flrange medley. It contains a colle&ion 
 of decrees of the fenate and rumors of the people ; 
 of private tales and public edicts. Should it 
 happen, neverthelefs, to afford you no fort of 
 entertainment ; give me due notice, that I may 
 not put myfelf to this prodigious expence only 
 to be impertinent. If any events of more im- 
 portance mould arife, and which are above the 
 force of thefe hackney news-writers -, I will take 
 the relation upon myfelf, and give you a full 
 account of the fentiments and fpeculations of 
 the world concerning it : bur at prefent there is 
 little of this kind flirring. 
 
 As to the report which was fo current when 
 we were at Cumse ^ of enfranchifing the colo- 
 nies en the odier fide the Po 6 ; it does not feem 
 
 5 A city in Campania, fituated upon the fca coaft : near 
 which Cicero had a villa. 
 
 6 Ciialpine Gaul was divided into two parts by the river 
 To ; and accordingly as the inhabitants were fituated with 
 ixlptcT: to Italy, either on one fide or the other of that ri- 
 ver, they were called Cffiadam, or Tranfpadani. Cs.-far 
 had a fcheme of putting the latter on the fame foot with 
 the municipal towns of Italy ; the chief magistrates whereof 
 had a right of fufFrage in the aflem'olies of the Roman peo- 
 j;<t>, amfwerc capable of being elected to the offices' of the 
 
 to
 
 JBooK III. OF C I C E R O; 275 
 
 to have travelled beyond that city: at leaft I A.U.702. 
 have heard no mention of this affair fince my k> * 
 return to Rome. Marcellus not having yet 
 moved that C<efar may be recalled from his go- 
 vernment in Gaul, and intending to defer it, 
 as he told me himfelf, to the firft of June ; it 
 has occafioned the revival of thofe fufpicions to 
 his difadvantage, which fo ftrongly prevailed 
 when you were here ?; 
 
 If you had an interview 8 With Potiipey (as I 
 remember it was your intention) let me know 
 the converfation that paffed between you, and 
 what you could difcover of his defigns : for tha* 
 he feldom fpeaks his real fentiments, he has 
 not artifice enough to conceal them 9. As to 
 
 republic. This feems to be the circumftance to which 
 Coelius here alludes : as Cicero obfcurely hints at it like- 
 wife, in one of his letters to Atticus. See ad Att. v. 2. and 
 the remark of Mong. upon that paflage. 
 . 7 Marcellus, the prefent conful, difUnguimed himfelf 
 throughout his whole adminiftration by a warm oppontion 
 to Cxfar : as he afterwards a&ually made the motion, of 
 tthich Ccelius herd fpeaks. He was not however fo for- 
 tunate as to fucceed in it ; being oppofed by his collegue 
 Sulpicius in conjunction with fbme of the tribunes. D;o, 
 xli. p. 148. See his character in remark 3. on the 31(1 let. 
 of this book, 
 
 8 Pompey was at this time at Tarentam, a maritims 
 city of Calabria : where Cicero fpent a few days with 
 him in his way to Cilicia, while he waited the arrival of 
 his lieutenant Pontinius. Ad Att. v. 6. 
 
 9 Cicero in his letters to Atticus ofren mentions the 
 difficulty of penetrating into Pompey's real de%ns : but if 
 Ccelius may be credited, he was, it feems, one of thofe over- 
 
 T 2 Czfar
 
 276 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 , we have frequent, and no very favora- 
 
 ble, reports concerning him : however they are 
 at prefent nothing more than rumors. Some 
 fay he has loft all his cavalry ; and I believe 
 this is the truth of the cafe : others that the fe- 
 venth legion has been entirely defeated, and that 
 he himfelf is fo furrounded by the Bellovaci f , 
 that he cannot poflibly receive any fuccors from 
 the main body of his army. But this news is 
 not publicly known : on the contrary it is only 
 the whifper of a party which I need not name, 
 and who mention it with great caution ; parti- 
 cularly Domitius *, who tells it in your ear with 
 a moft important air of fecrefy. 
 
 A ftrong report prevailed here, that you were 
 aflaffinated upon the road on the 24th of May, 
 by Quintus Pompeius *. I heartily curfed the 
 idle authors of this alarm : however it did not 
 give me any great difturbance, as I knew Pom- 
 
 refined diflemblers, who, as our Britifh Horace obferves, 
 are 
 
 - - So <very clofe they're hid from none. POPE. 
 
 1 A moft martial and powerful people in Belgic Gaul, 
 againft whom Caefar was at this time making war. 
 
 a Lucius Domitius ^Enobarbus, one of Casfar's avowed 
 enemies. A particular account wul be given of him in 
 the remarks on the letter addreffed to him in this collec- 
 tion. 
 
 3 Quintus Pompeius Rufus was tribune the laft year, and 
 
 a principal author of thofe difturbances which enfued upon 
 
 the death of Clodius. See remark 5. p. 263. of this vol. 
 
 Ac the expiration of his office therefore being convicted of 
 
 i peius
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 277 
 
 peius to be then at Baulis *, where the poor A.U. 702- 
 man is reduced to exercife the mifcrable office of 
 a pilot, to keep himfelf from ftarving. May you 
 ever be as fecure from all other dangers, as you 
 were from this ! 
 
 Your friend * Plancus is at Ravenna : and 
 notwithfbanding the very confiderable benefa- 
 ction he has lately received from Cazfar 6 ; the 
 man is ftill in diftrefs. 
 
 Your political treatife ^ is univerfally red and 
 much admired. Farewel. 
 
 thefe mifdemeanors, he was banifhed from Rome. Dio, xl. 
 p. 146. 
 
 4 A city in Campania. 
 
 5 Munatius Plancus Burfa: of whom an account has 
 been given in remark 5. p. 263. of this vol. Ccelius {peaks 
 ironically, when he calls him Cicero's friend. 
 
 6 See remark b p. 166. of this vol. 
 
 " 7 It was drawn up in the form of a dialogue, in 
 which the greateft perfons of the republic were intro- 
 duced. From the fragments of this work which ftill re- 
 main, it appears to have been a noble performance, and 
 one of his capital pieces ; where all the important que- 
 ftions in politics and morality, were difcufied with the 
 greateft elegance and accuracy," Mid, Life ofQc. vol. ii, 
 p. 94. Svo. td. 
 
 T 3 LET-
 
 278 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 LETTER XXVI. 
 
 To APPIUS PULCHER. 
 
 A. U. 70 2. y Received your letter at this place? on the 
 A 4th of June, by which I am informed that 
 you have charged Lucius Clodius with a mef- 
 fage to me. I am therefore waiting for hU 
 arrival, that I may hear as early as poflible, 
 whatever he has to fay on your part. IM 
 the mean time, notwithftanding I have alrea- 
 dy by many inftances convinced you, I hope, 
 of my friendfhip , yet let me allure you, that 
 I (hall particularly endeavor to mew it 
 upon every occafion, by the moil tender re- 
 gard for your character. I have the fatisfa- 
 ,<Stion in return to be informed, not only by 
 Fabius, and Flaccus, but particularly by 
 Octavius, of the mare you allow me in your 
 efteem. I had before, indeed, many reafons for 
 believing I enjoyed that privilege ; but chiefly 
 by that very agreable prefent of your treatife 
 
 9 Brundifium. This letter was written but a few days 
 after the lall addreflcd to Appius, which is likcwilc dated 
 from this place : where Cicero continued about a fort- 
 night. He was prevented from embarking fooner, not 
 cniy as he waited the arrival of his lieutenant Pontinius, 
 bpt alfo by a flight iru'ifjx)f;uon. Afdu. v. 8. 
 
 upon
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 279 
 
 upon augury, which you have fo affectionate- A.U. 702. 
 ly addreffed to me '. No teftimony mall 
 be wanting on my part likewife, of the fin- 
 gular friendfhip I bear you. The truth is, 
 you have continually rifen in my affection ever 
 fmce you firft diftinguimed me with yours : but 
 you are now ftill more endeared to me from 
 that regard I entertain for thofe illuftrious perfons 
 with whom you have formed a family-alliance*. 
 For Pompey and Brutus, tho* fo diflant from 
 each other in point of age, have both of them 
 the fame high rank in my efteem. I muft 
 add, that the connection between us as fellow- 
 members of the fame facred college , efpecially 
 after the honorable applaufe I have lately receiv- 
 
 1 This treatife was drawn up in vindication of the au- 
 gural fcience, or the art of fore -telling events, from cer- 
 tain figns which providence was fuppofed to have in- 
 tended as intimations of futurity. This fcience was ge- 
 nerally exploded ,by the wifer part of their philofophers, 
 as having no foundation in reafon or experience : but Ap- 
 pius was fo weakly credulous, it feems, as 'ferioufly to be- 
 lieve and maintain the contrary. See life of Cic. v. iii. p. 
 348. 8vo. ed. 
 
 2 See the latter end of remark 3. on letter 3. of this 
 book, p. 225. 
 
 3 The college of Augurs, of which Cicero and Appius 
 were members, ccnfifted at this time of fifteen Fellows, (if 
 that term may be allowed) who were all of them perfons 
 of the firft diilinftion in Rome. Their office was to deter- 
 mine whether the omens, which were always confulted 
 previoufly to the tranfaftir.g of any public bufmefs, were fa- 
 vorable for- that purpofe, or obferved in a proper manner. 
 
 T 4 c
 
 23o THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. cd from you*, is a very powerful cement of our 
 mutual friendfhip. 
 
 If I mould have an interview with Clodius, 
 whom I mall endeavor to fee as foon as pofli- 
 ble, I fhall have occafion to write to you more 
 fully. I will at this time therefore only far- 
 ther allure you, that I red with great pleafure 
 that part of your letter where you tell me, your 
 {ingle reafon for continuing in the province, 
 is in order to give me a meeting. Fare- 
 wel. 
 
 This gave them a very confiderable authority in the com- 
 monwealth : as it was in their power to obftruft the moft 
 important affairs of the Hate, by declaring that they were 
 unwarranted by the aufpices. Cicero, about two years be- 
 fore the date of the prefent letter, was elecled into this 
 college, in the place of young CrafTus: who periihed (as 
 has already been obferved) in the unfortunate expedition, 
 which his father undertook againft the Parthians. 
 
 * This alludes to the treatife mentioned above, which, 
 ^ppius infcribed to Cicero. 
 
 J-ET-
 
 BOOK II. OF C I C E R O, 281 
 
 LETTER XXVII. 
 To CAIUS MEMMIUS J . 
 
 i 
 
 Am doubtful whether I have more reafon to A.U. 702. 
 regret or rejoice, that I did not find you, as I ex 
 
 s The family of Caius Memmius, was efleemed one of 
 the moft antient in all Rome ; being defcended, it was 
 faid, from Mneftheus, a companion of ^Eneas in his expe- 
 dition into Italy. Memmius having paffed thro' the offices 
 of tribune and praetor, offered himfelf as a candidate for 
 the confulfhip, in the year of Rome 699: and the iniqui- 
 tous engagement into which he entered in order to fecure 
 his election, affords a very remarkable fpecimen, not only 
 of his own character, but of the unparalleled degeneracy of 
 the age in which he lived. The confuls of that year were 
 Domitius ./Bnobarbus, and Appius Pulcher, the perfon to 
 whom the preceding letter, and feveral others in this book 
 are addrefled. It was ftipulated between thefe worthy 
 rnagiftrates, and the two affociates who were joint-candi- 
 dates to fucceed them, that they mould mutually aiTift 
 each other in their refpe&ive views. On the part of the 
 confuls it was agreed, that they mould promote the elec- 
 tion of Memmius and his friend Calvinus, with all their 
 credit and power. Thefe, in return, entered into a bond 
 in the penalty of fomewhat more than 30007. by which 
 thty obliged themfelves to procure three Augurs who mould 
 atteft, that they were prefent in the Comitia when a law 
 pafled to inveft thefe confuls with the military command 
 in their provinces. The contract farther added, that they 
 would alfo produce three perfons of confular rank, who 
 /hould likewife depofe, that they were not only prefent in 
 the fenate, bat actually in the number of thofe who figned 
 a decree, by which the ufual proconfular appointments were 
 granted to Appius and JEnobarbus. The truth, however, 
 was, that fo far from any law or decree of this nature ever 
 having paffed, it had not even been propcfed either to the 
 people or the fenate. En 
 
 Romanes rerum duminoiy ^entemqw togatam I
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 &.U.7CZ. pctfhfd, in Athens 6 . On the one hand, if that 
 meeting would have renewed my concern for 
 
 Extraordinary as this infamous afibciation was ; it is ftill 
 more furprizing that Memmius mould have had the front 
 publicly to avow it, by becoming himfelf the informer of 
 the whole tranfadtion. Yet fo the fadt is: and, in com- 
 pliance with the peduafions of Pompey, he laid open the 
 whole of this fhameful agreement, to the fenate. It js 
 difficult to imagine the motive that could induce Memmius 
 to make a difcovery, which mufl mew him to the world, 
 in every view, fo completely abandoned. But Pompey, it 
 is highly probable, inftigated him to this refolution, with the 
 hope that the rendering public fo unexampled a violation 
 of all that ought to be held moft facred in fociety, would 
 add ftrength to thofe flames which now raged in the common- 
 wealth. .For moft of the hiftorians agree, that Pompey fecredy 
 fomented the prefent tumults, in order to reduce the re- 
 public to the neceffity of inverting him with the fupreme 
 authority. What resolutions were taken in the fenate up- 
 on this occalion ? do not clearly appear : for thofe paiTages 
 in the letters to Atticus wherein their prececdings in rela- 
 tion to this affair foem to be hinted at, are extremely 
 dark ; and rendered ftill more obfcure by the negligence of 
 the tranfcribers, in blending epiftles together of different 
 and diftant dates. It is certain, however, that Memmius 
 loft his eledtion : fometime after which, being impeached, 
 and fentenced to banimment, he retired to Athens ; 
 where he feems to have fpent the remainder of his 
 days. He was a man of greater parts than application, and 
 would have proved an excellent orator, if he had trufted 
 Jefs to the itrength of his natural genius: or rather indeed, 
 if he had not been too indolent to improve his faculties of 
 this kind, by an habitual exercif*. lie was not too lazy 
 however to employ them with the, ladies : in which he was 
 extremely fuccefsful ; particularly with the wife of Marcus 
 Lucullus, brother to the celebrated Lucius Lucullus, fo 
 well known to every reader of the Roman ftory. He 
 feems, in truth, to have been one of that fort of men, who 
 in the language of Shakefpeur, is formed tj wake v:omcn 
 fdlje: at leaft if a poet maybe fuppofcd no flatterer in the 
 pidture he draws of his patron. For Lucretius, who in- 
 faibed his poem to Memmius, reprefents Venus, in his 
 invocation to that god.de f^, us having bellowed upon this 
 
 the
 
 BOOK, III. OF C I C E R O. 283 
 
 the injuftice? which has been done you , I fhould A.U. 702. 
 have had the fatisfadion on the other, of being 
 a. witnefs of your fupporting it with the moft 
 philofophical magnanimity. Upon the whole, 
 however, I cannot but lament that I did not 
 
 her favorite, every charm that could render him the moft 
 graceful and accomplifhed of the fons of men : 
 
 Te foci am ftudeo fcribundis "jerjibus ffff f 
 &uos ego de Rerutn Natura pangere conor 
 Mcmmiadte nojiro : quam tu, Dea, tempore in onuA 
 Ormnlus ornatum <voluifti excellere rebus. 
 
 Thy aid, celeftial Queen of beauty, bring, 
 While nature's laws in vent'rous verfe I fmg. 
 To Memmius fing : the man by Thee defign'd, 
 With ev'ry grace and ev'ry art refin'd, 
 To ftu'ne the firft and faireft of his kind. 
 
 Gifanii prolegom. in Lucret. tie gent. Memmia. ad Att. iv. 1 8. 
 Suet, in Aug. 40. Virgil. Mn. i. 286. De dar. orat. 70. Ad 
 Att. \. 18. Lucret. i. 25. 
 
 6 Cicero took Athens in his way. to Cilicia : and Mem- 
 mius left that city the day before his arrival. Manutius 
 fuppofes thap he withdrew on purpofe to avoid our author^ 
 with whom, he imagines, Memmius was difgufted for not 
 having given him his affiftance at his trial. But this is 
 merely conjecture : and has fo much the lefs foundation as 
 there is not the leaft hint of this kind in the letter to At- 
 ticus wherein Cicero acquaints him with the circumftance 
 of his not meeting with Mennnius. Ad Att. v. 10. 
 
 7 It is by no means certain upon what occafion Mem- 
 mius was banimed. The principal commentators indeed 
 are of opinion, that it was in confequence of a profecu- 
 tlon that was commenced againft him for thofe corrupt 
 practices mentioned in the firll remark on this letter But 
 it feems to appear from Cicero's epiftles to his brother,, 
 cither that Memmius and his aiTqciates were all acquitted of 
 that impeachment, or that their feveral profecutions were 
 tapped, fid. ad^F. iii. 2, 3. 8,
 
 284 THE LETTERS BOOK IIL 
 
 A.U.joz.fee you : for the uneafmefs I feel at your unme- 
 r - tec j fufferings is too great to have admitted of 
 much encreafe by that interview ; and in all 
 other refpects it would have added very confi- 
 derably to my pleafure. It is a pleafure there- 
 fore, in which I mall without fcruple indulge 
 myfelf, the firft convenient opportunity. In 
 the mean time, fo much of the purpofe of my 
 intended vifit as may be explained, and, I mould 
 hope, fettled too, in a letter, I will now lay be- 
 fore you. The favor I am going to requeft, 
 tho* of little confequence to you, is of much 
 importance to me : however, ere I enter upon 
 the fubjedr., let me previoufly allure you, that I 
 do not defire you to comply with my inclina- 
 tions any farther than it lhall be agreable to your 
 own. I muft inform you then in the fjrft place, 
 that I am moft intimately united with Patro 
 the Epicurean ; in every article, I mean, ex- 
 cept his philofophy : for there, indeed, we are 
 at a great diftance. I received the firft marks 
 of his efteem, fo long ago as when he diftin- 
 guilhed himfelf at Rome by his fmgular attach- 
 ment to you and your family : and in the caufe 
 which he lately gained in our courts, I was a 
 principal advocate both for him and his allbci- 
 ates. I muft add, (hat he was recommended 
 
 to
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 285 
 
 to me by my very worthy friend Phasdrus : 
 rnan whom, long before I became acquainted 
 with Philo *, and indeed from my childhood, I 
 always highly valued. The firft quality that 
 recommended him to my efteem, was his philo- 
 fophical abilities : as I afterwards had reafon to 
 admire him for his moral and focial virtues. 
 Before I left Rome, I received a letter from" 
 Patro requefting me, in- the firft place, to in- 
 tercede with you to be reconciled to him ; and 
 in the next, that you would make him a grant 
 of an old ruinous edifice which belongs, it feems, 
 to the college of Epicurus *. I forbore writing 
 to you however upon this fubject, as being .un- 
 willing to interrupt you in the defign, which I 
 then thought you entertained, of building upon 
 that fpot. But I now comply with his follici- 
 tation, as he has affured me, fmce my arrival in 
 Athens, it is the general opinion of your 
 
 9 Phaedrus, it is fuppofed, was the predecdTor of Patro. 
 in the epicurean college. 
 
 1 Cicero in another part of his writings, mentions an 
 Academic philofopher of this name, whofe lectures he at- 
 tended. If the fame perfon be meant in both places, as . 
 indeed is highly probable, Mr. Rofs is undoubtedly right 
 in charging the learned Manutius with a miftake, in ima- 
 gining Philo to have been an Epicurean, and predeceflbr to 
 Phaedrus. 
 
 a Memmius had obtained a grant of this edifice from, 
 the Athenian-, in order to build a houfe for his own 
 ufe. 
 
 friends,
 
 2 86 THE LETTERS BOOK III; 
 
 A. U. 702. friends, that you have totally laid afide this 
 fcheme. Should this prove to be the real cafe, 
 and your particular intereft mould no longer in- 
 terfere, let me prevail with you to grant his peti- 
 tion. And if you Ihould have taken any little 
 prejudice againft my friend, by the ill offices of 
 his countrymen, (whofe capricious tempers I am 
 well acquainted with) I intreat you to renounce 
 your refentment, not only for my fake, but in 
 compliance alfo with the fuggeftions of your own 
 generous nature. Shall I freely own to you my 
 real fentiments ? To confefs the truth then^ 
 there does not appear any juft reafon either for 
 his being fo earneft in prefling this affair of the 
 edifice, or for your perfifting in your refufal. 
 This at leaft is moll evident, that it is much 
 more fuitable to a man of his character than of 
 yours, to be obftinate in trifles. You are well 
 apprifed, I know, of the plea which Patro al" 
 ledges, to juflify his warmth upon this occafion. 
 I need not mention therefore, that he urges the 
 honor and reverence which is due to the laft in- 
 junctions of Epicurus ' ; the particular regard 
 
 " 3 Diogenes Laertitis hath preferred in his life of Epi- 
 " curus, the will of that great philofopher. In the firft 
 " article, the fchools and gardens, and every thing be- 
 " longing to them, are intailed upon his fucceflbrs in that 
 " fed of philofophy, which fhould be called after his name. 1 * 
 Mr.**//. 
 
 3 te
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R (X 287 
 
 he owes to the earneft requeft of Phsedrus ; toge- A.U. 702, 
 ther with that veneration which ought to be paid 
 to a manlion imprefTed with the foot-fteps of 
 fo many celebrated philofophers. One cannot, 
 indeed, condemn his zeal in this inftance, with- 
 out deriding at the fame time the whole fyftem, 
 of his philofophy. But neither you nor I arc 
 fuch enemies to thofe of his fed, as not to be 
 inclined to pardon an enthufiafm of this fort ; 
 especially as it is a prejudice (if it be a preju- 
 dice) that arifes from the weaknefs, not the 
 wickednefs', of his heart. But I muft not forget 
 to mention another inducement, which engag- 
 ed me to apply to you in his favor. I will in- 
 troduce it by affuring you, that I look upon 
 Atticus as my brother : and indeed there is no 
 man who has a more confiderable (hare of my 
 heart, or from whofe friendfhip I derive greater 
 fatisfaction +. It is in purfuance of his moft 
 earneft intreaty, as well as of Patro's, that I 
 make the prefent application. And tho' Atticus 
 is by no means of a temper to be importunate, 
 
 * The friendship which fubfifted between Cicero and 
 Atticus is fo well kn6wn even to the moft common reader, 
 that it would be impertinent to make it the firbjeft of 4 
 riote't as it would be foreign to the purpofe of thefe re- 
 marks, to enter into the character of that celebrated Ro- 
 tn:m , who is only mentioned incidentally in this place, and 
 bears no part in the correspondence contained ia the pre- 
 fent colledion. 
 
 nor.
 
 28B THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A. 11.702. nor has any ambitious purpofes of his own to 
 gratify -, yet he has defired me, with all die ar- 
 dor imaginable, to exert my utmofl intereft 
 with you in this affair. Not that he is influ- 
 enced by his particular attachment to this feel; , 
 for he has too much learning as well as judge^ 
 ment, to be a bigot to their unphilofophical te- 
 nets : but he is fwayed intirely by his friend- 
 fhip for Patro, and the efteem he entertained 
 for his predeceflfor in this college, the worthy 
 Phsedrus. He is perfuaded my influence with 
 you is fo great, that the flighted intimation from 
 me would prevail with you to relinquilh your 
 right to this edifice, even tho' you had intended 
 to make ufe of it for your own purpofes. If he 
 mould hear therefore, that notwithilanding you 
 have no fuch defign, I have neverthelefs proved- 
 unfuccefsful in my application ; he will have a 
 worfe opinion of my friendfhip than of yours, and 
 imagine I did not fufficiently enforce his re- 
 queft. I intreat you then to fignify to your 
 agents at Athens, your confent to the repeal of 
 the decree of the Areopagites s, which has been 
 made in relation to this ftructure. Neverthe- 
 lefs, I will end as I began, and again allure 
 
 5 The Areopagites were magiftrates who prefided in the 
 fupreme council and court of judicature at Athens, called 
 the Areopagus. 
 
 you
 
 BOOK HI. OF G I C E R O. 
 
 you, that altho* nothing will be more accepta- 
 ble to me, than your compliance in the prefent 
 inftance ; yet I prefs it no farther than as it 
 may co-incide with your own inclinations. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXVIII. 
 
 To MARCUS CoELius 6 . 
 
 GOULD you ferioufly then imagine, my 
 friend, that I commifiioned you to fend 
 me the idle news of the town -, matches of gla- 
 diators, adjournments of caufes, robberies, and 
 the reft of thofe uninterefting occurrences, which 
 no one ventures to mention to me, even when I 
 am in the midft of them at Rome ? Far other 
 are the accounts which I expect from your 
 hand : as I know not any man whofe judg- 
 ment in politics I have more reafon to value. 
 I mould efteem it a mifemployment of your ta- 
 lents, even were you to tranfmit to me thofe more 
 important tranfadions that daily arife in the re- 
 public j unlefs they mould happen to relate 
 immediately to myfelf. There are other lefs 
 penetrating politicians, who will fend me intel- 
 ligence of this fort : and I mail be abundantly 
 
 . , c This letter, as well as the preceding one, was written 
 From Athens: and is an anfwer to the 251)1 of this book, 
 p. 272. 
 
 VOL, I, U fuppli-
 
 290 THE L E T TE R S BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. fupplied with it likewife by common fame. In 
 fhort, it is not an account either of what 
 has lately been tranfacted, or is in prefent 
 agitation, that I require in your letters : I 
 expeft, as from one whofe difcernment . is 
 capable of looking far into futurity, your opi- 
 nion of what is likely to happen. Thus, 
 by feeing a plan, as it were, of the republic, I 
 fhall be enabled to judge what kind of ftructure 
 will probably arife. Hitherto, however, I have 
 no reafon to charge you with having been neg- 
 ligent in communicating to me your prophetic 
 conjectures. For the events which have lately 
 happened in the commonwealth, were much 
 beyond any man's penetration : I am fure at leaft 
 they were beyond mine. 
 
 I palTed feveral days with Pompey * in 
 converfation upon public affairs : but it is 
 neither prudent, nor poffible, to give you the 
 particulars in a letter. In general, however, I 
 will affure you, that he is animated with the 
 moil patriot fentiments 8 , and is prudently pre- 
 
 7 See rem. 8. p. 275. of this vol. 
 
 8 Cicero fo often changed his opinion, or at leaft his 
 language, in regard to Pompey, that it is difficult to de- 
 termine what his true fentiments of him were. It is pro- 
 bable, however, that he here fpeaks the dictates of his real 
 thoughts, not only as he gives the fame account to Atticus, 
 but becaufe Pompey received him with particular civility ; 
 a circumftance which feems at all times to have had a 
 very confidcrabl* influence upon Cicero's judgment, con- 
 
 i pared,
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 291 
 
 pared, as well as refolutely determined, to a6t as A-U. 70 2. 
 the interefts of the republic mall require. I would 
 advife you therefore wholly to attach yourfelf 
 to him : and beJieve me, he will rejoice to em- 
 brace you as his friend. He now indeed enter- 
 tains the fame opinion both with you and my- 
 felf, of the good and ill intentions of the differ- 
 ent parties in the republic. 
 
 I have fpent thefe laft ten days at Athens i 
 from whence I am this moment fetting out. 
 During my continuance in this city, I have fre- 
 quently enjoyed the company of our friend 
 GallusCaninius9. 
 
 I recommend all my affairs to your care and 
 protection, but particularly (what indeed is my 
 principal concern) that my refidence in the pro- 
 vince may not be prolonged '. I will not 
 
 earning the characters and defigns of men. Vid. ad An. 
 v. 6, 7. 
 
 9 It appears by the 5th letter of the preceding book, 
 that when Pompey was exhibiting his entertainments at 
 the opening of his celebrated theatre ; Cicero was engaged 
 in the defence of one Gallus Caninius. Manutius conje- 
 ctures that this is the fame perfon, who in confequence of 
 that impeachment, was now, he fuppofes, an exile at 
 Athens. 
 
 1 The fucceffion to the feveral provinces, was ufually 
 annual. As Cicero entered upon his government much 
 againft his inclinations, he was extremely uneafy left by any 
 accidental circumftances of the republic, he mould be conti- 
 nued in it beyond the expiration of his year. The province 
 was a fcene by no means fuitable to his temper or ta- 
 lents : and he was impatient to return to the Forum, and 
 the fenate, where he imagined he could mine with a much 
 
 U 2 pre-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 A.U.7oz.prefcribe the methods you mould employ for 
 ( ^ r ^ r ^ u that purpofe : as you are the moft competent 
 judge by what means, and by whofe interven- 
 tion, it may be beft effected. Farewel. 
 
 July the 6th. 
 
 LETTER XXIX. 
 
 MARCUS COELIUS* toCicERO. 
 
 YES, my friend; Meffalla* is moft cer- 
 tainly acquitted : and acquitted too, not 
 only by -a majority in the feveral orders 4 which 
 
 more advantageous luftre. His conduct however was in nb 
 part of his life fo unqueftionably laudable, as in his admi- 
 niftration of Cilicia : as will appear, perhaps, from the re- 
 marks on the following book. Ad Att. v, 10, 15. 
 
 * Jt feems probable from one of the epiftles to Atticus, 
 that Cicero received this letter at Gyarus, a little iflandi a 
 the ^Egaean fea : at which he touched in his voyage to 
 Cilicia. Ad Att. v. 12. 
 
 * Marcus Valerius Meffalla, was conful in the year of 
 Rome 700. The corrupt meafures which he, as well as 
 the reft of thofe who were joint-candidates with him, pur- 
 iued, in order to fecure their election, were fo extrava- 
 gantly profufc, as to occafion the interdl of money to ad- 
 vance to double the ulual rate. It was for thofe illegal 
 practices, that he was this year brought upon his trial. 
 .'IdAtt.w. 15. 
 
 * The bench of judges, by a late regulation ofPompey, 
 was competed oficnators, knights, and certain officers al- 
 ways chofcn from among the Plebeians, called Tribuni 
 (traril, \\ ho in modern language might perhaps be ftiled, 
 auditors of the treafury. Thefc judges (fomewhat in the 
 7T.ture of our juries) were dividsd inro throe clafles, agrea- 
 
 compofe
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 293 
 
 compofe the bench of judges, but by every in-A.U.joz. 
 dividual member of each refpeftiv.e clafs. I " x ^' 
 give you this as a fact within my own know- 
 ledge : for I was prefent when their verdict was 
 delivered. You muft not imagine, however, 
 that the world is convinced of his innocence : 
 on the contrary, never was there an event more 
 unexpected, or which raifed fo univerfal an in- 
 dignation. For my own part, even with all 
 my prejudices in his favor, I was under the ut- 
 mofb aftonifhment when I heard him pronoun- 
 ced not guilty: and indeed it was a circumftance 
 I fo little expected, that I was actually prepar- 
 ing to condole with him on the reverfe. What 
 muft have been the furprife then, of others lefs. 
 biaffed in his behalf! The whole afTembly, in 
 truth, warmly exclaimed againft the judges : 
 and very ftrongly intimated, that they looked 
 upon them as guilty of the moft infufferable. 
 corruption. My friend, in the mean time, is 
 in much greater danger than he was before : as 
 he will now moft afTuredly be indicted on the 
 JJcinian law *. I muft not forget to add, that 
 
 bly to their refpe&ive orders, and gave their vcrdift by 
 Ballots. 
 
 5 The author of this law was M. Licinius Craflus, when 
 he was conful with Pompey an. urb. 698. It was called 
 de Sodalitiis : by which feeras to have been underftood an 
 unlawful making of parties ateledlions. Ste Ken. R. Anti^ 
 p. 177- 
 
 U the
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U.joz.theday after his trial, his advocate Hortenfms 
 appeared in Curio's theatre 6 : with a view, I 
 fuppofe, of receiving the general congratula- 
 tions. But he no fooner entered than lo ! 
 
 fbe hifs contemptuous, and indignant roar, 
 With tbmder barjb the rending concave tore. 
 
 This circumftance is fo much the more obfer. 
 vable, as Hortenfms has pafled on to a good 
 old-age, without ever having before been thus 
 infulted. But it broke out upon him with fo 
 much violence in the prefent inftance, that it 
 might well fuffice for a whole life : as I am 
 perfuaded .indeed, it occafioned him heartily to 
 repent of the victory he had obtained. 
 
 I have no political news to fend you. Mar- 
 Cellus has dropped the defign 8 , upon which he 
 was lately fo intent : but not fo much from in- 
 dolence, I believe, as prudence. It is wholly 
 
 6 Hortenfius was uncle to Meffalla ; and the only prator of 
 tins age whofe eloquence flood in any degree of competition 
 with Cicero's. See vol. ii. p. 45. rem. 5. 
 
 7 This theatre was erected by Curio on occafion of 
 thofe games which he exhibited in honor of his father's 
 memory. See rem. 6. p. 236. of this vol. 
 
 8 Ccdius in this inftance was not fo happy in his con- 
 jectures, as Cicero represents him in the fore-going- letter. 
 For Marcellus had not dropped the defign, to which Coe- 
 lius here alludes : as appears, not onlylrom the authori- 
 ty cited in rem. 7. p. 275. of this vol. but alfo from one 
 of his own fubfequent epiiiles. See the 5th let. of the fol- 
 lowing book. 
 
 uncer-
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 295 
 
 uncertain who will be our fucceeding confuls.A.U.yoz. 
 
 f 
 
 As to my own purfuits -, there are two compe 
 titors with me for the .flEdilemip : the one real- 
 ly is, and the other would fain be thought, a 
 man of quality. In fhort, Marcus Odavius* 
 and Caius Hirrus * are candidates with me for 
 that office *. I mention this, as I know your 
 
 9 No particular account can be given of the perfon here 
 mentioned. It is certain however, he was not the fame 
 Oclavius, who was father of Auguftus Ca?far. For it ap- 
 pears by the epiftles to Atticus that the latter was governor 
 of Macedonia long before the time when this letter was 
 written : and confequently could not now be a candidate for 
 the office of JEdile. 
 
 1 Hirrus was a warm partizan of Pompey : but if Ci- 
 cero, who was his declared enemy, may be credited, he 
 was of a character more likely to prejudice than advance 
 any caufe he (liould efpoufe. For he reprefents him as an 
 empty, conceited coxcomb, who had the mortification to 
 Hand unrivaled in the good opinion he entertained of his 
 own merit and importance. O Dii! (fays he, fpeakingof 
 Hirrus in a letter to his brother) O Dii ! quam ineptus ; quam 
 fe ipfe amans fine ri-vali ! Yet a time came when Cicero did 
 not fcruple to court the friendfhip of this man, whom he fo> 
 much affefted to defpife : and when he was making intereft 
 to obtain the honor of a triumph for his exploits in Cilicia, 
 we find him applying to Atticus for his good offices, in 
 order to clofe the breach between Hirrus and himfelf. Ci- 
 cero feems indeed upon many occafions to have recollected 
 too late, that in popular governments, a man who is not 
 fuperior to the ambition and interefts of the world, can 
 fcarcely make a contemptible enemy. Ad Q F. iii. 8. Ad 
 An. vii, i. 
 
 a The ^Edilcs were of two kinds, plebeian, andcurule: 
 and it was the latter office that Coelius was at this rime 
 folliciting. They had the care of the Temples, Theatres, 
 and other public flruftures : as they were the judges like- 
 wife in all caufes relative to the felling or exchanging 
 eftates. Rofa. Antiq. 
 
 U 4 con-
 
 296 TH? LETTERS BOOK III, 
 
 A. 11.702. contempt for the latter will raife your impati- 
 ^ ence to be informed of the event of this elecr 
 tion. I intreat you, as foon as you fhall hear 
 that I am chofen, to give proper directions 
 about the Panthers : and in the mean time, 
 that you vyould endeavor to procure the fum 
 of money which is due to me on the bond of 
 Sittius. 
 
 I fent my firft collection of domeftic news by 
 Lucius Caftrinius Paetus : and I have given the 
 fubfequent part to the bearer of this letter. 
 Farewel. 
 
 3 It was cuftomary for the ^Ediles to entertain the peo- 
 ple with public Ihews twice during their office. The prin- 
 cipal part of thefe entertainments confifted in combats of 
 wild beafts of the moft uncommon kinds. Manut. 
 
 LET.
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO, 297 
 
 LETTER XXX. 
 
 From the fame. 
 
 OWN the truth, my friend : have I not ve- A.U. 702. 
 rified what I could not perfuade you to 
 believe when you left Rome, and written to you 
 as frequently as I promifed ! I am fure at leaft, 
 if all my letters have reached your hands, you 
 muft acknowledge that I have been a more 
 punctual correfpondent than yourfelf. I am 
 the more regular in my commerce of this kind, 
 as it is the only method I have of amufing thofe 
 few vacant hours I can fteal from bufmefs, and 
 which I ufed to take fo much pleafure in pafling 
 with you. I greatly, indeed, lament your ab- 
 fence, and look upon it, not only as having re- 
 duced me, but all Rome in general, to a ftate 
 of total folitude. When you were within my 
 reach, I was carelefs enough to let whole days 
 flip by me without feeing you : but now you 
 are abfent, I am every moment regretting the 
 lofs of your company. Thanks to my noble 
 competitor Hirrus, for giving me an additional 
 reafon thus frequently to wifh for you. It 
 would afford you high diverfion, in truth, to 
 pbferve with what a ridiculous aukwardnefs this 
 
 formi-
 
 298 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. formidable rival of yours*, endeavors to conceal 
 his mortification, in finding that my intereft in 
 the approaching election * is much ftronger 
 than his own. Believe me, however, it is more 
 For your gratification than mine, that I am de- 
 iirous you may foon receive fuch an account 
 of his fuccefs in this purfuit, as I know you wifli. 
 For as to myfelf, his difappointment may pofli- 
 bly prove a means of my being chofen in con- 
 junction with a collegue, whofe fuperior finan- 
 ces will draw me, I fear, into much inconveni- 
 ent expence. But however that may be, I mall 
 rejoice if Hirrus mould be thrown out: as it 
 will fupply us with an inexhauftible fund of 
 mirth. And this appears likely enough 
 to prove the cafe : for the difguft which the 
 people have conceived againft the other candi- 
 date Marcus Octavius, does not feem to have 
 any great effect in leffening their many objections 
 to Hirrus. 
 
 As to what concerns the behavior of Philoti- 
 mus, in relation to Milo's eftate 6 ; I have en- 
 
 * Hirrus flood in competition with Cicero for the office 
 iof Augur, when the latter was chofen. 
 
 5 See the preceding letter. 
 
 <* Milo having been fentenced to banishment; (See rem. 
 i. p. 257. of .this vol.) his eflate was fold for the bene- 
 fit of his creditors. Philotimus, a freed-man of Cicero, 
 Bought this eftate in partnerfhip with fome others, at an 
 under-value. It was thought ftrange, that Cicero fhould 
 
 deavored
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 299 
 
 deavored that he mall ad in fuch a manner as A - u - 7 02 - 
 to give full fatisfaction to Milo and his friends, 
 and at the fame time clear your character from 
 all imputation. 
 
 And now I have a favor to beg in my turn ; 
 and intreat you, when your leifure {hall permit 
 (as I hope it foon will) to give me an inftance of 
 your regard, by infcribing to me fome of your 
 literary performances. You will wonder, per- 
 haps, at the oddnefs of this requeft : but I am 
 very defirous, I confefs, that pofterity mould 
 fee, among the many ingenious momuments you 
 have erected to friendfhip, fome memorial like- 
 wife of the amity which fubfifted between us. 
 You who poffefs the whole circle of fcience, will 
 bed judge what would be the moft proper fub- 
 ject for this purpofe : but I fhould be glad it 
 
 fuffer Philotimus, who afted as a fort of a fteward in his 
 family, to engage in a purchafe of this kind, which was 
 always looked upon as odious, and was particularly fo in 
 the prefent cafe : for Cicero had received great obligations 
 from Milo. Accordingly the latter complained of it in the 
 letters he wrote to his friends at Rome. This alarmed 
 Cicero for his reputation : and he feems to have written to 
 Ccelius, as he dfd to feveral others of his correfpondents, 
 to accommodate this affair in the way that would be moft 
 to his honor. It was not eafy however entirely to vindi- 
 cate iiim upon this article : for tho' he pleaded in his jufti- 
 fication an intent of ferving Milo ; yet it appears very 
 evidently from his letters to Atticus upon thi fubjeft, that 
 he fhared with Philotimus in the advantages of the pur- 
 chafe. Afcon. in orat. pro Milon. Ad Att. V. 8. vi. 4. 5. 
 See alj'a Maxg. rent; far les let. a Att. "jol, iii. p. 4&. 
 
 might
 
 300 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U.;oz. might be of a kind that will take in the great- 
 C ^ v ^ eft number of readers, and at the fame time bear 
 a proper relation to my own ftudies and chara- 
 cter. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXXI. 
 
 To APPIUS PULCHER, 
 
 I Arrived at Tralles? on the 2;th of Jyly, 
 where I found Lucilius waiting for me with 
 your letter, which he delivered together with 
 your mefiage. You could not have employed 
 upon this occafion a more friendly hand, or one 
 who is better qualified to give me light into 
 t|iofe affairs, concerning which I was fo defirous 
 of being informed. Accordingly I liftened to 
 his accounts with great attention: as I red 
 your letter with much pleafure. I will not re- 
 mind you of the numerous good offices which 
 have paffed between us: as that part of my 
 laft, you tell me, tho* extremely agreable to 
 you, was by no means necefiary. I entirely 
 agree with you indeed, that a well-confirmed 
 friendfhip, needs not to be animated with any 
 memorials of this nature. You muft allow me 
 however, to return thofe acknowledgments I fo 
 
 7 A_ city in Afia Minor. 
 
 juftly
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 
 
 juftly owe you, for the obliging precautions A.U. 702. 
 which I find by your letter you have taken, in 
 order to eafe me in the future functions of my 
 government. Highly acceptable to me as 
 thefe your generous fervices are, can I fail 
 of being defirous to convince both you and 
 the world, that I am moft warmly your friend. 
 If there be any, who pretend to doubt of 
 this truth, it is rather becaufe they wifh it other- 
 wife, than becaufe it is not fufficiently evident. 
 If they do not yet perceive it however, they 
 certainly fhall; as we are neither of us fo 
 obfcure that our actions can pafs unregarded : 
 and the proofs I purpofe to give, will be too 
 confpicuous not to force themfelves upon their 
 obfervation. But I will not indulge myfelf any 
 farther on this fubjeft , choofing to refer you to 
 my actions rather than my profefiions. 
 
 As I find the route I propofed to take, has 
 raifed fome doubt in you, whether you mail be 
 able to give me a meeting ; I think it necelTa- 
 ry to explain that matter. In the difcourfe 
 which I had with your freed-man Phanias at 
 Brundifium, I told him I would land in any 
 part of the province that mould be moft con- 
 venient to you. Accordingly he nientioned 
 Sida; as being the port, he faid, where you 
 intended to embark. It was my refolution 
 
 there-
 
 302 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. therefore to have failed thither: but meeting 
 afterwards with our friend Clodius at Corey ra 8 , 
 he difTuaded me from that defign ; afluring me 
 that you would be at Laodicea on my arrival. 
 I mould have preferred the former as being 
 much the neareft port, and indeed the moft 
 agreable to me: efpecially as I imagined it 
 would be fo to you. But you have fince, it 
 feems, altered your plan: and therefore you 
 now can beft fettle the meafures for our inter- 
 view. As for myfelf, I propofe to be at Lao- 
 dicea? about the firft of Auguft: where I mall 
 continue a few days in order to get my bills ex- 
 changed. From thence I intend to go to the 
 army; fo that I hope to reach Iconium 1 towards 
 the 1 3th of the fame month. But if any acci- 
 dent mould prevent or retard thefe defigns, (as 
 indeed I am at prefent far diftant both from the 
 places and the purpofes of my deftination) I will 
 take care to give you as frequent and as expeditious 
 notice aspoflible of the feveral times and ftages of 
 my journey. I neither ought, nor in truth, defire, 
 to lay you under any difficulties : however, if it 
 
 8 An ifland in the Ionian Tea, at which Cicero touched 
 in his voyage to Cilicia. It is now called, Corfou, and be- 
 longs to the republic of Venice. 
 
 9 A city in Phrygia, fituated on the river Lycus. 
 
 1 A principal city in the province of Cilicia. It ftill 
 fubfifts under the name of Cogni ; and belongs to the Tur- 
 kiJh dominions. 
 
 might
 
 BOOK III. OF CICERO. 303 
 
 might be effeded without inconvenience to your- A.U.yoz. 
 felf, it feems greatly for our mutual intereft that 
 we fhould have a conference before you leave the 
 province. Neverthelefs, if any difappointment 
 fhould obftruct our interview, you may ftill re- 
 ly upon my beft fervices j and with the fame 
 fecurity as if we had met. In the mean while,' 
 I mall forbear to enter upon the fubject of our 
 affairs by letter, till I defpair of talking them 
 over with you in perfon. 
 
 I fpent the three days I continued at Ephe- 
 fus *, with Scsevola*. But tho* we entered 
 very freely into converfation, he did not men- 
 tion the leaft word of your having defired him 
 to take upon himfelf the government of the 
 province, during the interval between your 
 leaving it and my arrival. I wilh, however, it 
 had been in his power (for I cannot perfuade 
 myfelf it was not in his inclination) to have 
 complied with your requeft. Farewel. 
 
 a A very celebrated city in Ionia, fituated not far from 
 Smyrna. 
 
 3 He was probably either quaeftor, or lieutenant, to 
 Appius. 
 
 LET-
 
 3 o 4 THE LETTERS BOOK lit 
 
 LETTER XXXII. 
 
 MARCUS COELIUS to CICERO. 
 
 A.U. 7 02. 
 
 X/" O U are certainly to be envied, who have 
 A every day fome new wonder to enjoy : as 
 your admiration receives conftant fupplies in the 
 accounts of thofe ftrange events that happen a- 
 mongftus. Thus, with what aftonifhment willyou 
 hear that MefTalla 4 , after having been acquitted 
 of his firft impeachment, was condemned on a 
 fecond ; that Marcellus s is chofen conful ; that 
 Calidius 6 , after having loft his election, was im- 
 
 5 He was coufin to the prefent conful Marcus Marcellus. 
 The reader will find an account of him in the farther pro- 
 grefs of thefe remarks. 
 
 6 In the text he is called Marcus Claudius : but Ma- 
 nutius and Corradus both agree in the reading here adopt- 
 ed ; which is likewife confirmed by Pighius. He was com- 
 petitor for the confulate with Marcellus, mentioned in 
 the preceding note. The wonder therefore in thefe two 
 inftances, was, (as Mr. Rofs obferves) that Marcellus 
 fhould be chofen conful who was an avowed enemy to 
 Casfar; while Calidius, tho' fupported by the Casfarian 
 party, loft his election. 
 
 Calidius was one of the mofl agreable orators of his 
 age : as Cicero, who has drawn his character at large, 
 informs us. His fentiments were conceived with uncom- : 
 mon delicacy : as they were delivered in the moft correct, 
 perfpicuous and elegant expreifion. His words were fo 
 happily combined together, and accorded with each other 
 in fuch a well-adjufted arrangement, that Cicero, - by a 
 
 2 mediately
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 305 
 
 mediately impeached by the twp Galli; and that A.U. 702. 
 Dolabella? is appointed one of the Quindecim 
 Virs 8 ! In one article however, you are a lofer 
 by your abfence ; as it deprived you of a moft 
 diverting fpectacle in the rueful countenance 
 that Lentulus exhibited, when he found him- 
 felf difappointed of his election. It was an event 
 for which he was fo little prepared, that he en- 
 tered the field in all the gay confidence of victo- 
 ry : whilft his competitor Dolabella, on the 
 
 'contrary, was fo diffident of fuccefs, that if our 
 , >.!: : cjf or yicHrvjs ' 
 
 very ftrong image, compares his ftile to a piece of beau- 
 tiful in-laid-work. His metaphors were fo juftly imagined, 
 and fo properly introduced, that they rather feemed to arife 
 fpontaneoufly out of his fubjedl, than to have been tranf- 
 planted from a foreign foil. His periods at the fame time, 
 were exquifitely muncal. They did not however lull the 
 ear with one uniform cadence ; but were artfully diverfifi- 
 td with all the various modulations of the moft fkilful har- 
 mony. In fiiort, if to inftrudl and to pleafe had been the 
 fingle excellencies of an orator; Calidius would have merited 
 the firft rank in the Roman Forum. But he forgot, that the 
 principal bufinels of his profefiion was to animate, and to 
 inflame. Cic . de clar, orat, 274. 
 
 7 A particular account will be given of him in the notes 
 on the following book. 
 
 8 They were the prefiding mngiflrntes at the Apollina- 
 frian and fecular games, and entrufted likewife with the 
 care of the Sibylline oracles. See Mr. Rcfs on this epi- 
 ftle. 
 
 9 There is fome variation amongft the Mfs. in the read- 
 ing of this name. The beft commentators however fup- 
 pofe, that this perfon is the fame who was advanced to the 
 confulfhip two years after the date of this letter : that is, in 
 the year of Rome 704. It appears he was a competitor with 
 Dolabella for the office of Quindecimvir.^ 
 
 VOL. I. X friends
 
 0.6 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A. U.;o 2. friends of the Equeftrian order had not been 
 too wife to have fuflfered him, he would have 
 tamely retreated without the lean; conteft. But 
 as much difpofed as you may be to wonder at 
 our transitions, you will not be furprifed, I 
 dare fay, when I inform ydu that Servius, the 
 Tribune cleft, has;- been tried and convicted ; 
 and that Curio 10 is a candidate to fucceed him. 
 This laft circumflancc greatly alarms thofe who 
 are unacquainted with the real good qualities of 
 Curio's heart. I hope, and indeed believe, he 
 will act agreably to his profeflions, and join 
 with the fenate in fupporting the friends of the 
 republic. I am fure a^ leaft, he is full of thefe 
 defigas at prefent : in which Casfar's conduct 
 has been the principal occafion of engaging him. 
 For Csefar, tho* he fpafes no pains or expence 
 to gain over even the loweft of die people to 
 his intcreft", has thought fit to treat .Curio with 
 fingular contempt. The latter has behaved with, 
 fu much temper upon this occafion, that he, 
 
 * See rem. i. p. zi;. of this vol. 
 
 11 The account which Dion Caffius gives of'Csefar, ex- 
 aftly correfponds with what Ccelius here afteits. For k 
 appears from this hiftorian, that Cacfar, when he could not 
 by direft means fecure the mafter in his iutereft, infmuat- 
 cd himfelf by proper applications into the good graces of 
 the favorite flave ; and by condefceniions of this political 
 kind, he gained over many perfoni of principal rank in 
 Rome. Dio, xl. p. 1 49.
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 307 
 
 who never acted with artifice in all his life 1 *, is A.U-702. 
 fufpected to have difiembled his refentment in 
 order the more effectually to defeat the fchemes 
 of thofe who oppofe his election : I mean the 
 Laslii and the Antonii, together with the reft" of 
 that wonderful party. 
 
 I have been fo much engaged by the difficul- 
 ties which have retarded the feveral elections, 
 that I could not find leifure to write to you 
 fooner : and indeed as I every day expected they 
 would be determined, I waited their conclufion, 
 that I might give you at once an account of the 
 whole. But it is now the firft of Auguft, and 
 they are not yet over ; the elections of praetors 
 having met with fome unexpected delays. As to 
 that in which I am a candidate, I can give you 
 no account which way it is likely to be decided: 
 only it is generally thought that Hirrus will 
 not be chofen. This is collected from die fate 
 that has attended Vinicianus, who was a candi- 
 
 1 - If Curio Hid not aft with artifice in the prefent in- 
 itance ; (of which however therft is great reafon to doubt) 
 it is certain at leaft, that he was far from being fo incapa- 
 pable of aiTuming that character, as Ccelius here, repre- 
 fents him. On the contrary, it appears by the concurrent 
 teflimony of the antient hiftorians, that he fecretly favor- 
 ed the caufe of Ccefar, long before be avowed his party. 
 And Dion CafTms in particular affures us, that Curio, at 
 the fame time that he pretended to aft in concert with the 
 enemies of Csfar, was only gaining their confidence in or- 
 der :o betray them. /W. Pat ere. ii. 48. Die, xl, p. 149. 
 
 X 2 date
 
 30$ THE LETTERS Book III. 
 
 A.U. 702 . date for the office of plebeian JEdile 1 *. That 
 { ^Y > * J foolifh project of his for the nomination of 
 a dictator * (which we formerly, you may re- 
 member, expofed to fo much ridicule) fudden- 
 ly turned the election againil him : and the 
 people expreifed the loudeft acclamations of 
 joy at his repulfe. At the fame time Hirrus 
 was univerfally called upon by the populace to 
 give up his pretenfions at the enfuing election. 
 I hope therefore you will very foon hear that 
 this affair is determined in the manner you wifh 
 with refpect to me, and which you fcarce dare 
 promife yourfelf 1 *, I know, with regard to 
 Hirrus. 
 
 As to the Hate of the commonwealth!; we 
 begin to give up all expectation that the face of 
 
 J * The Plebeian ^diles were chofen out of the commons: 
 fend were in fome refpefts a fort of coadjutors to the Tri- 
 bunes. 
 
 '+ The diftator was a magiftrate inverted with fupreme 
 and abfolute power : but was never created unlefs on emer- 
 gencies of great and fudden danger, which required the 
 exertion of an extraordinary authority. Accordingly it 
 was on occafion of the difturbances that happened at Reme 
 \n the year 700* (See rem. 9. p. 256. and rem. 5. p. 
 263. of 'this vol..) that fome of the friends and flatter- 
 ers of Pompey propofed him for this office. Vinieianus 
 and Hirrus were the principal promoters of this fcheme : 
 but it was fo unacceptable to the people in general, that 
 this fingle circumftance, it appears, turned the election 
 againft the former : and probably was the chief reafon that 
 the latter wan likewife difappointed of the vEdilelhip, See 
 let. 29. of this book. j4d^F.ni. 8. 
 
 1 5 . Becaufe Hirrus was fupported by Pompey. 
 
 public
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 30$ 
 
 public affairs will be changed. However, at a A.U. 702. 
 meeting of the fenate, held on the 22d of t 
 laft month in the temple of Apollo, upon a de- 
 bate relating to the payment of the forces com- 
 manded by Pompey l6 , mention was made of 
 that legion, which, as appeared by his accounts, 
 had been lent to Casfar : and he was afked, of 
 what number of men it confifted, and for what 
 purpofes it was borrowed. In Ihort, Pompey 
 was pulhed fo ftrongly upon this article, that he 
 found himfelf under a neceffity of promifing to, 
 recall this legion out of Gaul : but he added at 
 the fame time, that the clamors of his enemies 
 mould not force him to take this ftep too pre- 
 cipitately. It was afterwards moved, that the 
 queilion might be put concerning the election 
 of a fiicceffor to Csefar. Accordingly the fenate 
 came to a refolution, that Pompey (who was 
 juft going to the army at Ariminum * 7 , and is 
 now actually fet out for that purpofe) mould be 
 
 1 6 Pompey, tho' he remained in Rome, was at this time 
 governor of Spain : which had been continued to him for 
 four years at the end of his late confulfhip. It was the 
 payment of his troops in that province, which was under 
 the confideration of the fenate. Pint, in i>if. Pomp. 
 
 *? Now railed Rimini, fituated upon the Rubicon: a 
 river which divided Italy from that part of the Roman 
 province called Cifalpine Gaul. The army here mention- 
 ed, is fuppofed to be part of thofe four legions which were 
 decreed to Pompey for the fupport of his government in 
 Spain. Vid. Plitt.'ibM. 
 
 ordered
 
 3 io THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 7 2 -ordered to return to Rome with all expedition: 
 that the affair relating to a general election of 
 new governors for all the provinces, might be 
 debated in his prefence. This point, I imagine, 
 will be brought before the fenate on the i3th 
 of this month : when, if no infamous obftacles 
 fhould be thrown in the way by the tribunes 18 , 
 the houfe will certainly come to fome refolu- 
 tion. For Pompey in the courfe of the debate, 
 let fall an intimation, that he " thought every 
 * l man owed obedience to the authority of that 
 " aflembly." However, I am impatient to 
 hear what Paulus, the fenior conful elect, will 
 fay when he delivers his opinion upon this que- 
 Ilion. 
 
 I repeat my former requeft in relation to the 
 money due to me on the bond of Sittius : and 
 I do fo, that you may fee it is an article in 
 which I am greatly interefted. I muft again 
 likewife intreat you to employ the Cybiratae % 
 
 1 3 Some of the tribunes, together with Sulpicius one of 
 the prefent ccnfuls, were wholly in Cxfar's interelt. They 
 thought, or pretended to think, that it was highly unjuft 
 to diveft Csciar of his government, before the time was 
 completed for which it had been decreed ; and of which 
 there now remained about two years unexpired. Dio, 
 xl.p- 148. 
 
 " >fj Cibyra was a city of Phrygia major, fituated upon 
 " the banks of the river Meander, and gave name to one 
 " of the three Afiatic diocefes which were under the jurif- 
 " diclion of the governor of CUicia." Mr. Rc/s, 
 
 in
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 311 
 
 in order to procure fome Panthers. I have on- A.U.jroz. 
 ly to add, that we have received certain accounts 
 of the death of Ptolemy *. Let me know 
 therefore what meafures you would advife me 
 to take upon this occafion ; in what condition 
 he has left his kingdom , and in whofe hands the 
 adminiftration is placed. Farewel 
 
 Auguft the firft. 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. 
 
 From the fame, 
 
 H 
 
 O W far you may be alarmed at the inva- 
 fion 1 which threatens your Province and 
 
 * Ptolemy Aulctes : of whom an account lias been 
 given in the notes on the firft book. Ey the following in- 
 quiries which Coelius makes, it is probable he was one of 
 thofe who had lent money to that king when he was at 
 Rome, folliciting the fenate to allift him with troops for 
 the recovery of his dominions. See rem. ?. p. 51. of 
 this vol. 
 
 1 The Parthians, having lately obtained a moft fignal 
 vi&ory over Craflus, {an account of whofe unfortunate ex- 
 pedition has already been given in the courfe of thefe notes) 
 were preparing to make an incuriion into the Roman pro- 
 vinces that lay contiguous to their dominions. Accord- 
 ingly they foon afterwards executed this defign by invad- 
 ing Syria and Cilicia : as will be related at large in the 
 letters of the following book. 
 
 The kingdom of Parthia is now included in the empire 
 of Pepfia ; of which it makes a very conliderable pro- 
 vince. 
 
 X 4 the
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U-702.the neighboring countries, I know not:, but 
 f or rnyfelf, I confefs, I am extremely anxious 
 fop the confequence. Could we contrive indeed, 
 that the enemies forces mould be only in pro- 
 portion to the number of yours, and juft fuffi- 
 cient to entitle you to the honor of a triumph* ; 
 there could not be a more defirable circum- 
 ftance. But the misfortune is, if the Parthians 
 fhould make any attempt, I well know it will 
 be a very powerful one : and I am fenfible at 
 the fame time, that you are fo little in a con- 
 dition to oppofe their march, that you have 
 fcarce troops to defend a fingle defile. But 
 the world in general, will not be fo reafonable 
 as to make the proper allowances for this cir- 
 cumftance. On the contrary, it is expefted 
 from a man in your ftation, that he mould 
 be prepared for every occurrence that may 
 arife : without once confidering whether he is 
 furnifhed with the neccifiary fupplies for that 
 purpofe. I am ftill the more uneafy upon your 
 account, as I fore- fee the contefts .concerning 
 affairs in Gaul, will retard the nomination of 
 your fuccefibr : and tho* I dare fay, you have 
 already had this contingency in your view, yet 
 I thought proper to apprife you of its probabi- 
 
 1 No general could legally claim this honor, unlefs he 
 Had deftroyed ^ccrc cf the enemy in one engagement. 7af. 
 Max. ii. 8. 
 
 lity.
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C-E R O. 313 
 
 lity, that you might be fo much the more car- A.U.yos. 
 ly in adjufting your meafures accordingly. I 
 need not tell you that the ufual artifices will 
 undoubtedly be played off. A day will be ap- 
 pointed for confidering of a fucceffor to Casfar: 
 upon which fome tribune will interpofe his 
 negative ; and then a fecond will probably de- 
 clare, that unlefs the fenate fliall be at liberty 
 to put the queftion freely concerning all the 
 provinces in general, he -will not fuffer it to be 
 Debated with regard to any in particular. And 
 thus we fhall be trifled with for a confiderable 
 time : poffibly, indeed, two or three years may 
 be fpun out by thefe contemptible arts* - . }f\ 
 
 If any thing new had occurred in public af- 
 fairs, I ihould, as ufual, have fent you the ac- 
 count, together with my fentiments thereupon : 
 but at prefent the wheels of our political ma- 
 chine feem to be altogether motionlefs. Mar- 
 cellus is ftill purfuing his former defigns con- 
 cerning the provinces : but he has not yet been 
 able to aflemble a competent number of fena- 
 tors. Had * this motion been brought on the 
 
 3 See rem. 18. on the fore- going letter. 
 
 * There is an obfcurity in the original, which the com- 
 mentators have endeavored to diffipate by various readings. 
 None of their conjectures, however, appear fo much to the 
 purpofe, as that of an ingenious gentleman, to whofe ani- 
 madverfions I have already acknowledged myfelf endebted. 
 See rem. c p. 197. of this vol. My judicious friend fuppofes 
 
 preced-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. preceding year, and had Curio at the fame time 
 been -tribune ; /'/ would probably have fucceed- 
 ed : but as affairs are now circumilanced, you 
 are fenfible how eafy it will be for Casfar, re- 
 gardlefs as he is of the public intereft when it 
 ftands in competition with his own, to obflruct 
 all our procedings. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. 
 
 From the fame. 
 
 WILL you not be furprifed when I tell 
 you of the victory I have gained over 
 Hirrus * ? But if you knew how eafy a con- 
 queft he proved, you would blufh to think, 
 that fo powerlefs a competitor once ventured to 
 ftand forth as your rival a . His behavior fince 
 this repulfe, affords us much diverfion : as he 
 now affects upon all occafions to act the patriot, 
 and vote againft C^efar. Accordingly he infifts 
 upon Ciefar's being immediately recalled : and 
 
 that fome words of the fame import v.-ith thofe which are dif- 
 tinguifhed by italics in the tranfiarion, have, been omit- 
 ted, by the careleisnefs of tranicriber= : a fuppofition ex- 
 tremely probable, and which folves the principal difficulty 
 of the text. 
 
 5 At the eleftion for curule yEdiles. See let. 29. of 
 this book. 
 
 * As a candidate with Cicero for the office of Augur. 
 
 meft
 
 BOOK. Ill- OF C I C E R O. 315 
 
 moft unmercifully inveighs againft the conduct A - u - 7 02 - 
 of Curio. In a word, as little converfant as 
 tye is in the bufmefs of the Forum, he is now 
 become an advocate profeiTed ; and moft magni- 
 rumoufly pleads in the caufe of liberty a . You 
 are to obferve however, that it is only in a 
 morning he is feifed with thefe violent fits of 
 patriotifm: for he is generally much too elevat- 
 ed in an afternoon to defcend into fo grave a 
 
 character. tl * '' 
 
 rtfrtfi^ isitoi ?ca L. .,< .: 
 I mentioned m one of my former, that the 
 
 affair of the provinces would come before the 
 fenate on the 1 3th of the laft month: never- 
 thelefs by the intervention of Marcellus, the 
 conful elect, it was put off to the firft of 1 this in- 
 flant. But when the day arrived, they could 
 not procure a fufficient number of fenators to be 
 prefent. It is now the fecond of September, 
 and nothing has yet been done in this bufmefe :. 
 and I am perfuaded it will be adjourned to the 
 following year. As far as I can fore- fee there- 
 fore, you muft be contented to leave the admi- 
 niftration of your province in the hands of fome 
 perfon, whom you mall think proper to ap- 
 point for that purpofe : as I am well convinced 
 
 * Inftead of agit faufas liberal!:, as in the common edi- 
 tions, I read with Gronovius, agit cauffim lilertatis. 
 
 you
 
 316 THE LETTERS., BOOK III. 
 
 A,U. 702- you. will not foon be relieved by a fucceflbr. 
 as Gaul muft take the fame fate with 
 the reft of the provinces ; any attempt that fhall 
 be made for fettling the general luccefTion, will 
 certainly be obftructed by Casfar's party. Of 
 this I have not the leaft doubt ; and therefore I 
 thought it neceffary to give you notice, that you 
 may be prepared to act accordingly. 
 
 I believe I have reminded you of the Pan- 
 
 j 
 
 thers, in almoft every one of my letters : and 
 furely you will not fuffer Patifcus to be more 
 liberal in this article than yourfelf. He has 
 made Curio a prefent of no lefs than half a 
 fcore : great therefore will be your difgrace, if 
 you fhould not fend me a much larger num- 
 ber. In the mean time, Curio has given me 
 thofe he received from Patifcus, together 
 with as many more from Africa : for you are 
 to know, it is not only in granting away the 
 lands of the ? public, that the generous Curio 
 difpUys his liberality. As to yourfelf, if 
 you can but charge your memory with my re- 
 quefl, you may eafily procure me as many of 
 thefe animals as you pleafe : it is only fending 
 for fome of the Cybiratse to hunt them, and 
 lifting forth your orders likewife into Pam- 
 
 7 This Teems to all ode to fome attempts which Curio had 
 lately made to revive the Agrarian laws. See revn.. 1 13. p. 
 *6c. of this vol. 
 
 phylia,.
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 3J 
 
 phylia ; where, I am told, they are taken in A.u. 
 great abundance. I am the more follicitous up- 
 on this article, as I believe my collegue and I 
 mall exhibit our games feparately j fo that the 
 whole preparation for them muft lie fmgly up- 
 on myfelf. I know you love eafe as well as I 
 do : but I mould be glad if you could by any 
 means prevail with yourfelf to part with a lit- 
 tle of it upon the prefent occalion. In good 
 earneft, you will have no other trouble, than 
 merely to give your commands : as my people 
 whom I have fent into your province in order 
 to recover the money due to me from Sittius, 
 will be ready to receive the Panthers and convey 
 them into Italy. It is probable likewife, if you 
 mould give me -any hopes of fucceeding in my 
 requeft, that I may fend a reinforcement to af- 
 fift them. 
 
 I recommend Marcus Feridius, a Roman 
 knight, to your protection and friendfhip, who 
 comes into Cilicia to tranfact fome bufmefs re- 
 lating to his private affairs. He is a young man 
 of great worth and fpirit : and his father is my 
 very particular friend. He holds an eilate under 
 certain cities in your government, of which he 
 is defirous to procure the enfranchifement : and 
 I am perfuaded he may eafily obtain his point, 
 by the intervention of your good offices. Your 
 4 employ-
 
 3 i8 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U-TOZ. employing them upon this occafion, will indeed 
 be doing an honor to yourfelf : as it will oblige 
 two men of great merit, who, I will venture to , 
 allure you, are not capable of proving un- 
 grateful. 
 
 You were miftaken when you imagined that 
 Favonius 8 was oppofed by the more contemp- 
 tible part of the people : on the contraiy, it 
 was all the better fort that voted againft him. 
 Your friend Pompey openly declares, that Cas- 
 far ought not to be admitted as a candidate for 
 the confulfhip, while he retains his command 
 in the province 9. He voted however, againft 
 palling a decree for this purpofe at prefent. 
 Scipio ' moved, that the firft of March next, 
 
 8 He was a great admirer and imitator of the virtues 
 and manner of Cato : as he was alfo in the number of 
 thofe who afTaflinated Qefar. Manutius conjectures, that 
 he was at this time chofen praztor. Plut. in <vit. Pomp, Dio, 
 xlvii. p. 356. 
 
 > Pompey, who conrributed more than any man to the 
 advancement of Csfar's power, had lately procured a law, 
 by which the perfonal appearance of the latter was dif- 
 penfed with in folliciting the confular office. But Pompey 
 now began to repent of a conceffion fo entirely unconfti- 
 tutional : not that his own defigns were more farorable to 
 the liberties of Rome, than thofe of Czfar ; but as difco- 
 vering at laft that they could not both fubfiil together. 
 His prefent oppofition however, was as impotent, as his 
 former compliances were impolitic ; and only tended to 
 bring on fo much the fooner his own deftruftion together 
 with that of the republic. Vid. ad Att. viii. 3. See rein. 8. 
 on let. 33. book ix. 
 
 1 Metellus Scipio: he was chofen conful by Pompey the 
 latter end of the lait year, agreably to a power with which 
 
 might
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 319 
 
 might be appointed for taking into confidera-A-U-yoz. 
 tion the nominating a fuccefibr in the Gallic 
 provinces , and that this matter Ihould he pro- 
 pofed to the houfe feparately and without blend- 
 ing it with any other queflion. Balbus Corne- 
 lius* was much difcompofed at this motion : and 
 I am well allured, he has complained of it to 
 Scipio in very ftrong terms. 
 
 Canidius defended himfelfupon his trial witli 
 much eloquence : but in the impeachment which 
 he afterwards exhibited, he fupported his charge 
 with little force or fpirit. Farewel. 
 
 he was inverted by the fenate, for nominating his collegue. 
 Pompey likewife married his daughter, the amiable Cor- 
 nelia : who added to the charms of her perfon, every mo- 
 ral and intellectual qualification that could render her the 
 mod eftimable and accomplished of her fex. And yet with 
 all thefe extraordinary endowments, me was {till more dif- 
 tinguifhed by that fmgular modefly and humility with which 
 they were accompanied. It is Plutarch who gives her this 
 character: upon which Monfieur Dacierremarks ; ye dois etre 
 plus perfuade quun autre, que feloge que Plutarque donne a Gome- 
 lie, peut rtetre point flatte. J^ai itn exemple doniejlique, qui 
 prsu<ve que beaucoup (Tejprit et de /avoir, et de grands talent 
 peiment fe tracvtr dans unfemme, et etre accompanies tfune mo- 
 deftie a:ijji grande et plus eftimable encore que jes talens. May 
 I add my fuffrage to that of this celebrated critic, by declar- 
 ing from the lame domeftic experience, that uncommon 
 knowledge and a fuperior understanding, are perfectly con- 
 fiftent with thofe more valuable qualities of the heart which 
 conftitute the principal grace and ornament of the female 
 character. Plut. in <uit. Pomp. Let vies de Plut.par Dae. <vol. 
 v. p. 498. rem. 89. 
 
 * He was inviolably attached to Cafar, and feems to have 
 been the principal manager of his affairs at Rome. 
 
 L E T-
 
 320 THE LETtERS BOOK HI. 
 
 LETTER XXXV. 
 
 To MARCUS MARCELLUS ', conful. 
 
 Very warmly congratulate you on your rela- 
 tion Caius Marcellus being elected to fucceed 
 you : as I fmcerely rejoice in your having re 
 ceived this happy fruit of your pious affection to 
 your family, of your patriot-zeal to your country, 
 and of your illuftrious deportment in the con- 
 
 3 He was diflinguifhed by a long line of anceftorsj 
 who had borne the moft honorable offices in the republic : 
 as he himfeif was advanced to the confular dignity this 
 year, in conjunction with Servius Sulpicius Rufus. It is 
 mentioned to the credit of both thefe illuftrious magiftratesj 
 that they were chofen without having employed thofe cor- 
 rupt and violent meafures, which were at this period fo ge- 
 nerally praftifed : and Marcellus, in particular, had recom- 
 mended himfeif to the people by the fuperior grace and ener- 
 gy of his eloquence. It has already been obferved in thefe 
 remarks, that he was extremely zealous in promoting the de- 
 cree by which Catfar was recalled from his province, 
 and which forwarded the flames of that unhappy ci- 
 vil war, which foon afterwards broke out to the deftruc- 
 tion of the commonwealth. Upon that occafion, Marcel- 
 lus took the part of Pompey. But after the battle of Phar- 
 ialia, he threw down his arms, and withdrew to Mitylena;, 
 the capital of Lefbos, where he purpofed to devote the 
 remainder of his days to a philofophical retirement. But 
 being perfuaded by his friends, and particularly by Cicero, 
 to accept the clemency of the viftor ; he at length yielded 
 to their follicitation : and was preparing to return home, 
 when he was cruelly aflaflinated by a man who had been 
 in the number of his clients. The reader will find a parti- 
 cular account of this murder together with fome other cir- 
 cumftances concerning Marcellus, in the farther progrefs of 
 thefe letters and remarks. Suet, in lit. 'Tiler \ , Dio, xl. p. 
 148. Cic. de. elar. orat. 250. ep. Fam. iv. 12. 
 
 fular
 
 III; OF CICERO. 
 
 fular office. I can eafily imagine the fenti- A.U. 703. 
 ments which your addrefs upon this occafiori ( ^*** 
 has created in Rome : and as to myfeif whom 
 you have fent to thefe far diftant parts of 
 the globe , believe me, I fpeak of it with the 
 higheft and moft unfeigned applaufe, I can 
 with ftrict truth aflure you, that I have ever 
 had a particular attachment to you from your 
 earlieft youth: as I am fenfible, you have always 
 fhewn by your generous offices in promoting ' 
 my dignities, that you deemed me worthy of 
 the moft diftinguifhed honors. But this late 
 inftance of your judicious management in pro- 
 curing the confulfhip for Marcellus, together 
 with the proof it affords of the favor in which 
 you ftand with the republic, has raifed you ftill 
 higher in my efteem. It is with great compla- 
 cency, therefore, 1 hear it obferved by men of 
 the firft diftin&ion for fenfe and merit, tHat in 
 all our words and actions, our taftes and ftu- 
 dies, our principles arid purfuits, we bear a 
 ftrorig refemblance to each other. The only 
 circumftance that can render your glorious coh- 
 fulate ftill mo're agreable to me, will be your 
 procuring a fuccefibr to be nominated to this 
 province, as foon. as poflible. But if this can- 
 not be obtained , let me intreat you at leaft no't? 
 to fuffer my continuance here to be prolonged' ... 
 . I. Y beyond; 
 
 : -r-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. beyond the time limited by your decree and the 
 w which pafled for that purpofe. In a word, 
 I hope upon all occafions to experience in my 
 abfence, the benefit of your friendlhip and prote- 
 ftion. Farewel. 
 
 P. S. I have received fome intelligence con- 
 cerning the Parthians: but as it is not at pre- 
 fent fufficiently confirmed, I forbear to com- 
 municate the particulars to you. For as I am 
 writing to a conful, my letter, perhaps, might 
 be confidered as an information to the fenate. 
 
 LETTER XXXVI. 
 To CAIUS MARCELLUS*, conful elect. 
 
 I Received great pleafure in hearing of your 
 advancement to the confulate. May the 
 gods give you fuccefs in the enjoyment of this 
 honor ; and may you difcharge its important 
 duties in a manner worthy of your own illuftri- 
 ous character and that of your excellent father ! 
 You have my beft wifhes indeed upon this oc- 
 cafion, not only from affection, but gratitude, 
 and in return to thole warmeft inftances of 
 
 4 He was coufin german to Marcus Marcellus, to 
 whom the preceding letter is addrefled-j and by whofe in- 
 tereft, in conjunction with that of Pompey, he was elefted 
 to fucceed him in the confular office. He purfued the po- 
 litics of his illuftricus relation and predeceffor, by firmly 
 oppofing the views of*Ca:l?r. Dio, xl. 
 
 your
 
 BOOK III. OF C I C E R O. 323 
 
 your fricndfhip which I have ever experienced A. U.yoz. 
 in all the various incidents of niy life. Many 
 and important are the obligations likewife which 
 I have received from your father, both as my 
 protector in adverfity, and as having contri- 
 buted to adorn my profperity. I muft add alfo 
 to this family-lift of my benefactors, your worthy 
 mother : whofe zealous fervices in behalf both 
 of my perfon and dignities have rifen much high- 
 er than could have been expected from one of 
 the tender fex. Being then, as I moft certainly 
 ought, entirely devoted to your family j let me 
 earneftly intreat your friendship and protection 
 in my abfence* Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. 
 
 To CAIUS MARCELLUS*. 
 
 TH E advancement of your fon to the con- 
 fular dignity, and your enjoying a plea- 
 fure you fo much wifhed to obtain, are circum- 
 ftances which afford me a very uncommon fa- 
 tisfaction. They do fo indeed, not only upon 
 his account, but yours, whom I efteem as high- 
 ly deferving of every advantage that Fortune 
 can beftow. Let me acknowledge at the fame 
 time, that I have experienced your fmgular 
 
 5 Father of Caius Marcellus, to whom t}-,e fore -going 
 letter is written. 
 
 Y 2 good-
 
 324 THE LETTERS BOOK III. 
 
 A.U. 702. good- will towards me, both in the adverfe and 
 prosperous feafons of my life : as my welfare 
 and honors have been the zealous concern, in 
 truth, of your whole family. I mail be ex- 
 tremely obliged to you therefore for making my 
 fincere and particular congratulations upon this 
 occafion to that excellent woman, your wife. 
 To which requefi I will only add, that I intreat 
 the continuance of your friendfhip and protection 
 in my abfence. FareweL 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. 
 To Lucius PAULus 6 , conful elect. 
 
 TH O' I never once doubted, that in con- 
 fideration of your moft illuilrious family, 
 and of thofe important fervices you have your- 
 felf likewife rendered to the commonwealth, 
 you would be unanimoufly elected conful 5 yet 
 the confirmation of this defirable news, afforded 
 me an inexpreflible fatisfaction. It is my fin- 
 cere wifh, that the gods may give fuccefs to 
 your adminiftration, and that you may acquit 
 
 6 He was collegue with Cams Marcellus, mentioned in 
 the laft note. He fet out in his adminiftration, it was thought, 
 with principles agreable to thofe of his aiibciate. But Ca> 
 far perfectly well knew how to make him change his fehti- 
 ments : and by proper applications to his avarice and pro- 
 fufion, he added him to the number of his fupple mercena- 
 ries. Ph.!. in <uit. Pomp. 
 
 your-
 
 BOOK III, OF C I C E R O. 325 
 
 yourfelf of this honorable and importaut truft,A.U-7oz, 
 as becomes your own character and that of your 
 diflinguiflied family. I fhould have thought 
 myfelf extremely happy to have been prefent at 
 your election, and to have contributed thofe fer- 
 vices which your extraordinary favors to me re- 
 quire. But as the unexpected government of 
 this province has deprived me of that pleafurc ; 
 I hope I fhali have the fatisfaction of feeing you 
 at leaft, in the worthy exercife of your confular 
 office. For this purppfe, I molt earneflly in- 
 treat you not to fuffer me to be injurioufly con- 
 tinued in this province beyond the expiration of 
 my year : a favor which I mail efteem as a very 
 confidcrable addition to thofe inftances offriend- 
 Ihip, I have already received at your hands, 
 farewej. 
 
 Y 3 JL T,
 
 ( 3=7) 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 O F 
 
 Marcus Tullius Cicero 
 
 T O 
 
 Several of his FRIENDS. 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 To the confuls, the praetors, the tribunes of the 
 people, and the fenate. 
 
 THE many obftructions I met with in A. 11.702; 
 my way to this province 1 , both by fea^^VN* 
 and land, prevented me from reaching it 
 
 1 Cicero's province comprehended not only Cilicia, but 
 Pamphylia, Lycaonia, part of Phrygia, and 'the ifland* of 
 Cyprus, together with feme other lefs confiderable appen- 
 
 Y 4 fooner
 
 328 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 than the laft of July. I thought it my 
 
 V firft duty on my arrival, to fee that the Militia 
 and Garrifons were in good order ; being, arti- 
 cles in which the intereft of the republic is prin- 
 cipally concerned. Accordingly I have taken 
 all proper meafures to that end: tho' I cannot 
 forbear adding, that I have been enabled to 
 effect this, more by my own care and diligence, 
 than from any fupplies I was furnifhed with for 
 that purpofe. Having thus adjufted my mili- 
 tary preparations, and receiving daily intelli- 
 gence that the Parthians had actually invaded 
 Syria-, I thought it advifeable to move with my 
 forces thro' Lycaonia, Ifaurica, and Cappado- 
 cia. It feemed highly probable indeed, if the 
 enemy had any defign of attempting an irrup- 
 tion into my province, that they would direct 
 their route thro* Cappadocia , as being a coun- 
 try that could give them the leaft oppofition. 
 I marched therefore into that part of Cappado- 
 cia which lies contiguous to Cilicia, and en- 
 camped at Cybiilra : a town at the foot of 
 Mount Taurus. I had a double view in con- 
 ducting my troops to this place. The firft was, 
 that in whatever difpofition Artuafdes, king of 
 Armenia, flood towards us, he might be fenfi- 
 
 dages. Cilicia was firfl added to the Roman provinces by 
 Publius Servilius, furnamed Ifauricus, in the year of Rome 
 6&o. Ad Alt. v. 21 . Am, Marcellin. xiv. 8. 
 
 ble
 
 BOOK IV. OF G I C E R O. 329 
 
 ble that a Roman army was not far from his A.U. 70*, 
 frontiers : and in the next place, tnat I might 
 be as near as pofllble to Deiotarus * : a prince, 
 I well knew, extremely our friend, and whofe 
 counfel and affiftance might prove of great ad*- 
 yantage in the prefent conjuncture. As foon as 
 I had finifhed my encampment, I detached my 
 cavalry before me into Cilicia. This I did in 
 order to confirm the feveral cities in that part of 
 my province in their allegiance, by giving them 
 notice of my arrival : and likewife that I might 
 have the earliefl intelligence of what was tranfa<5t- 
 ing in Syria. During the three days that I conti- 
 nued in this camp, I was engaged in difcharging 
 a commiflion equally necefTary and important. 
 I had received your exprefs commands to take 
 
 2 He was prince of Galatia : a country bordering on 
 Phrygia. He diftinguifhed his zeal for the republic in 
 all the Afiatic wars in which the Romans were engaged du- 
 ring his reign, and was particularly ferviceable to Pompey 
 in his expedition againft Mithridates : for which he was ho- 
 nored by the fenate with the title of king. Some time after 
 the battle of Pharfalia, (in which he joined with Pompey) 
 his own grandfon came to Rome with an impeachment 
 againft him. He pretended that Deiotarus formed a defign, 
 when Caefar was his gueft as he lately paffed thro' his do- 
 minions, of aflaffinating that general. This caufefeemsto 
 have been pleaded in Ca:far's own houfe : where both Ci- 
 cero and Brutus appeared as advocates for Deiotarus. 
 The fpeech which the former made upon this occafion, is ftill 
 extant : and if an orator may be credited in the character 
 he gives of his client, this prince was endowed with every 
 royal virtue. Or at, pro Deiot. 
 
 the
 
 330 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U-702.the worthy and faithful Ariobarzanes under 
 my particular protection > and to defend both 
 his perfon and his kingdom to the utmofl of my 
 power. In your decree which palled for this 
 purpcfc a claufe was inferted, declaring that 
 " the welfare of this province was much the 
 " concern of the people and fenate of Rome :" an 
 honor which was never before paid to any poten- 
 tate. For this reafon, I thought it became me to 
 fignify to him in perfon, the diftindion which 
 you had conferred upon him. I acquainted 
 him therefore, in the prefence of my council, 
 with the infbructions you had given me in his 
 behalf : and called upon him to let me know if 
 there was any inftance in which he had occa- 
 
 3 The kingdom of Cappadocia, of which Ariobarzanes 
 was monarch, was of a very large extent ; comprehending 
 the greater part of thofe countries, at prefent under the Ot- 
 toman dominion, which are now called Amafia, Genec, and 
 Tocat. It appears however by the letters to Atticus, that 
 this kingdom was fo extremely impoverifhed, that the 
 crown was almoft wholly deftitute of any revenues : a cir- 
 cumftance to which Horace alludes in one of his epi- 
 ffles, 
 
 Mancij'iis locufles eget aris Cappadocum Rex. 
 
 The inftance that Plutarch gives of the great fcarcity of 
 money among thefe people is indeed almoft incredible, if 
 if what the antient geographers afTert be true, that their 
 country abounded in filver mines : for that hillorian tells us, 
 that when Lucullus was carrying on the war againft Mi- 
 thridates in this part of the world, an ox fold in Cappadocia 
 for about four pence, and a flave for fix pence. Ad Att. 
 vi. i. //-;-. ep. i. 6. Plut. in iiY, Lnculli. 
 
 fion
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 331 
 
 (ion for my fervice. I aflured him at the fame A.U. 702. 
 time on my own part, that I offered him my 
 protection with the utmoft zeal and fidelity. 
 He began his fpeech with expreffmg a proper 
 lenfe of the high honor thus conferred upon him 
 by the people and fcnate of Rome. He then 
 addrefled his acknowledgments to me in parti- 
 cular, for having executed my commiflion in 
 fuch a manner as to convince him both of the 
 fmcerity with which I proffered him my good 
 offices and of the ftrong injunctions I had received 
 from the republic for that purpofe. 
 
 It gave me great fatisfaction to hear him fay 
 in this our firft interview, that he neither knew, 
 nor indeed fufpected, any defigns to be carrying 
 on either againft his life, or his crown. After 
 J had congratulated him upon fo happy a cir- 
 cumftance, and exhorted him, in remembrance 
 pf his father's fate, carefully to obferve the ad- 
 monitions of the fenate in being particularly 
 cautious of his perfon j he took his leave, and 
 returned to Cybrifta. The next day however 
 he paid me a fecond vifit in my tent, ac- 
 companied by his brother Ariarathes, toge- 
 ther with feveral venerable old minifters of 
 his late father : who, in a very plaintive and 
 Affecting manner, all joined with him in im- 
 ploring my protection. Upon my inquir- 
 ing,
 
 332 THE L E T T E R S BOOK IV, 
 
 g^ with much furprize, what fudden accident 
 d occafioned this unexpected vifit; he told 
 me, that he had juft received certain informa- 
 tion of a defign to feife his crown -, that thofe 
 who were apprifed of this confpiracy, had not 
 the courage to difclofe it till my arrival, but in, 
 confidence of my protection had now ventured. 
 to lay open to him the whole plot ; and that; the 
 difaffected party had actually made treafonable ap- 
 plications to his brother: of whofe lingular loyalty 
 and affection, he exprefied at the fame time, the 
 ilrongeft afiurance. This account was confirmed 
 me by Ariarathes himfelf, who acknowledged 
 that he had been follicited to accept the govern- 
 ment : which in effect, he faid, was avowing 
 their intention of deflroying Ariobarzanes, as 
 he could never reign during his brother's life. 
 He added, that he had not acquainted the king 
 with thefe treafonable overtures before, as being 
 apprehenfive for his own perfon, if he had ven- 
 tured to reveal them fooner. When he had finifh,- 
 ed, I exhorted Ariobarzanes to take all proper 
 precautions for his fecurity : and then turning 
 to the approved and experienced minifters of 
 his father's and grand- father's reign ; I re- 
 minded them of the cruel fate that had attend- 
 ed their late fovereign, and admonifhed them 
 
 to
 
 BOOK IV; OF C ! C E R (X 333 
 
 to be fo much the more particularly vigilant in A.U.yox. 
 protecting their prefent. 
 
 The king requeued me to lupply him with 
 forhe troops both of horfe and foot : which 
 however I refufed, notwithstanding I was im- 
 powered, and indeed directed, to do fo by your 
 decree. The truth is, the daily accounts I re- 
 ceived of what was tfanfacting in Syria, render- 
 ed it expedient for the intereft of the republic, 
 that I mould march my whole army with all ex- 
 pedition to the borders of Cilicia. Eefides, as 
 the confpiracy againft Ariobarzanes was now 
 fully detected, he appeared to be in a condition 
 of defending his crown without the afiiftance of 
 a Roman army. I contented myfelf therefore 
 with giving him my advice : and recommended 
 it to him, as the firft art of government, to 
 found his fecurity on the affections of his peo- 
 ple. With this view, I perfuaded him to exert 
 his royal authority in the prefent conjuncture, 
 no farther than neceflity mould require, and 
 againft thofe only whom he perceived to be 
 moft deeply engaged in the plot: as for the reft, 
 that he mould grant them a free and general 
 pardon. To which I added, that the beft ufe 
 he could make of my army, was to intimidate 
 the guilty from perfevering in their defigns, ra- 
 ther than actually to tunx it againft them : and 
 
 that
 
 334 T E LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A. U. 702. that when the decree of the fenate in his favor 
 ihould be generally known, the difaffected par- 
 ty would be well convinced that I fhould not 
 fail of aflifting him purfuant to your orders, if 
 occafion required. 
 
 Having thus encouraged him, I ftruck my 
 tents : and am now proceeding on my march to 
 Cilicia. I had the fatisfaction in leaving Cap- 
 padocia to reflect, that my arrival had wonder- 
 fully, and indeed almoft providentially, deliver- 
 ed that monarch from a confpiracy which was 
 upon the very point of taking effect. This re- 
 flection was fo much the more agreablc to me, 
 as you had, not only voluntarily and without 
 any application for that purpofe, honored Ario- 
 barzanes with the acknowledgment of his regal 
 tide, but had particularly recommended him to 
 my protection, and exprcfsly declared in your 
 decree that his fecurity was highly your con- 
 cern. I judged it proper therefore to fend you 
 this minute account of what has pafled in rela- 
 tion to Ariobarzanes, that you might fee with 
 how much prudence you had long before pro- 
 vided againft a contingency, which had well- 
 nigh happened. And this I the rather do, as 
 that prince appears to be fo faithfully attached 
 to the republic, as well as endowed with fuch 
 great and excellent qualities, as to juflify the 
 
 extra-
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 335 
 
 extraordinary zeal you have fhewn for his in-A.u. 70z . 
 tereft. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 To THERM us, .Proprietor*. 
 
 LUCIUS Genucilius Curvus, has been long 
 in the number of my mod intimate friends: 
 as indeed no man poiTefTes a worthier, or more 
 grateful heart. I recommend him therefore, 
 moft warmly and entirely to your protection ; 
 befeeching you to affifr. him upon every occafion 
 that fhall not be inconfiftent with your honor 
 and dignity. This is a reftridion, however, 
 which I might well have fpared : as I am fure 
 he will never make you a requeft unworthy 
 either of your character, or his own. But I 
 muft particularly intreat your favor in relation 
 to his affairs in Hellefpontus. In the firft place 
 then, I beg you would confirm the grant of cer- 
 tain lands wfyich was made to him by the city 
 of Parion *, and which he has hitherto enjoyed 
 
 * Quintus Minucius Thermus. was pnetor in the year of 
 Rome 701 . At the expiration of his office he was appoint- 
 ed proprietor or governor of that part of the Afiatic conti- 
 nent, tilled Afia proper : whicU included Lydia, Ionia, Ca- 
 ria, Myfia, and part of Phrygia. Cicero fpeaks of him in 
 a letter to Atticus, as exercifing his admir.iflration with great 
 integrity. Ad Att. vi. i. 
 
 5 A city in Hellefpont, 
 
 4 without
 
 336 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. without moleftation : in the next place, that if 
 any inhabitant of Hellefpontus fhould contro- 
 vert his rights of this kind, you would direct 
 the caufe to be heard in that diftrict. But after 
 having already amgned him wholly to your pa- 
 tronage, it is unneceflary to point out particular 
 articles wherein I requeft your good offices. To 
 fay all then in one word; be afiured I fhall 
 confider every inftance wherein you fhall ad- 
 vance either his honor or his intereft, as fb 
 many immediate favors conferred upon myfelf. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 To APPIUS PULCHER. 
 
 TH O* I am by no means difpofed to be 
 more favorable to myfelf than to you, In 
 judging of the part we have refpectively acted to- 
 wards each other , yet when I reflect oh our late 
 mutual behavior, I have far greater reafon to be 
 fatisfied with my own conduct than with yours. 
 As I knew the high rank which Phanias juftly 
 poffefTes in your confidence and efteem ; I inquir- 
 ed of him when we met at Brundifium, in what 
 part of the province he imagined you chofe T 
 
 fliould
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 337 
 
 fhould receive the refignation of your govern- A.U. 702. 
 ment. He allured me it would be extremely 
 agreable to you if I landed at Sida 6 . For this 
 reafon^ notwithftanding I could not have 
 made fo fplendid an entrance from that cityj 
 and it was inconvenient to me likewife upon 
 many other accounts , yet I told him I would 
 certainly comply with your inclinations. Some- 
 time afterwards I had a conference with your 
 friend Clodius, at Corcyra : and I always con- 
 fider myfelf as talking to you, when ever I am 
 converting with him. I repeated therefore the 
 fame promife I had given to Phanias : and af- 
 fured him that I intended to purfue the route 
 which the latter had marked out to me. Clo- 
 dius made many acknowledgments upon this 
 occafion in your name : but intreated me to 
 change my defign and proceed directly to Lao- 
 dicea. For it was your purpofe, he faid, to 
 advance towards the maritime part of the pro- 
 vince, in order to embark as foon as pofiible. 
 He added at the fame time, it was from your 
 great defire to fee me that you had deferred your 
 departure : for had any other perfon been your 
 fuccefibr, you would not have waited his arri- 
 val. And this indeed correfponded with the 
 
 6 A fea-porttown of considerable note in Pamphylia. 
 VOL, I< Z letters
 
 33 8 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. letters I received from you at Rome : by which 
 "" 
 
 I perceived your great impatience to leave the 
 
 province. I informed Clodius that I would 
 comply with his requeil : and with much more 
 willingnefs, I told him, than if I had been to 
 have executed my firft engagement with Pha- 
 nias. I therefore changed my plan, and imme- 
 diately gave you notice of it with my own hand : 
 which I find by your letter you received in due 
 time. When I reflect upon my conduit in this 
 inftance, I have the fatisfaction to be afibred, 
 that it is perfectly confonant to the ftridteft 
 friendlhip. And now let me defire" you to con- 
 fider your behavior in return. You were fo far 
 then from waiting in that part of the province 
 which would have given us the earlieft oppor- 
 tunity of an interview ; that you withdrew ? to 
 fuch a diilance, as to render it impoflible for 
 me to reach you within the thirty days limited 
 
 7 It was ufual for the governors of provinces when they 
 entered upon their adminiflration, to publifh what they fti- 
 led an edifi: which was a kind of code or formulary of 
 laws, by which they intended to proceed in the diipenfa- 
 tion ofjuftice. Cicero's inititutes of this fort, were found- 
 ed upon maxims fo extremely different from thofc by which 
 Appius had regulated himfelf, that the latter looked upon 
 them as fo many indirect reflections upon- his own unwor- 
 thy conducl. And this feems to have been the occafion of 
 His treating Cicero in die manner, of which he here, and 
 in other fubfequent letters, fo much and fo juilly complains. 
 . i. 
 
 (if
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 339 
 
 (if I miftake not) by the Cornelian law 8 , forA.U.702. 
 your departure. This proceeding (to fpeak 
 of it in the fofteft terms) rnuft look with no 
 friendly afp?6t in the eye of thofe, who are un- 
 acquainted with our real fentiments towards each 
 other: as it has the appearance of your in- 
 duftrioufly avoiding a conference. Where- 
 as mine, on the contrary, mufc undoubtedly be 
 deemed conformable to whatever could be ex- 
 pected from the ftrongeft and moft intimate 
 union. 
 
 In the letter I received from you before my 
 arrival in the province, tho* you mentioned 
 your defign of going to Tarfus 9, you flill flat- 
 tered me with hopes of a meeting. In the mean 
 time, there are fdme who have the malice, (for 
 malice I fuppofe is their motive, as that vied 
 indeed is widely diffufed among mankind;) 
 there are fome who lay hold of this plaufible 
 pretence to alienate me from you : little aware, 
 that I am not eafily Ihaken in my friendfhips. 
 They allure me, that when you had reafon 
 to believe I was arrived in the province* 
 
 8 This law was fo called, from its author Cornelius Syll* 
 the didtator, 
 
 9 The capital city of Cilicia. It is celebrated by Stra- 
 bo, for having once vied with Athens and Alexandria to ' 
 polite and philofophical literature : but it is far more wor- 
 thy of notice as being the birth-place of that great Apoftle 
 of the gentjles, Saint Paul. 
 
 Z 2 you
 
 340 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.ycz.you held a court of judicature at Tarfus ; and 
 exercifed fuch other acts of authority, as even 
 thofe who have yet fome little time unexpired 
 in their miniftry, do not ufually choofe to dif* 
 charge. Their infmuations, neverthe.lefs, are far 
 from making any imprefiion upon me. On the 
 contrary, I rather confider you as having kind- 
 ly eafed me of part of my approaching trouble : 
 and I rejoice that you have thus abridged me 
 of one fatiguing month, out of the twelve I 
 muft pafs thro* in my government. To fpeak 
 freely, however, there is a circumftance that 
 gives me concern ; and I cannot but regret to 
 find, that out of the fmall number of forces in 
 the province, there are no lefs than three com- 
 plete cohorts wanting : and I know not in what 
 part they are difperfed. But my principal un- 
 eafinefs is, that I cannot learn where I mall fee 
 you : and I mould have fooner told you fo, if 
 I had not concluded from your total filence both 
 as to what you were doing, and where you pro- 
 pofed to give me an interview, that I might 
 daily expect your arrival. I have therefore dif- 
 patched my brave and worthy friend Antonius> 
 prefect of the Evocati *, with this letter ; and 
 
 1 Thefe were troops compofed of experienced foldiers 
 who had ferved out their legal time, or had received their 
 difmiflion as a reward of their valor. They ufually guard - 
 
 if
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 341 
 
 if you think proper, you may deliver up toA.U.ycz. 
 him the command of the troops : that I may 
 be able to enter upon fome action ere the fea- 
 fon is too far advanced. I had reafon to hope, 
 both from our friendfhip and your letters, to 
 have had the benefit of your advice upon this 
 occafion : and indeed I will not even yet defpair 
 of enjoying that advantage. However, unlefs 
 you give me notice, it is impoflible I Ihould 
 difcover either when or where I am to have that 
 fatisfaction. In the mean while, I mail endea- 
 vor to convince even the moft uncandid, as 
 well as the equitable part of the world, that I 
 am fincerely your friend. I cannot forbear faying 
 neverthelefs, that thofe who are not difpofed 
 to judge in the moft favorable manner, have 
 fome little caufe to imagine you do not bear the 
 fame amicable difpofirion towards me : and I 
 mail be much obliged to you for endeavoring 
 to remove their fufpicions. 
 
 That you may not be at a lofs what me.ifures 
 to take in order to our meeting confidently *. 
 
 ed the chief ftandard, and were excufed from the more fer- 
 vile employments of the military functions. 
 
 a It appears by what follows, that this time was already 
 elapfed. Mr. Rofs was aware of this difficulty; r.d has 
 folved it by fuppofing that Cicero " mufl mean fom; -.-e 
 " 'without the limits of the province." For otherwife, Ci- 
 cero's requeft cannot be reconciled, that commentator ob- 
 fervei, to the terms of the Cornelian law. 
 
 Z 3 with
 
 -4.2 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 o - 
 
 A.U. 702. with the terms of the Cornelian law ; I think it 
 necefiary to inform you, that I arrived in the 
 province on the laft day of July -, that I march- 
 ed from Iconium on the 3 1 ft of Auguft , and 
 am now advancing to Cilicia by the way of 
 Cappadocia. After having thus traced out my 
 route, you will let me know, in cafe you mould 
 think proper to meet me, what time and pi act; 
 will be moft convenient to you for that purpofe. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 To MARCUS CATO*. 
 
 I Thought it agreable to our friendfhip tQ 
 communicate to you the intelligence I have 
 lately received. I am to inform you, then, that 
 envoys from Antiochus, king of Commagene *, 
 arrived in my camp at Iconium on the 3Oth 
 of Auguft. They brought me advice that 
 the king of Parthia's fon, who is married, it 
 feems, to a fifter of the king of Armenia, was 
 advanced to the banks of the Euphrates j that 
 
 3 Some account will be given of this great and cele- 
 brated patriot, in the notes on the firft letter of the follow- 
 ing book. 
 
 + Commagene was a part of Syria not fubjefted to the 
 Roman dominion. 
 
 2 he
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E P. O. 345 
 
 he was at the head of a very confiderable army 7 
 
 ; ^ 
 compofed of his own nation, together with a 
 
 large body of foreign auxiliaries ; that he had 
 actually begun to tranfport .his troops overthe 
 river , and that it was reported the king of Ar- 
 menia had a defign to invade Cappadocla. I 
 have forborne to acquaint the lenate with this 
 news, for two reafons. The nrft is, becaufe. the 
 Commagenian envoys allured me that Antio- 
 chus had immediately difpatched r.n exprefs to 
 Rome with this account : and in the next place, 
 as. I knew the proconful Marcus Bibulus 3 had 
 failed from Ephefus with a favorable wind 
 about the I3th of Auguft, I imagined he had 
 by this time reached his province, and would 
 be able to give the fenate a more certain and par- 
 ticular intelligence. 
 
 As to my own fituation with refpect to this 
 important war: it is my utmoft endeavor to- find 
 that fecurity from the clemency of my admini- 
 ftration, and the fidelity of our allies, which I 
 can fcarce expect from the flrength and number 
 of my troops. I have only to add my intrea- 
 ties that you would continue, as ufual, to favor 
 me with your friendly offices in my abfence. 
 Farewel. 
 
 * Proconful of Syria. 
 
 Z 4 LET-
 
 344 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 To THERMUS, Proprietor. 
 
 A.U.7oz./^LUVIUS Puteolanus diftinguifhes me 
 U p 0n a n occafions with the higheft marks 
 of efteem : as indeed we are united in the ftri- 
 cteft bands of amity. He has fome affairs in 
 your province : and unlefs he fhould be able by 
 my means to fettle them during your admins 
 ftration, he looks upon them as utterly defperate. 
 This tafk my very obliging friend has affigned 
 to my care : and I take the liberty (in confidence 
 of tjiat moft amicable difpofition you have ever 
 discovered towards me) of transferring it to 
 yours ; with this reftriction, neverthelefs, that it 
 do not engage you in too much trouble. I am to 
 inform you then, that the corporations of My- 
 lata and Alabanda are refpedively indebted 
 to Cluvius : and that Euthydemus afllired me 
 when I faw him at Ephefus, he, would take care 
 that Syndics 6 mould be fent to Rome from the 
 former, in order to adjuft the matters in contro- 
 verfy between them. This however has not 
 
 5 Two cities of Caria, in Afia minor. 
 
 6 Thefe officers were a kind of follicitors to the treafury 
 of their rcfpe&ive corporations. 
 
 i been
 
 BOOK. IV. OF CICERO. 345 
 
 been performed : on the contrary, I hear they A 
 have commiflioned deputies to negotiate this af- 
 fair in their (lead. But Syndics are the proper 
 perfons : and therefore I intreat you to command 
 thefe cities to difpatch thofe officers to Rome, ' 
 that this queflion may be foon and finally de- 
 termined. I am farther to acquaint you, that 
 Philotes of Alabanda has afiigned certain ef- 
 fects to Cluvius by a bill of fale. But the 
 time for payment of the money for which they 
 are a fecurity, being elapfed ; I beg you 
 would compel him either to difcharge the debt, 
 or to deliver the goods to the agents of Cluvi- 
 us. My friend has likewife fome demands of 
 the fame kind upon the cities of Heraclea and 
 Bargylos ?. I befeech you therefore either to 
 procure him fatisfadion by an immediate pay- 
 ment, or to oblige them to put him in pof- 
 feffion of a proportionable part of their demefns. 
 The corporation of Caunus 8 is alfo indebted to 
 Cluvius : but they infift that as the money has 
 been ready for him, and actually lodged in the 
 temple, for that purpofe, he is not entitled 
 to any intereft beyond the time the principal was 
 fo depofited a ". I intreat the favor of you to in- 
 
 7 In Caria. 
 
 8 This city was likewife in Caria. 
 
 a This panage is rendered in a fenfe very different from 
 that in which all the commentators have underftood it. 
 They take the exprefuon, aiunt fe pecuniam depojitam habu- 
 
 quire
 
 34 6 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. quire into the truth of the faft : and if it fhall 
 appear that the fum in queflion was not paid 
 
 ijje, to mean, that the Caunians pretended the money in 
 difpate was a depofite : and therefore that they were not 
 liable to pay intereft. But if we fnppofe the queftion be- 
 tween the Caunians and Cluvius to have been, whether the 
 fum he demanded, was, or was not, a depofite; the re- 
 <jueft which Cicero afterwards makes, muft be highly un- 
 3 uft : fi intellexeris eos neque ex edlda neque ex decreto depofitaw 
 habuijje, des cfceram ut ufurse Cluvio conferwentur . For if they 
 were merely truftees, it could make no equitable difference 
 whether the money came to them by a judicial decree, or 
 from a private hand : and in either cafe it mult have been 
 equally oppreflive to pblige them to pay intereft. Now 
 this dilHculty will be intirely removed, by fuppofing that 
 the exprefiion depcfitam IqlvlJJe , is periphraftical, and to, 
 be refolved into rfepofuijje . And this is agreable to the idi- 
 om of the latin language, as well as to the manner in, 
 which Cicero exprefles himfelf upon other occafions. 
 Thus in his treatife De clar. orat. 147. hcbere eognitum Sca:- 
 *voLar. t is equivalent to cognofcere : as in Plautus vobis bane 
 taieo edidiommy is the fame as edica. Pfeud. i. ii. 39. 
 But if pec'unia;n depcfitam babuijj'e^ is a circumlocution for 
 depofuijjc j fome fubftantivc mull be underftood to complete 
 the fenfe : and accordingly, a pafTage in the letters to At- 
 ticus will not only point out the word required, but prove 
 likewife that depoiio is ufed in this elliptical manner. Ci- 
 cero giving an account to Atticus of a tranfadlion relating 
 to the claim of a debt due from the city of Salamis, in 
 Cyprus ; tells him, that deponere 'volebant. Ad Att. vi. I . 
 which in another letter where he is fpeaking of the very 
 fame affair, he exprefles at full length : ut in fano depone- 
 rent pojlulantitus, fays he, ncn conceffi. Ad Att. v. 21. And 
 the laft cited paflages will not only juftify, but explain, 
 the fenfe contended for : as they prove that it was ufual 
 where any controverfy arofe concerning the quantum of a 
 debt, for the defendant to apply for leave to pay the mo- 
 ney into fome temple : from which time it no longer car- 
 ried intereft. Thus Cicero tells Atticus that the intereft 
 upon the debt due from the city of Salamis ought to have 
 ceafed, conjiftere ufura deluit : and affigns this reafon for it ; 
 deponere iiclebant : they were ready and defirous to have 
 lodged it in the facred treafury. But in the cafe of Clu- 
 vius, if the Caunians had paid in the money without giv- 
 
 into
 
 BOOK IV. OF G I G E R O. 347 
 
 into the facred treafury either in conformity to A.U. 70?. 
 the general edift b , or fpecial decree, of the pros- '-''"V>J 
 tor, to direfb that Cluvius may have fuch a 
 rate of intereft allowed him, as is agreable to 
 the laws you have eftablifhed in thefe cafes. 
 
 I enter with fo much the more warmth into 
 thefe affairs, as my friend Pompey likewife 
 makes them his own : and inoleed, feems more 
 follicitous for their fuccefs than even Cluyius 
 himfelf. As I am extremely defirous that the 
 latter mould have reafon to be fatisRed with my 
 good offices, I moft earneftly requeft yours upon 
 
 this occalion. Farewel. 
 
 ;; "i '. . *:.. :. ;":*.' J- <- ...;.;:... us;* j : 
 
 ing him notice, (which might very poffibly have been die 
 faft, if they had not afted under a judicial order) it was no 
 iinreafonable requeft, to defire they might be compelled to 
 pay the whole intereft up to the time when Cluvius mould 
 receive the principal. 
 
 b By the term edil is meant in this place, that formula- 
 ry of provincial laws explained in rem. 7. p. 338. of this 
 vol. 
 
 LET-
 
 348 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 To the confuls, the prsetorvthe tribunes, of the 
 people, and the fenate. 
 
 A U 02 T^-^ ^ ^ r ^ mte Mig ence I received that the 
 Parthians had pafied the greateft part of 
 their army over the Euphrates, was extremely 
 pofitive. However, as I imagined the procon- 
 ful Marcus Bibulus could give you a more 
 certain account of this event ; I did not think 
 it neceflary to charge myfelf with the relation 
 of what more immediately concerned the pro- 
 vince of another. But fmce my laft difpatch, 
 I have been farther and more fatisfactorily afTu- 
 red of this fac~b, by feveral expreffes and de- 
 putations that have been fent to me for that 
 purpofe. When I confider therefore the great 
 importance of this news to the republic ; that 
 it is uncertain likewife whether Bibulus is 
 yet arrived in Syria ; and that I am almoft 
 equally concerned with him in the conduct of 
 this war; I deem myfelf obliged to communi- 
 cate to you the purport of my feveral infor- 
 mations. 
 
 The firft advice I received, was, from the 
 ambaffadors of Antiochus king of Commage- 
 
 ne:
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 349 
 
 ne : who acquainted me, that the Parthians hadA.U.702; 
 actually begun to tranfport a very confiderable 
 body of forces over the Euphrates. But as it 
 was the opinion of fome of my council, that no 
 great credit was to be given to any intelligence 
 that came from this quarter j I thought proper 
 to wait for better information. Accordingly on 
 the 1 9th of September, whilft I was on my 
 march towards Cilicia, I was met by a courier 
 on the frontiers of Lycaonia and Cappadocia, 
 with an exprefsfrom' Tarcondimotus : a prince 
 efteemed the moft faithful of our allies on that 
 fide the Taurus, and extremely in the intereft 
 of the Romans. The purport of his dif- 
 patches was to inform me, that a powerful bo- 
 dy of horfe commanded by Pacorus, the fon of 
 Orodes king of Parthia, had patted the Eu- 
 phrates, and were encamped at Tyba ; and that 
 the province of Syria was in great commotion. 
 The fame day I received an exprefs likewife to 
 this purpofe from Jamblichus, an Arabian Phy- 
 larch ', and one who has the general reputation 
 of being a friend to the republic. Upon the 
 
 9 His dominions lay on the fouthern fide of Mount 
 Taurus, in a part of Cilicia which the Romans had not 
 thought proper to annex to their province. A coin of this 
 prince is Hill extant. Ste Eiblioth, raifonee, Tom. xii. p. 
 
 329- 
 
 * The lord or chief of a dan. 
 
 whole
 
 350 THE LETTERS BOOK IV, 
 
 A.U. 702. whole therefore I came to a refolutibn of lead- 
 ing my army to Tarfus *. I was fcniiblej that 
 our allies in general were far from being warm 
 in our intereft i and were only waiting the op- 
 portunity of fome favorable revolution to de- 
 fert us. I flattered myfelf however, that the 
 lenity and moderation of my conducl towards 
 fuch of them thro* whofe territories I had al- 
 ready pa(Ted, would render them better inclined 
 to the Romans : as I hoped to flrengthen Cili- 
 cia in its allegiance, by giving that part of my 
 province an opportunity of experiencing alfd 
 the fame equitable adminiftration. But I had 
 flill a farther inducement : and 1 determined 
 upon this march, not only in order to chaftife 
 thofe who had taken up arms in Cilicia, 
 but alfo to convince our enemies in Syria, 1 
 that the army of the Romans, far from be- 
 ing difpofed to retreat upon the news of their 
 invafion, were fo much the more eager to ad- 
 vance. 
 
 If my advice then has any weight, let me 
 earneftly exhort and admonim you to take pro- 
 per meafures for the prefervation of thefe pro- 
 vinces : meafures indeed, which ought to have 
 
 * In the original it is ad Taurum: but Mr. P.ofs with 
 good reafon fuppofes there is an error in the text, and that 
 it fliould be read ad Tar/urn. 
 
 been
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 
 
 been concerted long before, as you were well- A.u. 702. 
 apprifed of thofe dangers which are now almoft ^ 
 within my view. I need not inform you in 
 what manner you thought proper to equip ma 
 when I was fent into this part of the world, tihr- 
 4er a full expectation of being engaged in fa 
 .important a war. If I did not however refufe 
 this commhTion,, it was not becaufe I was fo 
 weak as to be infenfible how ill provided I was 
 to execute it in a proper manner ; but merely 
 in fubmiflive deference to your 1 commands. The 
 truth is, I have at all times willingly expofed 
 myfelf to the utmoft hazards, rather than not 
 teftify my implicit obedience to your authority. 
 But the plain fad is, that if you do not fpeedi- 
 ly fend a very powerful re-inforcement into> 
 thefe provinces, the republic will be hi the greateft 
 danger of lofing the whole of her revenues in 
 this part of the world. If your reliance is up- 
 on the provincial militia, be aflured you will be 
 extremely difappointed : as they are very incon- 
 fiderable in point of numbers, and fuch mifera- 
 ble daflards as to run away upon the firft alarm. 
 The brave Marcus Bibulus is fo fenfible of the 
 nature of thefe Afiatic troops that he has not 
 thought proper to raife any of them, tho* he 
 had your exprefs permiffion for that purpofe. 
 As to the affiftance that may be expected from 
 
 our
 
 352 THE LETTERS BOOK IV, 
 
 A.U. 702. our a ijj es . tne feverity and injuftice of our go- 
 vernment has either fo greatly weakened them 
 as to put it out of their power to be of much 
 fervice to us, or fo entirely alienated their affe- 
 ftions, as to render it unfafe to truft them. 
 The inclinations however, and the forces too, 
 (whatever they be*) of king Deiotarus, I 
 reckon as entirely ours. Cappadocia is wholly 
 unfurnimed with any place of ilrength : and as 
 to thofe other neighboring princes our allies -, 
 they are neither willing, nor able, to afford us 
 any confiderable fuccors. Ill provided, howe- 
 ver, as I am with troops; my courage, you may 
 be affured, fhall not be wanting ; nor, I truft 
 my prudence. What the event may prove, is 
 altogether uncertain : I can only wifh I may be 
 in a condition to defend myfelf with as much 
 fuccefs as I certainly mail with honor. >* ;~ 
 
 a It is probable that Cicero did not at this time know 
 their number : but they were by no means inconiiderable. 
 For it appears by a letter to Atticus that they amounted ta 
 12000 foot, armed in the Roman manner, and 2000 horfe. 
 MAtt, vi. i. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 353 
 
 ! 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 MARCUS COELIUS to CICERO. 
 
 TH O' I have fome political news to com- A.U. 702. 
 municate to you, yet I can acquaint you 
 with nothing, I believe, that will give you 
 more pleafure than what I am going previoufly ' 
 to mention. You are to know then, that Ru- 
 fuss, your favorite Sempronius Rufus, has 
 been . lately convicted of falfe accufation V 
 to -the Angular joy of the whole city. This 
 profecution was occafioned by the following cir- 
 cumflance. Rufus, foon after the exhibition 
 
 5 Cicero mentions this perfo'n in a letter to Atticus, as a 
 man who had failed in the civilities, he owed him, by 
 not waiting upon him before he fet out for Cilicia : but at 
 the fame time expreffes a fatisfa&ion in having by that 
 means been fpared the trouble of a very difagreable vifi- 
 tor. The epithet therefore which Coelius here gives to 
 Rufus, muft be underftood ironically. Ad An. v. 2. 
 
 " u The Roman laws were particularly fevere againft 
 thofe who were difcovcred to have offended in this point. 
 In criminal caufes they inflifled banifhment, and oniims 
 amiffio (the lofs of rank.) In civil caufes the plaintif 
 generally depofhed a fum of money, which he forfeited 
 if he was found guilty of bringing a vexatious fuit. Ci- 
 cero alludes to another puniminent, of marking a letter 
 upon the forehead of the falfe informer, pro Rofc. Am. 
 20. It was the letter K which was imprefTed upon them : 
 that being the firft letter, according to the old orthogra- 
 phy, in the word KaLwinia.'"' Mr, Reft. 
 
 VOL. I. A a of
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 A:XJ.72. of the Roman games?, was impeached by Mar- 
 cus Tuccius : and being fenfible that the charge 
 would be proved againft him, and that his trial 
 muft unavoidably come on this year, unlefs 
 fome other of an higher nature 8 intervened, he 
 determined upon an expedient for that purpofe. 
 Accordingly, as no one, he thought, had fo good 
 a title to the honor of this precedence as his 
 profecutor, he preferred an accufarion upon the 
 Plotian law 9 againft Tuccius, for a violation of 
 the public peace: a charge,; however, which he 
 could not prevail with a fmgle perfon to fub- 
 fcribe '. As foon as I was apprifed of this affair, 
 
 7 Thefe games were inftituted by Tarquinius Prifcus, 
 A. U. 138. in honor of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. 
 Their annual celebration commenced on the gth of Sep- 
 tember and continued nine days. 
 
 8 It is probable,' as Manutius obferves, that the judges 
 of the prefent year were in general no friends to Rufus, 
 which made him endeavor to poftpone his trial. The 
 fame learned commentator remarks, that all trials were 
 brought on in a regular rotation, unlefs in accufatiojis that 
 were connected with fome other caufe that had been imme- 
 diately before adjudged, or in the cafe of impeachments for 
 the violation of the public peace. Thefe, he proves by feveral 
 inftances, were always determined preferably to all other 
 caufes whatfoever. 
 
 9 The author of this law was P. Plotius, or Plantius, 
 tribune of the people an. urb. 675 : and the penalty inflic- 
 ted by it was Danjfhment. 
 
 1 It feems to have been cuftomary for the profecutor 
 in capital caufes to procure fome of his friends to join with 
 him in figning the articles of his impeachment. Thefe 
 were ftiled fubfcriptores, and acted as a fort of feconds to 
 kim in this judicial combat. They could not however be 
 
 I flew
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I t E R O. 
 
 I flew to the affiftance of Tuccius, without wait- A - u - 7 oa *. 
 ing his requeft. But when I rofe up to fpeak, 
 I forbore entering into a particular defence of 
 my friend j contenting myfelf with difplaying 
 the character of his adverfary in all its true and 
 odious colors : in which you may be fure I did 
 riot forget the ftory concerning Veftorius, and 
 his unworthy conduct towards you. 
 
 I muft inform you likewife of another trial, 
 which at prefent greatly engages the Forum* 
 Marcus Servilius had been convicted of extortion 
 in his office * : and I ventured to be his advocate, 
 notwithstanding the popular clamor was ftrong- 
 ly againft him. Servilius, however, having 
 diffipated His whole eftate, and being utterly in- 
 folvent ; Paufanias' petitioned the pnetor Late- 
 renfis ( and I fpoke likewife in fupport of this pe- 
 
 admitted into this aflbciation without a fpecial licence from 
 die judges for that purpofe. Vid. Hottom. in ^ Cacil. di- 
 vin. 15. 
 
 * The whole account of the following tranfaftions con- - 
 
 cerning Servilius, is extremely (perhaps impenetrably) ob- 
 fcure in the original : and has exercifed the ingenuity of 
 all the commentators to enlighten. The tranflator howe- 
 ver has ventured in fome inilances to depart from them : 
 tho 1 he acknowledges at the fame time, that he is fcarce 
 more fatisfied with his own interpretation, than with 
 theirs. 
 
 3 Who this perfon was, or in wh.it manner concerned 
 in the prefers: caufe, is altogether undifcoverable. Perhaps, 
 as Mr. Rois conjedures, he might have been the profecu- 
 tor. 
 
 A a 2 tition)
 
 356 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.7oz.tirioii) that he might be impowered to purfue 
 tne f um i n queflion, into whofe hands foever it 
 fhould appear to have been paid *. But this 
 petition was difmiffed j the praetor "alledging, 
 that Pilius, a relation of our friend Atticus, 
 had alfo exhibited articles of impeachment a- 
 gainfl my client for a crime of the fame kind. 
 This news immediately fpread throughout 
 Rome : and it was generally faid in all conver- 
 fations, that PUius would certainly make good 
 his charge. Appius the younger was much di- 
 fturbed at this report, as having a claim upon 
 Servilius, of eighty one hundred thoufand fef- 
 terces s : a fum which he fcrupled not to avow, 
 had been depofited in the hands of Servilius in 
 order to be paid over to the profecutor in an infor- 
 mation againft his father, provided the informer 
 would fuffer himfelf to be nonfuited. If you 
 are furprifed at the weaknefs of Appius in thus 
 
 4 It appears, by a paflage, which Manutius produces 
 from the oration in defence of Rabirius, that in conviction? 
 of this kind the money was recoverable by the Julian law 
 from any hand, into which it could be proved to have been 
 paid. Pro Rabir. Pofl. 4. 
 
 5 About 6$,i > 6jj. of our money. This fum muft ap- 
 pear excelfive, if.confidered only with refpecl to the wealth 
 of the prefent times. But Appius might well be enabled 
 to give it, and it might have been extremely prudent in 
 him likewife to have done fo, if this profecution was (what 
 iecms highly probable) on account of his father's having 
 plundered ibme province committed to his adminiftra- 
 tion. 
 
 i acknow-
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 357 
 
 acknowledging fo fhameful a bargain ; how 
 much higher would your aftonifhment have ri- 
 ien, if you had heard his evidence upon the trial 
 of that very ill-judged action he brought a- 
 gainft Servilius for this money ? He moft clear- 
 ly indeed made appear, to the full fatisfaction 
 of the whole court, both his own folly and his 
 father's guilt. To complete the abfurdity of 
 his conduct upon this occafion., he was Ib impru- 
 dent as to fummonthe very fame judges upon this 
 caufe, who tried the information I juft now 
 mentioned to have been brought againft his fa- 
 ther. It happened however, that their voices 
 were equally divided 6 . But the praetor, not 
 knowing how the law flood in this cafe, decla- 
 red that Servilius had a majority of the three 
 clafies of judges in his favor : and accordingly 
 acquitted him in the ufual form. At die rifmg 
 of the court therefore, it was generally imagin- 
 ed that the acquittal of Servilius would be en- 
 rolled. But the praetor thinking it advifeable 
 to look into the laws upon this point, before he 
 made up the record, found it exprefsly enacted, 
 that " in all caufes fentence fhall be pro- 
 nounced according to the majority of the 
 votes in the whole collective number of jud- 
 
 " In this cafe the Roman law determined by the moft 
 favorable prefumption, and abiblved the defendant. 
 
 A a 3 geS 7,
 
 358 THIS LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A-U.7oz.ges7. Inflead therefore of regiftering the ac- 
 ^~^ r ^~ quittal of Servilius, he only inferted in the roll 
 the number of voices as they ftopd in each 
 refpective clafs. Appius in confequence of 
 this miftake, re- commenced his fuit : while 
 the prastor, by the intervention of ^ollius, pro- 
 mifed to amend the record, and enter a proper 
 judgment. But the haplcfs Servilius, neither 
 entirely acquitted nor abfolutely condemned, is 
 at length to be delivered over with this his blafl- 
 ed character to the hands of Pilius. For Ap- 
 pius not venturing to contend with the latter, 
 which of their actions mould have the priority, 
 has thought proper to wave his profecution. 
 He himfelf likewife is impeached by the rela- 
 tions of Servilius, for bribery : as he has allb 
 another accufation laid againft him by one Ti- 
 tius, a creature of his own, who has charged 
 him with a breach of the peace. And thus 
 
 7 It has already been obferved in the foregoing re- 
 marks, that the judges were divided into three clafles. See 
 icm. 4. p.' 292. of this vol. It is obvious therefore, 
 that there might have been a majority in two of the 
 clafies'out of the three, in favor of Servilius, and yet that 
 the voices confidered with refpeft to the whole number of 
 judges, might have been equal. But it is inconceivable 
 that a rriagiftra'te of Pi atorian rank could poffibly be ig- 
 norant of a practice which one can fcarce fuppofe the moft 
 common citizen of Rome to have been unacquainted witi; 
 Notwithftandjng'the'refbre Ccelius afcribes the pra-tor's con- 
 duft to ignorance, it feems much more p robabk to have 
 itrifen from defign. 
 
 arc
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 359 
 
 are thefe two worthy combatants moft equally A. 0.702. 
 matched. 
 
 As to public affairs ; we had waited feveral 
 days in expectation that fomething would be 
 determined concerning Gaul; frequent mo* 
 tions having been made in the fenate for this 
 purpofe, which were followed by very warm 
 debates. At length, however, it plainly ap- 
 pearing agreable to Pompey's fehtiments, that 
 Casfar's command in Gaul fhould not be conti- 
 nued longer than the firft of March, the fenate 
 patted the following orders and decrees 8 . 
 
 " BY AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE, held. ilT^ 
 
 " the temple of Apollo, on the goth day of 
 
 V September. Signed': L. Domitius Aheno- 
 
 *' barbus; Q._ Ccecilius ; Metellus Pius Scipjo j 
 
 " L. Vilnius Annajjs ; G. Septimius ; Caius 
 
 " Lucceius Hirrus ; jC. Scribonius Curio ; JL. 
 
 S c Atteius Capito ; M. Oppius. WHEREAS a 
 
 " motion was made by Marcus Marcellus, the 
 
 " conful, concerning tlie confular provinces, it 
 
 c< is ORDERED that Lucius Paulus and Caius 
 
 " Marcellus confuls eleft, fhall on the firfl of 
 
 " March next following their entering upoiv 
 
 * With regard to the difference between an order ad 
 a decree, of the fenate, fee remark 9. p. 64, of this 
 V9l. 
 
 9 The decrees of the fenate were ufually figned in this 
 manner by thofe who were the j^incipal promoters of the 
 queftion. 
 
 A a 4 <e their
 
 360 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.yoz." their office, move the fenate concerning the 
 " confular provinces ; at which time no other 
 " bufinefs mail be proceeded upon, nor any 
 < other motion made in conjunction therewith. 
 ec And for this purpofe the fenate mail continue 
 " to affemble notwithftanding the comitial 
 " days I0 , and until a decree mall be paf- 
 
 ORDERED, that when the confuls mall 
 " move the fenate upon the queftion afore - 
 " faid, they mail be impowered to fummon 
 " fuch of the 300 judges who are members of 
 "the fenate, to attend". 
 
 *' RESOLVED, that if any matters mall arife 
 ^ upon the queftion aforelaid, which mallbe 
 c neccfiary to be laid before the people, that 
 v 'Servius Sulpicius, and Marcus Marcellus, 
 ct the prefent confuls, together with the prstors 
 
 13 The comitial days were thofe on which the Camltia y 
 r aflemblies of the people, were held : and on thefe the 
 law prohibited the fenate to be convened. The fenate how- 
 ever in the prefent inftance, and agreably to a prerogative 
 which they claimed and exercifed upon many other occafi- 
 t>ns, took upon themfelves to aft with a difpenfmg powe,r. 
 See Mid. on the Rom. fen. p. 121. 
 
 1 This claufe was inferted in order to fecure a full 
 houfe : a certain number of fenators being necelTary to be 
 prefent for making a decree valid. See ree remark 1 4. p. 
 165, of this vol. The correction of Manutius has been 
 adppted in the tranflation, who infiead of/ex abducere lice- 
 ret, reads cos abducere &e. 
 
 and
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 361 
 
 * and tribunes of the people, or fuch of them A -U. 703. 
 
 " as fh all be agreed upon, fhall call an aflembly 
 
 " of the people for this purpofe : and if the ma- 
 
 " giftrates aforefaid fhall fail herein, the fame 
 
 " fhall be propofed to the people by their fuc- 
 
 " ceflbrs." 
 
 " THE THIRTIETH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, in 
 
 " the temple of Apollo. Signed: L. Domitius 
 " Ahenobarbus; Q^ Caecilius ; Metellus Pius 
 " Scipio ; L. Villius Annalis j C. Septimius j 
 ** C. Scribonius Curio -, M. Oppius. 
 
 " The conful Marcus Marcellus having mov- 
 *< ed the fenate concerning the provinces ; 
 
 *' RESOLVED, that it is the opinion of the 
 *.' fenate, that it will be highly unbecoming any' 
 '* rnagiftrate who has a power of controling 
 " their proceedings, to cccafion any hindrance' 
 " whereby the fenate may be prevented from 
 " taking the aforefaid motion into confideration 
 " as foon as pofiible : and that whofoever lhall 
 " obflru6t or oppofe the fame, fhall be deem-' 
 *' ed an enemy to the republic. 
 
 4.:'''-.; ,*'R^ J * 
 
 "^ORDa^ED, that if any rnagiftrate fhall put 
 
 ff a. negative upon the foregoing refolution, 
 " the fame fhall be entered as an order of 
 
 " the
 
 362 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.702.'* the fenate, and again referred to the confide- 
 .ration of this houfe.' ? 
 
 This refolution; was protefted againfl by Cai- 
 us Coelius, Lucius Vinicius, P. Publius Corne- 
 lius, and Caius Vibius Panfa. 
 
 .** RESOLVED, that the fenate will take into 
 " confideration the cafe of fuch of the foldiers 
 <c under Csefar's command, who have ferved 
 " out their legal time, or who for other reafons 
 tt are entitled to a difcharge : and make fucb f 
 " order thereupon as mail be agreable to equi- 
 
 " ty "*' 
 
 * RESOLVED, that, if any magistrate fhalj 
 " put his negative upon the foregoing decree, 
 " the fame mall ftand as an order of fenate, 
 " and be again referred to the confideration of 
 " this houfe." 
 
 This refolution Was protefled againfl by 
 Caius Ccelius, and Caius Panfa, tribunes of the 
 people. 
 
 <c ORDERED, that fuch of the prefent pra> 
 4 j tors, who have never held any provincial 
 
 IS A Roman foldier could not be compelled to bear 
 arms afro- having been in the fervice ten years. As tl-.e 
 ftrength of Ca:far's army in Gaul confifted principally in 
 i3 Veterans, this ciavfe v/as added, as Gronovius ob- 
 
 " command,
 
 POOK IV. OF C I C E R Q. 363 
 
 ?< command, mall draw lots to fucceed refpec- A.U. 703. 
 
 " tively to the government of Cilicia, and the ^*^ 
 
 " eight remaining Praetorian ** provinces. But 
 
 *' if there fhall not be a fufficient number ** of 
 
 " thefe to fill up the aforefaid governments > 
 
 " then and in this cafe, the deficiency fhall be 
 
 ' fupplied by lot out of the firft college '* of 
 
 " praetors, am ongthofe who have never held a 
 
 " foreign government. And if there mall not 
 
 " be found a fufficient number among thefe 
 
 " laft, fo qualified as aforefaid ; tlie fame fhall 
 
 * ' be fupplied from the members of each pre- 
 
 " ceding college, till the whole number requir- 
 
 " cd be completed. 
 
 f* RESOLVED, that, if any magiftrate fhall 
 " put his negative upon the foregoing decree, 
 ',' the fame fhall ftand as an order of the fe- 
 '? nate." 
 
 This decree was protefted againft by Cai- 
 
 ferves, with a view of drawing ofFthofe foldiers from his 
 troops. 
 
 1 3 The provinces of lefler note were ufually affigned to 
 the pr^tors : an'd from thence they were diltinguifhed by the 
 name of the Przetorian provinces. 
 
 *^* The number of praetors varied in different periods of 
 the republic. la-the times of Cicero this magiftracy was 
 ebmpofed of eight perfons : as Cellarius remarks in his 
 note upon this paflage. 
 
 15 Every annual fet of prastors were diilinguimed by 
 colleges, tfiled the firft, zd, 3d, &c. according to their ie- . 
 veral removes from the current year.
 
 364 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.702. us Ccelius, and Caius Panfa, tribunes of the 
 
 In the debates which preceded thcfe decrees, 
 Pompey let fall an expreflion that was much 
 obferved, and gave us very confident hopes of 
 his good intentions. " He could not without 
 " great injuftice, he faid, determine any thing 
 " in relation to the provinces under Csefar's 
 " command, before the firft of March : but 
 " after that time, he allured the fenate, he 
 " mould have no fort of fcruple." Being afk- 
 ed, tc what if a negative fhould then be put 
 *' upon a decree of the fenate for recalling Cse- 
 " far ?" He declared, that he mould look up- 
 on it as juft the fame thing, whether Casfar 
 openly refufed to obey the authority of the fe- 
 nate, or fccretly procured fome magiftrate to 
 obftruft their decrees. But fuppofe, faid another 
 member, Caeiar fhould purfue his pretenfions to 
 the confulate and retain his command abroad at 
 the fame time. " Suppole, replied Pompey with 
 *' great temper, my own fon mould lay violent 
 * c hands upon me ?" From exprefiions of this 
 kind the world has conceived a notion, that a 
 rupture will undoubtedly enfue between Pom- 
 pey and Caslar. I am of opinion however, that 
 the latter will fubmit to one of thefe two con- 
 
 ditions :
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 365 
 
 ditions : either to give up his prefent preten- A - u -7 02 - 
 fions to the confulate and continue in Gaul ; or 
 to quit the province, provided he can be allur- 
 ed of his election. Curio is preparing mofr 
 ftrongly to oppofe his demands. What he may 
 be able to effe<5t, I know not : But fure I am, 
 that a man who acts upon fuch patriot princi- 
 ples, muft gain honor at leafl, if he gain no- 
 thing elfe. He treats me upon all occasions 
 with great generofity : and indeed in a late 
 inftance has been more liberal than I could 
 have wilhed j as his civility has drawn upon me 
 a trouble which, perhaps,* I might otherwife 
 have efcaped. He has prefented me with fome 
 African panthers which he had procured for his 
 own games : and by that means laid me under 
 a necefiity of making ufe of them f ?. I muft 
 therefore remind you of what I have often 
 mentioned already, and intreat you to fend me 
 fome of thefe animals from your part of the 
 world : as I again likewife recommend to your 
 care the bond of Sitius. 
 
 I have had occafion to difpatch my freed- 
 man Philo, together with Diogenes a Greek, 
 into your province. I hope you will afford 
 your patronage both to them and their co'm- 
 
 17 In the games he was preparing to exhibit as JEdile. 
 
 million :
 
 366 THfe LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.702.miflion : as you will find by the letter they ar 
 to deliver to you on my part, that it is an af- 
 fair l8 in which I am deeply interefled. Fare- 
 wel. 
 
 LET T E R VIII. 
 To PUBLIUS SILIUS ', propraetor. 
 
 YO U are apprifed, I imagine, of the friend- 
 ftiip that fubfifted between Titus Pinnius 
 2nd myfelf. He has fufficiently declared it 
 indeed by his will : wherein he not only ap- 
 pointed me one of the guardians to his fon, but 
 left me the contingent reverfion alfo of his eftate. 
 My ward (who is a youth, of uncommon mo- 
 defty as well as great application to his (Indies) 
 
 18 This affair feems to be explained by an epiftle to 
 Atticus, wherein Cicero mentions the receipt of a rery 
 prefling letter from Ccelius by the hands of his freed-man. 
 The purport of it appears to have been, to follicit Cicero 
 to levy a contribution upon his province towards the ex- 
 pence of thofe public games, which Ccelius, as JEdilc, 
 was obliged to exhibit. This oppreffive tax had been 
 frequently raifed by the governors of provinces, in favor of 
 their friends at Rome : and was indeed almoft eftablifned 
 into a cuftom. But Cicero, notwithftanding he feems to 
 have had a fincere affedlion for Ccelius, would by na 
 means be prevailed upon to break thro' the equitable max- 
 ims of his adminiftration : and with great integrity relufed 
 his requeft. Ad Att. vi. i. Ad Q. F.I. i. N. 9. 
 
 1 He was at this time propraetor, or governor, of Bi 
 thynia and Pontus in Afia, where he difcharged the pro- 
 vincial fun&ions with great applaufe. Ad Att. vi. 8. 
 
 has
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 367 
 
 has a very cbnfiderable demand upon the city A.U. 702: 
 of Nicasa, amounting to eight millions of fef- 
 terces a : and the corporation, I am told, are 
 inclined to pay off part of this fum the firft 
 debt they mail difcharge. Now, as not only 
 the reft of the truftees, who know the regard 
 you bear me, but the young man himfelf is 
 perfuaded that you will not refufe any thing to 
 my requeft ; I mail be exceedingly obliged to you 
 for employing your good offices, (as far I mean 
 as may be confiftent with your dignity and cha- 
 racter) that they pay off as large a proportion of 
 this demand as pomble. Farewel. 
 
 L E T T E R , IX. 
 
 To MARCUS COELIUS, Curule-^dile elect. 
 
 I Congratulate you on the honorable poft you 
 nave lately obtained b , and on the profpect 
 which by this means is opened to you of ad- 
 vancing flill higher in the dignities of the re- 
 public. I am fomewhat late, I confefs, in my 
 compliments : however you muft not impute it to 
 any intentional neglect, but merely to my igno- 
 rance of what paffes at Rome. For partly from 
 the great diltance of my fituation, and partly 
 from thofe banditti which infeft the roads, it is 
 
 About 70,000 /. fterlii^j. * The 
 
 A con-"
 
 368 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.702. a confiderable time before I can receive any in- 
 telligence from Italy. And now, I know not 
 where to find words fufficiently ftrong to give 
 you joy upon this occafion, or to exprefs my 
 thanks for your having thus " furnifhed me (as 
 " you termed it in one of your former letters) 
 " with a fubjecl of perpetual ridicule." When 
 I firft received the news of your victory, I could 
 not forbear mimicking a certain worthy friend of 
 ours, and imitating the droll figures thofe gal- 
 lant youths exhibited, of whofe intereft he had 
 fo confidently boafted b . But it is not eafy to 
 give you in defcription a complete idea of this 
 my humorous fally. I muft tell you, however, 
 that I next figured you to myfelf, and ac- 
 cofted you, as if prefent, in the words of the 
 comic poet : 
 
 Far lefs, my good friend, I rejoice at your deed. 
 As exceeding whatever before did exceed, ,". 
 Than as mounting aloft o'er my hopes the moft 
 
 high: 
 And far this, " By my troth 'tis amazing," 
 
 I cry. 
 
 b A mere modern reader who judges of paft ages, by 
 the modes that prevail in his own, muft undoubtedly con- 
 ceive a very low opinion of Cicero from the account which 
 he here gives of his behavior. But mimickry was not 
 eileemed by the Romans, as it is with us, a talent becom- 
 ing only a comedian or a buffoon. On the contrary, this- 
 fpecics of humor was thought worthy of the graveft cha- 
 
 Upon
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 369 
 
 Upon which I broke out into a moft immoderate A - u - 7 02 - 
 fit of laughter: and when fome of my friends re- 
 proved my mirth, as deviating almoft into down- 
 right folly j I excufed myfelf by the old verfe, 
 
 Excejfive joy is not exceeding wife. 
 
 In fhort, whilft I ridiculed this noble friend of 
 ours, I became almoft as ridiculous as himfelf. 
 But you mail hear farther upon this fubject ano- 
 ther opportunity : as in truth, I have many 
 things to fay both of you and to you, whenever 
 I mall find more leifure for that purpofe. In the 
 mean time be allured, my dear Ccelius, I fin- 
 cerely love you. I confider you indeed as one 
 whom fortune has raifed up to advance my glo- 
 ry, and avenge my wrongs : and I doubt not, 
 you will give both thofe who hate and thofe who 
 envy me, fufficient reafon to repent of their fol- 
 ly and their injuftice. Farewel. 
 
 rafters even upon the gravefl occafions : and it was pra- 
 lifed by their orators as well as recommended by their 
 rhetoricians, as a quality, under certain reftrictions, of fm~ 
 gular grace and efficacy in the whole bufinefs of public elo- 
 quence. Vid, Cic, di Orat. ii. 59, 60. 
 
 VOL. I. B b LET-
 
 370 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 To PUBHUS SILIUS, propraetor. 
 
 A.U. 702. XT* OUR good offices in the affair of Atilius, 
 JL afford me an additional motive for giving 
 you my affection. Late indeed as I applied to 
 you in his behalf, I have however, by your ge- 
 nerous intervention, preferved a moft worthy 
 Roman knight from ruin. The truth is, I al- 
 ways looked upon my friendfhip with Lamia, 
 as giving me a claim to yours. In the firft 
 place then I return you thanks for eafmg my 
 mind of all its difquietude with refpect to Ati- 
 lius : and in the next, after thus acknowledg- 
 ing your laft favor, I have the alfurance to re- 
 queft another : and it is a favor which I lhall 
 repay with the utmoft returns of my efteem and 
 gratitude. Let me intreat you then, if I have 
 any mare in your heart, to allow my brother 
 an equal enjoyment of the fame privilege : 
 which will be adding a very confiderable obli- 
 gation to that important one I fo lately received 
 at your hands. Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK: IV. OF C I C E R O, 371 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 To APPIUS PuLCHER. 
 
 BY all that I can collect from your laft let-A.U.yoz. 
 ter, this will find you in the fuburbs ' of ^^ 
 Rome. But tho' the impotent calumnies of 
 thefe paultry provincials, will probably be fub- 
 Fided ere this reaches your hands ; yet I think 
 it necejftary to return fome anfwer to the long 
 epiftle I received from you upon that fubject : 
 and I mall do fo in as few words as pofli- 
 ble. 
 
 As to the accufation contained in the 
 two firft paragraphs of your letter ; it is 
 conceived in fuch vague and general terms, 
 that it is impomble to give it a direct reply. 
 The whole that I can gather from it, is, that I 
 am accufed of having difcovered by my coun- 
 tenance and my filence, that I was by no means 
 your friend: a difcovery which I made, it 
 
 3 Appius at his return from Cilicia, demanded a triumph 
 as the reward of his military exploits in that province : and 
 accordingly took up his residence without the city. For 
 thofe who claimed this honor were not admitted within the 
 walls of Rome, till their petition was either granted or reject- 
 ed j or they chofe to drop it themfelves. The latter was 
 he cafe with refpeft to Appius : as will hereafter appear. 
 
 B b 2 feems,
 
 372 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 ms, upon fome occafionin the courts of ju- 
 dicature, and likewife at certain public enter- 
 tainments. I am very lure, there is not the 
 leaft ground for this imputation : but as you do 
 not point out the particular inftances, I know 
 not in what manner to vindicate myfelf from 
 the charge. This however I moft undoubtedly 
 know j that I have mentioned you upon all oc- 
 cafions both public and private, with the high- 
 eft applaufe, and with the warmeft profeffions 
 of friendfhip. As to the affair of the depu- 
 ties * i I will appeal to your own breaft whe- 
 ther I could pofiibly have aded with more pro- 
 bity and difcretion than to leflen the expences of 
 thefe impoverifhed cities, without any diminu- 
 tion at the fame time of thofe honors which they 
 propofed to pay you : efpecially as it was in 
 
 * " It was a cuftom for the governors of provinces up- 
 " on their retirement from their government, to procure 
 " ambafladors to be fent to Rome from the fevcral cities 
 " under their jurifdi&ion, to praife the integrity and equi- 
 " ty of their adminiftration. The origin of this cuitom 
 " was undoubtedly good, and in fome few inftances we 
 " find, that it was undertaken voluntarily : but it was ge- 
 " nerally extorted by force, and a great burden to the 
 " miferable inhabitants, who perhaps had been already 
 " fleeced by the rapine and plunder of that very perfbn, 
 " whofe lenity and moderation they were compelled to cx- 
 " toll, /.ppius had taken care, before he left Cilicia, to 
 " fecure this compliment to be paid to himfelf, though as 
 *' undeferving of it, as any of his predecefibrs. But Ci- 
 " cero, who fet out upon a more frugal plan than other 
 " governors, prevented it, out of compaflion to the poverty 
 " and indigence of the province." Mr. Rojs. 
 
 com-
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 373 
 
 compliance with their own immediate requeft ? A.U. 702. 
 And indeed I was wholly unapprifed of t 
 particular purpofes of that deputation, which 
 was going to Rome with the cuftomary com- 
 plimental addrefs to the fenate upon your ac- 
 count. When I was at Apamea*, fome of the 
 principal inhabitants of feveral different cities, 
 complained to me of the excefiive appointments 
 that were decreed to their deputies; alluring me, 
 that their refpedtive communities were by no 
 means in a condition to fupport the affefsments 
 levied upon them for that purpofe. This fug- 
 gefted to my thoughts various reflections : and 
 I imagined that a man of your refined fenti- 
 ments, could not be extremely fond of honors 
 of this unfubflantial nature. Accordingly it 
 was at Synnada, I think, that I took occafion 
 to fay from the tribunal, (and I expatiated very 
 largely upon the fubjeft) " that the approved me- 
 " rit of Appius was fufficient, without the tef- 
 *' timony of the Midenfians (for it was in their 
 " city 6 that the propofal firft arofe) to recom- 
 " mend him to the efteem of the fenate and the 
 
 5 A city in that part of Phrygia which was annexed to 
 Cicero's province : as was Syimada, likewile, mentioned a 
 few lines below. 
 
 6 A town in the neighborhood of Synnada. In the ori- 
 ginal is Myndenjium : but Quartier has given good reafous 
 for the reading here followed. 
 
 B b 3 " Roman
 
 374 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A,U. 702." Roman people; that I had often indeed feen 
 inftances of this kind of deputations, but did 
 " not remember they were ever admitted to an 
 " audience ; that however, I applauded the 
 " gratitude they had thus fhewn for your me- 
 " rit towards them, but thought the particular 
 c inftance in queftion was wholly unneceffary -, 
 " that if any of them were willing to undertake 
 " this commiflion at their own expence, I mould 
 " highly commend their zeal ; and I would 
 ce even confent it mould be performed at the 
 " public charge, provided they did not ex- 
 ' ceed a reafonable fum : but beyond that, I 
 " would in no fort give my permifTion." 
 
 I am perfuaded there is nothing in what I 
 thus faid, that can pofiibly give you offence : 
 and indeed your principal complaint is levelled, 
 I perceive, againft my edict 7. For there were 
 fome, it feems, who thought it manifeftly drawn 
 up with a view of preventing thefe legations. I 
 cannot forbear faying, that to give attention to 
 thefe groundlefs infinuations, is no lefs injuri- 
 ous to me than to be author of them. The 
 truth of it is, I fettled this edict before I left 
 Rome : and the fmgle addition that I made to 
 it afterwards, was at the inftance of the farmers. 
 
 7 The nature of thefe proconfular edifts has already 
 been^explained in rcm. 7. p. 3.38. of this vol. 
 
 of
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 375 
 
 of the revenues : who when they met me at Sa- A.U.joz. 
 mos 8 , defired I would tranfcribe a paragraph 
 out of your edict and infert it into mine. It 
 was that article which reflrains the public ex- 
 pences, and contains feveral new and very falu- 
 tary regulations, which I greatly approved. 
 But as to that particular fection which gave 
 rife, I find, to the fufpicion that I framed it 
 with a defign of ftriking at you ; it is copied 
 entirely from the old precedents. I was not in- 
 deed, fo abfurd as to think (what I perceive you 
 imagine) that fome private affair was concerned 
 in this deputation ; well knowing that it was 
 fent from a public body in relation to your pub- 
 lic character, and addreffed to that great coun- 
 cil of the whole world, the fenate of Rome. 
 Nor did I, (as you object,) when I prohibited 
 any perfonfrom going out of the province with- 
 out my permifiion, exclude all thoie from the 
 poffibility of obtaining that leave, who could 
 not follow me to the camp and beyond Mount 
 Taurus : . an imputation, I muft needs fay, the 
 moft ridiculous of any in your whole letter. 
 For where, let me afk, was the neceflity that 
 any perfon fhould follow me for this purpofe to 
 
 8 An ifland near the coaft of Ionia, lying oppofite to the 
 city of Ephefus. Cicero touched at this ifland in his voyage 
 to the province. 
 
 B b 4 the
 
 376 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. the camp, or beyond Mount Taurus , -when I 
 regulated my journey from Laodicea to Iconi- 
 um in fuch a manner, that all the magiftrates 
 and deputies of the feveral cities in that diftrict 
 might have an opportunity of meeting me ? 
 They could not therefore be under the difficulty 
 you charge me with having thrown in their 
 way, unlefs they had taken up the defign of go- 
 ing to Rome after my having pafled Mount 
 Taurus : which moil undoubtedly was not the 
 cafe. For during my flay at Apamea, Synna- 
 da, Philomelum 9, and Iconium, all affairs of 
 that nature were entirely fettled. 
 
 I muft farther afiure you, that I decreed no- 
 thing concerning the abating or abolifhing 
 the appointments of the deputies, but at the 
 exprefs requefl of the principal inhabitants of 
 feveral cities : And their view was, to pre- 
 vent any unneceflary exactions that were occa- 
 fioned by the farming out the fubfidies impofed 
 for this purpofe, and raifmg them in that cruel 
 method of capitation, with which you are fo 
 well acquainted. Companion indeed as well as 
 juflice inclined me to eafe the calamities of thefc 
 unhappy cities, opprefled as they chiefly were 
 
 9 A city in Phrygia Major, fituated on the frontiers to- 
 wards Galatia. The fituation of the other cities mention- 
 ed in this place, has already been occaftonally noted as they 
 occurred in the preceding letters. 
 
 by
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 377 
 
 by their own magiftrates * : and when I was A - u -7 02 
 engaged in a defign of that nature, I could not 
 poflibly overlook an expence, which appeared 
 ib extremely fuperfluous as that of the appoint- 
 ments of thefe deputies. It was but a piece of 
 juftice therefore due to me, not to have liftened 
 to any idle tales that might be related to you 
 upon this fubjecl:. But if it mould prove, af- 
 ter all, that you attribute to the reports of 
 others, what in truth receive their rife merely 
 from your own fufpicions \ you certainly make 
 ufe of a fort figure which the language of friend- 
 Ihip will by no means authorife. Had it ever 
 indeed been my meaning to derogate from your 
 reputation in the province, I mould fcarce have 
 afted in the manner I did. I fhould not have 
 referred it to your fon-in-law at Rome, to 
 your freedman at Brundifium, and to the com- 
 mander of your artillery when I faw him at Cor- 
 cyra, to name the place they thought would 
 
 * It appears from the letters to Atticus, to whom it was that 
 the grievances of thefe unhappy cities were principally owing. 
 Their own magiftrates, it is true, had fome fhare in them : 
 but their chief oppreflbr was Appius himfelf. The dfo- 
 lation he had brought upon this plundered province was fo 
 dreadful, that one would rather imagine, fays Cicero, 
 fome favage monfter had been let loofe upon them, than 
 that they had been trufled to the care of any human crea- 
 ture. And in another letter he tells Atticus, that he had 
 fufficient employment in applying remedies to thofe wounds 
 which had been given to this province by his prcdeceflbr. 
 Ad Att. v. 1 6, 17. 
 
 be
 
 378 THE LETTERS BOOK iy. 
 
 A.U.7oz.be moft agreable to you for our meeting. In 
 fhort, I wifh you would remember the maxim 
 which thofe great authors have laid down, who 
 have written fo excellently upon friendfhip; 
 that " to accufe and to defend are terms which 
 " ought for ever to be bammed from intercourfes 
 " of this amicable kind." 
 
 But do you imagine that I have had no op- 
 portunities of liftening, in my turn, to accu- 
 fations of the fame nature againft yourfelf ? Was 
 it never told me, do you think, that after you 
 had appointed me to meet you at Laodicea, you 
 retired beyond Mount Taurus ? That at the ve- 
 ry time I was employed in my juridical office 
 at Apamea, Synnada, and Philomelum, you 
 took the liberty to exercife the fame authority 
 at Tarfus ? But I forbear to enter farther into 
 thefe particulars, that I may not follow your 
 example in the very inftance of which I am 
 complaining. This however, I will fay (and I 
 fay it with great fincerity) that if you are really 
 perfuadedof the truth of thefe reports-, you dome 
 much injuftice: as you are not entirely without re- 
 proach if you only fuffered them to be related to 
 you. The truth is, it will appear that I have 
 acted towards you in one uniform tenor of friend- 
 fhip. And let thofe who impute artifice to me, 
 fay, whether it is probable, that after having 
 
 paid
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 379 
 
 paid the utmoft attention to your intereft during A.U. 702. 
 your abfence from Rome, and at a time when 
 I had not the leaft expectation of its ever being 
 in your power to return me the fame favor ; I 
 fliould give you juft reafon to abandon me now 
 that I have fo many occafions for your good 
 offices. I muft however acknowledge, there is 
 one article wherein I may not perhaps have re* 
 gulatcd myfelf altogether agreably to your in- 
 clinations. I am fenfible you would be difplea- 
 fed with any liberties that mould be taken with 
 the characters of thofe who acted in office under 
 you : and I will own I have heard very unfavo- 
 rable reprefentations of fome of them. But I 
 muft add, that no perfons were ever mentioned 
 upon this occafion, or any greater irregularities 
 laid to their charge, than thofe which your 
 friend Ciodius himfelf named to me when I faw 
 him at Corcyra : who lamented, I remember, 
 that you had been fome fufferer in your repu- 
 tation by the male-practices of thofe officers *, 
 
 * A particular inftance of the cruelty of one of thefe 
 officers under Appius, is mentioned in the letters to Atti- 
 cus. Scaptius, who commanded a troop of horfe in Cyprus, 
 furrounded their fenate with his forces in order to compel 
 them, it is probable, to comply with fome unjuft demands, 
 and kept them thus befieged till five of the members pe- 
 rifhed with hunger. When the government of this province 
 came into the hands of Cicero, the Cyprians, as their 
 ifland lay within his jurifdiftion, petitioned that thefe troops 
 mie;ht be withdrawn : and he very humanely complied with 
 {heir requeft. He relieved them likewife, as well as other 
 
 Reports
 
 380 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. Reports of this kind (and many fuch indeed 
 there are) I never in the leaft encouraged : but I 
 will frankly acknowledge likewife, that I never 
 greatly endeavored to reprefs them , well per- 
 fuaded as I am, that they can in no fort affect 
 your own character. 
 
 Whoever attempts to perfuade you, that there 
 is no fuch thing as a perfect reconcilement be- 
 tween friends whofe affections have once been ali- 
 enated ; difcovers the perfidy of his own heart, 
 inftead of proving the difiimulation of mine : at 
 the fame time that it is evident he has not a worfe 
 opinion of my fincerity, than he muft neceffarily 
 entertain of yours. But if any man has taken 
 offence at the meafures I purfue in my govern- 
 ment, as not exactly coinciding with yours ; I 
 
 cities undes his government, from the immoderate intereft 
 which they paid for the money their neceffities had obliged 
 them to borrow in Rome; reducing it from 4 per Cent, 
 paid monthly, to one per Cent. This equitable reduction 
 very considerably afFe&ed Brutus, who was concerned in 
 thefe loans : and he feems to have complained of it to Atti- 
 cus. But notwithilanding the latter ftrongly preffed Cicero 
 to favor Brutus in this affair, and Brutus himfelf likewife 
 had written to Cicero for the fame purpofe j yet he refo- 
 lutely withftood their united follicitations. " If Brutus, 
 " fays he, refents my conduct upon this occafion, I mall 
 " be forry : but much more fo, to find him a different 
 > man from what I always thought him." And if Cicero, 
 I will add, had fpoken and acted upon every other occa- 
 fion with the fame fpirit and integrity, as he certainly did 
 in the prefent ; he would have merited all the encomiums 
 which the warmeft of his admirers could have bellowed. 
 Ad Att. vi, 1,2. 
 
 am
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 381 
 
 am perfectly unconcerned at the lofs of his friend- A.U. 7or: 
 ihip. To fay truth, we have both acted in the 
 manner we ought, tho* we have not both followed 
 the fame plan. The inftances you gave of your 
 diffufive liberality, in this province, were fuitable 
 to a man of your quality. Tho' indeed even you 
 yourfelf were obliged the laft year, in compli- 
 ance with the calamities of the feafon, a little to 
 reftrain the munificence of your natural difpofi- 
 tion. But if mine, on the contrary, flows in a 
 fomewhat more limited channel ; let not thofc 
 to whom the benefit of that ftream has not 
 reached, wonder that I rather choofe they mould 
 fuffcr from the neceffary reilrictions of my boun- 
 ty, than that / mould from the juft reproaches 
 of my confcience. I have ever indeed been ex- 
 tremely referved in difpenfing largefles at ano- 
 ther's coft : as I cannot but be fenfibly affected 
 with diftreffes that extend themfelves throughout 
 a whole community. 
 
 I am much obliged to you for the account 
 you gave me of affairs at Rome ; and particular- 
 ly for the aflurance of your faithfully executing 
 all my requefts. What I principally recommend 
 to your care is, that neither the bufmefs nor the 
 period of my adminiftration may be enfarg- 
 ed. To this end I beg you would intreat 
 i our
 
 382 THE LETTERS BOOR IV. 
 
 A.U.702.our common friend and* collegue Hortenfius, 
 ^"V^ that if ever he was difpofed to comply with my 
 inclinations, he would not perfift in my conti- 
 nuing two years in this government: than 
 which he cannot do me a more unfriendly 
 office. 
 
 As to the information you defire concerning 
 my own motions ; I marched from Tarfus in 
 my way to Amanus on the yth of October, and, 
 I write this the day following, from my camp 
 in the plains of Mopfuhefta *. If any action 
 Jhould happen, I mall not fail of giving you no- 
 tice : as you may depend upon my enclofmg a 
 letter to you whenever I fend one to my family. 
 With refpect to the Parthians whom you inquire 
 after-, I am perfuaded none ever appeared. 
 They were only a troop of Arabians, armed af- 
 ter the Parthian manner. But thefe, it is faid, 
 are all returned home : and I am aflured there is 
 now no appearance of an enemy in Syria. 
 
 I intreat you to write to me as often as pof- 
 fible, not only as to what regards your own and 
 my private affairs, but as to thofe likewife of 
 the republic. I am more than ordinarily indeed 
 
 3 In the Augural college. 
 
 * A city in Cilicia, fituated upon the banks of the ri- 
 ve / r Pyramus. 
 
 folli-
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 
 
 follicitous concerning the latter, as I find byA.U. 70 
 your letter, that Pompey is going into Spain J . * 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 To PUBLIUS SILIUS, proprastor. 
 
 IDid not imagine I fhould ever have found 
 myfelf at a lofs for exprefiions : yet at a lofs, 
 believe me, I am, to recommend Marcus La> 
 nius to you in the terms he deferves. I muft 
 content myfelf therefore with explaining the 
 bufmefs of this letter in few words : but in 
 fuch however as may render you fufficiently fen- 
 fible of my inclinations. It is incredible how 
 great an efteem both my deareft brother and my- 
 felf entertain for Laenius : an efteem, which is 
 founded, not only on the many good offices he 
 has conferred upon us, but on the exalted in- 
 tegrity of his heart, and the fingular modefly 
 with which all his virtues are accompanied. It was 
 with the utmoft regret, therefore, that myfelf 
 confented to part with him : as I receive much 
 
 5 The government of Spain had been renewed to Pom- 
 pey for five years at the end of his confulate in the 
 preceding year: which province however, he adminiftered 
 by his lieutenants, whilft he himfelf ftill continued in Rome. 
 Dioy xli. p. 148. 
 
 advantage
 
 384 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. advantage from his counfels as well as great 
 ^^ entertainment from his company. But if I 
 mould expatiate any farther in his praife, will 
 you not think that, far from wanting words as 
 I juft now complained, I have employed more 
 than are necefTary? To be fhort then j I recom- 
 mend Lsenius to your protection with all that 
 warmth which you muft be fenfible I ought, 
 after what I have here faid. Let me ear- 
 neftly intreat you to expedite the bufmefs which 
 has called him into your province, and to favor 
 him likewife with your advice in the conduct 
 of it. You will find him, be afTured, a man 
 of a moft generous and well-natured difpofition : 
 for which reafon I beg you would fend him 
 back to us with the fatisfaction of having finifh- 
 ed his affairs by your means, as foon as pof- 
 fible. Your compliance with this requeft will 
 extremely oblige both my brother and myfelf. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 385 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 To MARCUS COELIUS, Curule-^Edile eled. 
 
 IWilh you would inquire the reafon that your A. U. 702. 
 letters mifcarry : for I cannot be induced to 
 think that you have not' once written to me fmce 
 your election *. 1 am perfuaded, on the contra- 
 ry, that you would not have omitted to commu- 
 nicate a piece of news I fo much wifhed with re- 
 gard to yourfelf, and fo little expected in rela- 
 tion to Hirrus. The truth however is, that I 
 have not heard from you fmce that glorious and 
 joyful event : which gives me fome uneafmefs, 
 left my letters fhould have had no better fuc- 
 cefs in finding their way to your hand. But 
 be alfured I have never written to my family 
 without accompanying my packet with a letter 
 for you : as indeed there is no man whom I 
 more fincerely and tenderly value.- But to turn, 
 to the principal purpofe of this epiftle. Your 
 wiih has fucceeded : and I have juft had em- 
 ployment enough of the military kind to entitle 
 me to a triumph. You were under fome ap- 
 prehenfions, I perceive, about the Parthians, 
 
 * Into the office of JEdile^ 
 VOL. I, C c as
 
 3 86 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.7o2.as being diffident of my forces. I muft ao 
 quaint you then, that having received advice 
 that the Parthians had committed hoftilities, I 
 took the advantage of fome defiles and of the 
 neighbouring mountains to lead my army, fup- 
 ported by a tolerable number of auxiliaries, to 
 Amanus. The reputation of my name was of 
 fome benefit to me likewife in my march : as 
 you cannot imagine of what importance it is in 
 places of this kind, to have the populace afk, 
 Is this the conful that faved Rome ? Is this he that 
 was fo honored by the fenate ? together with 
 other qucftions of the fame import which I need 
 not add. When I approached to Amanus, a 
 mountain which feparates Cilicia from Syria, I 
 had the fatisfaction to hear that Caflius 6 had 
 obliged the enemy to abandon the fiege of An- 
 tiochea , and that Bibulus had taken upon him- 
 felf the command of the province. However, 
 I employed my army in harafling the Amani- 
 enfes, our eternal enemies: and having put ma- 
 ny of them to the fword, as well as taken a great 
 number of prifoners, and entirely difperfed the 
 reft, I furprifcd and burnt fome of their for- 
 
 6 He wu.. lieutenant to Cruflbs in Syria, after whofe 
 death the command of the province devolved upon him, 
 till Bibulu?, who was appointed fuccefTor to Crams, arri- 
 ved. . A mure- particular account will be given of him in 
 fjr.e fiutiu-r pro^ref- of thefe remark*. 
 
 treflcs,
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 387 
 
 trefleS. Having thus obtained a complete vie- A.U. 702. 
 tory, I was faluted with the title of ^^ 
 
 by the whole army, at IfTus ? : the verj' place, 
 (as your favorite hiftorian 8 Clitarchus has often, 
 I have heard you fay, informed you) where 
 Alexander defeated Darius. From thence I 
 marched into the moft infefted parts of Cili- 
 cia, where I am now before Pindenefium : 
 a city of great ftrength, and which I have 
 already been battering above thefe three weeks. 
 The garrifon makes a moft obftinate and vigo- 
 rous defence : fo that nothing feems wanting to 
 complete the glory I ihall here obtain, but that 
 the name of this place were lefs obfcure. If I 
 mould make myfelf mafter of it, (as I truft I 
 mall) I will fend an immediate exprefs to the 
 fenate. In the mean time I have given you this 
 general account of my operations, to let you 
 fee there is fome foundation to hope that your 
 good wifhes will take effect. But to return 
 to the Parthians : this fummer's campaign 
 has proved, you find, tolerably fuccefsful : I 
 am in great pain however for the next. Let 
 me intreat you therefore, my dear friend, 
 to endeavor that a fuccefibr be appointed 
 
 7 A city which flood on the frontiers of Cilicia and Sy- 
 ria. 
 
 8 A Greek hiftorian, who attended Alexander in his Per- 
 fian expedition. 
 
 C c 2 te
 
 3 88 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. to my government: but if that fhould prove a 
 l^V^ matter of too much difficulty, (as you intimate 
 in one of your letters, and as I am myfelf incli- 
 ned to fufpect) be careful at leaft to guard a- 
 gainft what may eafily be prevented -, I mean 
 the prolongation of my refidence. 
 
 I expect from your letters, (as I mentioned 
 in one of my former) not merely an account 
 of what is at prefent going forward in the re- 
 public, but a clear profpect alfo of what is like- 
 ly to happen. For which purpofe I intreat you 
 to inform me fully of every thing that concerns 
 the public. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 MARCUS COELIUS to CICERO. 
 
 WE 9 have received an exprefs from Cai- 
 us Caffius, and another from Deiotarus, 
 which greatly alarm us. The former writes 
 that the Parthian army has pafied the Euphrates : 
 and the latter, that they are actually marching 
 towards your province, by the way of Comma- 
 gene. As I well know how ill provided you 
 
 9 This letter appears to have been written, before any 
 of Cicero's difpatches concerning the Parthians, had reach- 
 ed Rome : and confequently before Coclius had received the 
 preceding epiftle. 
 
 are
 
 Boo* IV. OF C I C E R O, 389 
 
 are with troops j the principal concern I feel A.U. 702, 
 from this invafion with refpect to you, is left 
 you fhould be a lofer by it in point of reputa- 
 tion. Had you been better prepared indeed, to 
 receive the enemy, I mould have been in great 
 pain for your life : but as the very fmall num- 
 ber of your forces will incline you, I imagine, 
 rather to think of a retreat than an engagement ; 
 I am only anxious concerning your honor. For 
 how far the world may confider the neceflity of 
 the cafe, and approve of your thus declining a 
 battle, is a point, I confefs, which gives me 
 much uneafy reflection. In fhort, I fhall be 
 in continual anxiety till I hear of your arrival 
 in Italy. In the mean time, this news of the 
 Parthians, has occafioned a variety of fpecula- 
 tions. Some are of opinion that Pompey ought 
 to be fent to oppofe them : and others, that it 
 is by no means convenient he mould leave 
 Rome. A third party is for affigning this ex- 
 pedition to Casfar and his army, whilft a fourth 
 names the confuls ' as the moft proper perfons to 
 be employed. But all agree, however, in being 
 filent as to any decree of the fenate for placing 
 this command in private hands *. The confuls, 
 
 1 Marcus Marcellus, and Servius Sulpicius. 
 a That is, in the hands of thofe who were not inverted 
 with fome public command. 
 
 C C 3 in
 
 390 TPE LETTERS BOOK IV, 
 
 A.U.7C2.in the apprehenfion that they, mall either be 
 ^" X ~ >r ' S * > nominated to a commiffion which they do not 
 relifti, or fuffer the difgrace of its being given 
 from them, forbear to convene the fenate : and 
 by this means incur the cenfure of neglecting 
 .the public intereft. But whether indolence or 
 pufillanimity be the real motive of their declin- 
 ing the conduct of this war ; it is concealed 
 under the fpecious appearance however of mo- 
 defly. 
 
 As we have received no courier from you, it 
 was fufpecled, till the difpatch from Deiotarus 
 arrived, that the whole was an invention of 
 Cafiius, who, it was thought, in order to co- 
 ver his own rapine, had fuffered a parcel of 
 Arabs to make an incurfion into the province^ 
 and then reprefented them to the fenate as a 
 formidable body of Parthians. Whatever there- 
 fore may be the true Hate of the affair, let me 
 perfuade you to be extremely circumfpecl: in 
 giving a faithful and accurate account of it to 
 the fenate : that you may neither be reproached 
 with magnifying matters in order to gratify the 
 private purpofes of Caffius, nor with concealing 
 any thing which may be of importance for the 
 public to know. 
 
 It is now the iSth of November : and as we 
 are advanced thus far towards the end of the 
 
 year,
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 391 
 
 year, I do not fee that any thing can be done in A.U. /c 
 this affair before the firft of January '. For you 
 know how flow and inactive Marcellus is upon 
 all occafions, and are no ftranger to the dilatory 
 difpofition of Sulpicius. You will eafily judge 
 therefore what is to be expected from two 
 men of this unperforming caft : and that they 
 who ufually act with fo much coldnefs, as to 
 make one doubt their inclinations even in points 
 they really defire to effect, will not be very 
 warm in forwarding a bufmefs to which they ire 
 certainly averfe. 
 
 If the Pardiian war mould become a fcrious 
 matter, the new magiftrates will be engaged for 
 the firft two or three months of their office, in 
 adjufting the proper meafures to be taken in 
 this conjuncture. On the other hand, if it 
 mould appear to be an invafion of no confe- 
 quence, or fuch at leaft that with the fupply of 
 a few additional troops may eafily be repelled by 
 you and the other proconfuls already in thofe 
 provinces, or by your fucceflbrs ; Curio, I fore- 
 fee, will begin to play his double game : that 
 is, he will in the firft place attempt to weaken 
 the authority of Csefar* ; and in the next enr 
 
 3 When the confuls cleft entered upon the adminiflration 
 of their office. 
 
 4 Curio had not as yet pulled off the maflc, and declared 
 hirafelf openly in favor of Catfar. 
 
 deavor
 
 392 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. deavor to throw fome little advantages on the 
 fide of Pompey. As for Paulus *, he decladcs 
 moft vehemently againft fuffering Caefar to 
 continue in Gaul : and our friend Furnius is 
 the only tribune whom I fufpect of obftructing 
 his meafures for that purpofe. You may de- 
 pend upon thefe articles as certain : but beyond 
 thefe I cannot with any aflurance pronounce. 
 Time, indeed may produce much; as many 
 fchemes I know are concerted : but they all 
 turn upon the points I have already fpecified. 
 I forgot to mention, that Curio defigns to 
 make an attempt to procure a divifion of the 
 lands in Campania 6 . It is pretended that Cas- 
 far does not concern himfelf in this matter : 
 certain, however, it is, that Pompey is very 
 defirous of having the diftribution fettled before 
 Casfar's return, that he may be precluded from 
 applying them to his own purpofes. 
 
 As to what concerns your leaving the pro- 
 vince, I dare not promife that you mall be re- 
 
 5 One of the confuls eleft. See rem. 6. p. 324. of 
 this vol. 
 
 * Caefar when he was conful, an. urb. 694. had procu- 
 red a law for the ^diftribution of thefe lands : and part of 
 them had actually been difiributed accordingly. The re- 
 maining part was what Curio had in his view : which were 
 to be purchafed of the private pofieflbrs with the public 
 money, and parcelled out amongft the poor citizens in 
 the fame manner as thofe had been which were already 
 divided. See rem. 13. p. 165. of this vol. Vid, etiam Mo- 
 unt, inep. Fam. i. g, 
 
 Heved
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 393 
 
 lieved by a fucceflbr : but you may rely upon A.U. 70?. 
 my endeavoring all I can that your adminiftra- 
 tion fhall not be prolonged. Whether you will 
 think proper to remain in your government, 
 if affairs fliould be fo circumftanced as to ren- 
 der it indecent for me to oppofe any decree of 
 the fenate for that purpofe; depends upon your- 
 felf to determine : as it does upon me to re- 
 member, how warmly you made it your requeft 
 when we parted, that I would prevent any fuch 
 refolution from being taken. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 To PUBLIUS SILIUS, propraetor, 
 
 IT was with the warmeft and moft grateful 
 acknowledgment of your favors, that my 
 friend Nero alfured me, you have diftinguimed 
 him with every honor in your power. You 
 may depend upon the moft efficacious inftances 
 pf his friendfhip in return : as there is not a man 
 in the world, of a more grateful and generous 
 difpofition. You have conferred at the fame 
 time, a very fingular obligation upon myfelf : 
 for I know not any man amongft all our no- 
 bility who ftands higher in my efteem and af- 
 fection. Your good offices to him therefore, 
 
 W
 
 394 T E LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A,U. 702. in the following inilances wherein he defircd I 
 would particularly requeft them, will be highly 
 agreable to me. In the firft place, I beg you 
 to defer the affair of Paufanias, an inhabitant 
 of Alibanda, till Nero arrives in your province ' 
 and as this is a point in which I perceive he is 
 exceedingly follicitous, it is with a proportion- 
 able degree of zeal that I intreat your compli- 
 ance. The next favor I am to afk is, your 
 particular protedion for the citizens of Nyfa. 
 Nero is greatly attached to the intereft of this 
 corporation : and I hope < you will mew them 
 that nothing can be more to their advantage 
 than his patronage. I ha.ve frequently had oc- 
 cafion of recommending Strabo Servilius to 
 you: but I renew my applications with fo much 
 the more ardor, as Nero takes a mare in his 
 concerns. We jointly then intreat you to fettle 
 his affair, and not leave an innocent man to be a 
 prey, perhaps, to one who may fucceed to your 
 government with a turn of mind far different 
 from that generofity which diftinguimes yours. 
 This will be acting in a manner highly agreable 
 to myfelf, and fuitably at the fame time to your 
 ufual humanity. In a word, the purport of 
 my prefent application amounts to this ; that 
 you would upon all occafions continue to dif- 
 tihguifti Nero with your moft peculiar regard. 
 
 Th;
 
 BOOK. IV. OF C I C E R O. 39$ 
 
 The truth is, your province has in this refpeft A.U.jo*. 
 greatly the advantage over mine, as it affords 
 you full fcope of doing honor to fo nobte, fo 
 ingenious, and fo virtuous a youth. Your per* 
 fever an ce in the fame generous offices with 
 which you have thus far afllfted rriy friend, 
 will give him an opportunity of confirming and 
 lengthening thofe illuftrious clientfhips which 
 have been delivered down to him from his an- 
 ceftors. And let me add, that it will be placing 
 your favors with great judgment in refpect to 
 Nero, as well as beflowing them in the moft 
 obliging manner likewife with regard to myfelf. 
 JFarewel. 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 To CURIO, tribune of the people. 
 
 THE congratulations of a friend are not 
 ufually confidered as too late, if they are 
 paid as early as pofiible : my great diftance 
 therefore from Rome, together with the flow 
 progrefs with which news travels into this cor- 
 ner of the world, will excufe me for not foon- 
 er fepding you mine. But I now fmcerely 
 give them ypu : apd moft ardently wifh that 
 you may obtain immortal honor by your admi- 
 2 niftration
 
 396 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.7C2.niftration of the tribunate. To this end, I 
 *" / '"V >v muft exhort you not to fuffer yourfelf to be 
 turned afide from your natural bias, in compli- 
 ance with the fentiments and advice of others : 
 on the contrary, let me intreat you to be direct- 
 ed in your miniftry by the faithful light of your 
 own fuperior wifdom. No man indeed is capa- 
 ble of giving you more prudent counfels, than 
 will arife from the fuggeftions of your own 
 good-fenfe : and believe me, you can never be 
 mifguided fo long as you purfue the honeft di- 
 ctates of your uninfluenced judgment. I fay not 
 this inconfiderately -, but as perfectly- well know- 
 ing the genius and principles of him to whom 
 I am addrefiing myfelf. Yes, my friend, I can 
 never be apprehenfive that you will act either 
 weakly, or irrefolutely, whilft you fupport 
 the meafures your heart approves. It was nei- 
 ther chance, nor ignorance that led you to fol- 
 licit this magiflracy in fo important a crifis. It 
 was a deliberate and well confidered refolution 
 that engaged you in this defign : and you were 
 perfectly fenfible of the great and general con- 
 fufion in which the commonwealth is involved, 
 together with the utter incertainty in what man- 
 ner thefe our unhappy divifions will finally be 
 terminated. You frequently reflect, I doubt 
 not, on the vain, the treacherous, and the pli- 
 ant
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 397 
 
 ant difpofitions of the prefent generation. To A. u. 702; 
 repeat then what I juft now mentioned : let me ^"VXJi 
 conjure you ftedfaftly to perfevere in your old 
 principles ; to confult the dictates of your own 
 bread ; and faithfully to comply with its wife 
 and worthy admonitions. Hardly, perhaps, is 
 any man more qualified than yourfelf to direct 
 the conduct of others : none, I am fure, to 
 fleer your own. Good Gods ! Why am I thus 
 prevented from being a witnefs of your glori- 
 ous actions, and an affociate in your patriot 
 defigns ? The latter, I am perfuaded, you are 
 far from wanting : however, the ftrength and 
 warmth of my affection, might pofiibly render 
 the conjunction of my counfels with yours, not 
 altogether unprofitable. 
 
 You will hear from me again very foon : as 
 I purpofe in a few days to fend an exprefs to the 
 .fenate with a particular account of the fuccefs 
 of my arms during the laft fummer's campaign. 
 In the mean time, you will perceive by the 
 letter which I delivered to your freed-man Thra- 
 fo, with what zealous pains I have follicited 
 your election to the pontifical dignity : an 
 election, indeed, that will be attended with 
 much difficulty. I conjure you in return, my 
 dear Curio, not to fuffer this my very trou- 
 blefome provincial adminiftration to be length-
 
 398 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.joz.ened out beyond the ufual period : and I ihtreat 
 it by all the ftrong and tender ties of our 
 mutual friendfhip. When I firft made this 
 requeft to you in perfon, and feveral times aftt'r- 
 wards repeated it by letter, I had not the leaft 
 imagination of your being tribune. I then in- 
 deed only intreated your good offices as an 
 illuftrious fenator, and as one who flood high 
 m the favor and efteem of every Roman. But 
 I now apply to Curio* not only as my noble 
 friend, but as a powerful tribune. I do not 
 defire, however, (what indeed would be more 
 difficult to obtain) that any thing unufual mould 
 be decreed in my favor : but on the contrary, 
 that you would fupport that decree and main- 
 tain thofe laws by which I was appointed to this 
 government. In a word, my fingle and molt 
 earneft requeft is, that the terms upon which I 
 fet out for this province may not be changed. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 399 
 
 LETTER XVH. 
 To THERMUS, Proprietor. 
 
 I Found you perfectly well inclined to employ A u. 702. 
 every good office in your power for my lieu- 
 tenant Marcus Anneius, when I mentioned his 
 affair to you at Ephefus. However, as my 
 affection will not fuffer me to omit any circum- 
 ftance which may tend to his advantage; I 
 write to you in the belief that this letter will 
 confiderably add to the favorable difpofition in 
 which you already ftand towards him. He 
 has long enjoyed a fhare in my friendfhip : as 
 indeed I have fufEciently fliewn tjie good opi- 
 nion I entertain of him, by having appointed 
 him my lieutenant in preference to Ib many 
 others, who follicited for that office. The war 
 in which I was foon afterwards engaged, gave 
 me occafion of experiencing his military abili- 
 ties : and the prudence, the courage and the 
 fidelity with which he executed his commiflion, 
 together with the extraordinary marks he gave 
 me of his affection, have raifed him to the high- 
 eft pofllble degree of my efteem. I informed ' 
 you at Ephefus, that there were fome points in 
 controverfy between him and the city of Sar- 
 
 dis? :
 
 4 oo THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U.7oz.dis7 : the particulars of which you will beft 
 learn when the caufe mall come before you. 
 And, here, ! muft confefs, I have been long 
 debating with myfelf what I fhould farther fay 
 to you. The world univerfally acknowledges 
 and admires your impartial administration of 
 juftice : and my friend's claim is fo well-found- 
 ed as to require no other protection than that of 
 your ufual equity. However, as I am fenfible 
 of the great authority which naturally attends 
 the Praetorian office, efpecially where it is exer- 
 cifed with fo much honor, lenity, and wifdom, 
 as are well known to diftinguilh your admini- 
 ftration ; I intreat you to exert that influence 
 in fuch a manner upon this occafion, as may 
 convince Anneius you are his friend. He is 
 already indeed perfuaded that you are fo : and 
 has often mentioned you to me in that chara- 
 ter. Neverthelefs, I cannot forbear conjuring 
 you, by thofe reciprocal good offices which have 
 equally pafled between us, to let him fee that 
 this letter has rendered you ftill more inclined 
 to ferve him. Be allured, the whole extent of 
 your provincial power cannot fupply you with 
 an opportunity of more effectually obliging me. 
 It is unneceffary I mould add, that you cannot 
 better difpofe of your favors, than by conferring 
 
 7 In Lydia. 
 
 them
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 401 
 
 them brt Anneius : as I am perfuaded you have A.U. 702. 
 too high an opinion of his merit and gratitude ^~^^ 
 to entertain the leail doubt upon that article. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 To V Q,L U M N I U S f . 
 
 TH E familiar manner in which your letter 
 to me was addreffed, tho' extremely a- 
 greable indeed to the intimacy that fubfifts be- 
 tvreen us, made me at firft doubt whether it did 
 not come from my very good friend your name- 
 fake the fenator. But I foon found by that lively 
 and elegant humor with which it was diftinguifh- 
 ed, that it could be the produce of no other hand 
 than yours. I was exceedingly pleafed with it 
 in every refpecl, but that I perceived you had not 
 fufficiently difcharged your truft, and defended 
 
 8 The perfon to whom this letter is addreffed was a Ro- 
 man knight, extremely admired for his wit and pleafantry. 
 It was this quality, it is probable, that recommended him 
 to Antony, with whom he appears to have been in fome 
 credit : as he was likewife employed by him in the civil 
 Wars. Atticus alfo was in the number of Volumnius's friends : 
 and after the battle of Modena, when Antony's faction was 
 fuppofed to be irrecoverably ruined, he generoufly protect- 
 ed him from the violences of the fuccdiiUl party. Ad Att. 
 XV. 8 . Corn. Kef, in lit. Attlci. 
 
 VOL. I. D .i the
 
 402 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 A.U. 702. the credit of my poffefiions as a wit. For you tell 
 "e, that fmce I left Rome, every paultry joke, 
 even thofe of the dull Sextius himfelf, is placed to 
 my account. And did you fuffer your friend to 
 be thus difhonored, without heroically {landing 
 forth in vindication of his genius ? I was in 
 hopes, that my wit was ftamped with fuch diftin- 
 guifhing marks as to prevent the poflibility of 
 its being miftaken. But it feems there is fuch a 
 general depravation of tafte in Rome, that no 
 man's conceits are fo execrably vile, as not to 
 meet with admirers. As you value my repu- 
 tation then, aflert boldly that every low thing 
 which is repeated of this fort, is none of mine. 
 And unleis it be fome fmart pun, or elegant hy- 
 perbole, fome itriking paragram ?, or fome arch 
 and unexpected turn 3 i in aword,unlefs it anfwers 
 
 * The Hyperbole is a figure of fpcech by which any 
 thing is extravagantly magnified or diminimed beyond the 
 truth : as a paragram is a ipecies of the pun, which con- 
 fills in changing the initial letters of a name. It would 
 be needlds to produce any example in explanation of 
 the former : and an inftance of the latter kind will occur 
 10 every Knglifh reader in the well known reply which 
 Cromwell made to the judges, when they reminded him of 
 MtJgna Chart a. 
 
 u Of this kirui is what the Duke of Buckingham once 
 1 . 't! to a noble Karl : My Lord, yon ivill certainly be damned. 
 /A/.'/. >tr: I.'.rd'. returned the Earl with fome warmth. Nay 
 replied the Duke, tberis no help for it: for it is pofiti<ve/y 
 fi<uL C.,>rffd is be of whom nil >nc?/jjiak v:e//, Tatler, vol. i. 
 
 the
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 
 
 the chara&er of true humor l as defcribed in 
 my dialogue on oratory, I defire you would do 
 
 1 Cicero in the treatife to \vhich he here refers, intro- 
 duces one of his fpeakers as pointing out the principal 
 fources of oratorical humor : among which, he makes ve- 
 ry honorable mention of the pun. 1 here is fcarce an au- 
 thor indeed of any note among the antients, that has not 
 in fome part or other of his writings, tried his genius at a 
 conceit : as it is remarkable that there is one in particular 
 which runs thro' almoit the whole fet of Roman Claffics. 
 The firft that appears to have ftarted it, is that venerable 
 cenfor, Cato the elder : who in a grave fpeech recorded 
 by Livy, taking notice of thofe fine ftatues that had been 
 lately tranfported into Italy, after the conqueft of Greece, 
 exprefies his concern, *ce ilia magif res no; ceperint, quatn 
 nos illas. Horace was fo well pleafed with this witticilm, 
 that he has tranfplanted it into one of his epiilles : 
 
 I03ij3'~:rno3 ililJO c:i "HOT I risu^w -,/ ,;ov- 
 
 Grefda capta ferum viflorem cepit, et artts 
 Intulit agrejli Latio. 
 
 And even the majeftic Virgil could not fecure himfelf from 
 the infection of this contagious ambiguity : 
 
 Num Ctipti potuere Capi ? 
 
 a quibble, which was afterwards taken up by Quintus Cur- 
 tius ; tho' it feems to be fomewhat damaged in paffing thro' 
 his hands: plures captwi, (fays that hiftorian, fpeaking of 
 one of Alexander's victories) quam qui caperent, erant. When 
 it is confidered how early this fpecies of falfe wit appeared 
 in the world ; with what difficulty it has been fubdued ; that 
 fome of the beft writers have not been able eiuirely to ab- 
 irain from it; and that it was tbe favorite of .fo unqueftion- 
 able a genius as Cicero ; one cannot forbear thinking with 
 the inimitable Mr. -'ddifon, that " the feeds of punning 
 " are in the minds of all men." It is the bufmeis there- 
 fore of criticifm to root out a weed, which the beft as 
 well as the worft foil, it feems, is fo ftrongly difpofed to 
 produce: as it cannot fpread without- checking the nobler 
 growth of true wit and juft imagination. Cic. de ( raf. ii. 
 38. Liv. xxxiv. 4. Ear. ep. ii. <. 157. Virg. ^E n . v,i. AQZ. 
 $uint. Curt. V. 13. AdJifan Sfe3. i. N, 6l. 
 
 VOL. I. D d 2 me
 
 THE L E T T E R S BOOK IV. 
 
 me the favor mofl vehemently to fwear, that 
 mine you are confident it is not. With regard 
 to thofe little pretenders to eloquence, of whom 
 you complain as having ufurped my place in the 
 Forum , I am much lels concerned. Fare it as 
 it may with plaintiffs and defendants of every 
 kind, I am nothing difturbed : no not tho 1 the 
 worthlefs Selius himfelf mould be deemed elo- 
 quent enough to perfuade the world, that he is 
 not an arrant flave. But in the article of wit, 
 my friend there indeed I am much too jealous 
 not to aflert my prerogative. It is an article 
 however, in which I fear no other competitor 
 but your felf : for your pretenfions, doubtlefs, 
 are formidable. Yet when I fay this you will 
 modeftly fufpect, perhaps, that I am banter- 
 ing : and who but muft own that Volumnius is 
 a man of penetration ? To fpeak ferioufly : a 
 moft agreeable and lively vein of wit runs 
 throughout your whole letter. I will confefs, 
 however, that what you mention concerning our 
 friend % tho' you reprefented it in a very drole 
 light, did not once make me fmile. It is much 
 my defire, I muft own, that he mould conduct 
 himfelf thro' his tribunitial office with dignity : 
 not only for his own fake, as you know he is a 
 man I value -, but for the fake likewife of my 
 
 * This teems to allude to Curio, 
 
 conn'
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 405 
 
 country: which, however ill k has treated me, I A.U. 702. 
 mall never ceafe to love. 
 
 And now, my dear Volumnius, I hope you 
 will continue the agreabje correfpondence you 
 have begun, and give me frequent accounts of 
 affairs both private and public : for be aflured 
 your letters are extremely pleafing to me. I 
 intreat you, likewife, to endeavor to gain Do- 
 labella entirely to my interefts, by confirm- 
 ing him in that amicable difpofition towards 
 me, which, I know, he is inclined to en- 
 tertain. Not that I fufpect he wants any ap- 
 plications of this fort : but, as I am very de- 
 firous to make him my friend, it is a point, 
 J think, thar cannot be top much labored. 
 Farewel. 
 
 D d 3 LET-
 
 406 THE LETTERS BOOK 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 To CRAS$IPES J . 
 
 T Took occafion before I left Rome, of recom- 
 X mending the Bithynia* company to you in 
 the ilrongeft terms I was able : and I had the 
 
 pleafure to find you perfectly well djfpofefl, 
 not only from my inftances, but your own in- 
 clinations, to do them all the good offices in 
 your power. However, as thofe who are con- 
 cerned in the affairs of this fociety, think it may 
 be to their advantage that I mould thus repeat 
 
 , my affurances of the regard I bear them; I make 
 no difficulty of yielding to their follicitations. 
 Be well perfuaded then, fhat I have ever been 
 clefirous of rendering to this whole order 
 in general, my beft fervices : to which in T 
 deed the important obligations they have con- 
 ferred upon me, give them an undoubted right. 
 But my attachments are more particularly 
 ftrong to that branch of them concerned in 
 
 3 He was Quaeftor in Bithynia : and probably at the 
 fame time when P. Silius was governor of that province : 
 Seerem. i. p. 366. of this vol. 
 
 4 The revenues of the republic arifing from the foreign 
 province's were formed 'by the Roman knights ; who were 
 divided into feveral companies diftinguifhed by the name 
 of the particular province whofe taxes they rented. See 
 {cm. 53. p. 20f- V 
 
 the
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 407 
 
 the finances of Bithynia : as this company, A.U.yoz* 
 from the rank and character of its members, 
 forms one of the moil confiderable bodies in 
 the whole republic. It is . compofed indeed out 
 of all the other companies, and happens to 
 confift of feveral of my molt intimate friends. 
 In this number their governor Publius Rupilius 
 holds the principal rank : the moft important 
 part of whofe function is concerned in my pre- 
 fent addrefs. I make it then my earneft re- 
 queft (and it is a requeft you may very eafily 
 comply with) that you afiift and protect their 
 agent Pupius in difcharging his fervices to 
 the fatisfaction of the company : and in gene- 
 ral, that you would promote their intereft by 
 all thofe means which, I well know, are in the 
 power of a Quasftor. Your compliance in this 
 jnftance will greatly oblige me : and I will add 
 too, what I can affirm from my own experi- 
 ence, that you cannot confer your good offices 
 upon a fociety that will more gratefully remem- 
 ber them. Farewel. 
 
 D d 4 LET-
 
 4o3 THE LETTERS BOOK W, 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 To PUELIUS Si LI us, Propraetor. 
 
 AU 7Q2 TTJUBLIUS Terentius Hifpo, who is depu- 
 v-X-v^^JL ty-receiver-general of the cuftoms arifmg 
 from pafture and cattle in your province, is 
 a perfon for whom I have a very particular 
 friendlhip : as indeed many important good 
 offices have mutually pafTed between us. The 
 fettling his accounts with the feveral cities un- 
 der his department which yet remain unad- 
 jufted, is a point wherein his character, you 
 are fenfible, is greatly concerned. This I at- 
 tempted in his behalf with regard to the in- 
 habitants of Ephefus : but my attempts, I 
 muft confefs, proved unfuccefsful. It is the 
 general opinion of the world however, and 
 what I am firmly afliired of myfelf, that the 
 juftice and clemency of your adminiftration has 
 gained you fuch an afcendant over the people 
 of Greece, that you may eafily obtain of them 
 any thing you fhall requeft. I intreat you then 
 to employ your intereft with them in favor of 
 Hifpo : and I afk it as a point in which my 
 honor is peculiarly concerned. The truth is, 
 not only the whole company in this branch of 
 the revenues has placed it felf under my pro- 
 
 tcciion,
 
 Boo?: IV. OF CICERO. 409 
 
 tection, bu.t I have particular intimacies with A.U. 702; 
 many of its members. Your compliance there- 
 fore with my requeft will ftrengthen my inter- 
 eft with this fociety in genera}, and will alfo 
 give me the fatisfaction and credit pf having 
 obtained your good offices for my friend. To 
 his I will add, that you may depend on re- 
 ceiving great complacency both from the grate- 
 ful returns of Hifpo in particular, and from 
 the intereft you will eftablifh with this illu- 
 ftrious company in general. You will like- 
 wife oblige me in a moft fenfible manner : for 
 be aflured, the whole extent of your govern- 
 ment cannot fupply you with an opportunity 
 of rendering me a more acceptable fervice. 
 Farewel. 
 
 rt 
 
 L E T-
 
 (4U ) 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 O F 
 
 Marcus Tullius Cicero 
 
 T O 
 
 Several of his FRIENDS. 
 B O O K V. 
 
 T 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 fo MARCUS CATO T . 
 
 HE great authority you bear in theA.U.703. 
 republic, together with the high eftee 
 I have ever entertained for your un- 
 
 f This illuftrious Roman was great-grand-fon to Marcus 
 Gate the Cenfor : to whom he was no lets allied in virtue 
 than in blood. He had all his merit indeed, without any 
 of his failings : and with the fame determined inflexibi- 
 
 common
 
 4 i2 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. common virtues, make me look upon it as a 
 point of much cpnfequence to me, that you 
 
 lity in his public conduft, he was far more amiable in 
 the common intercourfes of private life. Perhaps a chara- 
 &CT equally perfecl, is no where to be found in the whole 
 annals of profane hiftory : and it may well be queftioned 
 whether human philofophy ever produced either before, or 
 fince, fo truely great and good a man. It is a juft obfer- 
 vation of Seneca ; magtiam rem puta, unum bominem agere : 
 and it is this uncommon confiftency of adlion that marks 
 the character of Cato with its moft diftinguifhing beauty. 
 All the parts of his conduct accord with each other, and 
 are the regular refult of one {teddy and invariable prin- 
 ciple: 
 
 Pairia impcndere vitam ; 
 
 Jtecjibi, fed toti genitumft cr tiler t rnundo, 
 
 This was the glorious object of his ambition from his firft 
 appearance in -the world, to the laft moment of his life : and 
 ^fce undauntedly purfued it thro' all the various infults and 
 oppefition that Csefar, Crafius, and Pompey, could con- 
 trive to traverfe and perplex his way. He relolutely indeed 
 oppofed the progrefe of their power, in every Hep of its uncon 
 ftirutional advancement : and with a moft consummate pru- 
 dence,perpetually fore-warned his contrymen of thofe calami- 
 ties which they afterwards experienced. Cicero, neverthelefs, 
 has faid (and it has been often repeated after him) that there 
 was more of probity, than of prudence in Cato's politics; 
 and particularly inftances his treatment of the Roman 
 knights in a very nice <:afe wherein they petitioned the fe- 
 nate for redrefs. See rem. 9. p. 114. of this vol. Perhaps 
 Cato's firmnefs in this article, cannot be juftified : but cer- 
 tainly it would not be reafonable to pronounce from a 
 particular article, that he did not in the general tenor of his 
 public aclions difcox'er great abilities. Cicero fpeaks of 
 them, 'tis true, upon other occafions alio, with fome di- 
 minution : but it is no wonder he mould reprefent that 
 conduft as injudicious, which was almoft in every refpeft 
 the very reverfe of his own. One cannot eafily indeed be- 
 lieve that Cato's talents were unequal to his virtues, when one 
 confiders the perpetual jealoufy with which he was looked 
 upon by the firft triumvirate; the violent meafures they 
 employed to prevent his being elected praetor ;. and that 
 
 mould
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 413 
 
 Ihould be apprifed of the fuccefs of my arms -, A.U. 703. 
 of the difmterefted protection I have given to our '- 
 allies , and of the integrity of my adminiftra- 
 tion in general. And I doubt not when you 
 fhall be 'informed of thefe feveral articles, I 
 fhall find the lefs difficulty in perfuading you 
 to comply with the requeft I am going to 
 make. 
 
 I arrived in this province on the lad of July : 
 and as the feafon of the year rendered it necef- 
 fary for me to haften to the army, I continued 
 only two days at Laodicea, four at Apamea, 
 three at Synnadae, and as many at Philome- 
 lum. I found great numbers of people af- 
 fembled in thefe feveral towns in expectation of 
 my arrival : and during my ftay in each, I re- 
 lieved many cities from the opprefiive taxes they 
 labored under, reduced the exorbitant intereft 
 they paid for die money they had been obliged to 
 borrow, and difcharged them from the unjuft de- 
 mands of their ufurious creditors. Before I ar- 
 
 they would never fuffer him to attain the confular office. 
 Integrity under the dire&ion of much inferior abilities, could 
 not, furely, have been thus formidable; efpecially in an 
 age the moft venal and unprincipled that ever darkened the 
 annafs of human corruption. But whatever may be deter- 
 mined as to the meafure of his intellectual qualities ; he 
 unqueftionably poffefied the patriot virtues in their higheil 
 perfection : and (as a noble author juftly obferves) " if he 
 " could not fave, he prolonged the life of liberty." Plut. 
 invit. Caton.Senec.ep. \zo.Lucan. ii. 382, Ad Alt. i. 1 8. II. 
 5. Let. on the fpirit cf patriotifm, p. 35. 
 
 rived
 
 4 i4 THE LETTERS BOOK V; 
 
 A.U. 703 .'rived in my government, a mutiny had ariferi 
 m the army, and the foldiers had difperfed them- 
 felves into different parts of the province : as five 
 cohorts in particular were retired to Philome- 
 lum, without a fmgle officer to command 
 them. I therefore ordered my lieutenartt Arr- 
 neius to conduct thefe fcattered regiments to 
 the main body in Lycaonia, and to affemble the 
 whole army at Iconium : where I directed him 
 to encamp. Thefe orders he very diligently 
 executed : and I joined the troops on the 26th 
 of Auguft. In the interval I employed myfelf* 
 agreably to the injunctions of the fenate, in 
 railing a ftrong body of Evocati % together with 
 a proper number of cavalry, as alfo in aflem- 
 bling thofe auxiliary forces which the free as 
 well as regal dates in alliance with the republic* 
 had voluntarily offered me. As foon as the 
 junction of all the troops was completed, I re- 
 viewed the whole army : and on the goth of 
 Auguft we began to move towards Cilicia. In 
 the mean time, envoys from the king of Com- 
 magene arrived with a very confufed indeed, 
 but however as it appeared afterwards, a very 
 true, account, that the Parthians had invaded 
 Syria. This news greatly alarmed me, not on- 
 ly for the danger to which that province,' but 
 
 a See remark i . on letter 3. book iv. 
 
 my
 
 BOOK V. of C I C E R O. 415 
 
 my own, was expofed : and which threatened like- A,U. 703. 
 wife all Afia in general. I thought it advifea 
 therefore to lead my troops thro' that part of 
 Cappadocia which borders on Cilicia. If indeed 
 I had marched directly into Cilicia, I could eafi- 
 ly have protected that diftrict of my province 
 from any invafion on the fide of Syria: as it 
 cannot be entered from thence without traverf- 
 ing Mount Amanus, over which there are only 
 two narrow defiles that might be defended by a 
 very fmall force. In mort, nothing can be more 
 impregnable that Cilicia is from that quarter, 
 by the fortifications with which nature has fe- 
 cured it. But my chief concern was for Cap- 
 padocia, which lies entirely open towards Syria: 
 and befides, there are feveral little kingdoms in 
 its neighborhood, which tho' in friendmip with 
 the Romans, yet dare not openly act againft the 
 Parthians. Thefe confiderations therefore de- 
 termined me to lie with my army on the bor- 
 ders of Cappadocia : and accordingly I encamp- 
 ed at Cybiilra, a town fituated not far frorti 
 Mount Taurus. By this means I was in a 
 condition of protecting Cilicia, at the fame time 
 that, by pofTefiing myfelf of Cappadocia, I pre- 
 vented the contiguous ftates from entering into 
 any meafures to our prejudice. 
 
 WhilM
 
 4I 6 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U.70J. Whilft affairs were in this commotion, and 
 vXV^ there was reafon to apprehend a general war ; 
 King Deiotarus fent an Embaffy to my camp 
 with an offer of joining me with all his forces. 
 I was extremely fenfible of this inftance of his 
 zeal and friendmip: and immediately returned 
 him a letter of acknowledgments, with my 
 prefilng exhortations at the fame time that he 
 would haften his march. I cannot but obfcrve 
 upon this occafion, that Deiotarus juftly merits 
 thofe peculiar marks of favor and efteem, with 
 which both you and I in particular, as well as 
 the fenate in the general, have ever diftinguim- 
 ed him. He difcovers indeed a remarkable fi- 
 delity and affection to the republic, together 
 with an uncommon prefence and greatnefs ot 
 mind both in action and in council. 
 
 I found it neceffary for the better concerting 
 my plan of operations, to continue five days at 
 Cybiftra. During my ftay there, I had the fa- 
 tisfaction to be of fingular fervice to Ariobar- 
 zanes : a prince particularly affigned to my pro- 
 lection by the fenate, in confequence of your 
 motion for that purpofe. I delivered him from 
 a very dangerous confpiracy, which was juft 
 upon the point of being carried into execution. I 
 did more indeed : and not only preferved his 
 perfon, but ftrengthened his authority. For this 
 2 purpofe
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 417 
 
 purpofe I procured Metras and Athenasus, 
 
 u/"*v' > ^ 
 
 latter of whom you ftrongly recommended to 
 my care) not only to be recalled from that exile 
 into which the intrigues of the cruel Athenais 
 had driven them, but to be reftored to their 
 former favor and credit with the king. And as 
 it would have produced a very terrible civil 
 war, if the high prieft *, who was among the 
 difaffected party, had taken up arms, as was 
 generally fuppofed to be his intention ; I found 
 means of obliging him to depart the kingdom. 
 This young man abounded both in money and 
 troops, and indeed pofiefTed every other advantage 
 that could render him of importance to thofe who 
 were inclined to attempt a revolution. In a 
 word, I recovered the authority of Ariobarzanes 
 without occafioning the leaft blood-med, or dif- 
 turbance, and firmly eftablifhed him in his royal 
 dignity. 
 
 In the mean time, I was informed by various 
 exprefifes, that a conliderable army of Partitions 
 and Arabians were advanced to the city of An- V 
 
 tiochia * , and that a large body of their caval- 
 ry which had penetrated into Cilicia, were en- 
 
 2 It appears by a paffage which Manutius cites from 
 Hirtius that the high prieit of the temple of flellona at 
 Commana, a city in Cappadocia, was next in rank and 
 power to the king himfclf. Hirt. de Bel. Alcxand. 
 
 3 In Syria. 
 
 VOL. I. EG tirely
 
 418 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703.tirely cut to pieces by a detatchment of mine 
 fupported by the praetorian + cohort in garifon 
 at Epiphanea *. Perceiving therefore that the 
 Parthians had turned off from Cappadocia, and 
 were approached within a fmall dutance of the 
 frontiers of Cilicia ; I conducted the army with 
 all poffible expedition to Amanus. Upon my 
 arrival, I found the enemy was retired from An- 
 tiochia, and that Bibulus had taken polTefiion 
 of the city. I fent an exprefs therefore to Dei- 
 otarus, who was upon full march with all his 
 forces to join me, acquainting him that I did 
 not at prefent fee occafion of drawing him out 
 of his dominions ; but that if any new ocurrence 
 ^Ihould arife, I would immediately give him 
 notice. 
 
 My principal view in advancing to Amanus 
 was, that I might be ready to affifl either Cili- 
 cia or Syria, as circumftances mould require. I 
 had likewife another defign, which I had before 
 meditated and now prepared to execute, as being of 
 great importance to both provinces : I mean to 
 quell the infurrection of thefe-highlanders, and ex- 
 tirpate an enemy' that was perpetually infefting us. 
 
 4 The Praetorian cohort compofed a fort of body-guard 
 to the proconful, or general : and confifted of a feleft 
 number chofen out of the Evocati. The nature of the lat- 
 ter has been already explained in remark i, p. 340. of 
 this vol. 
 
 5 A city in Cilicia. 
 
 To
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 419 
 
 To this end I made a feint of retiring towards A.U. 703. 
 another part of Cilicia : and having actually re- 
 turned a day's march, I encamped at Epipha- 
 nea. But on the I2th of October in the even- 
 ing, I ftruck my tents : and by a long march 
 during the whole night, I arrived early the next 
 morning at Amanus. I immediately formed 
 in order of battle, heading part of the troops 
 myfelf in conjunction with my brother, and dif- 
 tributing the command of the reft amongft my 
 other lieutenants. The enemy being thus fur- 
 rounded by furprife, were taken and deftroyed 
 in great numbers. Mean while, my lieutenant 
 Pontinius attacked Sepyra, Commons, and 
 Erana : the latter of which is the principal town 
 on thefe mountains, and indeed confiderable 
 enough to be called a city. They each made 
 a very obftinate refiftance : and notwithftanding 
 the attack began before day- break, they did npt 
 furrender till night, nor without having fuffer- 
 cd a prodigious (laughter. In this action we 
 took fix fortrefles, and burnt many more. 
 
 Having thus fuccefsfully completed this ex- 
 pedition, we encamped at the foot of Mount 
 Amanus, near Alexander's 6 altars : where I con- 
 
 6 A place near-Iflus, where Alexander having defeated 
 Darius, confecrated three altars to Jupiter, Hercules, and 
 Minerva, as memorials of his viftory. Quint. Curt. iii. 
 
 E e 2 tinued
 
 420 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. tinned four days. During the whole time I re- 
 mained here, I was employed in extirpating the 
 reft of thefe mountaineers, and deftroying that 
 part of their lands which lie within my pro- 
 vince. From hence I fat down before Pindi- 
 neflum : a city in the territories of that part of 
 Cilicia which has never fubmitted to the Romans. 
 This was a place of great ftrength, and inhabit- 
 ed by a ftubborn people who had preferred 
 themfelves unconquered even by the neighbor- 
 ing kings. It was a harbor likewife for fugi- 
 tives of every kind : and they were greatly al- 
 fo in the intereft of the Parthians, whofe ap- 
 proach they impatiently expected. Upon thefe 
 confiderations I thought it for the honor of my 
 arms to reftrain their infolence : efpecially as I 
 Ihould by this means the more eafily fubdue 
 the fpirit of thofe other cantons which were 
 equally averfe to the Roman government. 
 In confequence of this refolution I invefted 
 the town ; and having raifed fix large fortrefles, 
 I began to play my battering engines againft 
 their walls. They held out however fifty feven 
 days : but at length finding the flames had fei* 
 fed feveral parts of the town, and that other 
 quarters were laid in ruins j they furrendered at 
 difcretion, after having occafioned me an infinite 
 fatigue. I had the fatisfaction to complete this 
 
 enter-
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 421 
 
 enterprife without occafioning our allies 
 
 leaf! inconvenience or expence. After having *^ 
 thus reduced PindinefTum, and received hof- 
 tages from the Tiburani, a neighboring people 
 equally bold and infolent, I fent my army in- 
 to winter-quarters. This care I afiigned to my 
 brother : and ordered him to canton the troops 
 amongft thofe towns we had lately taken, or 
 that were moft difpofed to revolt. 
 
 And now, if a motion mould be made in the 
 fenate concerning the honors due to the fuccefs 
 of my arms, I mail efteem it the higheft glo- 
 ry to be fupported in my pretenfions by your 
 fuffrage. I am fenfible it is ufual for the gra- 
 veft characters to requeft, as well as to be re- 
 quefted, for favors of this nature, in the ftrong- 
 eft terms : but I perfuade myfelf it will be more 
 proper for me to remind, than to follicit you, 
 in the prefent inftance. You have frequently 
 indeed, not only diftinguifhed me with your 
 vote, but with your higheft applaufe both in the 
 fenate and in the aflemblies of the people 7. 
 And believe me, I have ever thought there 
 was fo much weight and authority, in all 
 
 7 Cicero foon after the expiration of his confuhte had 
 very particular obligations to Cato, of the kind he mentions. 
 For the latter being tribune at that time, procured him a 
 confirmation from an affembly of the people of the glorv 
 
 OUS title Of FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY. Pint, in -vit . 
 
 Cic. 
 
 E e 3 you
 
 422 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U.703,you uttered, that a fingle word of yours in 
 ^^ <lpiy favor was the higheft honor I could pof- 
 fibly receive. I remember upon a certain occa- 
 fion, when you refufed to vote for a public 
 thankfgiving 8 which was propofed in favor of 
 a very worthy and illuftrious citizen j you told 
 the fenate, you (hould willingly have given 
 your fuffrage in fupport of the honor in queftion, 
 had it been defigned as a reward for any civil 
 fervices which that conful had performed in 
 Rome. Agreably to this maxim, you former- 
 ly concurred in voting that a public thankfgiv- 
 ing mould be decreed to me, not indeed for 
 having advanced the glory, of our country by 
 my military achievements, (for that would have 
 been a circumftance nothing uncommon) but for 
 having, in a mpft fingular and unexampled man- 
 ner, preferred the liberties of the whole common- 
 wealth? without drawing a fword. I forbear to 
 mention the generous mare you have taken in 
 all the envy, the difficulties and the dangers to 
 which my life has been expofed : and a far 
 greater you were willing to have taken, if I 
 
 8 This honor was ufually decreed to a general after 
 fome fignal advantage obtained by his arms. It confifted 
 in appointing a folemn feftival in order to return thanks to 
 the gods for the public fuccefs : at which time the fenate 
 went in folemn procetfion to the principal temples in 
 Rome, and affifted at the facrifkes inftituted for fuch oc-, 
 cafions. 
 
 5 By the fuppreffion of Catiline's conff pcy. 
 
 could
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 423 
 
 could have been prevailed upon to have confent- 
 cd, I forbear to mention likewife that you 
 confidered my enemy I0 as your own : and, 
 that in order to give me a convincing proof of 
 your great regard, you fcrupled not to mew 
 your approbation even of his death, by defend- 
 ing Milo in the fenate. In return, (and I fpeak 
 of it, not as a favor for which you are endebted 
 to me, but as a tribute which I owed to truth) 
 I have been no filent admirer of your virtues : 
 for who indeed can fupprefs his applaufe of 
 them ? In all my fpeeches both in the forum 
 and the fenate, as well as in the feveral pieces, I 
 have publifhed either in our own language, or in 
 Greek, I have ever reprefented your character 
 as fuperior, not only to the nobleft amongft our 
 contemporaries, but to the mofl celebrated in 
 hiftory. 
 
 After all, you will wonder perhaps, what 
 mould induce me to fet fo high a value upon 
 thefe little tranfient honors of the fenate. I 
 will acknowledge then the whole truth, and 
 lay open my heart before you with a freedom 
 becoming that philofophy we cultivate, and 
 that friendfliip we profefs : a friendfliip deli- 
 vered down to us from our parents, and im- 
 proved by many reciprocal good offices, 
 
 *o Clodius. 
 
 E c 4 Let
 
 424 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U.703. Let me previoufly obferve, that if ever any 
 man was a ftranger to the vain-glory and defire of 
 vulgar admiration, it is myfelf : and this frame of 
 mind which I poffefs by temper, has been ftill 
 ftrengthened (if I am not deceived) by reafon 
 and philofophy. As an evidence of this, 1 ap- 
 peal to my confulate : in which, as in every 
 other part of my life, tho' I purfued that con- 
 duel, I confefs, from whence true honors might 
 be derived ; yet I never thought they were of 
 themfelves an object worthy of my ambition. 
 On the contrary, I refufed the government of a 
 very noble province " : and notwithstanding 
 it was highly probable I might have obtained 
 3 triumph, yet I forbore to profecute my pre 
 tenfions of that kind. I forebore too the of- 
 fering myfelf as a candidate for the office of 
 augur : tho' you are fenfible, I dare fay, that I 
 might have fucceeded without much difficulty. 
 But I will acknowledge, that the injurious 
 treatment I afterwards fuffered, tho' you always 
 fpeak of it indeed as a circumflance which re- 
 flects the higheft honor upon my character, and 
 as a misfortune only to the republic, has render- 
 ed me defirous of receiving the moft diftin- 
 guilhed marks of my country's approbation. 
 
 1 ' Macedonia : to which he had a right by lot to have 
 fucceeded at the expiration of his confulate. See rein, i . 
 P- Q. of this vol. 
 
 For
 
 BOOK V. OP CICERO. 425 
 
 For this reafon, I follicited the office of A -U.73- 
 augur which I had before declined : and as lit- 
 tie as I once thought the military honors defer- 
 ved my purfuit, I am now ambitious of that 
 <3iftinc~tion which the fenate ufually confers on 
 its fuccefsful generals. I will own, I have fome 
 view by this means of healing the wounds of my 
 former unmerited difgrace : and therefore, tho' 
 I juft now declared that I would not prefs you 
 upon this article ; I recall my words, and moft 
 earneftly conjure your fuffrage and afiiftance. 
 I make this requeft however, upon the fuppofi- 
 tion that what I have performed in this cam- 
 paign, mail not appear contemptible in your 
 eye, but on the contrary, far fuperior to the 
 actions of many of thofe generals who have ob- 
 tained the moft glorious rewards from the fe- 
 nate. 
 
 I have obferved (and you are fenfible I al- 
 ways liften with great attention whenever you 
 deliver your opinions) that as often as any que- 
 ftion of this nature has come before the fenate, 
 you were lefs inquifitive into the military than 
 civil conduct of the proconful. It was the po- 
 litical ordinances he had eftablifhed, and the 
 moral qualities he had difplayed, that feemed to 
 have the principal weight in determining your 
 vote. If you mould examine my pretenfions 
 
 in
 
 426 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703 .in this view, you will fee that with a weak and 
 inconfiderable army, I found a ftrong refourcc 
 againft the danger of a very formidable invafion 
 in the lenity and juftice of my government. By 
 thefe aids I effected, what I never could by the 
 moft powerful legions : I recovered the friend- 
 fliip of our alienated allies ; firmly ftrengthened 
 their allegiance to the republic ; and conciliated 
 their affections at a time when they were waiting 
 the opportunity of fome favorable revolution to 
 defert us. 
 
 But perhaps I have expatiated farther upon 
 this fubject than is neceffary : efpecially to you, 
 before whom all our allies in general are accu- 
 ilomed to lay their complaints I2 . To them 
 therefore I refer you for an account of the bene- 
 fits they have received by my adminiftration. 
 They will all of them as with one voice, J am 
 perfuaded, give you the moft advantageous tef- 
 timony in my favor ; but particularly thofe il- 
 luftrious clients of yours the Cyprians IJ and 
 
 1 * Cato fettled a correfpondence throughout the whole 
 Roman provinces, and received conftant intelligence of the 
 condudl of the feveral governors in their reipeftive com- 
 mands : So attentive was this vigilant patriot to whatever 
 concerned the intereft of the commonwealth ! flat, in wit. 
 Caton. 
 
 Ij Cypras had a particular claim to the patronage of 
 Cato, as he had been employed in executing a commiflion 
 by which that ifland was annexed te the dominions of the 
 republic. This cornmiffion was artfully contrived by Clo- 
 
 Cappa-
 
 BOOK. V. OF CICERO. 427 
 
 Cappadocians : to whom I may likewife addA.U.yc^. 
 
 jdius in his tribunate, in order to remove Cato out of his 
 way : but the precife nature of it, is no where diftincHy 
 explained. It fhould feem by what may be collected from 
 Plutarch, that it was only an embafly in which Cato was 
 appointed to claim on behalf of the republic, the domini- 
 ons of Ptolemy king of Cyprus ; and to offer him at the 
 fame time the high prieft-hood of the temple of Venus in 
 the ifland of Paphos : which in thofe days might have been 
 no difadvantageous exchange. Cato however has been 
 feverely cenfared by fome modern hiftorians for having ac- 
 cepted this office : and Dr. Middleton, in particular, thinks 
 he cannot be juftified. But none of the antient hiftorians 
 fpeak of it as in the leaft unworthy of Cato's virtue : and 
 indeed one of the moft moral writers in all antiquity, men- 
 tions it upon an occafion which evidently mews that it 
 was by no means thought inconfiftent with that character of 
 rigid juftice which this illuftrious Roman had fo defervedly 
 obtained . Seneca in his letter ofconfolation addrefled to Mar- 
 cia on the lofs of her fon, taking notice of the advantages of 
 an early death, inftances, among other examples thofe cala- 
 mities which a more extended period had brought upon Ca- 
 to. Mar cum Catonem, fays he, fe a Gypro ei fareditatis regime 
 difpenfatione redeuntem mare de-TJoraJfit, nonne illo beiie attutn 
 foret ? Nunc annorum adjeflio paucij/tmorum y 'virum libertati 
 nonfuee tantum fed public** natum, coegit Ctefaremfugfre y Pom- 
 peium fequi. It is evident then that this aftion was fo far 
 from being deemed unjuftifiable in the opinion of the antients, 
 (by which alone it can be fairly examined) that the noblefi. 
 of their moralifts has chofen it to complete the glory and 
 grace the exit of his favorite Hero. It muft unquefti- 
 onably therefore have been founded upon fome circum 
 Ilances, that reconciled it to that law of nations which then 
 prevailed in the world. Accordingly it appears by fome 
 paflages in Cicero's oratior.s, that the republic had an 
 antient claim to thefe dominions. For Alexander king of 
 Egypt, to whofe territories Cyprus belonged, appointed 
 the Roman commonwealth his general heir: and tho' the 
 Jfenate did not judge proper at that junflure, to aflert their 
 full right under this will; they thought it however a fufri- 
 cient tide to poflefs themfelves of Alexander's effedls. From 
 that time down to the date of Cato's commiflion, frequent 
 attempts had been made in the fenate to enforce their right 
 ynderthe will: and a decree had actually pafled for that
 
 428 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. your great and royal friend '+, prince Deiotarus. 
 If thus to aft, is a merit of the moil fuperior 
 kind ; if in all ages the number has been 
 far lefs confiderable of thofe who knew how 
 to fubdue their defires, than to vanquifh their 
 enemies ; He that has given an inilance of 
 
 purpofe. Bat as this decrree was protefted againft by fome 
 tribune ; it had never been carried into execution. Thus 
 far it mould feem, that Cato's comm-iffion was not 
 founded upon a mere arbitrary exertion of power; but on a 
 right which had lonj: before received the function of the fe- 
 nate, and which had already in part been vindicated to the 
 public. In the next place, the inhabitants of Cyprus were 
 extremely opprefied under the government of Ptolemy, 
 and defirous of transferring their fubjeftion to the Romans. 
 Paterculus reprefents this prince as one who well deferved 
 the punimment he fuffered : omnibus morum <vitiis, fays he, 
 earn contumeliam meritum. And Dion Camus exprefsly de- 
 clares that the Cyprians received Cato, ' ovx. etxwertae ; 
 " hoping that from flaves, as they were before, they fhould 
 " be raifed into the number of the friends and allies of 
 " Rome." But to confider this queftion in another view : 
 v/hat probable reafon of perfonal intereft can be affigned 
 for Cato's undertaking this office ? It could not be from a 
 fpirit of avarice : for it is unanimoufly confeiled that he dif- 
 charged it with the moft unfpotted integrity. It could not 
 be from a motive of ambition: for he refufed all the ho- 
 nors upon this occafion which his country would have paid 
 him. It could not be from a fervile compliance with the 
 power of Clodius : for he died rather than fubmit even to 
 that of Czefar. Upon the whole, therefore, it feems reafo- 
 nable to affert, that Cato acted in this inftance, as in all 
 others, upon a principle of difmterefted patriotifm, and con- 
 fidently with the ftriftefc maxims of Pagan morality. Plut. 
 in wit. Caton. Orat. in Jtul. \. I. II. 1 6. Vel. Paterc* ii. 45. 
 Dio, p. 101. Sense. Confol. ad Marc. 20. 
 
 14 Cato took a voyage into Afu, in order to inform 
 himfelf of the ftrength and difpofition of thefe eaftern pro- 
 vinces : and it was upon this occafion that he entered into a 
 perfonal friendmip with Deiotarus, who paid him the ho- 
 novs of his court with fingular marks of efteem and confi- 
 deration. Plut. in i-it. Catcn. 
 
 both
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 429 
 
 both, cannot certainly but be deemed, in Ca- A.U./oj: 
 to's eitimation at leaft, to have ftrengthened his 
 claim to the honors of his country, and to have 
 improved the fplendor of his military atchieve- 
 ments, by the more unufual luftre of his civil 
 conduct. 
 
 Let me in the lad place, and as in diffidence of 
 my own follicitations, call in Philofophy for my 
 advocate : than which nothing has ever afforded 
 me a more valuable fatisfaction. The truth is, me 
 is one of the nobleft blefiings that the gods have 
 beftowed on man. At her mrine we have both 
 of us, from our earlieft years, paid our joint 
 and equal adorations : and while me has been 
 thought by fome, the companion only of indo- 
 lent and fecluded fpeculatifts ; we (and we 
 alone I had almoft faid) have introduce4 her 
 into the world of bufmefs, and familiarifed her 
 with the moft active and important fcenes. She 
 therefore it is, that now follicits you in my be- 
 half: and when Philofophy is the fuppliant, 
 Cato, furely, can never refufe. To fay all in 
 one word : be well aflured, if I fhould prevail 
 with you to concur in procuring a decree I fo 
 much wifli to obtain, I mall confider myfelf as 
 wholly endebted for that honor to your autho- 
 rity and friendlhip. Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 LETTER IL 
 MARCUS CATO to CICERO. 
 
 E affection I bear both to you and to 
 the republic, induces me very fmcerely to 
 rejoice in finding that you exercife the fame in- 
 tegrity and vigilance in the conduct of our arms 
 abroad, as diftinguifhed your adminiftration of 
 our moft important affairs at home. I have 
 therefore paid your actions that honor which 
 was moft confiftent with my judgment : and 
 in fpeaking to this queftion before the fenate, 
 as well as afterwards when I affifted in drawing 
 up the decree that has paffed in your favor, I 
 applauded the probity and prudence with which 
 you have protected your province, preferved 
 the crown and perfon of Ariobarzanes, and 
 conciliated the affections of our allies in ge- 
 neral. 
 
 If you rather choofe however that we mould 
 afcribe to the gods, thofe advantages which the 
 republic has gained entirely by your own con* 
 fummate wifdom and generofity ; I am glad 
 the fenate has pafTed a decree for that purpofe. 
 But if you are willing that Fortune mould 
 have the credit of your actions, as fuppofmg 
 4 a pub'
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO, 431 
 
 a public thankfgiving necefiarily opens your A.U. 703. 
 way to a triumph ; I muft obferve, that the lat- 
 ter is not always a confequence of the former. 
 Yet granting it were ; is it not far more to the 
 honor of a general, to have it declared by a vote 
 of the fenate that he preferved his province by 
 the mildnefs and equity of his adminiftration, 
 than that he owed it either to the flrength of his 
 troops, or to the peculiar interpofition of provi- 
 dence ? Such at leaft were my fentiments when 
 this queftion came before the houfe: and if I have 
 employed more words than ufual in explaining 
 them, it was from a defire of convincing you 
 that tho' I propofed to the fenate what I thought 
 would be moft for the advantage of your repu- 
 tation, I rejoice that they have determined 
 what is moft agreable to your wifhes. I have 
 only to requeft the continuance of your friend- 
 fhip : and to intreat you fteddily to perfevere in 
 thofe paths of integrity which you have hitherto 
 purfued both in refpecl to our allies and the re- 
 public J . Farewel. -otfw,- 
 
 1 This letter (to fpeak in the virtuofo-language) is an 
 unique, and extremely valuable as being the only conrpofition 
 that has been tranfmitted to us from the hands of Cato. It 
 confirms what Plutarch exprefsly afferts$ that Cato's manners 
 were by no means of a rough and unpolilhed caft: as no 
 refufal could have been drawn up in more decent and civil 
 terms, A judicious eye however, cannot but difcernthro' 
 
 L E T-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 To CAIUS MARCELLUS*, conful. 
 
 A.U. 703. "V TO THING could be more agreable to 
 L II my wifhes, than that the queftion con- 
 cerning the honors due to my military fervices, 
 mould come before the fenate at a time when 
 you are conful : as it will afford you an oppor- 
 tunity of gratifying that uncommon zeal for 
 my interefts which I have upon all occafions 
 experienced from * every branch of your family. 
 Let me intreat you therefore, when the letter 
 I have addrefied to the fenate mall be laid be- 
 fore that afTembly, to exert your influence in 
 procuring a decree in my favor of the moft di- 
 ftinguifhed kind. I perfuade myfelf you will 
 find no difficulty in complying with this requeft: 
 as the fenate, I truft, will by no means be 
 averfe to my p retentions. If there were any of 
 your family whofe friendlhip I enjoyed in a 
 higher degree than yours j I mould have ap- 
 plied to you by their intervention. But tho* 
 
 this veil of politenefs, the nice touches of a delicate and con- 
 cealed raillery : which Cicero neverthelefs thought proper to 
 diflemble, as will appear by his anfwer to this letter in the 
 following book. See vol. ii. p. 50. 
 * See rem. 4 p. 322. 
 
 no
 
 BOOK V. OF G I C E R O. 433 
 
 no man ever entered more warmly into my in- A. 0.703. 
 terefts, than your father ; tho' the efteem which 
 your relation Marcus Marcellus has long enter- 
 tained for me, is confpicuous to the whole 
 world -, and in a word, tho' all your family in 
 general have ever honored me with the moft 
 fignal marks of their regard j yet there is not 
 one of them who hath afforded me ftronger in- 
 ftances of affection than yourfelf. I conjure 
 you then, to ,diftinguim me with the higheft 
 honors : and let me experience in the affair of my 
 thanks-giving, as well as in every other wherein 
 the glory of my reputation is concerned, that 
 I want no follicitor to recommend me to your 
 good offices. Farewel. 
 
 VOL. i- F f LET-
 
 THE LETTERS BOOK IV. 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 To Lucius PAULUS ', conful. 
 -.,. 
 
 A.U.703- A MONG many reafons for wiming niyfelf 
 JTjL w ith you at Rome, the principal was, that 
 I might both at your election and in the courfe of 
 your confular miniftry have given you proofs of 
 that zeal to which you have fo undoubted a right. 
 I am fenfible at the fame time, that the unanimity 
 with which you were chofen, (and of which, in- 
 deed, I never entertained the leaft doubt) would 
 have rendered my afiiftance in that article altoge- 
 ther unneceffary : and I fincerely wifli you may 
 have as little occafion for it in the fubfequent dif- 
 charge of your office. However, I mould have had 
 the fatisfaction at leaft, of feconding your views 
 in both. It is a great concern to me, I confefs, 
 -when I reflect that notwithstanding I experienced 
 many important inftances of your affection during 
 my confulfhip j I am yet utterly incapable of 
 making any return in yours. And what renders 
 this reflection ilill more mortifying is, that you 
 were but a young man when you thus gene- 
 roufiy difplayed the effects of your friendfhip : 
 I am at a time of life when much 
 
 3 Sr<? rem. 6. p. 324. of this vol. 
 
 greater
 
 BOOK IV. OF C I C E R O. 43$ 
 
 greater advantages might well be expected A. 11.703. 
 from mine. I know not, in truth, by 
 fatality it is, that you have continually had ap- 
 portu-nities -of adva-neing my dignities, and that 
 I have never been able to contribute any thing 
 but iiie&xShial good w'ifhes to yours. Thus, as 
 not only in the inftance I juft now mentioned, 
 but in the article of my reftoration, I was in- 
 debted to you for the -higheft honors ; fo a 
 frefh occafion now prefents itfelf to you of dif- 
 tinguifhing me, as my military achievements 
 have happened to fall within the period of your 
 confulate. The dignity of that office with 
 which you are inverted, and the importance df 
 thofe 'honors I am fueing for, might well require 
 that I mould addrefs you in all the warmth 
 of follicitation : but I dare not venture 
 thus to -preis you, left it Should look *s if 
 I forgot, or at leaft imagined -that you had 
 forgotten, your ufual dilpofition to ferve me. 
 I will make my requeft therefore in few words : 
 and it will be treating you in a manner more 
 agreable, I dare fay, to your own inclinations, 
 as well as to thofe favors which all the world is 
 fenfible I have received at your hands. If any 
 others indeed than you and your collegue were 
 in porTefTion of the confular office, you are the 
 fkft man whofe mediation I mould have employ- 
 F f 2 ed
 
 436 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. ed in order to render the confuls favorable to 
 m y pretenilons. But as this high authority is 
 veiled in you, with whom I have the flrongeft 
 and moft confpicuous connections ; I cannot 
 fcruple to conjure your affiftance in fpeedily pro- 
 curing a decree of the moft illuftrious kind in 
 my favor : an honor which you will find, by 
 the letter I have addrefled to the fenate, that my 
 arms are not unworthy of receiving. I recom- 
 mend then my reputation, and indeed my con- 
 cerns of every fort, to your generous patronage. 
 But above all I befeech you (and it is a requeft 
 I mentioned in my former letter) that you would 
 not fuffer the time of my continuance hereto 
 be prolonged. It is much my defire, in truth, 
 to fee you in your confular office : and I doubt 
 not of obtaining from your adminiftration every 
 advantage, both here and in Italy, that I moft 
 wim to enjoy. Farewel. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 437 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 MARCUS COELIUS to CICERO. 
 
 YOU have been informed, I doubt not, A -U-7f3- 
 that Dolabella has exhibited articles of 
 impeachment againft Appius * : and this pro- 
 fecution feems to be more agreable to the 
 world in general than I imagined. Appius, 
 however, has acted with great prudence upon 
 the occafion : for as foon 'as his adverfary had 
 lodged his information, he withdrew his petition 
 for a triumph, and immediately entered the 
 city*. By this means he filenced the reports 
 to his difadvantage : as he appeared more 
 willing to take his trial than his profecu- 
 tor expected. Appius relies greatly in this 
 conjuncture upon your afiiftance : and I am 
 perfuaded you are not difinelined to ferve him. 
 You have it now in your power 6 to dp fo, as 
 
 * He was profecuted by Dolabella in two diftinft im- 
 peachments. The firft was, for being guilty of treafon in 
 his government of Cicilia; and the other, for bribery and 
 corruption in his election to the confulate. Ep. Fam. iii. 
 n. 
 
 5 See rem. 3. p. 371. of this vol. 
 "Dolat " 
 
 6 As one of Dolabella's impeachments againft Appius 
 was for his male-pra&ices in Cicilia, it was extremely in the 
 
 F f 3 far
 
 43 .8 THE LETTERS ECTOK IV. 
 
 A.U.703-far as you (hall think proper : tho* I muft add, 
 v "^ vr " N *"''you would be more at liberty to limit your good 
 offices towards him, if you and he had never 
 been ill together ?. But as the cafe now Hands, 
 were you to meafure out your fervices by the 
 right he has to demand them, it might be 
 fufpecled that you were not fmcere in your 
 reconcilement: whereas you can hazard no 
 cenfure by obliging him-, as you will mew 
 that you are not to be difcouraged from acting 
 a generous part, even where friendfhip a might 
 incline you to the contrary. This reminds me 
 of acquainting you, that Dolabella's wife ob- 
 tained a divorce juft upon the commencement 
 of this profecution. I remember the commif- 
 fion 8 you left with me when you fet oyt for 
 the province : as I dare lay you have not for- 
 gotten what 1 afterwards wrote to you concern- 
 ing that affair. I have not time to enlarge up- 
 
 ycwer of Cicero to ferve Appius in thofe examinations which 
 *vere necefiary to be taken in his province. 
 
 7 See rem. 4. p. 226. of this vol. 
 
 a To Dolabella. 
 
 s It feems very e\'ident from this pafiage, that there was 
 feme profpeft of a divorce between Dolabella and his wifQ 
 before Cicero left Rnme ; and that the latter had commiffi- 
 oned Ccelius, in cafe this event mould happen, to take 
 fome rr.eafures for procuring a match between Dolabella and 
 his daughter Tullia. There will be occaiion to make 
 great ufe of this circumftance in a remark upon a letter in 
 the following book : and therefore it is here pointed out 
 for the reader's particular obfervation. See rem. 6. p. 6. 
 vol. ii. 
 
 on
 
 BOOK IV. O.F CICERO. 439 
 
 on if- at prefcnt : only let me advife you, howA.U.7o$. 
 much foever you may relifh the fcheme, 
 wait the event of this trial before you difcover 
 your fentiments. If indeed your inclinations 
 mould be known , it will raife a very invi- 
 dious clamor againft you : and mould you 
 give Dolabella the leaft intimation of them, they 
 will certainly become more public than will be 
 convenient either for your intereft, or your ho- 
 nor. He would undoubtedly be unable to 
 conceal a circumftance fo advantageous to his 
 prefent views, and which would give ib much 
 credit to the profecution in which he is engaged : 
 and I am perfuaded he would icarce refrain from 
 making it the fubject of his converfation, not- 
 withilanding he were fure the difcovery would 
 prove to his prejudice. Pompey, I am told, in- 
 terefts himfelf extremely in behalf of Appius : 
 infomuch that it is generally imagined he has a 
 defign of fending one of his fons in order to fol- 
 licit you in his favor. Mean while we are in 
 the humor here of acquitting all criminals : 
 nothing, in truth, fo bafe or fo villainous can 
 be perpetrated that is not fure of efcaping 
 punifhment. You will perceive how wond- 
 roufly active our confuls are in their office, 
 when I tell you that they have not yet been able 
 to procure a fingle decree of the fenate, except 
 F f 4 one
 
 44 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A, p. 703. one for appointing the Latian 9 feftivals. Even 
 our friend Curio has not hitherto aded with any 
 fpirit in his tribunate : as indeed it is impoffible to 
 defcribe the general indolence that has feized us. 
 If it were not for my contefts with the vintners 
 and the furveyors of the public aquaeducts, all 
 Rome would appear in a profound lethargy. 
 In mort, I know not to what degree the Par- 
 thians may have animated you : but as for us 
 in this part of the world, we are faft afleep. 
 But how much foever we may want to be awa- 
 kened , I hope it will not be by the Parthians. 
 It is reported, neverthelefs, tho' I know not on 
 what foundation, that they have gained fome 
 flight advantage over the troops of Bibulus, near 
 Mount Amanus. 
 
 Since I wrote the above, I muft recall what 
 I faid concerning Curio : the cold fit is at 
 length expelled by the warmth of thofe cenfures to 
 which the levity of his conduct has expofed him. 
 For, not being able to carry his point with re- 
 JpecT: to the intercalation 10 , he has deferted the 
 jntereft of the fenate , and harangued the people 
 in favor of Casfar 11 . He threatens likewife 
 
 9 This feftival was inftituted by Tarquin, in memory of 
 hisconqueft of Etruria. 
 
 10 Seerem. 8, p. 226. of this vol. 
 
 11 It has already been obferved in the courfe of thefere- 
 
 to
 
 . QF CICERO. 
 
 to propofe a Viarian law, fomewhat of the fame 
 tendency with the Agrarian one which was for- 
 merly attempted by Rullus * : as alfo another, 
 impoweringthe ^diles to distribute corn among 
 the people. 
 
 If you mould determine (as I think you 
 ought) to employ your good offices in behalf 
 
 Carles, that Curio fecretly favored the intereft of Casfar, at 
 the fame time that he affedted to a& in concert with the 
 friends of the fenate. But circumftances being now mature 
 for throwing afide the maflc, he feized the nrft opportunity 
 of quareling with his party. With this view, he applied to 
 the pontifical college for an intercalation, in order to length- 
 en out the period of his tribunitial miniftry. This he knew 
 would not be granted : as having before raifcd, it is proba- 
 ble, fome fufpicion of his real defigns. The refufal, how- 
 ever, furnifhed him with the pretence he wanted : and gave 
 a color (fuch as it was) to the defer tion he had long medi- 
 tated. Dzo, p. 149. 
 
 ** Rullus was tribune of the people in the confulateof 
 Cicero : by whofe addrefs and eloquence the law which Rullus 
 attempted to intrpduce, was rejected. " Thefe laws (as 
 Dr. Middleton obferves) " ufed to be greedily received by 
 " the populace, and were propofed therefore by factious 
 V magiftrates, as oft as they had any point to carry with the 
 " multitude againft the public good : but this law (of Rullus) 
 *< was of all others the mofl extravagant, and by a fhew of 
 '* granting more to the people than had ever been givea 
 " before, feemed likely to be accepted. The purpofe 
 ' of it was to create a decemvirate, or ten commiffioners, 
 " with abfolute power for five years over all the revenues 
 " of the republic ; to diftribute them at pleafure to the 
 " citizens; to fell and buy what lands they thought fit; to 
 " determine the rights of the principal poffefibrsj to re- 
 *' quire ap account from all the generals abroad, except 
 " Pompey, of the fpoils taken in their wars j to fettle co- 
 *' lonies wherefoever they judged proper, and particu- 
 *' larly at Capua ; and in fhort, to command all the money 
 " and forces of the empire." Life of TU//V, i. 161. 8vo. 
 ed. 
 
 Of
 
 44* THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 .U.703-of Appius, I beg you would take that oppor- 
 tunity of recommending me to his favor. Let 
 me prevail with you likewife not to declare your- 
 lelf with refpect to Doiabella: as your leaving 
 that point at large will be of fingular import- 
 ance, not only to the affair I hint at, but alfo in 
 regard to the opinion the world will entertain of 
 your juftice and honor. 
 
 Will it not be a high reflection upon you, if 
 I mould not be furnifhed with fome Grecian 
 panthers ? Farewel, 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 From the fame. 
 
 I Know not how foon you may wifli to refign 
 your government : but for my own part, my 
 impatience for your return is in proportion to the 
 good Fortune that has hitherto attended your 
 arms. Whilft you continue in the province 
 therefore, I mall be under perpetual apprehen- 
 fions, left fome unlucky reverfe mould damp 
 the joy I take in your late fuccefsful expedU 
 tion. 
 
 I have time to write but a very few words, as 
 I convey this by the, hands of the courier to the 
 farmers of the revenue, who is juft letting out : 
 and indeed I fent you a long letter yefterday 
 
 by
 
 BOOK IV. OF CICERO. 443 
 
 by your freed-man. Nothing has fince occur- A.U. 703. 
 red worth communicating : unlefs you mould ^ ' 
 have curiofity enough to think (as I imagine 
 you will) that the following articles deferve no- 
 tice. In the firft place then, Cornificius is upon 
 the point pf being married to the youngeft 
 (daughter of Sylla : and in the next, Paula Va- 
 leria on the very day her hufband was expected 
 from his government, procured a divorce, with* 
 put alledging the leaft caufe. She is to be mar- 
 ried to Decimus Brutus. Several very extraor- 
 dinary incidents of the fame kind have happen- 
 ed during your abfence. But would you have 
 fufpected that Servius Ocella was fo well with 
 the ladies, as to have been twice difcovered in 
 clofe gallantry within the fpace of three Ihort 
 days ? If you afk me where the fcene of this 
 amorous adventure was laid ? In fad truth, my 
 friend, where I leaft wifhed : but for the reft I 
 leave you to inquire of ethers r . And a pleafant 
 piece of intelligence it will be for our noble ge- 
 neral to learn, in whofe fair quarters the luck- 
 lefs Ocella was feifed ? Farewel. 
 
 1 One would almoft fufpeft, from the referved manner 
 in which Ccelius relates this adventure, that he had a 
 flaring reafon on bis Irviu (as the poet humoroufly calls it) 
 for not being more explicit. 
 
 LET-
 
 444 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 To APPIUS 
 
 A-U.-oj.T Will anftver your letter more fully than 
 A I can at prefent, the very firft moment I 
 mail have more leifure. In the mean while 
 I {hatch the opportunity of fending this by 
 the hands of fome dome flics of Brutus, who 
 juft now called upon me at Laodicea, and are 
 returning with all expedition to Rome. They 
 are in fo much hafle that I have only time to 
 write this, and another to Brutus. 
 
 The deputies from Apamea delivered your 
 long letter to me, wherein you very unjuftly ac- 
 cufe me of having ebftructed by my mandates 
 the public monument * which that city propofed 
 
 * It was ufual with thefe Afiatic provinces, to confecrate 
 temples to their Roman governors and aflbciate them with 
 the gods in the fame common ceremonies of religious wor- 
 fhip. Probably therefore the building which the City of 
 Apamea propofed to eredl, was fome compliment to Ap- 
 pius of this facred kind. The very ingenious Monfieur 
 Mongault has fhewn in a learned diflertation which he 
 red before the Royal Academy of Belles Lettres at Paris, 
 that the divine honors which were paid to the Roman Em 
 perors, were only a continuance of the fame infamous prof- 
 trtution which had been practiced during the times of the 
 republic. Plut, in vit. Flamin. Mmurts de lilttrat, vol. i. 
 P- 3 6 9- 
 
 to
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 445 
 
 to raife. You defire I would fuffer them toA.U.703. 
 proceed immediately upon the execution of that 
 defign, left they mould be prevented by the win-- 
 ter, and very feverely reproach me for hav-. 
 ing fufpended the affefsments for that purpofe 
 till I mould be able to inquire into the juftice of 
 raifmg them. This, you tell me, was in fome fort 
 an abfolute prohibition : fince .the winter would, 
 neceffarily be fet-in, before I could return out of 
 Cilicia in order to examine, into that affair. 
 Having thus ftated the feveral articles .of your 
 charge ; I will now mew you that they are alto- 
 gether unreafonable. In the firft place then, as I 
 had received complaints on the part of thofe who 
 thought themfelves aggrieved by exceffive taxes; 
 where was the injuftice, if I forbade thefe fub- 
 fidies to be levied till I could examine into the 
 merits of the cafe ? But this, it feems, I could 
 not be able to effect, till the winter. Yet why 
 not ? let me afk : fince it was the part of 
 thofe who made thefe complaints to wait upon 
 me, rather than mine to attend them. But 
 you will object, perhaps, to the reafonablenefs 
 of laying thefe people under the difficulty of 
 taking fo long a journey. Yet this journey you 
 yourfelf muft neceffarily have defigned they 
 mould take, when you gave them your letter to 
 deliver to me. And deliver it they accordingly 
 
 did:.
 
 4 6 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U.703,did : but they timed it fo abfurdly, that tho' it 
 was to defire they might be permitted to begin 
 their work during the furnmer, they did not 
 bring it to me till that feafon was expired. I 
 muft acquaint you, however, that far the 
 greater part of thefe very citizens are averfe 
 to the levying this tax in queftion : neverthe- 
 lef$ I fhall take fuch meafures for that purpofe* 
 as I imagine will prove moft agreable to your 
 inclinations. And thus much for this Apamean 
 bufmefs. 
 
 I am informed by Paufanias, a freed-man of 
 Lentulus and one of my accenfors 3 , that you 
 complained to him of my having treated you 
 with great haughtinefs and incivility by no-, 
 coming to meet you in your approach to 
 Iconium. The fact, however, is this : I re-* 
 ceiv^d a meflage from you late at night, ac- 
 quainting me that you propofed to give me an 
 interview in that city before the next morning : 
 but your fervant could not inform me which of 
 the two roads you intended to take. In order 
 therefore that I might be ready to attend you,I dif- 
 patched your friend Varro, together v;ith Lepta, 
 the captain of my artillery, directing them to 
 take different roads, and which ever fhould meet 
 
 3 The Accenfors \vere officers who attended on the pro- 
 eonfular magiilrntes in their courts of jullice. 
 
 2 you
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 447 
 
 you firft, to return with immediate notice. Ac- A.U.yo 
 cordingly Lepta came back with great expedi- 
 lion : and alluring me that you had actually 
 pafled the camp, I inftantly went to Iconium. 
 What followed I need not mention. And now 
 is it probable, that I, who am rather apt to be 
 more afiiduous in offices of this kind, than my 
 ftation and character require, fhould neglect to 
 pay the accuflomed honors to Appius Claudi- 
 us ; to one dignified with the auguft title of 
 Imperator-, and what is flill ftronger, to my 
 friend ? But not to dwell any longer upon this 
 article, j I cannot forbear taking notice of an 
 expremon you made ufe of to the fame perfon. 
 " A compliment of this kind, you told him, 
 " had mutually pafled between you and Len- 
 " tulus 4 : and did Cicero take upon himfelf to 
 " aft towards a perfon of your quality with 
 ce lefs ceremony ?" But can it be true, thatfo 
 weak an exprefiion mould drop from a man of 
 your improved underftanding, and knowledge 
 of the world : I will add too, (what the ftoics 
 juftly rank in the number of focial virtues) of 
 your refined good breeding ? Can you poflibly 
 believe me fo mean, as to be influenced more 
 by the diftinclions of birth, than of merit ? I 
 
 * Lentulus was predeceflbr to Appfus in the government 
 ofCicilia: as Appius was to Cicero. 
 
 have
 
 44 8 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. have ever indeed held the founders of illuftri- 
 ous families as truely great : but never could I 
 efteem the iplendid names they tranfmitted to 
 their pofterity, as objects of my admiration. 
 Thefe were my ientiments even before I had my- 
 felf attained what the world confiders as the 
 higheft honors. But now, after having filled 
 the moft diftinguifhed pofts in the common- 
 wealth with a character that leaves nothing more 
 for my ambition to wim ; tho' I am far froni 
 thinking myfeif fuperior to thdfe of your rank, 
 I hoped however that I might be deemed their 
 equal. I am perfuaded at leafl, that I have 
 been always regarded as fuch, not only by Len- 
 tulus-, to whom I yield the preference to myfeif 
 in every refpect ; but by Pompey likewife, 
 whom I look upon as the greateft man the 
 'world has ever produced. But if you differ from 
 them in this opinion ; I would recommend the 
 writings of Athenodorus * to your attentive per- 
 ufal : as they will teach you to form a more 
 juft diftinftion between high birth and true 
 nobility 6 . 
 
 But not to deviate farther from the purpofe 
 of my letter : I beg you would do me the juf- 
 tice to believe, not only that I am your friend, 
 
 s He was preceptor to Auguftus Czcfar. Manut. 
 * See rem. i. p. IQI. oflius vol. 
 
 .but
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 449 
 
 but that I am moft affectionately fo : the trutlvA. 0.703. 
 of which I fhall endeavor to evince, by every ' 
 means in my power. Neverthelefs, if you are 
 difpofcd to make the world Jfufpecl: that you 
 have lefs reafon to take my intereft under your 
 protection during my abfence, than I had to 
 act for yours in the fame circumftance ; I 
 willingly fpare you the trouble : 
 
 There want not chiefs in fetch a c'aufe to fight ', 
 And Jove himfelfjhall guard a monarch's right ^ 
 
 But, hotwithftanding you fhonld give me 
 reafon to think that you are of a temper too 
 apt to take offence, you will not however ex- 
 tinguifh my defire of exerting my beft fervices 
 in your behalf: you will only render me lefs 
 follicitous in what manner you may receive 
 them. 
 
 Thus I have opened my heart to you with 
 a freedom that refults from the confcious fin-' 
 cerity of my friendfhip towards you : and 
 which, as it was founded on difpafiionate judg- 
 
 7 Horn. Pope's tranflat. Thefe lines are taken from the 
 fpeech of Agamemnon to Achilles in the firft Iliad, where 
 the latter threatens to withdraw his forces from the common 
 caufe. Cicero feems to apply them in particular allufion to 
 his intereft with Pompey : who, at this time, was the great 
 idol of his devotion, and the political Jove at whofe ihrine 
 he moft devoutly bowed. 
 
 VOL. I. G g ment,
 
 45 o THE LETTERS BOOKV. 
 
 A.U.703-ment, I (hall preferve juft as long as may be 
 ^VN.* agrcable to your own inclinations. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 To CAIUS CASSIUS S , proquseftor. 
 
 MY own inclinations have anticipated your 
 recommendation : and I have long fince 
 received Marcus Fabius into the number of my 
 friends. He has extremely endeared himfelf to 
 me indeed, by his great politenefs and elegance 
 
 8 He attended Craflus into Syria, as his quseftor : who 
 being killed in an engagement againft the Parthians, as has 
 been related in rem. 7. p. 128. of this vol. the adminiftrati- 
 on develved upon Caflius. He feems when this letter was 
 written to have been fetting out, if not actually upon the 
 road, from that province. Soon after his return to Rome, 
 the civil war broke out; in which he commanded a very 
 confiderable fleet on the fide of Pompey : but upon the 
 defeat of that general in the plains of Pharfalia, he 
 . furrendered both himfelf and his mips to the conqueror. See 
 rem. a p. 171. vol. ii. It is unneceflary to mention the 
 part which Caflius afterwards afted towards his bene- 
 factor: as every bbdy knows that he was the principal 
 contriver and manager of the confpiracy againft Caefar. 
 Plutarch afierts, that he engaged in this defign from 
 his paffionate love of liberty: but the contemporaries of 
 Caflius thought otherwife, and it was generally believed in 
 Rome, that he was actuated upon that occafion more by 
 pique than patriotifm. It is probable indeed that the for- 
 mer was his ftrongeft, if not his fmgle, motive: for his op- 
 preflive and tyrannical conduct during his adminiftration of 
 the province of Syria, renders it not very reafonable to fup- 
 pofe that he was a real friend to the natural rights of man- 
 kind. Plut. in wit. Bi-ut. Gc, epiji.famil. viii. ip. fee let. 
 14. book iv. 
 
 of
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O; 451 
 
 of manners : but particularly by the firigular A. 11.703- 
 affection I have dbferved he bears towards 
 you. Accordingly, tho' your letter in his be- 
 half was not without effect, yet my own know- 
 ledge of the regard he entertains for you had 
 fomewhat more : you may be aflured therefor^ 
 I mail very faithfully confer upon him the good 
 offices you requeft. 
 
 Many reafons concurred to make me wifh 
 you could have given me an interview. In the 
 flrft place, I was defirous after fo tedious a 
 feparation, to a friend whom I have long 
 efteemcd. In the next place, I mould have 
 been glad to have expreffed thofe congratula- 
 tions in perfon, which I have already paid you 
 in a letter. I wanted likewife in opportunity 
 of conferring with you upon our mutual affairs, 
 as well as of confirming a friendmip founded on 
 many reciprocal good offices, tho' interrupted 
 indeed by a long abfence, But firice I could 
 not obtain the pleafure of a nearer conference, 
 let itie' take the advantage at leaft of this 
 more diftant communication : and which iri 
 molt refpecls will anfwer the fame p'urpofe. 
 There is one or two* however, I muft ex- 
 cept : as it can neither afford me a fatisfadliont 
 ec|ual to that of feeing you, nor a means of 
 rendering you fo fenfible of the joy I feel in 
 G g 2 your
 
 452 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. your late fuccefs. But tho' I have already ex- 
 
 w prefled my congratulations in a former letter, I 
 
 will here again afiure you that I very fincerely 
 
 rejoice, not only in the illuftrious actions you 
 
 have performed 9, but at your very opportune 
 
 departure amidft the general efteem and ap- 
 
 plaufes of the whole province. 
 
 And now, what I had farther to fay if we 
 had met, related to our mutual affairs : a point 
 
 9 Caffius, after the death of Craflbs and the total defeat 
 of his army conduced back the remains of the Roman 
 troops into Syria, and mut himfelf up in Antiochia. But 
 upon the approach of the Parthians towards that City, he 
 fallied out;' and by his bravery and conduft, having re- 
 pulfed the enemy, he continued harraffing their retreat 
 till he drove them entirely out of Syria. It is upon this fuc- 
 cefs that Cicero's congratulations are founded : but they are 
 congratulations in which he was by no means fincere. For 
 in fome letters to Atticus written about this time, he fpeaks 
 of Caffius as having magnified his aftions to the fenate much 
 beyond the truth : and even claims a (hare with him in the 
 glory of repulfing the Parthians. It was the news, he fays, 
 of his being upon the march in order to affift Caffius, that 
 animated his courage, and fpred fuch terror among the 
 enemy as induced them to retreat. But this (as the very 
 ingenious French tranflator of the letters to Atticus obferves) 
 was afcribing to himfelf an honor to which he had certain- 
 ly no right. For Cicero was at a great diflance from An- 
 tiochia when the Parthians retreated from that city : which 
 the bravery of Caflius together with their own inexperi- 
 ence in the nature of regular fieges, was the only caufes of 
 their abandoning. An obfervation therefore of Cicero's 
 own, may ferve, perhaps, as a proper conclufion to this 
 remark : Deforme eft de Je-igjo pr&J'care, falfo prafertim ; et 
 cuyi irrijwne andientium imitari inilitem gloria/urn. Dio, p. 
 134. Ad Att. v. 20, 21. Mong. Traduct. vol. iii. p. 148. 
 rem. g. De offic. i. 38. 
 
 however '
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 453 
 
 however which may full as well be difcufled inA.U. 703. 
 this manner. With regard to your own , when 
 I confider your intereft in general, I cannot but 
 advife you to haften to Rome. For when I left 
 the city, there was not thd leaft appearance of 
 any defigns to your prejudice : and I am per- 
 fuaded your returning thither while the fuccefs 
 of your arms is frefh upon the minds of the 
 people, will infure you a reception greatly to 
 your honor. The reafon for haftening your 
 journey will hold ftill ftronger, if you are con- 
 vinced you mall be able to defeat thofe profe- 
 cutions which you are apprehenfive, it feems, 
 may be brought againft feme of your officers : as 
 nothing will place your character in a more ad- 
 vantageous light, than a victory of this kind. 
 But, if you imagine the charge can be made 
 good againft them ; it merits your confidera- 
 tion, whether your arrival in Rome will not 
 happen in a conjuncture very unfavorable for 
 fuch a circumftance.- Upon the whole, you 
 yourfelf are moft capable qf determining this 
 queftion : as you are the beft judge of your own 
 ftrength. If you think you fhaH triumph over 
 your adverfaries ; it is a circumftance undoubt- 
 edly that will raife your general credit-: but if 
 you are clear that the reverfe will prove the 
 cafe, you will certainly be lefs mortified by the 
 G g 3 diftant
 
 454 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703 -diftant reflections of the world, than if you were 
 within the hearing of their malicious 
 cenfures. 
 
 As to my own affairs , I muft repeat the re- 
 queft of my laft, and intreat you to exert your 
 utmoft endeavors that my continuance here 
 may not be extended beyond the period limited 
 by the fenate and the people. I urge this re- 
 quefl, as one upon which all my hopes depend : 
 and intreat you to act in it with a proporti- 
 onable zeal. You will find Paulus 11 ex- 
 tremely well difpofed to co-operate with you up- 
 on this occafion : as alfo both Curio and Fur- 
 nius 14 . 
 
 I have only to add the lafl article I mention- 
 ed, as an inducement for defiring an interview : 
 I mean, in order to renew and confirm the 
 pledges of our mutual friendfhip. I perfuade 
 myfelf it will not be neceflary to employ many 
 words for that purpofe. You difcovered indeed 
 an early difpofition to be thus united with me : 
 as on my part, I always confidercd it as my 
 particular honor. I found it too my great fup- 
 port in the feafon of my misfortunes. Let me 
 add, in farther claim to its continuance, that I 
 have contracted fince your abfence a great inti- 
 
 1 * One of the prefent confuls . 
 * a Tribunes of ihe people. 
 
 macy
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 455 
 
 macy with your relation Brutus *. I promifeA.U.703. 
 myfelf much fatisfaction from the fociety of two 
 fuch ingenious friends, as well as very high ad- 
 vantages from your united ferviccs : and fufFer 
 me not, I conjure you, to conceive this hope 
 in vain. In the mean time, I beg to hear from 
 you immediately : as I defire likewife you would 
 write to me very frequently when you return to 
 Rome. Farewcl. 
 JnaiJc?iii xbmiim MB,^ fcMJfa ^feB&tepp 
 
 fignC^R IM . . ;. 4 niQg Zf ijcHw l^ff Ot-Sl^ 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 To MARCUS COELIUS, Curule-^Edtle. 
 
 THE very worthy and learned Marcus 
 Fabius *, is a perfon with whom I am 
 moft intimately connected : and indeed he 
 ftrongly engages my affection, not only by his 
 fuperior genius and erudition, but by that un- 
 common modefty which adorns them. I intreat 
 you therefore to undertake his caufe with the 
 fame warmth as if it were my own. I know 
 you fine orators are fo much employed, that a 
 
 13 Brutus was at this time married to Junia the Sifter of 
 Caflius. 
 
 1 This feems to be the perfon mentioned in the forego- 
 ing letter : in whofe behalf Caffius had written ta Cicero. 
 The following epiftle is likewife in favor of the fame friend, 
 and upon the fame occafion, 
 
 G g 4 man
 
 45 6 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A .11.703. man muft have committed murder at lealr, ere 
 
 t/ ^ r>J he can hope that his affairs are of fignificancy 
 
 enough to claim your afliftance. In the pre- 
 
 bnt inflance however, I will take no excufe : 
 
 and if I have, any mare jn.your regard, you will 
 
 gjve up all other bufinefs, when Fabius requires 
 
 your fervices. 
 
 The .feverity of the winter has prevented 
 my receiving any difpatches from Rome, a 
 confiderable time. I am extremely impatient 
 therefore to hear what is going forward amongft 
 you : and particularly what my friend Ccelius i$ 
 doing. Farewel, 
 
 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 . 
 
 To CURTIUS PEDUC^ANUS, Praetor*. 
 
 
 
 JHay.e long enjoyed an intimacy with Mar- 
 cus Fabius, for whom I fmcerely profeis the 
 moil tender regard. I do not however, defire 
 to influence your judgment in the fuit which he 
 has depending before you : as I am fure you 
 will not depart from thofe rules of equity which 
 your honor obliges you to obferve, and which 
 
 ' 
 
 2 The praetors were next in rank and power to the 
 confuls : and their office fomewhat refembled that of oat 
 chief juftices. See rem. 14. p.' 363. of this vol. 
 
 you
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 457 
 
 you prefcribed to yourfelf when yqu firft enter- A - u -73: 
 ed upon your office *. My only requeft is (and 
 it is a requeft I moft earneftly make) that you 
 would allow him to wait upon you, and would 
 favor his claim fo far as juftice is on his fide. In 
 a word, let me intreat you to mew him that my 
 friendfhip can avail him even at this diftance. 
 Farewel. 
 
 .h 35/iJ ^..a L'J f!Qdj2iJfc. 
 
 to** jft-tRxTi- UM*fcsi -to'&AdJ&af:-: 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 ^hoinijbj Jfi#*!no:> b- 
 
 ''>: nTo AiPPius PULCHER. 
 
 IHave at.laft received a letter from you writ- 
 ten in a fpirit worthy of yourfelf : as it is 
 conceived in terms full of a generous and candid 
 friendmip. It mould feem indeed, that the 
 very view of Rome had an immediate effect up- 
 on your temper, and reflored you to the agrea- 
 ble poffemon of your ufual good humor and 
 politenefs. I am fure at leaft, that the two com- 
 plaining letters you wrote to me on your jour- 
 ney, ere you had left Afia, were fuch as I could 
 not read without reluctance. I will own too, 
 
 3 The feveral praetors before they entered upon their of- 
 fice, drew up and published a fort of formulary which they 
 intended to obferve in their refpe&ive adminiflradons of 
 juftice. Rc/itt. d/iiif. Rom. vii. 700. 
 
 that
 
 45 8 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. that confcious of the inviolable attachment which 
 j have ever preferred to your intercfts, I could 
 not forbear anfwering them with fome warmth. 
 The letter indeed which you delivered to my 
 freed-man Philotimus, left me no room to doubt 
 that there were fome perfons in this province, 
 who were no well-wifhers to our union. But I 
 have the fatisfaction to find, that as foon as 
 you came to Rome, or rather as foon as you 
 were met by your friends and family, you were 
 convinced of that warm and conftant teftimony 
 I gave of my friendship and efteem for you 
 upon all occafiojns during your abfence. You 
 will eafily imagine then with how much plea- 
 fure I red your aflurances, that if any incident 
 fhould arife wherein my reputation may be con- 
 cerned, you will endeavor to make me an equal 
 return. And tho* you doubt whether you fhall 
 be able effectually to do fo , moft certainly 
 there is no reafon to queftion it : for there is 
 nothing, my friend, which a fincere and zea- 
 lous affection is not capable of perform- 
 ing. 
 
 Notwithftanding I was well perfuaded in my 
 own judgment, and had received frequent aflii- 
 rances likewife by the letters of my friends, 
 that you would undoubtedly be honored with 
 a triumph ; yet it afforded me a iingular plea- 
 
 fure
 
 BQOK V. OF C I C E R O. 459 
 
 fure to be confirmed * in this perfuafion by your A.U. 703. 
 own hand. Believe me however, I by no 
 means rejoice in it from a felfifli Epicurean 
 principle, and as it may probably facilitate my 
 own pretenfions of the fame kind ; but as tak- 
 ing a fincere and difinterefted fhare in every en- 
 creafe of your dignities. I intreat you then, 
 as you have more frequent opportunities of wri- 
 ting into this province than any other of my 
 friends, that you would give me immediate no- 
 tice as foon as you mail have obtained a decree, 
 which you have fo much reafon to expect, and 
 which I fo unfeignedly wilh you. If the tedi- 
 pus refolutions of the long bench, as our friend 
 Pompey calls the fenate, mould delay your hopes 
 a few days (and more than a few days they, furely, 
 cannot delay them) be confident, however, 
 jiiey will at length diftinguifh you with thofe 
 honors fo juftly your due. Again therefore I 
 ponjure you as you give me your affection, or 
 would preferve mine, to let me participate in 
 the joy of this good news as early as poffi- 
 J>le. 
 
 To this requeft I will join another : and re- 
 mind you of executing your promife of fend- 
 
 4 When Cicero wrote this epiftle he had not received 
 the letter from Ccelius, wherein he gives him an account of 
 Appius having dropped his petition for a triumph. See the 
 5th let. of this book. 
 
 ing
 
 460 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U.703.ing me the completion of your treatife on au- 
 g ur y ; ; i a f K ta j s? not only as being defirous 
 of informing myfelf in the rites and principles 
 of the facred college ; but as I receive with un- 
 common fatisfaction every mark of your favor. 
 As to the requeft you made me on your part, 
 of returning you a compliment jn the fame kind; 
 it is a point I muft well confider. For it 
 would ill become ,an author whom you have fo 
 often applauded for die pains 6 he bellows upon 
 
 . 
 
 5 See rem. i. p. 279. of this vol. 
 
 6 "i 'Tis flrange to fee how differently the vanity of 
 " mankind runs, in different time;, and feafuns. 'Tis at 
 <c prefent the boaft of almoll every cnterprizer in the mufes 
 " art, that by his genius ajtone, and a natural rapidity of 
 ' ftyle and thought, Jie is able to carry all before him j 
 " that he. plays with his bufmefs ; does things in paffing ; 
 " at a venture ; and in the quickeii period of time. In the 
 ce days of Attic elegance, as works were then truly of 
 " another form and turn, fo workmen were of another hu- 
 " mor, and had their vanity of a quite contrary kind. 
 *' They became rather aftefted in endeavoring to difcover 
 *' the pains they had taken to be corredl.' They were glad 
 " to inftnuate how laboriouily, and with what expence of 
 '*- time, they had brought the fmalleit work of theirs (as 
 " perhaps a fmgle ode, or fatire, an oration or panegyric) 
 '" to its perfedion. "When they had fo polifhcd their piece, 
 ie and rendered it fp natural and eafy, that it feemed only 
 <f a lucky flight, a hit of thought, or flowing vein ofhu- 
 " mor ; they were then chiefly concerned left it ftiould in 
 '* .reality pafs for fuch,- and their artice remain inidifco- 
 ' vered. They were' willing it Ihould' be known how fe- 
 t<r rious their play was ; nn<i how elaborate their freedom 
 " and facility ; that diey might fay as the agreable and 
 ." polite poet, glancing on himfelf, 
 
 " Ludentls fpeciem dabit et tsraxebitur ." 
 
 SKaftf. charact. i. 233. 
 
 his
 
 BOOK V. OF C I C E R O. 461 
 
 his compofitions, to luffer any crude and indi- .4.17.703. 
 gefted performance to come forth from 
 hands : efpecially upon an occafion that would 
 juftly expofe him to the cenfure, not only of 
 being guilty of negligence, but of a moft un- 
 grateful difrefpect. However, I may find fome 
 opportunity perhaps, of fatisfying both you and 
 myfelf upon this article. In the mean time, I 
 hope you will endeavor, in conformity to'your 
 promife, that a public thankfgiving of the moft 
 diftinguiflied kind be decreed as foon as poffi- 
 ble, on account of my late victories : and I 
 am perfuaded you will ad with that zeal 
 which is agreable to your fmcerity, and to 
 the friendfhip which has long fubfifted be- 
 tween us. I was fomewhat later in my public 
 difpatches for this purpofe, than I wifhed : and 
 as they were delayed likewife by the diffi- 
 culty of navigation at that feafon, they did not, 
 I fuppofe, arrive before the fenate was pro- 
 rogued. It was the influence which your advice 
 always has upon my judgment, that induced 
 me to defer them : and I am fatisfied it was 
 perfectly right not to acquaint the fenate of my . 
 being faluted with the tide of itap'eratfr, till I 
 had gained ftill farther advantages by my arms, 
 and entirely completed the campaign. I con- 
 fidently rely therefore upon the afliilaBce *you 
 
 have
 
 4 62 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. have promifed me : and recommend to your pro- 
 teclion whatever elfe concerns either my affairs' 
 or my family. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 To MARCUS COELIIJS. 
 
 WOULD you imagine I mould ever be at 
 a lofs for words ? I do not mean of that 
 chofen and elegant kind which are the privilege of 
 you celebrated orators, but thofe of ordinary and 
 common ufe. Yet, believe me, I am utterly 
 incapable of exprefiing the follicitude I feel con- 
 cerning the refolutions that may be taken in 
 the fenate in regard to the provinces. I am 
 extremely impatient indeed to return to my 
 friends at Rome : among which number you 
 are principally in my thoughts. I will confefs 
 likewife that I am quite fatiated of my govern- 
 ment. For in the firft place, I have more rea- 
 fpn to apprehend that fome reverfe of Fortune 
 may deprive me of the glory I have here ac- 
 quired, than to expect I mall be able to raife it 
 higher. And in the next place, I cannot but 
 look upon the whole buflnefs of this fcene, as 
 much inferior to my ftrength : which is both 
 able aad accuftomed to fupport a far mote im- 
 2 portant
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO, 463 
 
 portant weight. I will acknowledge^too, that A,U. yo 
 I am uneafy in the expectation of a very terri- 
 ble war ? which is likely to be kindled in this 
 part of the world : and which I may probably 
 efcape, if I mould obtain my difmifllon at the 
 dated time. 
 
 I do not forget the panthers you defired; and 
 have given my orders to the perfons ufually em- 
 ployed in hunting them : but thefe animals are ex- 
 ceedingly fcarce with us. They take it fo unkind, 
 you muft know, that they mould be the only 
 creatures in my province for whom any fnares 
 are laid, that they have withdrawn themfelves 
 from my government, and are marched into 
 Caria. However the huntfmen, and particular- 
 ly honeft Patifchus, are making very diligent 
 inquiry after their haunts ; and all the game 
 they can meet with, fhall certainly be yours : 
 but what the number will prove, is altogether 
 uncertain. Be well allured, the honor of your 
 ^Edilefhip is much my care : and this day par- 
 ticularly reminds me of it, as it is the feftival of 
 the Megalefian games 8 . 
 
 7 With the Parthians. 
 
 8 The Megalefian games were under the conduct of the 
 curule ^Ediles, as well as thofe called the Roman. The 
 learned Manutius therefore conjectures, that the aniverfary 
 of the former reminded Cicero of the panthers which Cce- 
 lius requefted in order co grace thofs fhews he was to ex- 
 
 I hope
 
 464 THE L E T T E R S B'ook V. 
 
 A.U.703- I hope you will fend me a minute detail of 
 our public affairs : as I have an entire depend- 
 ance on the accounts which are tranfmitted to 
 me by your hand. Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 ' 
 
 To THERMITS, Proprietor. 
 
 YOUR very generous treatment of Marcus 
 Marcilius, the fon of my friend and inter- 
 preter 9, is a moft obliging inftance, among ma- 
 ny others, of the regard you pay to my recom- 
 mendations. He came to me at Laodicea, and 
 exprefTed the higheft gratitude for the good of- 
 fices you had conferred upon him at my re- 
 queft. As you fee therefore that your favors 
 are not beftowed upon thofe who are infenfible 
 of their value ; I hope you will be the more in- 
 hibit at the latter : which were celebrated with greater 
 pomp and magnificence. The nature of the Roman games 
 have already been explained in rem. 7. p. 354. of 
 this vol. The Megalefian games were inftituted in 
 honor of the mother of the gods, and were fo called from 
 Megalejion, (fcil. o oj T;;? f*;yaArc 6;?) a temple in Phry- 
 gia, from whence the flatue and worfhip of that goddefs 
 was brought to Rome. This feftival commenced on the 4th 
 of April, and continued fix days. 
 
 9 The governors of provinces were prohibited from 
 ufmg any other language than the latin, in the fun&ions of 
 their miniftry : for which reafon they were always attended 
 with interpreters. Vol. Max. ii. 2. 
 
 clined
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO, 465 
 
 clined to continue them. I intreat you then to 
 interpofe, as far as your honor will permit, in 
 preventing a profecution wherein the mother-in- 
 law of this young man is likely to be involved. 
 And tho' I ftrongly recommended Marcilius to 
 you in my former letter, yet it is with Hill greater 
 warmth that I do fo in this : as I have fmce 
 received very fmgular, and indeed almoft incre- 
 dible proofs of his father's probity and fidelity 
 during the many months he has been engaged 
 in my fervice. Farewel. 
 
 KW mid ; 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 To the fame. 
 
 TH E report of a very confiderable war being 
 kindled in Syria, is confirmed to me by 
 daily expreffes. I take the liberty therefore, in 
 confidence of our mutual friendfhip, to prefs 
 you fo much the more ftrongly to difmifs my 
 lieutenant Anneius as foon as poffible. His 
 military abilities indeed will render his advice 
 and afiiftance of fmgular advantage in this con- 
 juncture, both to myfelf and to the republic. 
 Nothing could have induced him to leave 
 me at this critical feafon, or, in truth, have 
 prevailed with me to confent to his abfence, but 
 VOL. * H h an
 
 466 THE LETTERS BooicV, 
 
 A.U-703. an affair of the laft importance to his interefL 
 However, as I purpofe to go into Cilicia* about 
 the beginning of May, it is abfolutely neceffary 
 he mould return before that time. 
 
 I will take this opportunity of moft earneftly 
 renewing the requeft I made to you in perfon, 
 and which I afterwards repeated in a letter* 
 that you would employ your good offices in fet- 
 tlipig his conteft with the city of Sardis, agrc- 
 ably to the juftice of his caufe, and the dignity 
 of his character. I had the pleafure when I 
 talked with you upon this fubjecl: at Ephefus, to 
 find you perfectly well difpofed to afiift him up- 
 on his own account. Let me add, however, 
 that your adjufting this affair to his fatisfaction, 
 will be performing the moft acceptable fervice 
 Hkewife to myfelf. I conjure you therefore to 
 difpatch it with all poffible expedition. Fare- 
 wel. 
 
 a Befides the province of Cilicia properly fo called, there 
 were three other adjoining diftrifts annexed to Cicero's go- 
 ternment: in one of which he appears to have been at the 
 time of writing this letter. 
 
 LET-
 
 V. bfr C I C E R O. 467 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 To MARCUS COELIUS, Curule-^dile. 
 
 YOUR very agreable letters vifit me but fel- A.U. 703. 
 dom : perhaps, by fome accident or other, 
 they lofe their way. How full was the laft * 
 which came to my hands, of the moft prudent 
 and obliging advice ! I had determined indeed 
 to acl: in the manner you recommend : but it 
 gives an additional ftrength to one's refo- 
 lutions, to find them agreable to the fen- 
 timents of fo faithful and fo judicious a 
 friend. I have often allured you of my extreme 
 affection for Appius : and I had reafon to be- 
 lieve, after our mutual reconcilement, that he 
 entertained the fame favorable difpofition to- 
 wards me. For he diftinguimed me in his 
 confulate with great marks of honor and amity: 
 and appeared willing upon all occafions to gratify 
 my requefts even in favor of others. I muft ap- 
 peal to you (fmcethe drole Phania 1 , is, I think, 
 no more) that I was not wanting on my part in 
 a fuitable return : and indeed he ftood ib much 
 
 1 The 5th letter of this book. 
 
 * A favorite freed-man of Appius, 
 
 H h 2 the
 
 . 4 68 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 703. the higher in my efteem, as I was fenfible of the 
 
 ' i "" 
 
 affection he had conceived for you. Add to 
 this, that I am, as you well know, wholly de- 
 voted to Pompey, and tenderly attached alfo to 
 Brutus '. Can I then want a reafon of uniting 
 myfelf with Appius, thus fupported as he is, by 
 the moft powerful friends and alliances, and 
 florifhing in every other advantage that can be 
 derived from affluent pofleffions in conjunction 
 with great abilities + ! But befides thefe confide- 
 rations, I muft mention likewife the connection 
 that fubfifts between us as members of the fame 
 facred college, and the honor he has publicly 
 paid me in his learned treatife concerning its 
 
 3 That Cicero was wholly devoted to Pompey, cannot 
 be doubted: but that he was fincere in this declaration 
 with refpeft to Brutus, may well be queftioned. It appears 
 indeed that they were neither of them perfectly fatisfied 
 with each other at this time: and Cicero complains to 
 Atticus of having received fome very haughty and dif- 
 refpedtful letters from Brutus, even when the latter was 
 folliciting his good offices in favor of Appius. Nullas un- 
 quam (fays he) ad me litteras mijtt Brutus, ne proxime quidem 
 de dppio, in quibus non effet arrogant, a.v.r.\<uvi>iv aliquid. Pla- 
 ne parum cog: tat, quid fcribat, aut ad quern. Ad Att. vi. 3. 
 vid. etiam vi. i. v. 21. See rem. 2. p. 379. of this vol. 
 
 4 Thefe were the true and only reafons which induced 
 Cicero to endeavor to be upon good terms with Appius. 
 For that he had a real afFeftion for him, as he pretend* 
 in this epiftle, is by no means probable. On the contrary, 
 in a letter to Atticus he fpeaks of his difpofition towards 
 Appius, in terms of much lower import ; and difcovers at 
 the fame time the principal motive that engaged him in 
 his intereft. Pro Appio nos hie omnia faciemus ; bone/1 e t amen, 
 fed plane libcnter. ffec enim ipfum odimus; et Pompeius miriji- 
 ct a^tne (ontendit. Ad Att. vi. 2. 
 
 inftitu-
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 4 6 9 
 
 tions. I mark out thefe feveral circumftancesA.U.7C3. 
 the more particularly, as your letter feemed to 
 intimate a doubt in what manner I was inclined 
 towards him. This leads me to fufpect, that 
 fome idle tale or other has been reported to the 
 difadvantage of my fentiments for Appius : but 
 be afiiired, whatever you have heard of that na- 
 ture, is utterly falfe. I muft confefs at the fame 
 time, that his maxims and mine in the admi- 
 niftration of this province, have been fome- 
 what different : and it may from thence, per- 
 haps, have been fuggeftcd, that I acted coun- 
 ter to his meafures more from a fpirit of oppofi- 
 tion, than from any real difagreement of princi- 
 ples. But believe me, I "have never faid or 
 done the leaft thing throughout the whole courfe 
 of my government, with a view of prejudicing 
 his reputation. And now that my friend Dola- 
 bella has fo rafhly attacked him, I am exert- 
 ing all my good offices to diffipate tlie rifing 
 ftorm with which he is threatened. 
 
 You mentioned fomething of a lethargic in- 
 activity that had feifed the republic. I rejoiced 
 no doubt, to hear that you were in a Hate of fuch 
 profound tranquillity, as well as that our fpirit- 
 ed friend * was fo much infected with this gene- 
 ral indolence, as not to be in a humor of dif- 
 
 s Curio. 
 
 H h 3 turbing
 
 470 THE LETTERS BOOK V, 
 
 A.U. 703. turbing it. But the laft paragraph of your letter, 
 which was written, I obferved, with your own 
 hand, changed the fcene, and fomewhat indeed 
 difcompofed me. Is Curio really then become a 
 convert to Casfar ? But extraordinary as this 
 event may appear to others j believe me it is a- 
 greable to what I always fufpecled. Good gods ! 
 how do I long to laugh with you at the ridiculous 
 farce which is acling in your part of the world ? 
 
 I have rimmed my juridical circuit : and not 
 only fettled the finances of the feveral cities 
 upon a more advantageous bafis, but fecured to 
 the farmers of the revenues the arrears due on 
 their former agreements, without the leafl com- 
 plaint from any of the parties concerned. In 
 fliort, I have given entire fatisfadlion to all or- 
 ders and degrees of men in this province. I 
 propofe therefore to fet out for Cilicia b on the 
 7th of May : from whence, after having juft 
 looked upon the troops in their fummer canton- 
 ment, and fettled fome affairs relating to the ar- 
 my, I intend, agreably to the decree of the fe- 
 nate for that purpofe, to fet forward to Rome. 
 I am extremely impatient indeed to return to 
 my friends : but particularly to you, whom I 
 much wifh to fee in the adminiftration of your 
 JEdilelhip. Farewel. 
 
 b See rem. a p. 466. of this vol. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 471 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 To QUINTUS THERMUS, Proprietor. 
 
 IT is with great pleafure I perceive that my A.U. 703, 
 fervices to Rhodo and others of your friends, 
 as well as thofe likewife which I have perform- 
 ed to yourfelf, prove acceptable to a man of 
 your grateful difpofition. Be aflured you will 
 find me ftill more and more defirous of advanc- 
 ing your credit and reputation : tho' I muft add, 
 the lenity and juftice of your government feem 
 already to have raifed them as high as poflible. 
 
 The more I reflect upon your affairs (and 
 they are the daily fubject of my thoughts) the 
 more I arn confirmed in that advice I commu- 
 nicated to you by Arifto. I am well perfuaded 
 indeed that you will draw upon yourfelf very 
 powerful enemies, if you fhould put any flight 
 upon a young nobleman of your quasftor's rank 
 and intereft. And a flight it will undoubtedly 
 be, if you mould not at your departure commit 
 the adminiftration of the province to his hands: 
 as there is no other perfon to whom you can 
 pruft it, of fuperior quality. But abftracted 
 from all confiderations of this kind ; he has an 
 H h 4 unquef-
 
 472 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 A.U. 73-unqueftionable right as your quseftor to beprefer- 
 red to any of your lieutenants : whofe blamelefs 
 and worthy conduct however, I muft at the fame 
 time in juftice acknowledge. I am perfectly 
 fenfible that you have nothing to fear from the 
 refentment of any man. I could wifh neverthe- 
 lefs, that you would not incur the difpleafure, 
 and efpecially with jufb reafon, of three fuch 
 diftinguifhed perfons as your quaeftor and his 
 brothers. For they are all of them men of fome 
 .eloquence as well as great fpirit: to which I muft 
 add, that I am perfuaded they will fucceflively be 
 tribunes of the people 6 during the three next 
 following years. Now who can tell what turn 
 public affairs may take? For my own part I 
 think there is much appearance of great commo- 
 tions arifing in the commonwealth. I mould be 
 forry therefore, that you mould render yourfelf 
 obnoxious to fo formidable a power as the tribu- 
 nitial: efpecially fince you may eafily avoid it, 
 without offending any perfon, by juftly prefer- 
 ring your quasftor to your lieutenants. And 
 mould his conduct as your vice-gerent in the 
 province, prove worthy of his glorious anceftors, 
 2s I hope and believe j it will reflect, in fomc 
 
 ' Pighius with great probability conjecture?, from the 
 circumftances here mentioned compared with other paflages 
 i.i Cicero's writings,, that Caius Antonius, fecond brother 
 to .Viark Antony, was queefloi to Thermus. Pighii annul, 
 
 enno. 703. 
 
 degree
 
 BOOK. V. OF CICERO. 473 
 
 degree, an honor upon yourfelf. But 011^.17.703. 
 the contrary, mould he deviate from their 
 illuftrious examples ; the whole difcredit will 
 fall fmgly upon his own character, with- 
 out involving yours in any part of the re- 
 proach. 
 
 I am this moment fetting out for Cilicia c : fo 
 that I have only time to write thefe loofe hints 
 juft as they occur. I thought it incumbent 
 upon me however to fend you my general fen- 
 timents of a point, wherein your intereft is 
 > nearly concerned. May the gods give fuc- 
 cefs to whatever you mall determine ! But if 
 my advice has any weight, you will avoid 
 raifing to yourfelf unneceffary enemies, and 
 prudently confult your future repofe. Fare- 
 wel. 
 
 e Spe rem. a p. 466. of this vol. 
 
 LET-
 
 474 THE LETTERS BOOK V, 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 To C. TITIUS RUFUS, Praetor. 
 
 UC1US Cuftidius is not only of the 
 fame tribe ? and corporation 8 with myfelf, 
 but is likewife my particular friend. As he has 
 a caufe which he purpofes to bring before you, 
 I -recommend his intereft to your protection: 
 but no farther however, than is confiflent with 
 your honor and my own good manners. All 
 I requeft therefore is, that you would allow 
 him freely to wait upon you as often as he mail 
 have occafion ; that you would comply with 
 his defires fo far as they mail appear equita- 
 ble ; and in a word, that you would convince 
 him my friendfhip can effectually avail even at 
 this diftance. Farewel. 
 
 7 Romulus divided his citizens into three tribes, each of 
 which were fubdivided into ten curiae, or wards. Thefc 
 tribes were in after-times gradually encreafed, till they a- 
 mounted to the number of thirty five. 
 
 8 The corporate or municipal towns were thofe which 
 were allowed to govern themfelves by their own laws an4 
 conftitutions, and at the fame time were honored with the 
 privileges of Roman citizens. Cicero was a native of one 
 ofthefe corporations, called Arpinum : fituated in a diftric^ 
 of Italy, v,hich now makes part of the kingdom f Na- 
 ples. 
 
 LET-
 
 BOOK V. OF CICERO. 475 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 To S i L i u s. 
 
 WILL you not think that I am employ- A.U. 703. 
 cd in a very unneceflary office, when I 
 take upon me to recommend a man to your 
 friendfhip, who already, I know, enjoys that 
 privilege ? Let it be a proof however, that J 
 am with pafiion, as well as efteem, devoted to 
 his intereft. I moft earneftly intreat you then 
 to convince Egnatius by the good effects which 
 this letter fhall produce in his favor, both of 
 your affection for me, and of mine for him. 
 And be allured your compliance with this requeft, 
 will be the moft agreable of all the many and 
 great inftances I have received .Q your difpofi- 
 tion to oblige me. 
 
 The pleafing hopes I entertained of public 
 affairs, are now totally vanilhed. However, 
 whilft we wifh things were better, let us fupport 
 ourfelves with the trite confolation, that we 
 muft fubmit to what cannot be remedied. But 
 this is a fubject I will referve to our meeting. 
 In the mean time, continue to give me your 
 friendfhip: and be well perfuaded of mine. 
 Farewel. 
 
 4 LET-
 
 476 THE LETTERS BOOK V. 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 To PuBLIUS C^ESIUS. 
 
 . y T Moft earneftly recommend to your favor my 
 V/VV * ver Y intimate friend Publius Meflienus, a 
 Roman knight, who is diftinguimed by every 
 valuable endowment. I intreat you by the dou- 
 ble ties of that amity which I enjoy with you 
 and your father, to protect him both in his fame 
 and his fortunes. Be allured you will by this 
 means conciliate the affection of a man highly 
 deferving of your friendmip, as well as confer 
 a moft acceptable obligation upon myfelf. 
 Farewel. 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 To the Magiftrates of FREGELL^?. 
 
 IF my connections with Quintus Hippius 
 were not of the ftrongeft and moft amicable 
 kind, I mould not depart from the rule I have 
 laid down to my felf, of not troubling you with 
 my applications. This maxim, you will bear 
 me witnefs, I have hitherto ftrictly obferved: 
 
 9 It is fuppofed to be the fame town which is now called 
 Cpferaro in the Ca?npagna di Roma. 
 
 tho 1
 
 6ooK V. OF CICERO. 477 
 
 tho' I was ever perfuaded at the fame time, that A.U. 703. 
 there is nothing you would refufe to my requeft. ^* 
 However, I now moft earneftly intreat your 
 generofity in behalf of my friend's fon, and that 
 you would do me the honor to mew fo much re- 
 gard to my inclinations as to enfranchize the ef- 
 tate he has purchafed of your corporation. I 
 mail eftecm your compliance with this requeft as 
 a very fingular favor. Farewel.

 
 A N 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Referring to the order in which the letters of 
 this volume ftand in the edition of Grsevius. 
 
 BOOK I. BOOK II. 
 
 Lit. Ep. 
 
 Lit. Ep, 
 
 Letter I. v. 7 
 
 IX. vii. 6 
 
 II. -= v. i 
 
 X. vii. 7 
 
 HI. v . 2 
 
 XL vii. 8 
 
 IV. v. 5 
 
 XII. vii. 17 
 
 V, v. 6 
 
 XIIL vii. 9 
 
 VI. xiv. 4 
 
 XIV. xiii. 60 
 
 VII. Xiv. 2 
 
 XV. vii. . 10 
 
 VIIL xiv. i 
 
 XVL vii. 1 6 
 
 IX. xiv. 3 
 
 XVII. i.- a 
 
 X.- v. 4 
 
 XVIII. -xiii. 42 
 
 *,. ., }. 
 
 XL via. . 26 
 
 XIX. xiii. 41 
 
 XII. i. , 
 
 XX. xiii. 49 
 
 XIIL xiii. 6 
 
 XXL vi. 15 
 
 XIV. i. 2 
 
 XXII. xiii. 73 
 
 XV. i. 3 
 
 XXIII. i. 10 
 
 XVL i. 4 
 
 
 XVII. i. r 
 XVIII. i. 5 
 XIX. i. 6 
 
 BOOK III. 
 Letter!. ii. i 
 II. vii. 1 1 
 
 XX. v. 12 
 
 III. iii. i 
 
 XXL v. 3 
 
 IV. xiii. 2 
 
 
 V. Vii. 12 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 VI. ii. 2 
 
 Letter I. xiii. 40 
 
 VII. Vii. 14 
 
 II. i. 7 
 
 VIIL xii. 20 
 
 III. vii. 23 
 
 IX. - vii. 1 5 
 
 IV.. i. 8 
 
 X._ ii. 3 
 
 V. vii. i 
 
 XL vii. 18 
 
 VI. xiii. 74 
 
 XII. ii. A 
 
 VII. v. 8 
 
 XIII. - xiii. I 
 
 .YUI. tii. 5 
 
 XIV. ii. 5
 
 INDEX. 
 
 BOOK III. BOOK IV. 
 
 Lib. Ep. \ 
 
 Lib. Ep. 
 
 XV. vii 14 
 
 IX. ii. 9 
 
 XVI. v. 17 
 
 X. xiii. 62 
 
 XVII. ii. 6 
 
 XL iii. -. 8 
 
 XVIII. - v. 1 8 
 
 XII. xiii. 63 
 
 XIX. xiii. 75 
 
 XIII. ii. 10 
 
 XX. vii. 21 
 
 XIV. viii. 10 
 
 XXI vii. 2 
 
 XV. xiii. 64 
 
 XXII. vii. 22 
 
 XVI. ii. 7 
 
 XXIII. iii. 2 
 
 X VII. xiii. 5 r 
 
 XXIV. iii. 3 
 
 XVIII. vii. 32 
 
 XXV. viii. i 
 
 XIX. xiii. - 9 
 
 XXVI. iii.. 4 
 
 XX. xiii. 6; 
 
 XX VII. xiii. i 
 
 
 XXVIII. ii. 8 
 
 BOOK V. 
 
 XXIX. viii. 2 
 
 Letter I. xv. 4 
 
 XXX. viii. 3 
 
 II. . xv. - 
 
 XXXI. iii. c 
 
 III XV 10 
 
 XXXII. -viii. 4 
 XXXIII. viii. - 5 
 
 IV.- xv. 13 
 V. viii. 6 
 
 XXXIV. viii. 9 
 XXXV. xv. 9 
 XXXVI. - xv. 7 
 XXXVII. xv 8 
 XXXVIIL xv. 12 
 
 VI. viii. 7 
 VII. iii. 7 
 VIII.- xv. 14 
 IX. ii. 14 
 X. xiii. 59 
 
 
 XL iii. . 9 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 XII. ii. ii 
 
 Letter I. xv. 2 
 
 XIIL xiii. 54 
 
 II. xiii. 53 
 
 XIV. xiii. 57 
 
 IIJ. Hi. 6 
 
 XV. - ii. 13 
 
 IV.' xv'. 3 
 
 XVI. ii. -i 8 
 
 V. xiii. 56 
 
 XVII. - xiii. 58 
 
 VI. xv. i 
 
 XVIII. xiii. 47 
 
 VII. viii. 8 
 
 XIX. -xiii. 51 
 
 VIII. -xiii. 61' 
 
 XX. -xiii. 76 
 
 The End of the FIRST Volume.
 
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