friend Vestorius writes vnto me that you giue mee infinite thankes I take it exceeding well that you diuulge my benefit and thaâ— among the rest our Syro knowes it For those things which I doe I would haue them pleasing to all wise men I desire to see you out of hand Farewell Cicero to Ampius Balbus Epist. 13. I reioyce with you my Balbus and vpon iust occasion neither am I so foolish to feede you with vaine hope least mocked thereby you dare hope no more after better fortune I pleaded your cause with greater freedome then my state required For being enflamed with honest charitie and moued by that loue which was euer common betwixt vs though my fauours were but weake yet I haue compassed the end of our desire Whatsoeuer concernes your returne and safetie all hath beene promised confirmed ratified and established I haue seene the effect I haue procured it I haue personallie interposed my selfe therein For all Caesarsâ—riends â—riends conuerse much with me and so well they like of my amitie that next to him they hold none more deare Wherein I haue beene carefull according to the qualitie of the times preâ—ent Paâ—sa Hirtius Balbus Oppius Matius and Posthumius wish mee all good And if I had made this triall for my selfe I should haue beene well â—ontented that I had effected so much â—n these times Which came to passe â—ecauâ—e I proceeded not with respect as it seemes these present times require And retaining old friendship with them I haue preuailed for your good But your good friend Pansa desirous to doe me all kindenesse being of no lesse authoritie then fauour about Caesar was he that fauoured me most aboue others Tillius Cimber also bare himselfe as well as I could haue wish'd But that which most imports is That Caesar willingly giues eare to them that petition him not through ambition but for some iust and due respect And because Cimbers suites were of this nature they haue sped better for you then they would haue done for any bodie else We haue not yet obtained the Patent because some men are so malicious vnto vs as they would swelâ— with despight that you had obtaineâ— leaue to returne whom they tearmâ— the Trumpet of the ciuill warre minding thereby to make shew that theâ— tooke no pleasure that a warre ensueâ— Wherefore I thought good to proceâ—â— secretly and to keepe the matter buâ—â—ed But by that time you shall reâ—â— these I make no doubt but the 〈◊〉 will be dispatched And Pansâ— whâ— is not a man of vaine words hath promis'd me giuing me his faith that with in few daies he will giue me the Pateâ— Nâ—â—erâ—â—elesse I thought good to wriâ—â— thus muâ—h to you that you might haâ—â— some cause to cheere vp your selfe the words of Aâ—pulâ—ia your wife and the tears of Ampia your daughter making me thinke that you are not of so good comfort as your letters demonstrate And they beleeue that themselues not being with you you will be much more assailed with pensâ—ue cogitations And therefore to rid you of all griefe that might ceaze on your minde I iudge no remedie could be better then to giue you full notice of your deliuerie which is most certaine You know that before when I wrote vnto you I onely comforted you as an inuincible and wise man but I gaue you no certaine hope of returning into your countrie till the heate of this warre were quenched Remember your letters wherein you shewed a great minde fiâ—me and constant to endure all accidents Which seem'd no wonder to me when I call'd to minde that from a youth you did negotiate in the Common-wealth and it fell out that you had all your Mâ—gistracies in the greatest dangers of the sameâ— and you entred into this warre not onely with an intention to be happie if you prou'd victor but to bee wise though you were vanquish't Besides spending all your studies in celebrating the worthie acts of valiant men you must consider that you ought to do nothing in which you should shew your selfe vnlike to them But these instructions were rather to bee vsed if you were in those miseries from which you are now free'd But now resolue onely to tolerate with vs these inconueniences which at this instant oppresse vs to which if I found any medicine I would also giue it vnto you But thereâ— no other refuge then learning and studies wherein we haue alwaies exercis'd our selues the which in prosperous Fortunes yeelded vs onely contentment but now with contentment they giue vs life also But to returne to the beginning be assur'd that your restitution is obtained Farewell Cicero to Quintus Ligarius Epist. 14. THough in these your molestations it was my part to write vnto you sometimes to comfort you and to giue you assistance neuerthelesse I did it not hitherto supposing that I could not either with words mitigate or in any other maner extenuate your griefe But seeing I conceiue great hope that within a short time you may compasse your returne into your country I could not but signifie vnto you my opinion and desire First therefore I will write that which I discerne and see clearely that Caesar will not be so bitter to you as he hath beene hitherto because not onely the matter it selfe the times and the opinions of men but as I perceiue his owne nature also doth euery day more and more mollifie him This hope I conceiue for all men but for your person I may haue it farre greater being secured thereof by his nearest fauorites to whom since newes first came out of Africa I haue not ceased to sue together with your brothers who are so carefull to procure your returne as I constantly beleeue that Caesar seeing their valour and singular affection towards you will graunt what they would and if the matter suffer some longer delay then we could wish it is because we cannot haue audience from him being exceedingly busied in that hee must giue answere to so many demaunds And moreouer being prouoked against them that haue renued the warre in Africa it seemes he hath a purpose to punish them longest from whom he hath recâ—iued longest trouble And yet against these men also he growes euery day more pacified Whereupon I promise you and keepe in minde what I say that you shall not continue in these perplexities any long time Thus much touching my opinion My loue I had rather should be manifest vnto you by effects then by words And were I able to doe as much as by right I should in that common-wealth of whom I haue so well deseruâ—d as you suppose you should not remaine in so miserable an estaâ—e But the same occasions haue depriued me both of power fauour which were vnto you the cause of youâ— afflictions Neuerthelesse looke what the shaddow of my former dignities can compasse what I am able to perâ—orme with that little authoritie that remaines vnto me with my studie with my counâ—ell with my endeuour with
your cause that no man could with greater eloquence grauitie endeuour or earnestnesse haue pleaded it acknowledging your fauour to him and his loue to you in the best fashion he was able You know you haue displeased Marcellinus Yet this cause of the Kings excepted hâ— makes plaine demonstration that in any other occasion hee will fauour you to the vtmost of his abilitie And we are contented with his pleasure Therâ— hath beene no meanes to make him alâ—ter his course about the religion Thiâ— is the state of the businessâ— till the thirâ—teenth of Ianuarie in the morning of which day I wrote these Hortentiuâ— and I and Lucullus touching the Armie let the religion carrie it for otherwise we should doe nothing yet remitting our selues to the order made when you propounded the matter we stand for you that the Senate may commit vnto you the charge of restoring the King without the Armie as the Religion requireth so that you may doe it without indangering the Common wealth Crassus chooseth three Ambassadours not excluding Pompeius for my meaning is of such as haue publicke authoritie Bibulus also three Ambassadours priuate Cittizens and with him agree the other Consulars except Seruilius who holdeth that in no case he should be restored And Volcatius who consenting with Lupus chooseth Pompeius and Afranius who assenteth to Vâ—lcatius which thing augmenteth the suspition of the intention of Pompeius For it is found that Pompeius friends agree vnto the opinion of Volcatius The difficulties are manie and the businesse beginnes to grow doubtfull The manifest and earnest practises of Libon and Hipsaeus and the great desire of all Pompeius friends bewray the hidden fire of his ambition to haue the managing of this businesse And they that contradict him are not friends to you who haue so much extolled him My authoritie herein is the lesse by reason of my obligation to you And the impression which men haue made touching Pompeius intention drowneth my fauours they surmising that they shall gratifie him by this occasion Things are now in the same estate with vs as they were long before your departure being as wâ—ll by the King himselfe as by the intimate and domesticke acquaintance of Pompeius priuily corrupted afterwards by the Consulars openly sifted and madâ— exceeding hainous and reproaâ—hfull Euery man shall in your absence perceiue my integritie but your friends shall know the loue I beare you Had there beene trust where there should haue beene most these troubles had not fallen vpon vs. Farewell Cicero to Puâ—lius Lentulus Vice-consull Ep. 2. THE xiij of Ianuary the Senate determined nothing because the greatest part of that day was spent in Controuersies betweene the Consull Lentulus and Caninius Tribune of the people At which time I also spak much on your behalfe and by manifest tokens I perceiued that the Senate tooke wondrous wâ—ll the remembrance of your respect vnto that order Whereupon the day following they were pleased that I should make a briefe recapitulatioÌ„ of euery mans opinion For they seemed to be reconciled vnto vs which I perceiued aswell by the pleading of your cause as by their calling euery man and requesting their fauour for vs. When therefore the first sentence was pronounced which was of Bibuluâ— that the King should be by three Ambassadours restored The second that you should restore him without the Armie as Hortentius desired or as Volcatius who gaue the third that Pompâ—ius should restore him It was demanded that the particulars of that opinion of Bibulus might be considered No man opposed that part wherein he touched the Religion as being a thing not to be contradicted Touching the three Ambassadors â—he greatâ—st part flue from him Then followed the opinion of Hortenâ—ius vpon which Lupuâ— Tribune of the people because he had made the motion for Pompeius began to contend that it belonged vnto him rather than to the CoÌ„suls to command that euery one should goe to that side to which they were most addicted But his speech was interrupted by the out-cryes of all men because it was a thing new found out and without sence or reason The Consuls neither assented vnto him nor were they greatly repugnant They were contented the day should be thus driuen ouer and so it was For they well perceiued that the greatest part would follow Hortentius though they outwardly seemed to allow of the opinion of Volcatius Manie were requested to giue their opinion and that with great vexation of the Consuls whose desire was that the opinion of Bibuluâ— might be preferred This controuersie endured till night and then the Senate rose and I as it fell out supt that night with Pompeius lighting thereby vpon this occasion more fit than heretofore hath beene offered as being the first Senate day that hath since your departure prooued fortunate vnto vs. I so reasoned the matter with him that he seemed to giue credite wholly to my discourse and to deliberate how he might fauour you Hearing his own tale I must needs free him from the least touch of Ambition but when I consider the carriage or passages of his familiar acquaintance of what degree soeuer I finde that assuredly true that at length is manifested to all the world that all this cause hath beene before this time by some corrupted and not without the knowledg or priuitie of the King himselfe and of his Counsellers These I wrote the 14. of Ianuarie before day in which the Senate was to sit We shall as I hope maintaine our reputation in the Senate so far as is possible in this so persidious an age and full of iniustice As for the popular respects I thinke we haue so carried things that nothing can be done with the people without the violating of diuine authoritie or breach of lawes no nor without compulsion Yesterday the Senate ratified the things aforesaid by interposing of their graue authoritie to which though Cato and Caninius opposed themselues yet it was registred and I thinke it shall be sent vnto you I will not faile to giue you good accompt hereafter of euery thing that passeth and I will engage all my thoughts endeuours diligence and friends in the effecting this businesse to our owne contentment Farewell Cicero to Lentulus Ep. 3. AVlus Trebonius my auncient and â—amiliar friend who hath affayres of great impoâ—tance in diuerse places of your Prouince and such as may be soone dispatched hath beene heretofore very well-come thither as well for his owne worth as for being by my selfe and other friends recommended and at this present in respect of your loue towards me and for our neere alliance he is very confident that he shall be able by meanes of these my letters to purchase your gracious fauour I beseech you therefore let not his hope deceiue him and I recommend vnto you all his affayres his Freemen his agents his familie and especially that what Titus Ampius shall decree about his businesse you would be pleased to ratifie and so vse him
of my iournies from day to day with all possible expedition and diligence I neither dare nor willingly will impose vpon you any burden but if it may be with your conueniencie it greatly imports vs both that we should meete before you leaue the Prouince If any euill hap preuent this our interuiew yet notwithstanding in the gouernment of this Prouince I will haue no lesse care of your honour and reputation then if I had seene you I will not write vnto you that you should performe any thing on my behalfe till I be out of hope of meeting you Whereas you write that you requested Scaeuola during your absence to gouerne the Prouince till my arriuall I saw him in Ephesus and he kept me company for those three dayes that I stayed there but he spake not a word of your moouing him to any such matter I would he could for I cannot be perswaded that he would not haue serued you Farewell Cicero Vice-Consull to Appius Pulcher Imperator Epist. 6. WHen I compare that which I haue done with that which hath beene by you perâ—oâ—med I am far better satisfied in mine owne then in your proceedings Although I desire that in true loue we may dischâ—rge our selues recipâ—ocally Phania's fidelitie in all your affaires bâ—ing well knowne vnto me and in what esteeme he is with you in Brundusium I was bold â—o aske of him by what paâ—t he thought you would haue me make entrance into the Prouince He answering me that I could not please you better then to goe by shipping to Sida I promis'd to doe so though I did it with great discommoditie and little credit But afterwards meeting in Corcyra Lucius Clodius a man so possest of your heart that talking with him me thought I spake with your selfe I said to him that I meant to take the same course Phania prescribed me then he giuing me thankes for the entire afâ—ection I shewed herein importunâ—d me to goe directly to Laodicea affirming that you would reside in the edge or skirt of the Prouince for your more readie departure and but that I was Successor whom you so much desired to sâ—e you would haue beene gone before your Successors comming Which fitly confronted with the letters that I recâ—iued in Rome by which I perceiued what hast you made to depart I answered Clodius that I was readie to doe as he counselled me and farre more willingly then to performe my promise vnto Phania So that hereupon changing my determination I presenâ—ly wrote a letter vnto you with mine owne hand which was deliuered timely enough as your anâ—were thereunto implies In doing this I haue as I suppose discharg'd my part neither could I shew any greater kindnesse Now with this compare what you haue done You did not onely not come thither where you might with the soonest haue had sight of me but you remooued into those parts where I could not possibly arriue within the terme of those thirty daies which were assigned you for your departure as I suppose by the law Cornelia So that it seemed vnto them who were not acquainted with our mutuall affections that you seeke to auoid our meeting and consequently to say no worse that you were but a cold friend vnto me but on the other side they iudge me most louing to you And in deed before I came into the Prouince I receiued your letters in which though you certified me of your going to Tarsus neuerthelesse you gaue me assured hope of our meeting Yet some persons afterwards and as I beleeue malicious for many at this day are possest with that vice hauing fit matter to talke of and being no waies acquainted with the stabilitie of my mind laboured to alienate me from your friendship alledging vnto me that you had some interest in Tarsus that you establish't and perform'd many things whereas you might haue considered that when I was entred into the Prouince it belonged not to you further to gouerne it Which neither they were euer wont to doe that within a short time expected the arriuall of their Successor But these mens wordes neuer troubled me rather being true I was beholding to you for you eased me herein of a part of my burthen and I reioyced that whereas the imployment of my gouernment was to continue for a whole yeare which I thought ouer-long I was by your means eased of a moneths labour and trauaile One thing to speake truth displeaseth me that of those few souldiers which remain'd in the Prouince there wanted no lesse then three Cohorts which were more entire then the rest and â—hat I cannot learne how they are disposed of But aboue all it grieues me that I cannot certainly vnderstand where to see you and I defâ—rd writing for no other cause but by reason I hourely expected your presence But becauâ—e you wrote nothing to me I haue sent vnto you Antonius Conductor of the new Supplies a valiant man and one in whom I puâ— great confidence that if you thinke good you may assigne to him the charge of the Infanâ—ery that I may attempt some enterprise while the season of the yeare serues Wherein both our amitie and your letters put me in hope that I should not want your best directions neither do I yet despaire of those hopes But questionlesse when or where I may see you except you certifie me by writing I cannot so much as imagine For that which belongs to me both good and bad shall apparently see that my mind is as friendly addicted to loue you as possiblie it can be For yours you haue giuen ill disposed men some occasion to surmise the contrary doe but reclaime this errour and I will hold you most deare vnto me And because you might consider or cast where we may meete without the breach of the Cornelian law I arriued in my Prouince on the last of Iuly I goe into Ciâ—icia by way of Cappadâ—â—ia I remooued the Campe from Iconium the last of August Now for the time when you may most fitly meete with me you may take order at your pleasure casting vp the dayes iournies and the way where it may be effected and on what day without any inconuenience to either of vs. Farewell Cicero Vice-consull to Appius Pulcher. Ep. 7. VVHen I haue more time Iâ—le write more at large I wrote these in great hast Brutus seruants being to depart for Rome without any stay so as I had no time to write to any bodie else but to you and Brutus The Appian Legates brought me I cannot say a letter but rather an entire volume full of vniust complaints because by my letters I hindred their building In the same epistle you intreated me forthwith to giue them liceÌ„ce to build before the winter came vpoÌ„ them withal checking me couertly you coÌ„plained that I prohibited them to collect the tribute before my selfe made acquainted with the matter had giuen licence you affirming that this was but a kind of crossing their courses in
where vâ—râ—ue hath her residence Is of a steepe laborious ascent The Gods would haue it so 't is but sense That we should sweat to get so rare content Cicero to Lepta Ep. 20. IT likes mee well that Macula hath done this dutie I euer approued of his wine of â—aleâ—â—â—m for entertainment so there were house-roome enough to lodge my companie For other matters the place contents mee very well but yet I will not forbeare to come to Petrinum because both the village and the seat is so pleasant that both one and other inuites men not onely to lodge but to remaine there alwaies Whereas you write vnto mee that I should procure you to haue the charge of some of those festiuities which are to be celebrated in the countries I haue talked therof with Oppius for I saw not Balbus since your departure being so troubled with a paine in his feet that he comes not abroad But you should doe much more wisely not to seeke these employments for you cannot by this colour your designes Caesars friends being multiplied in such aboundance that hee rather leaues some then lets any new ones take place especially if hee bring nothing but endeauour wherein he will think that hee hath done you a fauour yea though hee should know that you did not receiue it Neuerthelesse wee 'l see what hope there is for if there be none I would aduise you rather to estrange your thoughts from it then to haue a desire thereof I thinke to stay some daies in Astura till Caesar comes thither Farewell Cicero to Toranius Ep. 21. HAuing written vnto you three dayes since by the seruants of Câ—eius Plancius I will now bee short and whereas before I comforted now I le aduertise you I thinke you cannot doe better then stay where you are till you bee certaine what you are to doe For besides that you shall auoyd the danger you might incur by sayling in the winter so many daies thorow a tempestuous sea and besides â—hat when you shall heare certain newes you may depart at your own pleasure you haue no cause to be so desirous to goe meet Caesar and moreouer I am affraid of many things whereof I reaâ—oned with our friend Chilo and to bring many words within a small compasse during these euils you could not bee in a more conuenient place hauing opportunitie to turne your selfe whither soeuer necessity cals you And if he coms hither you shall haue time to meet him And if any thing hinder him or prolong his comming as many accidents may fall ouâ— you shall be in a place where you may vnderstand all newes Thus think I and I aduise you not to do otherwise For the râ—st be assured as many times I haue written for your comfort that in your case you neede to â—eare nothing besides the common ruine of the whole Citie which though it bee greeuous to tolerate yet we haue liu'd in such manner and are of that age as wee ought valianâ—ly to beare all aduersities which may happen without our fault All your friends are here in health with hearty affection they desire loue and reuerence you Looke vnto the preseruation of your health and stir not from thence to no purpose Cicero to Toranius Epist. 22. ALthough 't is thought that the end of this pesâ—iferous warre is now at hand or that some effect hath ensued yet I cannot but daily thinke how you alone in so great an armie should be of the same opinion I am And that wee onely saw whaâ— ill was in that warre wherein all hope of peace excluded the victorie it selfe must needs be terrible which brought death if you were vanquished if Victor the yoke of seruitude Whereupon I whom those valiant and wise men the Domitij and Lentuli then said was timorous as indeed I was for I fear'd what came to passe doe now feare nothing and am prepared against euerie accident when I supposed that some part of the losses which afterwards wee sustained might haue beene preuented thâ—n I greeued that they prouided not for the same But now eâ—erie thing being ruinated no councell auailing vs there remaines no other remedie bâ—t with patience to support all euents especially death being the last period of humane miseries And I knowing that I haue laboured to maintaine the dignitie of the Common-wealth so long as I could and able to do no more I haue endeuoured at least the preseruation of her safety This I haue written not to vse speech of my selfe but to giue you occasion to think theron you euer hauing wished aduised the same that I did For 't is a singular comfort when a man cals to mind that though the contrary hapned neuerthelesse that he alwayes perswaded that which reason conscience did read vnto him And I would to God that we might once see the Common-wealth in some state and that enioying each other we may compare our afflictions together which we then suffered when we were reputed timorâ—us because we foretold those things which haue ensued As for your affaires be assured that you haue no cause to feare any other thing but the generall ruine of the Common-wealth Of me constantly beleeue that wherein I may be assisting to you your safetie and to your children I will euer be readie with the greatest care and diligence possible Farewell Cicero to Domitius Ep. 23. IF I haue not written to you since your comming into Italie the reason onely was because I could promise you nothing being in so miserable an estate neither could I aduise you my selfe wanting councell and in so grieuous tribulations I found no mâ—nner of comfort to giue you And though matters are not now a whit bettered but stand in worser tearmes then before yet I tooke occasion rather to write without matter â—hen not to write at all Though you were one of those that sought to labour more for the Common-wealth then their power would permit neuerthelesse in what I could I would exhort you to liue with those conditions which may be granted you Buâ— hauing impos'd thâ—t end to your resolute and commendable councell which Fortune will haue to be the bounds of our contentions I prâ—y and coniure you by our entire and auncient amitie and by that great loue we beare one another that for my comfort your Fathers your moâ—heâ—s your wiues and all your progenies â—o whom you are and euer were most deare to preserue your selfe and to haue a care of that which may turne to the good of your estate and of those that depend on you Now is the time to reduce to action the documents which with long studie you haue learn'd out of the writings of wise men In doing of which you shall support though not willingly at leâ—st with patience the desire of those fâ—iends you haue lost I know not mine ovvne worth nay I conceiue my worth to be but small but neuerthelesse I promise you that I will as effectually labouâ— that vvhich
consultations could hee haue amiddest wine and brothels and therfore euerie one thought as before I wrote vnto you that after his accustomed manner hee would haue vomited and not declaimed Therefore wheâ—as you write that you trust that some good may be done by our authoritie and eloquence in truth some benefit in râ—spect of so many euils hath beene alreadie wrought For the people of Râ—me know that there are three consular persons who for hauing spoken freely what they thought behoouefull for the Common-wealth cannot securely goe into the Senate Neither must you expect any thing else For your greatest friend ioyes wholly in his new affinitie So that he cares no more for sports and he huâ—sts for enuie seeing the fauour which the people with cheerfull shouts â—â—â—ord your brother That other kinsmâ—n is also pacified by the â—ew Commentâ—â—iâ—s of Caesar. These things are tolerâ—blâ— But this is insuppoâ—table that there is one who perswâ—des himselfe thaâ— in your yeere his son should bee Consull and for this cause he seemes diligently to court this villaine Lucius Cotta my familiar friend through a certaine fatall desâ—aire as he saiâ—h comes not much into the Sâ—nate Lucius Caesar an excellent and valiant Citizen is hindred by sicknesse Seruius Sulpitius who is of great â—steeme and desirous of the generall good is not in Rome the oâ—hers exâ—ept those elected pardon mee if I terme them not Consulaâ—es you know who are the principall defenders of the Senate who if the Common-wealth were peaceable were but a fâ—w but fewer now when she is in molestaâ—ion Wherefore all hope lies in you â—he which notwithstanding â—â—es not in you neither if you remaine far off for your securitie but if you enâ—er iâ—to any enterprise worthie of â—our glorie I would it might be compâ—ssed witâ— our safetie If not yet this is most â—â—rtâ—ine that by your meanes the Commonwealth in shorâ— time shall be able to recouer her former beeing I â—â—iâ—her am noâ— will be wanting to yâ—ur friends wâ—oâ— wheâ—her they seeke mâ—e or not I wâ—ll discharge â—hose officeâ— â—or your sake which may beseeme the trust and loue I beare you Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 3. YOur friend doth euerie day more then other shew his mâ—dnesse â—nd bestialitie First in the Statua that hâ— erected in the Rostra he hath in grauen these words TO OVR BEST DESERVING PARENT So that men thinke thâ—t you haue not onely committed homicide but that you haue betrayed your Countrey Why doe I say you I should say wee for that furious fellow affirmes that I was the Ringâ—leader of that your notable seruice I would I had beene he should not now haue thus molested vs. But this concernâ—d you Which seeing it happened not I would to God I had counsell to giue you But yet I doe not see what I should doe my selfe and what can bee attempted against force without force And all their designe is this of Caesar. Whereupon he being by Canuâ—ius conducted to speake vnto the people the second day of October in veriâ— truth departed disgracefully But yet he vttered â—uch things of you who haue preserued your Countrey as should hâ—ue beene deliuered of one that had betrayed it Of my selfe hee spake this that hee was most assured that as you heretofore so now Canuâ—ius did all things by my directions The rest how it is iudge by this that they haue tâ—ken away the prouision â—rom your Legate which is vsually alâ—owed for his iourney What is their meaning thiâ—ke you in doing this Vnâ—oubtedly that he is the Legat not of a friend but of an enemie to the Common-wealth Oh wonderfull miserie We could not support the Master and now we serue our fellow-seâ—uant And yet for all this though I desire more then I can hope for there still remaines some hope in your valour But where are the men I conceale the rest and leaue it to your selfe to bee considered Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 4. I Would you had inuited mee to that supper on the xv of March not a dish of meat should haue remained Now your reliques disturbe mee more then anie man else We haue Consuls of singular valour but bad Consulars the Senate is verie resolute but those that are most resolute haue least auâ—horitie You can desire no more of the people they are most valiant and singularly well enclined and so is all Italy On the contrarie Philippus and Piso Ambassadours beare themselues after such a fashion as there was neuer any thing more brutish or impious For â—eing sent to Antonius to propound some things vnto him in the behalfe of the Senate and he not willing to perform any of them they without the Senates order accepted from him and brought vs intolerable demands And therefore euerie one hath recourse to me and at length in matteâ— of publique safetie I haue the loue and concourse of the people But from you I had no aduertisements neither what you did or intended to doe nor where you were The rumour was you were in Syria but there was no certaintie thereof Of Brutus not being so farre off the newes that come seeme truer Dolabella hath beene much blamed by men of vnderstanding because hee so suddenly sought for the gouernment oâ— Syria your Prouince you hauing not beene there full thirtie dayes Wherefore euerie man was of opinion that he should not be receiued by you there Great commendation is ascribed to you and Brutus because men iudge that you haue beyond all hope raised an Armie I would write more at large if I knew how things stood and in what estate you were And what I now write vnto you I write out of the opinion of men and according to fame I desirously expect your letters Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 5. I Suppose that hitherto the winter hath beene some hinderance that we could not heare certainely what you did and least of all where you were neuerthelesse euerie one affirmed out of their desire as I suppose that you were in Syria and had forces Which was the more easily beleeued in that it seemed probable Our Brutus hath made â—urchase of singular praise hauing performed such great maâ—ters and so far beyond the opinion of all men thaâ— besides their being acceptable of themselues they are for the expedition vsed therein much more welcome Wherefore if those places bee in your power which wee suppose the Common-wealth is fortified with great defences For euen from the first limits of Greece as far as Aegypt wee shall be assisted by excellent Citizens that gouerne those quarters and by their people Although in my opinion matters were at that passe that all the danger of the warre seemed to bee in Decimus Brutus and we hoped that hee would free himselfe from the asseige by which hee is inuironed and valiantly come out into the field which if it fall out the war will be thought ended Howsoeuer he was now at length beleaguered but by a few men For
none more deare vnto me then himselfe You know how he is in sutes with the Sardiani In Ephesus I inâ—orm'd you of the cause which notwithstanding you shall face to face better and more easily vnderstand For the rest I haue quâ—stionlâ—sse beene long doubtfull how I should wâ—ite vnto you it being plaine to youâ— great commendation made manifest after what manner you administer Iustice and we hauing neede of nothing else but that you will proceed according to your vsuall fashion Notwithstaâ—ding beâ—ng not conceal'd from me of what authoritie a Praetor is especialâ—y if he be of that integritie grauitie and clemencie wherewith it is openly knowne you are endowed I request you for our friendly league and for our equall and mutuall offices that with authoritie endeuour and fauour you will so procure that Marcus Annâ—ius may vnderstand both that you lou'd him heretofore as he supposeth and hath often told me and that my letters haue made you loue him more effâ—ctuallie During your gouernment and auâ—horitie in that Prouince no occasion can occur vnto me wherein you can shew me greater fauour Withall I am assured that you vnderstand how well your fauour and courtesie will be placed vpon a man that is so thankefull and so honest Farewell Cicero to Thermus Vice-Praetor Epist. 56. CAius Cluuius a Puteolan obserues me greatly and is my familiar acquaintance He hath certaine affayres in your Prouince which if he cannot compâ—sse while you are there Gouernour by meanes of my recommendations he will hould them for lost and desperate Now seeing so great an iniunction is laid vpon me by a friend more officious to me then any other I will impose so it be not troublesome vnto you the like charge vppon your selfe as being encouraged by your former exceeding fauours Cluuius should haue money of the Mylasij and the Alabandenses Euthydâ—mus told me once in Ephesus that he would cause the Mylasij to send their Proctours to Rome And there 's nothing yet performed I vnderstand they haue sent thither Ambassadors but I should be more glad that their Proctours were come that I might deale with them and conclude somewhat Wherefore I require at your hands as a fauour that you would enioyne them and the Alabandâ—nses to send their Proctours to Rome Besides Philotes the Alabandensian hath bound and made ouer vnto Cluuius certaine lands I desire that you would vrge Philotes either to put the agents of Cluuius in possâ—ssion of the said morgages or else to paie the moneys And moreouer that you would take order that Hâ—racleotae and Bargyletae satisfie the debt they owe to Cluuius either with readie coyne or out of their reâ—enues The Caunij are also his debtors but they say the money was committed vnto them vpon â—â—ust whereof I would desire you to be informed And if you finde that theâ—e be no decree nor â—dict passed that free 's them from paying interest for the money so dâ—poseâ— procure that it may be pay'd him according to the cusâ—ome in your Prouince Oâ— the matters aboue menâ—ioned I take the greater care because it conceâ—nes the particular inâ—erest of my deare frâ—nd Cneius Pompeius and in that I see that he is more carefull thereof then Cluuius himselfe and because I much desire that he may remaine satisfied in my best offices I beseech you therefore in all loue that you will be pleased to graunt what I haue requested Farewell Cicero to Thermus Vice-Praetor Ep. 57. THe more I heare by letters and messengers that there is great war in Syria the more I entrâ—at and enioyne you by the great friendsâ—ip that is betwixt vs to send me presently Marcus Annelus my Legate backe againe because I know I may make vse of the endeuour counsell and experience he hath in Militarie discipline to the infinite benefit of the Common-wealth And if necessitie had not vrged him to come vnto you neyther would he vpon any tearmes haue lâ—ft me or I haue graunted that he should I make account to set forward towards Cilicia about the first of May and Anneius must needs before that â—ime be râ—turned I formerly spake and wrote vnto you about a matter he hath in hand with the Sardian people And I now againe most earnestly request and entreat you to procure that he may according to the merit of his cause and dignitie be dispatched I conceiu'd by your words when I talked with you about it in â—phesuâ— that you were enclin'd to shew all fauour to Marcus Anneius for his owne sake neuerthelesse be assured if I vnderstand that he hath by your meanes a good end of the forâ—â—â—d businesse according to his expectation I shall thinke I haue receiu'd from you a singular kindnesse And I most â—arnâ—stly entreat you to vse therin all expâ—dition Farewell Cicero to Caius Titius Rufus sonne to Lucius Praetor in Rome Ep. 58. LVcius Custidius is my kinsman country-man and familiar friend Hâ— hath a certaine suâ—e which is likelie to come into your Court. I should bee as much asham'd to demand any thing dishonest in his behalfe as you out oâ— your respect to your office and honor would be to grant it I therefore onely entrâ—at you that he may haue fauourable accesse vnto you And that hauing right you will graunt it him That he may vnderstand that my friendship euen when I was furthest off was of force with you to further him Farewell Cicero to Curtius Poeduceanus Praetor Epist. 59. I Beare a singular affectâ—on to Marcus Fabius and we haue conuersed together of long time wâ—th great familiaritie In his sutes I request you not to iudge one way or other for you will obserue that which vpon edict and your ordâ—r belongs to your credit and your dignitie but that he may onely haue the benefit to be heard and that you will but willingly graunt him what is iust to the end he may know that my friendship though I were farre absent was beneficiall to him and especiallie with your selfe Which I make my earnest request Farewell Cicero to Caius Munatius sonne to Caius Ep. 60. LVcius Liuineius Trypho is free-man to Lucius Regulus my verie familiar acquaintance whose mis-fortune is a cause that I am more officious to him then vsuall For I cannot be more affectionate to him then I haue beene But I loue Trypho for his owne deserts For hee did me great pleasuâ—â— in the time of my mis forâ—unes â—â—erâ—in â— might euidently perceiue each mans good will and coâ—stâ—ncie I recommend him therefore to you with the same vehemencie with which those that would be accompted grateâ—ull are bound to recommend them fâ—om whom they haue receiu'd a benefit I shall be highly pleas'd thaâ— he might perceiue that you out of your loue vnto me tooke in good part also the kindnesse he did me in exposing himselfe to many daungers for my safetie and his often going to Sea for me in the midd'st of Winter Farewell Cicero to Publius Silius Vice-Praetor Epist. 61. I Suppose
hauing receiued curtesies from him as because I haue beene alwayes inclined to affect him thinking that he for his vertue had deserued it yet without hauing any regard to what he desired I followed my old custome hauing in euery action the good of the Common-wealth my sole obiect And in token of the truth Pompeius being of the Senate when he went into Rome to commend Publius Sextius and Vatinius one of the testimonies had tolde that I was become one of Caesars friends moued thereunto by his happy fortune I gaue him this answer That the fortune of Bibulus which hee esteemed full of misery was greater in my estimation then all the triumphs and victories And in another place I said euen in the presence of Pompeius that none but they thrust mee out of Rome which where occasion that Bibulus feared to sâ—ur out of doores And that examination of mine was onely to reprehend the Tribuneship of Vatinius Where I spake with great liberty and courage about violence authority and the donation of Kingdomes Neiâ—ther did I in this 〈…〉 but aâ— mâ—ny other times speake in Sâ—naâ—e with the same constancie And further Marcelinus and Philippus being Consuls thâ— Senate vpon the fift of Aprill was contented vpon my request that on the fifteenth of May in open Senate the case should bee proposed of the Campan Territorie Thinke you that I could at this time couragiously handle this cause rather then â—orget my owne calamities and call to remembrance my owne actions When I had spoken my opinion there grew great alteration in some particular persons which had occasion and in others also which I could neuer haue imagined For the decree being made after that manner that I had councelled Pompeius without making any demonstration vnto me that he was displeased tooke his iourney for Sardinia and Africa and went by Luca to meet with Caesar who complained much of this deed of mine as being incensed a little before in Rauenna by Crassus who had spoken much ill vnto him concerning mee And though I had vnderstood by many that Pompeius was offended with mee Yet my brother gaue mee the greatest notice who meeting him in Sardinia a little while after hee came from Luca was thus saluted by him In very deed Sir I desired to see no man rather then you neither could fortune haue brought mee any man with whom I could bee so much contented If you take not such order that your brother Marcus keepe the promise that you on his behalfe made vs this debt will fall vpon you What needs more vvords He complained grieuously hee made repetition of his deserts hee called to memory the agreement made about the acts of Caesar and follovved on yet further that he knevv vvell that Caesar lou'd my happinesse pâ—aying him at last to recommend vnto me the cause and â—he honour of the aforesayd Caesar And that at the least I should not oppugne him if I vvould not or could not help him When I had from my brother vnderstood these things and Vibullius by commission of Pompeius hauing beene a little before to speake vvith mee that I should in courtesie leaue till his returne the Campan cause in the state it vvas in driuen to bethinke me of my selfe I turned me vvholly to consider mine ovvne affaires becomming after a sort petitioner to the Common-vvealth That in consideration of so much paines as I had taken for it it vvould be pleased to grant me that I might shevv my selfe gratefull tovvards my benefactours and continue the trust of my brother and that it vvould suffer that man to bee good vvhom in all occasions it had found to be a good Citizen Novv in all my actions and sentences vvhich seeme to offend Pompeius I perceiued that there vvere certaine persons vvhom you may imagine vvhich notvvithstanding they vvere of my opinion and had alvvaies beene so yet they reioyced that I follovved not the vvill of Pompeius hoping assuredly that he for that cause should grovv a cold friend vnto me and Caesar a capitall enemie I had iust occasion to be grieued hereat but much more that in my prâ—sence they did most familiarly embrace vvelcome and kisse mine enemie But vvhy doe I say mine enemie rather enemie of the Lavv of the Courts of Iustice of the quiet of his Countrey and in conclusion of all men of honesty vvith that demonstration they had an opinion they should moâ—e mee to anger but it vvas not so because in mee all anger vvas extâ—nguished These passages therefore considered and making a calculation vvith that vnderstanding that God had giuen mee I reduced into forme all my discourses vvhich if I be able I vvil briefly recount vnto you If I should see the Common-vvealth to bee gouerned by vvicked loose Citizens as vve knovv falleth out in our times and haue vnderstood to haue at other times also occurred no force either of revvards vvhich I slightly esteeme nor yet of dangers vvhich were vvont to feare the stouâ—est men could haue such interest in me that I should consent to the liking of men of such condition although my heart should tell mee they had obliged mee But the Common-vvealth resting it selfe vnder the shadow of Câ—cius Pompeius vvho vvith his great deserts tovvards it and vvith his vvorthy actions hath gotten this povver and estimation and I hauing from my youth fauoured nay I say more hauing furthered him both vvhen I vvas Praetor and vvhen I vvas Consull and he in like manner helping mee as vvell by councell as by fauour and vnvvilling to haue other enemy in the Citie then that man that vvas to me an enemy I thought not that I should bee held for inconstant if I had a little altered some of my opinions inclining my vvill to that vvhich appertained to the dignity both of a man of his sort and of such an one as vvas my Benefactour And being of this minde it vvas necessarie for me as you see that I should also fauour Caesar hee being invvard vvith Pompeius to vvhich partly ancient friendship much moued me that I and my brother Quintus haue alvvaies as you knovv held vvith Caesar partly the humanity and courtesie vvhich hee hath many vvayes in short time shevved vs. And to this the respect of the Common-wealth made great addition seeming vnto mee that it did not onely dislike but strangely refused that there should be any contention with men of that quality Especially Caesar hauing performed many valorous actions thereunto behoofefull And I being heretofore entred into such deliberation was vpon the former occasions altogether settled by reason of the testimonie that Pompeius had giuen of me to Caesar and my brother to Pompeius Moreouer I should haue considered that which is by our Plato written so diuinely that Citizens were wont to bee such as their Gouernours I remember the first day of my Consulship and often afterwards that I might keepe the Common-wealth in a direct course and at one stay I layd so strong foundations
as vvell his vvill as opinion Because the same Plato whose authority it pleaseth me to follow would that a man should take paines in the â—ommon-wealth till he can pâ—rswade his Cittizens to their owne benefit And he addeth that iâ— is not conuenient to force â—ither Father or Countrey and he saith that the occasion of his not medling in the Common-wealth vvas that hauing found the people of Athens now at length growne old in madnesse or folly he had no hope to be able either with reason or force to correct or reclaime them the one being impossible the other seeming vnto him a thing that was not honest I had not the like libertie because I could neither say that the people of Rome vvere so mad as Plato once found that of Athens and because I hauing beene now long time conuersant in the Common-wealth it seemed troublesome vnto me to take my selfe from it And I thought it a matter of no small consequence to be able vvithout blame to hold mine ovvne estate Beyond all that hath beenâ— hitherto spoken I considered the raâ—e or raâ—herâ—d â—â—ne courtesie that Caesar hath vsed to me and my broâ—her for which though Câ—sar were lesse fortunate in the successes of war yet were I obliged to fauour him so much the rather therefore should I doe it perceiuing him to be in so expedite a course of a prosperous fortune And â—e you well assured that after your selfe from whom I acknowledge my wellfare there is no man to whom I should not onely confesse but be glad â—o be so much beholding Hauing made this preamble it is easie â—or me to make answere to your demand concerning Vatinius and Crassus And I take great delight that you are pleased that I should keepe good quarter with Caesar and with Appius Now to come to Vatinius First of all Pompeius reconciled me vnto himselfe as soone as he vvas made Praetor I hauing with all my power withstood his petition in the Senate not so much to offend him as to defend and preferre Cato After that Caesar sought me with intreaties of greatest eâ—ficacie that I would be his defender But let me entreat you not to be further inquisitiue why I haue commended a man of his condition then I shall thinke fitting least I requite you with the like at your returne though I can also requite you at this preseâ—t that you may well remember what you haue written in commendation of any man euen to the outmost bounds of our dominion Neither be you therefore grieued because I also doe now and will hereafter doe the like Yet I confesse that the spur which put me on to deâ—end Vatinius was that of which I said while at the bar I defended him it appeared vnto me that I did act the Councell which the Parasite giues to the souldier in the Eunâ—ch If it fall out that shee name Thaedria Produce thou straight the name of Pamphila If shee say let vs send for Phaedria To sup with vs say thou bid Pamphila That with her pleasing note may solace you If you shall heare her praise the comelinesse Of him praise her and to conclude doâ— thou Reply pinch bite her with like craftineâ—â—e So I because some noble men and my benefactors did loue mine enemie more then beâ—eemed them and in my presence oftentimes drew him apart sometime as if it had beene about earnest busineâ—se and did at other times familiarly and pleasantly embrace him and becausâ— they had their Publius I besought the Iudges by speciall fauour that they would also grant vnto me an other Publius that I might a little sting them as they had somewhat pinched me Nâ—ither doâ—h it suffice me to haue said it but often also with th' applause of Gods and men I make the effâ—cts appaâ—ant You haue hitherto vnderstood of Vatinius now hearken to what I shall say about Crassus We were then become friends I hauing because I would not disturbe the Common-vvealth forgiuen all iniuries whâ—n it fortuned that he vndertooke the defence of Gabinius with no small wonder to euery man hauing but a while since strongly oppugned him I should haue car'd but little so that he had defended him with modestie and vvithout venome but hauing galled me without cause and with little respect I was enforced to â—urne me and I beginning againe to be inflamed vvith the disdaine of former iniuries whose sparkes were not yâ—t extinguished as I beleeued but vvere onely couered suffered my sâ—lfe to be transported into extreame â—â—oller This gaue me great reputation amongst the people and it much pleaâ—ed somâ— kinde of men I meane such as I often name without naming them wâ—o greatly praisâ—d me that I vvas so free in speaking saying that they began then onely to belâ—eue that I was returned into my Countrie that Cicero which I was wont to be But of the other side they said it pleased them that Crassus vvas mine enemie â—nd that his friâ—nds â—hould neuer become friends to me Wherâ—upon I hauâ—ng vnderstoode by men of authoritie and credite of their malice and Pomâ—ius praying me more then euer to be reconciled to Crassus and further Caesar vvriting vnto me that he vvas veâ—â—e sorry for this disagreement I regarded not onely my troubles but also mine owne nature and Crassus to asâ—ure â—s it vvere the people of Rome of our reconciliation that very day that hee parted to goe vnto the gouernment of Syria desired to sup vvith me in the garden oâ— Crassipes my sonne in law Wherupon I vndertooke to defend him as did befit our acquaintance and vvith his great reputatiâ—n â— deâ—ended him in the Senate You haue vnderstood vpon what grounds I went and vvhat businesse I haue defended and my estate in the gouernment of the Common-vvealth so farre as concerneth me But beleeue faithfullâ— that I had done neither more nor lesse though I had beene at libertie and free â—rom all râ—spects Because I should not hold it a wise enterprise to contend agâ—inst so great povver nor to thrust at the principalities of such like personages though it vvere not impossible nor to perseuer in one opinion the course of things being altered and good men hauing changed their minds excepting onely in religious obedience Neither shall you euer finde that wise men and such as are expert in the affaires of the Common-wealth praise him that doth alwayes pâ—oceed after one and the selfe same order But as it is vvisedome to obey the time or vvinds in nauigation although you cannot arriue vnto the port yet being able by changing of your course to arriue thither it vvere folly to goe forvvard â—he vvay begun vvith danger rather then by changing it to land at the place desired euen so it behoouing vs as I haue oâ—ten said to haâ—e for obiect our ovvne good together with that of the Common-wealthâ— we should not alwayes hold one and the sâ—lfe same way but alwaies walke to one and the selfe sâ—me end Wherefore I againe reply that if
you to pretend â—he height of glory Because it is necessary you should encounter that expectation which hath so much oblieged you to people and against this potent enemy to fight manfully Wâ—â—ch you shall easily ouerâ—ome bâ—ing of opinion that if you will arriue vnto that height which you desire it is necessarie you should employ your selfe about those vertues by which men get immortall honour I would to this purpose write more at large if I did not faithfully beleeue that without my words you were sufficienâ—ly inflamed neither touched I this point to enflame you but to manifest the affection that I beare vnto you Farewell Cicero to Caius Curio Ep. 5. COnsider how the case stands with vs when I dare not so much as write vnto you thereof And although you are wheresoeuer as I haue heretofore written in the selfe same danger yet I am glad that you are not at Rome Be it either because you perceiue not that which we see or because your commendation is in a most eminent and noble situation in the view of many of our friends Cittizens brought hither not by any obscure or various relation but notable and immutable Now know I not whâ—ther I ought to â—eioyce or feâ—re thaâ— there is an admirable expectatioÌ„ raised of your râ—tuâ—ne not because I doubt that your vertue is not answerable vnto mens opinions but indeed because I feare you will find no employment for it when you are returned all laudable customes of our Countrey are now at length so impayred and almost extinguished But because I know not whether this also which I write be written with securitie I will leaue the remainder to be signified vnto you by others Yet you eithâ—r hauing or not hauing any hope of the Common-wealth doe for your part whatsoeuer befitteth a valorous Ciâ—tizen and such an one as may hereafter restore the auncient libertie and accustomed dignitie to your countrey afflicted and oppressed with tâ—e miseries of the times and wicked behauiour Farewell Cicero to Curio Ep. 6. THere is yet no newes of your approching Italy Neuerthelesse because it 's thought it will not bee long ere you come And being knowne for certaine that you are already parted froÌ„ Asia are on your way to Rome the great importance of the businesse hath forced mee without any delay to send this present messenger which is Sexâ—us Villius a familiar friend of my Milâ— I being exceeding deâ—irous that this my letter may come vnto your hands with all expedition If it were true Curio that you had such obligations to me as you publikely speake of which I hold nothing I would with more respect seeke after you when I should haue occasion to aske any thing of you Because a modest man shunneth as much as is possible to entreat a fauour from him to whom he thinkes hee hath done any kindnesse lest that in place of a request hee should seeme to receiue as a dutie that which hee demandeth and to take it rather for payment then a benefit But being more manifest then the light that I am exceedingly obliged vnto you through the nouelty of my miseries and calamities and consideâ—ing that it becommeth a gentle spirit to accept willingly of a good turne from one of whom other benefits haue been formerly receiued I haue beene bold to request that of you by this letter which aboue all othâ—r things doth most import me Because I neuer doubted that I should not be able to sway the waight of your good â—urnes though they were infinite especially considering that I am not of so weake or poore a spirit that I cannot assure my selfe abilitie to bee capable of euery fauour how great soeuer and to remunerate the same and â—o exceed it I haue deliberated with my selfe to recollect what fauours I am able to vnite all my forces and all my thoughts to draw Milâ— vnto the dignitie of Consull not so much to be esteemed courteous and louing in the occasion of such a friend as to shew my selfe gratâ—full and ready to make acknowledgement to one that hath beene so much my Benefactour For I beleeue not that euer any man liuing had so great care of his owne health and substance as I haue of his honour which I esteeme equall with my life And I am most assured that if you will fauour him â—urther meanes will not be requisite For we haue already all these things the stay of those that are honest which are affectionated to him by reason thâ—t he being Tribune laboured on my behalfe the fauour of the people â—or the magnificence of the shewes and because they know him of a fâ—ee disposition the attendance of the young men and those â—hâ—t are beloued of the people because they see him alâ—o beloued and know how diligent hee is in the like occasions And there is lâ—st of all the fauour which I afford him which though of it selfe it bee not of that quality that it can doe much yet because it is knowne to be iust and due and full of gratefull affection peraduenture for this cause if not â—or any thing else it will produce some fruit We want stâ—ll a head and one thâ—t mâ—y as it were moderate these windes and gouâ—rne thâ—m whom if wee should choose out of many we should not find a bâ—â—tâ—r â—hâ—n your selfe Wherefore if you haue an opinion that I am a thankfull and honest man as you may beleeue seeing me take thâ—t paines thâ—t I doe â—or Milo and to bee sâ—ort if you hold mee worhty of your fauours let me entreat you to grant this my desire of your bestowing your fauour vpon this my commendation or to speake better vpon my welfare And of the aforesaid Milo I promise you that if it shall please you to embrace him you shall not finde a friend more couragious graue constant and beneuolous towards you besides my obligation for the honour which will redound vnto me by this action shall bee no whit inferiour to that which I haue already vnto you â—or hauing assisted mee in my returne from banishment I know you are not ignorant how much I am obliged to Milo and consequently how much I ought to helpe him in this his demand I meane not onely when it were needâ—ull to contend ciuilly but to â—ight with weapons Therefore I will say no more I recommend to you this cause and remit my selfe vnto your loue And assure you that for such a courtesie I shall hold my selfe in a manner more bound vnto you then I am to Milo himselfe for hauing restored mee into my Countrey Because the content was not so great that I â—ound of my freedom which he principally procured as the sweetnesse shall be which I shall taste in shewing him that thankâ—ulnesse which his receiued good turns merited and so much I esteem of your fauour that I doubt not but by it alone our suits may fully bee accomplished Farewell Cicero Vice-Consull to Caius Curio Tribune of the people Ep.
7. FRiâ—â—ds were not wont to bee reprehended though they slowly reioyce at other mens good fortunes so their slâ—cknesse proceeded not from negligence For I liue far off and newes comes hither but slowly I reioyce then that you haue obtained the Tribuneship and I desire euen from my heart that you may purchase therein eternall praise Further I exâ—ort you that in all things you cleaue to your owne wisdome and bee not led by the nose through other mens perswasions No man can better aduise you then your selfe You shall neuer erre if you sticke to your owne counsels I write not this without iust cause I know to whom I write it I can iudge of your vnderstanding and wisdome Questionlesse being directed by your owne iudgement you will neuer enter into any ignoble or vnworthy actions neither will you euer â—ather any other then discreet proceedings And being in these hard times of the Common-wealth possessed of your place not by chance but by your discretion not by accident bâ—t election and at this time when the state of publique affaires is in danger I am certaine you perceiue how farre the nature of times beare sway in the gouernment thereof what great varietie of affaires there is how doubtâ—ull their ends are and how easily the humors of men bend sometimes this sometimes that way Nor make I any question but you vnderstand that all negotiations in this world are carried with colour and deceit Open therefore your eyes I say open themâ— aâ—d doe as I haue directed you follow your owne course and onely rely on your owne counsels A man should hardly find one that can better aduise another then you who then should better direct your selfe Good God why am I not at Rome that I might bee an eye-witnesse of your honours and as it were enioy a part in them and bee at hand to aduise and couÌ„sell youâ— Though you haue no such need yet the sincerity and greatnes of my loue towards you would so worke that my faithfull instructions might stand you in some stead But at another time I 'le write more at large for within a few dayes I mean to dispatch priuate messengers to informe suddenly the Senate briefly of the victories wee obtained ouer our enemies all the last summer By your free-man Thraso I wrote vnto you how diligent I was about your Priesthood and the difficulties I met withall Deere Curio by the vnfained loue wee beare one another I entreat you that you will suffer mee to spend no longer time in the gouernment of this Prouince of which I now grow exceeding weary I spake vnto you hereof at Rome no wayes supposing you should this yeere haue beene Tribune And the same suit I often renewed by letters but then I sought your fauour as a noble Senator and a young Gentle-man generally beloued Now I importune it as from a Tribune of the people nay as from Curio the Tribune I pray therfore be pleas'd to vse all meanes not of comming to new consultation which ordinarily is the more â—edious course but rather to preuent the same by requesting that I may be tyed to those conditions enioyned me when I tooke vpon me this gouernment which are extant in the Senates decree and by the Lawes prescribed Let mee by all meanes craue thus much of you Farewell Cicero Vice-consull to Mâ—rcus Coelius Ep. 8. THis is not that which I expected from you It may be you thought I requiâ—ed you to write vnto me of fensing encountâ—rs the issues of suites or of the thefts of Chrâ—stus but I meant no such matter for these are things that when I was in Rome no man would presume to acquaint me with What look't I for then obserue in what nature I esteeme you and not without cause for in all my dayes certainely I haue not knowne a more vnderstanding man then your selfe in Common-wealth causes not that I care so much to haue such triuiall matters imparted to me nay nor will I that you should certifie me of matters of farre higher consequence daily discussed of in the Commonwealth except they concerned my selfe for other maâ—ters come diueâ—se wayes to mine â—ares and fame it selfe will relate them to me I expect not therefore from you either things past or present but râ—ther those future and to come as from a man that is cleare and farre sighted that beholding a draught of the Common wealths modell in your letters I may conceiue what the whole structure will be But I excuse you for not hauing sent me it â—itherto because nothing hath fallen out that any of vs might not forsee as wel as you you might rather haue foreseene then any of vs and especially my selfe who was sundry daies in Pompeies companie and euer in discourses of the Common-wealth which neither can nor ought to be exprest in writing Let me onely tell you that Pompeius is a famous and faithfull Cittizen and hee wants neither courage nor prudence to constitute those ordinances for the preseruation of the Common-wealth which are fit and expedient And therfore I would wish you to offer him your loue do but obserue how cheerefully he accepts of it For now at length he holds that those are good and those bad Cittizens that we were wont to hold so I stayed in Athens ten whole dayes where our good friend Gallus Caninius kept me alwayes companie Vpon this present being the sixt of Iulie I am to depart I commend all my businesses to your speciall care but aboue all my desire is that things may so be wrought that this office of mine may not be proroged How you should carrie your selfe herein I know you need not my direction I will remit my selfe vnto your wisedome Farewell Cicero Vice consull to Marcus Coelius Rufus chosen AEDILE Curule Epist. 9. I Am very glad both for mine owne and for your sake of the dignitie lately conferred on you and for that which you attend hereafter And though I doe this office slackly it is not out of negligence but because I heare not how matters passe at Rome the iourney being long and the wayes encombred with theeues which cuts off the expedition of newes I am glad then not onely for your present honor but for those also that are expected to succeed the same And besides my contentment I finde my selfe deepely bound vnto you neither can I deuise words to expresse my thankes because you are come to it by such a meanes that you haue giuen vs a subiect of that condition that will euer minister vnto vs matter of laughter So soone as I heard of it I set before my imagination the person of that man you know whom I meane and I represented vnto my thoughts those his youths of whom he so vainely gloried I am scarce able to speak for laughing But contemplating â—ou absent me thought I spake thus vnto you I regard not how great a matter you haue compassed nor what offence you haue committed And in that the businesse
Diogenes a very discreet and well gouâ—rn'd man went from me with Philo in his company from Pessinus to go seeke King Deiotarus though they know well enough that he is neither rich nor bountifull Liue in Rome ô Rufus that is in the eie of the world Men in other places become base and obscure who in Rome through industrie might quickly grow famous Hauing euâ—r knowne thus much and from my tendâ—r youth beleeued so I would I had beene constant in this opinion To tell you true I esteeme more of a â—riendly walke and familiar discourse betweene our selues then of whatsoeuer honor or profit may accrew from my Prouince 'T is questionlesse that this gouernment will conferre vpon me the respect and commendation of inâ—egritie and my gaines therein had beene as much had I remained at Rome Oh but you will tell mee of a Triumph What more glorious Triumph is there then to enioy the presence of those things that are most deere vnto me from which I haue so long beene absent But I verily hope to see you â—hortly On my way let me meet with letters worthie your selfe Farewell Cicero to Marcus Coelius Aedile Curule Ep. 13. THough your letters bee rare and those peraduenture sometimes not faithfully deliuered me yet doe they yeeld mee great contentment What wisdome might I perceiue in your last how louingly and prudently you aduise me and though I was resolued to take the same course that you prescribe me yet when the opinions of wise men and faithfull friends concur with our owne wee like our former determination the better I loue Appius deerely as I haue many times told you and hee seem'd no lesse to loue me presenâ—ly after wee were reconciled For both being Consull he gaue mee great respect and honour and he conuersed with me most louingly and appeared also to â—ffect those studies to which I was addicted And I for my part haue omitted no occasion whâ—rein I might doe him any pleasure of which I desire no other witnesse then your selfe for Phania's testimonie I thinke is of no great authoritie And I loue him the better because hee professeth so much loue towards youâ— Besides this you know how deere Pompeius is vnto mee and that I loue Bâ—utus with all my heart Why should I not â—â—raine my selfe to fauour him Is hee not of a flourishing age rich and powerfull Is hâ—e not gotten to a high degree of honour Hath he not a rare wit Doth hee not abound in progeny kindred friends And which is more is he not my Colleague Hath he not dedicated his inuentionâ— vnto mee I am transported thus far to remoue from you that suspition which our letters imply of my affection towards him You must needes haue heard something But be assured they are deceiued And though in my Prouinciall managings I take some different courses from his whereupon some may suppose that I doe this rather out of a secret hatred then through diuersity of opinion yet did I neuer either say or doe any thing with a preiudiciall intention to his honour And this case excepted which Dolobella's temerity hath exposed mee vnto I am ready to become an humble Sutor for him in any dâ—nger One part of your letter where you write that the Ciâ—y sleepes reioyced me much conceiuing thereby that that same friend of ours was growne cold But the last words of your hand-writing peirced my very heart What doth Curio defend Caesar Who but my selfe would beleeue it for as I liue I thought so Oh how I desire to laugh with you Because I had visited all parts of my Prouince and made you a relation thereof and that I had enriched he Cities and pâ—rswaded the people to pay the customers not only the impositions of these present fiue yeeres but the remainder also of those fiue that are past and had â—ound no condition of men but did thinke well therof I determined the seuâ—nth of May to passe into Cilicia and after I had beene at the Campe and hâ—d taken speedy order for whatsoeuer concerned the Army to take my iourney towards Rome according as the Senate decreed I would faine see you in your Aedile-ship And I thinke euery day a yeere till I bee in Rome and amongst my friends but especially with your selfe Faâ—ewell Cicero Imperator to Marcus Coelius Aedile Curâ—le Epist. 14. THere is great familiarity between me and Marcus Fabius a very honest a learned man And I loue him heartâ—ly not so much for his wit and learning which is great as for rare modesty I â—ee in him I recommend vnto you his cause with the same care and loue as if it were mine owne I know the custome of you great Lawyers you receiue no Client vnder an Homicide But in this mans case no excuse can seâ—ue you If you wish me well lay all other businesse apart when Fabius shall need your helpe I am very desirous to vnderstand how matters goe at Rome and aboue the rest I would know how you dispose of your selfe it being long since I heard any newes at all but this hard winter is the cause thereof Farewell Cicero Imperator to Marcus Coelius Aedile Curule Epist. 15. I Could haue wished no greater prudence or expedition then you and Curio vsed in obtaining my suitesâ— which giues mee speciall satisfaction both for their speedy prosecution and also in that our Competitor who was angrie with vs hath approued in the Senate of those high praises wherewith Câ—to honoured me in relating my actions Now prouide your selfe to procure me the Triâ—mph also for I hope to obtain it I am glad â—ou haue a good opinion of Dolobella and withall that you loue him Whereas you say my Tullia's discretion must bee the best meanes to correct some of his defects I know you speake this for that which you once wroâ—e vnto mee about him what â—ould you say now if you saw what I then wrote to Appius But what should we doe Thus goes the world God send mee good of this affinity and that Dolobâ—lla may proue as good a â—oâ— in law as we desire and as I hope he will proue the rather for the good instructions you may giue him out of your accustomed good conditions and nature Nâ—w I am wonderfully perplexed about the Common-wealth I am a friend to Curio I affect Caesars honour I could spend my life for Pompeius yet I loue the Common-wealth aboue all otherâ— Labour not you much in this behalfe for me thinks I perceiue you are taking care in that you would bee both a good Citizen and a good friend I haâ—e resign'd ouer the gouernment of my Prouince to Coelius my Quaestor To a childe youl'le say And I answer To a Quaestor and a braue noble youth And all haue almost don the like there was no man that for his honor and worth was more worthie of it Pontinius departed long before My brother Quintus had refused the charge And say I had also left it him euill
be you will defend both me and my children in such sort as best stands with our amitie and youâ— owne loyaltie Farewell Cicero Imperator to Caninius Salustius Vice-quaestor Epist. 17. YOur officer on the xvii of Iulie deliuered me your letters at Tarsis whereunto I will particularly answere as you seeme to desire I heare not a word of any Successor in my place neither doe I thinke that any man shall succeed There is nothing to the contrary why I may not depart at the â—ime appointed especially all feare of the Parthian warre being taken away And I thinke not to stay in any place I haue an opinion that I shall goe as faâ—re as Rhodes to see my sonne and nephew But I dare not assure you â—hereof I would faine be with all speâ—d in Râ—me yet I 'le proceed in my voyâ—ge according to the intelligence that I shall receiue from thence And according as I shall thinke that it may turne to the benefit of the Common-wealth Your Successor cannot come so soone that you may meete me in Asia Wheâ—e you tell me that Bibulus grauâ—ts you an ample â—reedome from rendring an accompt of that you haue receiued I grâ—unt you it were good for you that it wâ—re so buâ— I am not of opinâ—on that the law Iulia will tollerate it which Bibuluâ— obserues not for some peculiar reasons of his owneâ— but if you approue of my councâ—ll I would aduise you to obserue it In that you write I should not diâ—furnish Apamea of men I see that some are of the same opinion and I am very sorrie that I haue gâ—uâ—n occasâ—on to malignant spirits to praâ—tle thereof so vntowardly Whether the Parthians are return'd or no besides your selfe I know no man makes doubt and because this newes was generally divulged for certaine I casheered so great a number of choice souldiers whom I had placed in the guarisons of the Citties It was not â—rue that I sent you my Quâ—stoâ—s accompts nor were they yet finishedâ— I meane to leaue a copâ—ie of them in Apamea Concerning thâ— bootie that came to my handâ— in thâ—s war no man laid hand vpoâ—'t nor shall touch one farthing thereoâ— â—xcept the Quaestors of Rome that is the people of Rome I am minded to returne all the common treasure by the Bankers of Laodicea From whom I will take securiâ—ie that it mâ—y be paid in without my daunger Whereas you mooue me in a matter of â—eâ— thousand crownes I can in no sort furnish you because one part of the treasure amounâ—ing of the spoâ—le is alreadie in the conueyers hands and mine owne portion the Quaestor hath receiued For your dâ—mand concerning my opinion of the Legions which by the Senates order are to come into Syria at fiâ—st I doubted whether they should come or no but now I assure my selfe that they shall not come when they shall vnderstand that there is no daunger of warre in Syria I see well enough that Marius successor to Bibulus will arâ—iue very late because order was set downe that he should bring men along with him I haue answered one oâ— your letters now I come to another You intreat me that I would write to Bibulus in your behalfe with all importunitie possible To which I answere thaâ— I am readie hereiâ— to giue you all conâ—enâ—ment but yet I haue some cause to complaine of you that alone amongst all those which are about Bibulus you did not aduerâ—ise me of the euill opinion that he conceiuâ—s of me without cause For many haue told me that Antiochia being in great feare and much hope being repoâ—ed in me and my armie he should say that he would rather suffer any extremity then seeme to haue need of my ayde And that you haue concealed this from mee displeaseth me not vnderstanding what respect a Quaestor should beare â—o a Praetor And I heard before what termes he stood vpon wiâ—h you Moreouer when he wrote to Thermus touching the Parthian warre I had not so â—uch as the least word from him concerning it to whom he knew well that the dâ—ungâ—r of that warre did appertaine Neither did he euer wâ—ite vnto mâ— more â—hen once to recommend his sonne vnto me when he sâ—ood for the Augureship Whâ—reupon I moâ—ed by compassion â—nd becâ—use I â—uer affected his sonne I would not but answere him very courteously but if he be of that humor â—hat he beares an euill mind to euery man which I could neuer belâ—eue I ought to care â—he lâ—sse tâ—ough he loues not me neither But if he haue any particular hatred to my selfe my lâ—tters will stand you in small stâ—ad That he haâ—es me I manifestly discerne by this that he hath written to the Senate how he hath vsed all endeuouâ—s that the money might be made ouâ—r by exchange to the peoples aduantage atâ—â—ibuâ—ing onely to himselfe that glorie which was no lâ—sse mine then his owne saying fuâ—ther that he was the man who sent backe the troupes of hâ—rse of Lombardie to ease the people of such a charge which was my action and none of hiâ— He hath afterwards made me partaker of a businesse which concernes himselâ—e onely affirming that the prouision of prouender for the oullandish horse was demaunded by vs both But what more manifest testimonie oâ— his malignant and â—aâ—e nature can be requir'd â—henâ— wâ—itâ—ng to Aâ—ioâ—arzâ—nâ—s to whom the Senate at mâ—â—â—qâ—â—st had giuen the title oâ— Kiâ—g he stiled him not Kâ—ng but soone â—o King Aâ—iâ—barzanes It is not good to commend any one to men of that condition because in such a caâ—e they doe worse But to doe you â— pleasure I haue written to him Abouâ— the dâ—liuering or not deliuering iâ— vse your owne discretion Farâ—well Cicero Imperator to Quintus Thermus Vice praetor Epist. 18. I Am very glad that my endeauours for Rhodon and other fauours that I haue shewed to your most gratefull selfe and yours haue beene acceptable And perswade your selfe that daily more and more I affect your honour the which by your iustice and clemencie you haâ—e indeed alreadie so amplified that it seemes not that any thing more can bee added thereunto But ruminating euery day vpon your occasions I cannot but like well of my counâ—ell that I gaue to Aristo from thâ— beginning when hee came to finde me it seeming vnto me that you would draw vpon your selfe too powerfull an enmâ—â—ie iâ— this young man who is poâ—ent and mighâ—iâ— â—â—ould receiue such an iniâ—rie fâ—om you And doubtlâ—ssâ— it might â—e well tâ—rmed an iniuâ—ie becaâ—sâ—â—hâ—re is noâ— any man whom the 〈◊〉 oâ— hoâ—or exceedeth hiâ— And hâ— leâ— vs 〈◊〉 aside his nobilitie in thiâ— râ—spâ—ct is supâ—riour to your Lâ—gates mâ—n certainelie of honâ—st condition and hâ—rmlesse pâ—rsons in that he is not onely Quaestor but your owne Quaesâ—or I vnderstand sufficiently that no mans ilâ— will can preiudice yâ—u but yet I would not therefore thâ—t threâ— Breâ—hren of a most noble familie couâ—agious and eloquent should be angrie with you especially
selâ—e about the false reports that were dâ—liuer'd you of me and in iustifying my selfe I complaine of you for giuing them credite and me thought one friend might lawfully vsâ— such expostulaâ—ions with another Buâ— if you relish them noâ— I le vse them no more And if the letters I wrote to you vpon such a subiect were as you write destitute of eloquence I tell you they were not mine For as Aristâ—rchus accounted no verse to be Homers which he approu'd not of so giue me leaue a little to be pleasant suppose you nothing to be mine which is not smooth and elegant Fâ—rewell And if you be Censor be mindfull to looke backe into the Censorship of your great Grand-â—ather Cicero Imperator to Appius Pulcher. Epist. 12. I Will first congratulate with you for so the order of things requires afterwards I 'le returne to my selfe I am glad therefore of your being cleared of the action de Ambitu not so much for your acquitall whereof no man doubted as in that the better cittizen you are the more valiant man the more constant friend and the greater aboundance there is in you of â—hose parts that deriue from vertue and endeuour so much the more was it to be admired that in the Articles oâ— so mâ—nâ—e iudges who are of power to accuse without producing the accuser there was no secret mâ—lice found ouâ— which durst oppose youâ— This was not a proceâ—ding answerable to these times to men of thesâ— daiâ—s nor to present customes For my part I haue not obâ—erued any thing this many yeares that strooke me inâ—o a greater wonder Now to come to â—hat part which concernes me Imagine your sâ—lfe â—or a while in my plâ—ce and accounâ— you are my sâ—lfe If you can easiâ—y deuâ—se what to obiâ—ct vnâ—o me shew me no faâ—our if I knâ—w not how to replie I â—ray God this aâ—finitie which my â—riends hauâ— made without my priuâ—tie procure to me and my daughter Tulliâ— that contentment which out of your loue I know you wish her Which thouâ—h I hope it will come to pasâ—â— yet should I grieue much that â—his should â—all out in time of your molestations but that your prudence and humanitie affords me comfort Wherefore I know not how to get cleare of this buâ—inesse For of the one side I ought not to disapproue a thing which you desire to be succesfull and â—â—t on the other I cannot tell what still vexeth my minde although I am perswaded I may be secure that you vnderstand very well that all this matter was brought about by my friends meanes to whom aâ— my departuâ—e I gaue commission that I hauing to liue so far of they should not attend my will and pleasure but of themselues sâ—ould doe what they thought â—iâ— and conuenient And what if you had bin personally here you may say surely I should haue entertain'd the match but concerning the time of consummation I would haue done nothing without your aduise and counsell You see how I sweat with the paines I daily take while I striue to defend a matter which I am bound to defend and noâ— to offend you Ease me therefore of this so waightie a burden For to my remembrance I neuer handled so intricate a matter And be assured that when I heard the newes of this affinity though heretofore I had beene slacke in performing any thing that appertain'd to your honor I should suddainly haue beâ—aken my selfe to the defence thereof by making you discerne not any bâ—tter affection then before â—or better I could not yet a more feruent zeale and readie will to prosequute your occasions In departing out of the Prouince the whole yeare of my gouernement being expir'd on the third of August when we drew neare to Sida by Sea I heard of this thing by my friends letters I said presently to Quintus Seruilius who was with me and sâ—emâ—d not verie glad of these newâ—s that I would affect you more then euer I did What should I â—ay more I will not protâ—st that my loue is growne greater but I 'le boldly affirme that my desire to manifest it vnto you is much augmented For as the regard of our precedent enmitie bâ—fore vrg'd me to be verâ—e warie how I gaue the least mistrust of my fained reconciliation vnto you so this new affinitie excites me to vse all my best endeuours that it may not be thought that vpon thâ—s consideâ—ation the tender affection I euer bare you should in any part be dâ—mâ—nisâ—ed Farewell Cicero Imperator to Appius Pulcher. Ep. 13. PResaging as it were to my selfe that in such alike office I should one dâ—y haue need of your fâ—uour when your goueâ—nment and proceedings in the Prouince were dâ—bâ—â—ed in â—he Senate I maintainâ—d your honour with my whole power Yeâ— I must needs say and that truely that you haue rendred me more then euer you receiu'd How many haue written to me thaâ— not onely with the authoritie oâ— youâ— words and opinion for which things of themselues from so great a man I ought to haue beene contented but â—urther with your endeuour and counâ—sell and with your repairing home to my house and solliciting al my friends you omitted no office of kindnesse to any particular in my behalfe I esteeme more of these things then oâ— those for which these endeuours are vndertaken For the ornaments of vertue haue beene obtained by many without vertue but such high fauoâ—rs from men oâ— that rariâ—iâ— none certâ—inely but a vertuous man could at any time obtaine So that I propound vnto my selfe no other reward of our amitie but meere friendship which in her selfe comprehends aboundant felicitie especially in those studies wherein we muâ—ually take lâ—king Because I offer my selfe vnto yoâ— as an associate in the cause of the Common-wealâ—h of which our oâ—inions are not different and I will daily conuerse with you in the exercise of those vertues that both the one and other of vs loueth I would to God fortune had so disposâ—d that your kindnes might haue bin as great to my friends as mine to yours and yet I despairâ— not therâ—of for a secret forâ— knowledge that my mind giues me but you need not care for this the burden is to lie on my shoulders And I entreat you to beleeue that by this new affinitie my affection towards you is not onely not diminished but it is encreased though before it seem'd to be perfect When I wrote this present letter I hop't you were Censor and for this cause I contriu'd the letter briefe and modest as letters ought to be that are directed to a master of behauiour Farewell THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF THE FAMILIAR EPISTLES OF M. T. CICERO Cicero to Seruius Sulpitius Epist. 1. CAinâ— Trebaâ—ius my famâ—liar fâ—iend writes vnto me â—hat you demanded of him where I was and that you were sorrie that sicknes was â—he câ—uâ—e you could not come â—o see mâ—â—fter my returne out of my Prouince and that now if I came neere Rome you
for the loue which still you manifest vnto me But if I shall not wrong your curtesie I would intreate you that you would preserue your friends and me also rather then by their arrogancie and crueltie to oppose mee you haue ouercome your selfe in pardoning the Common-wealth your priuate enmities and will you foster other mens rancors against her I giue you my faithfull promise that if out of your clemencie you lend me your aide in all occasions I will rest at your command but if you permit the Senate people and Magistraâ—es to be crosse in reuoking me out of this vnworthie banishment wherein I was driuen by wicked violence not onelie to my owne but to the ruine of the Commonwealth remember that you may heereafter desire to sucâ—our vs both at such a time when no means is left eitheâ— for her escape or my safetie Farewell Cicero to Caius Antonius sonne to Marcus Imperator Ep. 5. THough I resolu'd not to write any thing vnto you but by way of recommending some Friend not because I knew my commendations would take any great place with you but that they who entreated me might perceiue that our â—riendship was no whit impaired yet when Titus Pomponius was comming towards you who better knowes then any other what I haue desired and effected in your behalfe and doth besides long to gratifie you and bearâ—s me singular affection I thought good to write vnto you especially not being able to satisfie Pomponius in any other wise If I should say that you were much bound vnto mee I should not lie hauing euer procured your benefit honor and reputation whereas your selfe can tâ—uely testifie that you neuer did mee any fauour rather you haue sometimes sought to hurt mee for as much as I haue vnderstood from many For Iâ—le not affiâ—me that my selfe euer found it not to vse the very same word accidentallie with which they say you were wont to picke quâ—rrels wiâ—h mee But I meane not to wâ—ite that vnto you which hath beâ—ne reported to me I 'le leaue it â—or Pomponius to deliuer vnto you who apprehended the same discontentment which I did The Senate and people of Rome are witnesses of the notable offices which I haue perâ—ormed for your honour whither you euer recompenst mee in any part none knowes better then your selfe How farre you may command me lâ—t others giue their censure whatsoeuer I did for your sake I did it first out of mine owne disposiâ—ion and then to be reputed constant But now I giue you to vnderstand that such an occasion prepares it selfe that I must needes with greater zeale doe my endeauour And I will bend my selfe throughly thereunto so I finde not my paines and trauell lost for in this case you your selfe would hold me for a foole Pomâ—ponius will informe you wherein my helpe is so importing the which Pomponius though I am confident you will doe any thing for his sake neuerthelesse I commâ—nd him to you And if any of the loue remaine with you that heeretofore you bare me I pray you demonstrate it to me wholly in his person You cannot doe mee a more acceptable office then this Farewell Cicero to Publius Sextius sonne to Lucius Quaestor Epist. 6. DEcius the Notarie came and entreated me that at this present I would preuent that any man should be allotted to succeed you I â—lthough I had the best opinion of him that could bee had of one of his condition and tooke him â—or your â—riend yeâ— calling to minde what you wrote vnto me not mâ—ny daies before I thought it hard to beleeue that you should haue changed resolution neither would I â—tand to his meere word although I tooke him for a discreâ—te and modest person But after Cornelia your wife spake with Terentia and Quintus Corneâ—ius certified me thereof I was carefull to bee present in the Senate as oft as it sate And concerning your desire to remaine still in the Prouince I had much a doe to make Quintus Fusius Tribune of â—he people and the rest to beleeue it to whom a little beforâ— as also to mee you had written the contrarie The affaires of the Prouinces were dâ—fâ—rred till Ianuarie but notwithstanding at that time wee hoped â—o obtaine our purpose â—he kinde office you did me in wriâ—ing that you desire my buying of Crassus house might proue fortunate vnto me was an occasion that not long aâ—ter I bought it for an hundred and fiue thousand crownes so that I feele such a burden of debt vpon my shoulders that I could wish to enter into some conspiracie so they would accept of mee But the hatred they beare me is so great as they offer mee repulse and malice me openly as the cause of their ruine besides they are not confident and are afraid that I lay some snares for them not beleeuing that I can want money who freed the vsurers from their violence In truth I am reputed for that cause a sufficient man and there are somâ— that lend freely for sixe in the huâ—dâ—ed I went to see your house and buâ—lding which I thought in euery part verie faire I haue defended Antonius in the Senate house with the greatest seruencie and care I could and by my speech and authoritie I haue much drawne the Senate to fauour him I would not faile him though for some offices past 't is well knowne how ill hee hath requited me I pray you write oâ—ten to me Farewell Cicero to Cneius Pompeius magnus sonne to Cneius Ep. 7. I And all men else tooke great dâ—light in the letters which you wâ—ote to the Senate For you giue so much hope of a secure state as putting my trust wholly in you I haue alwaies promised to euery one But on the contrarie those your old enemies who were become your new friends hearing the newes of your victorie remain'd amazed and astonished seeing themsâ—lues frustrated of â—he hope they had â—o come to the glorie of so noble an entâ—rprize The letters you wrote vnto me though they containe but little demonstration of your loue towards me were neuerthelesse very deare vnto me For I neuer reioyce more at any thing then I doe when I vnderstand tâ—at I â—aue discharg'd my dutieâ— and if aftâ—rwards any man in â—ffects bee not answerable I am glad that I rest superior in courtesie I make no doubt but the Common-wealth will reconcile ioyne and binde vs together â—hough my affâ—ction towards you which in many respâ—cts you mâ—y haue deseru'd were not sufficient to make mee enioy your loue â—nd fauour And becâ—uâ—e you may know what I wouâ—d haue hâ—d yâ—u written to me I will tell iâ— you plainely both as my nature and our Amitie requireth I haue compassed matters of such qualitie as I firmely belâ—eued that you would reioyce with me being bound thereunto first in râ—spect of your countrie and then in consideration of our friendship But I imagine you forbare the doing of such an office for feare of offending some man Though
sonne to Quintus Epist. 13. THough the comfort which your letters bring me is most acceptable because it demonstrates sincere loue ioyned with singular prudence neuerthelesse I reaped thereby a farre greater benefit hauing discern'd with what fortitude you contemne humane things how well you are arm'd and furnished against the cruell assaults of Fortune And questionlesse hee may bee reputed wiser then all others who is not gouerned but gouernes Fortune trusting onlie in himselfe and of himselfe onely depending This opinion I was euer of and though it were well setled and engrauen in my minde notwithstanding the violence of vnhappie times and the perpetuall shakings of aduersitie haue somewhat displa'ct it made it almost to be forgotten But now by your last letters I see you haue replanted it and likewise more by those which to such a purpose you did write vnto mee not long before And therefore it is needfull that I speake not once alone but often and muchâ— and that I assure you that there is no iewell so precious which I hold not base in respect of your letters And though those reasons which with an artificiall forme and in great abundance you haue collected are of a wonderfull power to comfort yet nothing hath more comforted me then the constancie and grauitie of your minde the which in these your letters I haue perceiued as in a looking glasse and so much I prize it as I am asham'd I doe not imitate the same I tell you more that I hold my selfe more resolute then you who talkes so much to me of fortiâ—ude For you seeme to haue some hope of better fortune in that by diuers reasons you seeke to intimate vnto mee that wee should not esteeme the Common-wealth so weakned but that shee may rise againe as we see that one Fencer ouerthrowne by another oftentimes recouers therâ—ore no maruaile though you bee resolute relying vpon some hopes but yet I wonder how you should haue any hope remaining Tell me What doe you see which is not altogether wasted and consumed Consider all the members of the Commonwealth which are well knowne vnto you Surely you cannot finde one which is not batter'd and broken which things I would reherse yet further if I knew them better then you or if I could relate them withouâ— griefe although according to the precepts you set downe wee should whollie driue away and banish all griefe Whereupon I will support priuate discommodities as you iudge them and common with greater â—ortitude then your selfe who exhorts mee to suffer them For you are eased by some hope as you write buâ— mine is the greater constancie being supported by no hope at all And as you friendly aduise and put mee in minde I will comfort my selfe with thinking how much I euer loued the Common-wealth and by reducing those times to memorie In which I together with your selfe so greatly assisted her I hauing done foâ— my countriâ— no lesse questionles then what I ought to doe certainelie more then was expected from any mans counsell or courage whatsoeuer Pardon me if a little I commend my selfe For speaking of those things on which for the ease of my minde you wish me to meditate my griefe is made much lesser And to obserue you so faâ—re as I am able I will winde my selfe from cares and passions and I will returne to the studie of the Sciences which in flourishing Fortune are an ornament and in miserie a comfort and I will remaine with you so long as either of our ages or health shall permit mee and if we cannot bee together as wee would yet the similitude of our studies will make vs such a connexion of minde that we shall neuer seeme to be wholly separated Farewell Lucius Lucceius son of Quintus to Cicero Epist. 14. IF you bee in health I am glad I remaine as I was wont and also somewhat worse then vsually I haue many times enquired of you desirous to see you and I wondred as still I doe how you can be so long out of Rome I know not vndoubtedlie the cause that detaines you so farre from vs. If you loue solitarinesse for the better commoditie of writing as you were wont to do I am glad and reprehend not your course knowing that there can bee no greater delight not onely in these miserable and vnhappie but also in peaceable and quiet times and especiallie to your minde which being now wearie affects repose after so manie agitations and being replenished with Science sends abroad dailie some goodlie fruite which pleaseth others and augments your owne glorie But if you haue giuen ouer your selfe in praie as when you were heere to sorrow and teares I am sorrie for your griefe and for your affliction And if you 'le giue me leaue to tell you my opinion I cannot but reprehend you Alas what meanes this will you alone not discerne manifest and apparant things who with the pregnancie of your wit can discouer the most hidden will not you vnderstand that continuall lamentaâ—ion helpes nothing will not you remember that calamities are rather redoubled which your wisdom would haue you to expell out of your minde But if by waie of exhortation I can worke nothing with you I request you by the loue you beare me to free your selfe from these molestations and returne to liue with vs and to our common studies or else to your owne for you studie more then others I am distracted with two contrarie things I would not be burdensome to you wiâ—h these my admonishments and I would perswade you to giue ouer the resolution you haue vndertaken I beseech you either in the one to follow my directions or in the other not to trouble your selfe Farewell Cicero to Lucius Lucceius sonne to Quintus Epist. 15. THE absolute loue you beare mee appeares in euerie part of the letters which I last receiued from you Of which loue though I was most assured before now yet this demonstration was beyond measure acceptable to me I would saie pleasing but that I thinke I haue lost this word for euer and not for the occasion you imagine and in which vsing most sweet and friendlie words in effect you grieuouslie reprehend me but because for that deepe wound I cannot finde that cure which may heale it Alas I praie tell mee can I runne vnto my Friends Where are they you know of whom I speake for wee haue found them common to vs both Others you know are dead and others obdurate in their wil neuer to come to Rome liue in a remote countrie I could willingly liue with you and exceedinglie desire it and 't is long since we knew and lou'd one another Our familiaritie is great our studies alike what band or obligation is wanting to vnite vs may wee then liue together for my part I know no impediment but hitherto wee haue not so done though we be neighbours about Tusculanum and Puteoli what should I say in Rome Where the Forum being common
not be very needfull yet some friends of yours thinking good that I should write a word vnto him for you to deliuer I desired herein to content them The copie you shall see here vnder written Farewell Cicero to Titus Furfanus Vice-Consull Epist. 9. BEtween me and Aâ—lus Caecina there hath euer been so great familiaritie and friendship that none can possibly bee greater For his father a valorous Gentle-man was my especiall friend and himselfe I alwaies loued from his infancie because hee gaue wonderfull hopes of singular bountie and eloquence And not only through amitie but â—hrough a similitude of studies we conuersed so domestically together that no man was more familiar with me then he It is not requisite that I write further you see how many occasions lead me to assist him in whatsoeuer my power extends vnto And because I haue seene it manifestly by diuers signes that you greeue much to see good men in these hard fortunes and the Common-wealth in so miserable an estate Onely I request you that the same desire you formerly had to helpe Caeâ—ina may so encrease as that it may equall the loue you beare â—â—y selfe You cannot doe mee a greater pleasure Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 10. AS there is no man better knowes then my selfe how much you loue me so am I a testimonie to my selfe of the loue which I beare to you For I euer greatly grecu'd for the counsell you followed if it were counsell and not rather destinie to perseuer in a ciuill war and now not seeing you so readily restored into your foâ—mer estate as is conuenient I am therewith no lesse troubled then you with my disgraces were heretofore tormented Postumulenus and Sextius know it our Atticus knowes it with whom I haue many times discoursed thereof at large and Theudas your Free-man to whom not long since I imparted the inward affection of my minde and to eueâ—ie one of these I haue said many times that wherein soeuer I could I should bee glad to bee emploied by you and your children to whom I would haue you write that they make vse of my endeauours counsell goods or person for all these things being in my power â—hall neuer be wanting to them If in authoâ—ity and fauour I could preuaile so far as I should preuaile in that Commonwealth of whom I haue so well deserued you should also be the man you were wont to be that is worthy of the highâ—st place of honor whatsoeuer and in your owne order vndoâ—btedly reputed aboue all others But because in â—he â—elfe same time and for the uery same occasion euery one of vs is fallen from high to low estate I promise you those things which before I told you beeing as yet mine and moreouer those which me thinks I do yet â—eserue as reliques of my former dignitie Because Caesar himsâ—lfe as in many things I discerne rather-loueth me then otherwise and almost all his familiar friends whom I haue heeretofore pleasured in matters of imporâ—aÌ„ce obseâ—ue and honor me with all respect Therefore if I may in any wise pleasure you in your substance that is for your return on which euerie thing depends euerie daie by reason of their â—ords I am in more hope I wâ—ll labour and vse therein all diligence without being requested It boots not to descend vnto particulars What may bee done with singular affection and great loue that I promise you But it imports mee much that al your friends should know thus much to the end they may bee assured that Cicero will neuer faile Trebatius in whatsoeuer hee is able and that they may thinke there is nothing so difficult but that in the effecting it for you I shall hold my selfe fortunate Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 11. I Would many times haue written to you if I had had matter to write For when friends are in such a state as you now are one should not write vnto them but to comfort them and â—o promise ayde and benefit To offer you comfort seem'd not necessarie vnderstanding by many how resolutely and wisely you support the iniutie of the times and how much the sinceritie of your owne operations and counsels doe comfort you And if you doe this you reape great fruite from vertuous â—tudies wherewith I know you were euer delighted and I earnestly exhort you so to do Besides this though you are aboundant in examples as hauing turn'd ouer all ancient and moderne histories yet I hauing more experience in the affaires of the world then I would as I haue lesse in studies then I desire vpon my credit I promise you that the hard state wherin you now stand the wrongs done you will quickely haue an end For first hee who can doe what hee will becomes in my iudgement euery day more reasonable and discends further into the nature of all things besides the cause is so iust that it necessarilie together with the Common-wealth which cannot alwaies languish will rise vp againe and resume vigor and euery daie wee finde more benignitie and fauour then wee hop't for Which things because they many times depend vpon a very little occasion of the times wee will obserue all moments and by as many meanes as is offered seeke to helpe and further you Whereupon I hope it will be more easie euery day about the matter I formerly mentioned to write vnto you and promise you helpe and I will doe it more vvillingly with effects then words Be secure that you will finde more-friends then any banished man hath or euer had so far as I discerne and yet you 'le bee beloued of none more then of my selfe Carrie an inuincible and resolued minde which lies onely in your owne power Things that remaine in the gouernment of Fortune shall bee swayed by the times and ruled by our directions Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 12. BEfore this time I onely lou'd Dolaeâ—bella but was no waies bound vnto him because I neuer had any occasion to vse him and he stood obliged to me because in his dangers I neuer failed him Now hauing procur'd you the restitution euen as I desired first of your substance and then also of your countrie he hath so interrested himselfe in me that there is no man to whom I hold my selfe more tied then to him Wherein I reioyce with you after such a manner as I would not haue you thanke me but rather to bee ioyfull with me your thanking of me being superfluous and your reioycing most iust Now that your vertue and dignitie haue opened vnto you the waie to returne among your friends like that wise and magnanimious Gentleman you are you must forget what you haue lost and remember what you haue recoâ—ered You shall liue with your allies you shall liue with your Friends There is no comparison betwixt the losse of goods and the purchase of honour you haue made Neither should your goods bee deâ—re vnto yoâ— the Common-wealth being in so miserable an estaâ—e Our
I thinke may stand with your safetie and dignitie as you vvith singular industrie and loue euer proseqâ—uted my occasions And this my good will I haue manifested to your most louing mother a woman of great bountie and goodnesse If you commit any thing to â—e I will doe whatsoeuer I may imagine stands to your liking And also if you write not vnto me I vvill notwithstanding with all care and diligence doe what-soeuâ—r I see may redound to your benefit Farewell THE SEVENTH BOOKE OF THE FAMILIAR EPISTLES OF M. T. CICERO Cicero to Marcus Marius Epist. 1. IF any bodily griefe or your vsuall indisposition hath detain'd you from comming to the publike sports I ascribe it rather to Fortune then to your wisedome But if you reputed these things vaine vvhich by others haue beene admired and being â—ble yet vvould not come the one and other please me well both that you are healthfull of bodie and that you had so prudent a minde in contemning those things which others admire vvithout cause so that you haue reaped the fruit of your vacancie vvhich you might wonderfully enioâ— remaining as it were alone in that Paradise Neither doe I therefore doubt but you spend all the morning in reading and studying in that roome of yours from whence you may disceâ—â—e Stabiâ—num Seiâ—num At which time they that left you there being drovvsâ—e beheld amongst the multitude those vvhich represented Comedies The other houres of the day you after spent in those pleasures that for your recreation you made choice of vvheras vve vvere vr'gd to heare the Comedies vvhich Publius Maecius forsooâ—h approued of In truth if you desire I should tell you I must needs say the sports vvere as honourablâ—e set forth as might be but not to your likingâ— vvhereof I iudge according to mine ovvne inclination First for greater honour to the Festiuitie they return'd to the Stage who I thought for their reputations sake had left it Then our Aesope who so much delights you bare him selfe so ill as he should haue done euery man a fauour not to haue gone forward in his part for hauing begunne to sweare his voyce fail'd him in that very place If I commit any decâ—it wittingly I need not describe the rest vnto you you knowing how the other playes are Neither need I to tell you that they had not the pleasing or gratefull speâ—ches of ordinary playes For the pomp tooke away the pleasure and I am most sure you wil be very glad you saw it not For to see 600. Mules in the Tragedie of Clytemneâ—â—ra or three thousand standing cups in a Troiâ—ne horse or sundrie armed showes of horse and foot in a battaile what delight yeelds it the vulgar admire these things but they would no vvaies haue contented you If in those dâ—ies you made your Protogeâ—es read vnto you so he read not my Orations vndoubtedly you found â—aâ—re sweeter recreation then any of vs. Fâ—r as for the Graecian or Oscian sports I thinke you neuer desir'd to see them in that you may see the Oscian in our Senate and the Graeâ—ian you so detest that you accustome not to goe to your countrie Farme by the Greeke way And why should I imagine that you desire to see the Champions when you would neuer see the Fencers wherein Pompeius himselfe confesseth that he hath meerely lost his time and charge in exercising them Besides this For â—iue whole dayes I denie not but there weâ—e euery day two magnificent baytings but what pleasure can an vnderstanding man take when by a forcible and strong beast a weake man is torne in peeces or when a goodlie beast is with a speare goared through from one side to the other These things if they were worthie of sight thou hast seene them more then once and we that haue beâ—ne there befoâ—e saw nothing new or strange The last day was of the Elephants who stroke the people into great wonder but gaue no delight rather a compassion and men in some sort thought that that kinde beast did participate of humane nature But because you may not imagine but that in those dayes I was not onely happie but free I will not forget to aduertise you how at the same â—ime when the Comedies were represented I was like to breake with the paines I tooke in deâ—ending the cause of Gallus Caninius your familiar friend And if the people fauour'd me as highly as they did Aesope before God I vvould leaue the art willingly and liue with you and our equals For if this kind of life did not please me then vvhen both my yeares and ambition excited mâ— to follow it and when I was not bound to defend any but such as I thought well of neither was I bound to defend whom I would not now I am so weary of it that I can follow it no more For I expect no fruit of my labours and sometimes I am enforced to defend such an one as hath done me an iniurie at their entreatiâ—s that haue benefitted me Wherefore I daily cast about how I may one day liue after mine owne humour and I cannot expresse vnto you how praise vvorthie I hold your resolution and how I am satisfied to see you liue so retired And I grieue the lesse for your comming so seldome to see vs for if you vvere at Rome neither could I enioy your sweete conuersatioÌ„ nor you make vse of mine be it what it will be by reason of my troublesome negotiations from which if I can but ease my selfe for I seeke not to be altogether free'd I haue a mind not onely to teach others but your selfe also vvho for so many years haue studied nothing else what that life is which may truely be call'd a life Attend you as you doe to maintaine and preserue your selfe in this your weake constitution to the end that we may visite our countrie houses together and at ease range vp and downe here and there in our Litters I haue beene longer then I vse to be not through the aboundance of my time but out of loue you hauing halfe inuited me in a certaine Epistle to write somewhat which might make you not repent that you were not at the sports Wherein if I haue giuen you satisfaction I am glad if not I will be of good hope that an other time you will come to see thâ—m and visite vs not expecting that my letters should herein giue you full contentment Farewell Cicero to Marcus Marius Epist. 2. I Will diligently performe what you enioyne me but certainely you were verie circumspect to commit the enterprise to one who for his owne interâ—st desires that the thiâ—g may be sold very deare but you shew'd wit in limitting me the price for which I was to buy it For if you had referr'd your selfe to me as my loue is towaâ—ds you I would haue enioyn'd my coheires to haue giuen you satisfaction therein But now I know what you will spend I will vndeâ—hand send a person
Maâ—ilius but not with Corneliuâ—â— because confessing that you were instructed by him you cannot commit an errour without some imputation to himselfe I pray make vse of this opportunitie and occasion for you will neuer finde a better Concerning what you write vnto mee about that Doctor Pretianus I cease not to remember you to him And hee in like manner writes to mee that you haue occasion to bee beholding to him I would faine know wherein and I look that you should write often to mee out of Britannia Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 9. THese many daies I know not what you doe for you write nothing to me nor for these two moneths haue I written to you Seeing you were not with my brother Quintus I knew not whether nor by whom to write I desire to know where you are and where you meane to winter I could bee glad it were with Caesar but I durst not write to him thereof knowing how discontented hee is now but I haue written of it to Balbus See you bee not forgetâ—ull of your selfe and returne a little the later to returne the richer you need not make haste to come hither especially Vacerra being dead But you want no counsell I would faine know what resolution you haue vndertaken Cneius Octauius or whether it be Cnâ—iuâ— Cornelius your familiar friend borne of a noble family of which no man hath notice knowing that I am your friend inuites mee often to supper with him But hitherto hee could neuer bring mee thither and yet I accept of his good will Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 10. I Haue read your letters by which I vnderstood how our Caesar is of opinion thâ—t in the knowledge of the Lawes you are very profound You haue cause to reioyce that you are gotten into a Country whâ—re it is thought you know somewhat And if you had also gone into Britannia vndoubtedly in that so great an Island you would not haue met with your equall But neuerthâ—lesse I may well laugh seeing you inuite me to it I beare you a kinde of enuie that you were called by him to whose friendshipâ— not through any pride in himselfe but by reason of his many negotiations others cannot attaine But in these letters you write nothing to me of your affaires which certainely touch me as neerely as mine owne I am affâ—aid lest this winter you be frozen and therefore I wish you to keepe alwayes a good fire Mucius and Manilius concur with me in this opinion as they that know that you are not very well furnished with clothes though I heare that you in those parts meet with them that set you on heat Through which aduertisement I feared much your occasions But you are much more circumspect in the Art of war then in pleading For though you can swim excellent well yet you were not willing to swim in the Ocean nor to see the Charretiers of Britannia although when you were at Rome you neuer fail'd to goe see them run and manage horses How effectually I haue written to Caesar in your behalfe your selfe knowes how often I know It is true that for this many daies I discharg'd not this office onely because I would not seeme to distrust in his infinite courtesie aâ—d of the singular affection that he beares me notwithstanding in these last that I wrot I thought to renue your recommendation to him And I would bee glad to know what I haue wrought and withall of your estate and all your designes And therefore I desire to know what you doe what you expect and how long you thinke to liue from vs and bee assured that I cannot endure your absencâ— if I perceiue not that it is â—oâ— your good For otherwiâ—e we are both the foolishest men in the world I because I seeke not to draw you to Româ— you because you come not away flying One meeting that we haue together whether it bee about graue or iesting matters is certainly morâ— worth then not onely our enemies but the very Edâ—i our brethren And therefore let me know all as soone as you can For by comfortâ— counsell or effeâ—t I 'le fâ—rther you Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Ep. 11. IF you were not aâ—readie departed from Rome you would now certainly haue a desire to leaue it For in so many Interrâ—gnum's vvho hath need of a Lawyer I would aduise all Doctors to demand two Aduocateships of euery Interrex Doe you not thinke that I am a great proficient in your Law termes But tell me vvhat doe you how goe matters for I see that you beginne to iest These signes are better then the Statues of my Tusculanum the vvhich vve also cal signes But I desire to know vvhat this imports You write that Caesar takes your Councell I would be gladder that he tooke counsell of himselfe to doe you some good And if he doe it or that you hope he will doe it beare with this warre and leaue it not For I with the hope of your benefit vvill moderate my desire of seeing you But if you see no way to enrich your selfe there returne to Rome For here either you shall at one time or other get somewhat or if not one discourse betwixt vs will questionlesse bee worth more then all the Samarobriâ—ae that are in the worlâ— Besides if you returne presently you shall minister no great matter of rumour or talke but if you continue long abroad without anie profit I am much affraid not onely of Lâ—bâ—rius but of Valerius also our companion For in a Comedie the person of a Doctor of Britannia may fitly bee represented Doe you laugh I laugh not but of a most important matter as my vse is I write iestingly vnto you But now to lay aside all iests I most louingly entreat you if by the meanes of my letters you be honored as you deserue that you will curbe the desire of being with vs and seeke to â—ugment your reputation and benefit But if matters goe ill forward returne hither But be câ—rtaine that with your own woâ—th and with those offices I performe in recommending you most effectuallie you shall obtaine the end of all your desires Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Ep. 12. I Could not imagine the cause why you gaue ouer writing to me But my friend Panfa tells me that you are become an Epicurean Oh! what 〈◊〉 honorable warre what would you haue done if I had sent you to Tarentum and noâ— to Samarobrina I neuer liked you since you commended the liâ—e whereunto Titius also my familiar acquaintance meant to applie himselfe But how will you defend ciuill equitie doing euery thing for your owne iâ—tâ—rest and nothing for your cittizens vvhat vvill that part of the law benefit you vvhich commands that amoâ—gst good men promise be kept how can he be a good man that does nothing for any man but himselfe how will you shew that that which is common ought to be deuided if they which onely respect their owne delight will haue
nothing common How would you haue men sweare by Ioueâ— if you thinke that Ioue cannot be angrie with any bodie And how shall the people of the Vlubrans doe if you be of opinion that a man must take no care of publicke things I am therefore verie sorrie if it be true that you are entred into the schoole Epicurâ—s but if you counterfeit to humor Panâ—a for your profit I excuse you so you will sometimes vvrite what you doe and what you would haue me doe or procure for you Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Ep. 13. HOw come you to conceiue that I should be so vnreasonable as to be angrie with you because you seemed so instable and desirous to returne to Rome and that for this cause I forbare long time to write vnto you It 's true that the gâ—iefe and discontentment of your minde which I percâ—iued in your first letters troubled mee verie much But I omitted to write vnto you for no other cause but because I knew not where you were and yet you complaine and accept not of my excuse Alas I pray tell me my Tribatius is it money that makes you so presumptuous or is it because Caesar so great a Captaine employes you I would I might die if I doe not thinke such is your vaine-glorie that you had rather be employed by Caesar then to bee gilded ouer with gold But be it the one and the other who will support your pride besides my selfe who am a man apt to endure euery thing But to reâ—urne to my purpose I am very glad that you remaine there so willingly and as your former discontentment was grieuous to me so now I am delighted to see you conâ—ented Onelie I am in doubt that your Art will helpe you but little For I vndâ—rstood that there Nâ— man decides his cause by law But being crost begins to drawe And you are not a man to maintaine quarrells nay I know you to bee so modest that your aduersariâ—s cannot put in this plea against you that you with armed power were the first to assaile them But â—hat I may giue you soâ—e item also of those that are not in your bookes I aduise you to take heed of the Treuiri I heare that they are â—ruell I had rather they were rich But anoâ—her time peraduenture I shall haue more leisure to iest I pray write vnto mee diligently how al matters are carried there the iiij of March Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 14. CHrysipâ—us Vettius free-man to Cyrus the Architect made me thinke that you had not yet forgotten me For hee saluted me in your name you are growne very coy that you vouchsafe noâ— to write to me who am so neere a friâ—nd vntâ— you And if you can write no more there will bee found but few hâ—ereaâ—ter whom you are like to ouerthrow in their suites But if you haue forgotten me I will endeauour to come vnto you before I be cleane razed out of your memorie If also the â—eare of the sommer debilitate you deâ—ise some excuse as you did about Britannia The foresaid Chrysippus told me to my singular contentment that you are one of Caesars intimates but certainely it would like me better and more reason there is that I should haue daily iâ—formation of your proceedings by your owne letters To which desire questionlesse you had neuer giuen cause if with as great care you had learn'd the lawes of amitie as you did those that belong to pleadâ—ng But all this I speake by way of â—est as â—ou are wont to doe and I too sometimes I beare you vnfeined affection and I desire yea verily I beleeue that you do the same Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Ep. 15. HOw hard a matter 't is to content them that loue this may teach you First you made me dispaire in that you would not remaine where you are And now I no lesse despaiâ—e iâ— that you write that you continue there willingly Then I was vextâ— becaâ—sâ— you were not contented to be recommended by my letters now I am diâ—pleas'd because you liue contented being separated from me But yet I had rather suffer the want of my pâ—esent desire then not to behold you in that state I hope to see you in I cannot vtter how glad I am that you are entred into amitie with Caius Matius a courteous and learned man Vse all meanes poâ—sible to endeare him to you Vndoubtedly in this Prouince you cannot make a greater purchasâ— See you looke vnto your health Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Ep. 16. IN the Tragedie entituled the Troiane Horse it 's written as you know towards the end The Troianes wit beâ—gins too late But you little one delayed not long to get wit In the beginning you wrote letters â—o mee full of complaints rather foolish then otherwise Afterwards you were not very â—ond to see Britannia for which I can not blame you and now I see you whollie addicted to the winter residences and you thinke not to stir a foote You must be wise euery way for â—his is the course to improue you If I did vse to sup abroad I would haue satisfied Cneius Octauius in his desire But I could not forbeare hee inuiting me so often to aske him who he was Not to iest he is an honest man I would you had taken him along with you Let me vnderstand by all meanes what you doe and whether you meane to come into Italie this winter Balbus writes to me of a certaintie that you 'le become a rich man I will not now examine whether â—ee spake after the Romane phrase that you were to hâ—ue money enough or else according to the Stoickes who affirme that all they are â—ich which enioy heauen and earth As many as come from thence aueire that you are so haughtie as you scâ—rne to answer to a demand made Neuerthelesse you haue reason to reioyce in that it is generally knowne that at Samarobrina there is not a learneder man in the laws then your selfe Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 17. I Haue giuen my brother thankes as you wrote I should and now finally I may commend you seeing at last your determinations are firme and stable In the first moneths you â—rouck't me much to anger and sometimes I'lâ— tell it yee with your patience you appeared very mutable in desiring â—o returne to Rome sometimes â— counterfeit otherwhiles timerous in thoâ—e commands that are imposed vpon souldiers and often which was not wont to be your fashion hâ—lfe preâ—umptuous and impudent For you would presentlie râ—turne full of monie as if you had gone to Caesar with a bill of exchange and not with a letter of recommendation And you remembred not how they that went to Alexandria with letters of exchange to recouer their debts haue not yet receiued â—o much as one Harrington If I had aimed at mine owne profit I would vndoubtedly haue desired to keepe you about me for your conuersation yeelded me no small contentment and your counsell and
where euen strangers are wont to rest themselues Notwithstanding if you cut it you will haue a goodly prospect But it may bee verie commodious for you especially in these times first to haue their Citie for a receptacle to whom you are deere then your owne house and your farmes also especially in a remote healâ—hfull and pleasant place And I thinke my Trebatius it will also be fit for me But regard your health and haue a care of my matters expecting me by the Gods helpe before Autumne I haue caused Sexâ—us Fabius to giue me his Master Nicoâ—s booke wherein hee treateth of eating well O sweet Physician how willingly I learne these precepts I maruell our Bassus neuer spake word to me of this book It seems he spake to you The winde riseth haue a care of your health From Velia the xxth of Iulie Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 21. AFter I had informed you of the cause of Silius hee came to mee and I telling him that you were of opinion that promise wiâ—hout preiudice to his right might bee made in this forme If Quintus Caepio the Praetor hath giuen me possession of the goods of Turpilicâ— He answered me that hee vndeâ—stood from Seruius Sulpitius that a will is nothing worth if it be made by him that hath no power to testate Adding that Offilius aâ—firmâ—d the same but that of this he could not talke with you and hee prayed mee to commend his cause vnto you Be assured that besides you I haue not a greater friend then he neither know I a better man Therefore it would please me verie well and I much entreat you â—hat you would â—inde him out But doe it if you loue me out of haâ—d Farewell Cicero to Trebatius Epist. 22. YEster-night at the Table you laught aâ— me because I said it was a doubtful case whâ—ther an heiâ—e might in right challenge a thâ—â—â— which was committed before his time Whâ—reupon though I return'd late home â—nd full of wiâ—e neuerthelesse I noted â—he place where the said case is written and I senâ— it you because you might know that Sextus Aelius Marcuâ— Manâ—lius and Marcus Brutus are of a contrarie opinion and yet I agree to Sâ—euola's opinion and yours Farewell Cicero to Marcus Fabius Gallus Epist. 23. I Had not beene long come from â—rpiâ—as when your letters were deliuered me and by the same messenger I receiu'd one from Anianus wherin â—e courteously promisâ—d mee that at his comming I should become his debtor for what time I would Imagine a little that you are my selfe Doâ— you thiâ—ke it stands eiâ—her with your modestie or mine first that I demand a day of paimenâ— and â—â—at afterwards I should requâ—re it for aboue a yeereâ— but all had beâ—ne â—ell if you had brought those things which I desir'd and â—or such a sum as I would And neuerthelâ—sâ—e with that you write you hâ—ue bought I shall not only be content but take also great pleasure therin knowing euidently that you haue vs'd not only diligence about it but also loue and that you haue not bought a thing which you thought not fit for me But haue first satisfied your owne iudgement the which in euerie thing I haue alwaies reputed excellâ—nt Yet I would not haue Dâ—masippus change his minde Beâ—ause you haue not bought a thing â—o my liking You haue not knowing my mannâ—r bought these foure or fiue statues at so great a price as I would not giue it for all the staâ—ues that can be found Besides you paralell these statues with the Musâ—s of Mâ—tellus What comparison is there First I would neuer haue so high priz'd the Muses themselues and all the Musâ—s would haue beene contented with this my iudgement Neuerthelesse they would haue well beseem'd my Librarie as a conuenient ornament for our studies But the statua's of Bacchus how they like me Oh they are faire I know it too well and I haue seâ—ne them often but if they had pleas'd me I would haue giuen you speciall commission to buy them For I vse to buy those statues the which after the manner as is accustomed in schooles may adorne my roome in the Palaestra But the statua of Mars how can that fit me who euer procur'd and perswaded peace I am glad there was neuer a statua of Saturnus For it and that of Mars I should haue thought would haue indebted me I raâ—her would that there had been one of Mercurius bâ—cause I thinke Auianus would haue come to a more reasonable price Whereas you write that you would haue that Trâ—pesophorus or Statua which supports the table if you like it I 'le giue it you but if you be chang'd I 'le keepe it my selfe With the money certainely which you haue spent vpon these statues I could farre more willingly haue bought a lodging at Tarracina not to bee alwaies troubling my friends by lying in their houses But I see the fault is in my free-man to whom I specified the things I would haue and likewiâ—e in Iunius who as I suppose you know is absolutely for Amanuâ— I haue begun in a gallerie of my Tusculanâ—m certaine â—â—â—ting rooms the which I would adorne wiâ—h faire pictures For if any sâ—ch like things delight me picture pleaseth me But yet if these statues must lye vpon my hands certefie mee where they are when I muâ—t send for them and how to conuey them along For if Damasippus will not haue them wee shâ—ll finde some other Damasippus though I should lose somewhat therein As for the house when I receiued your other letters I was vpon my departure and therfore I left the care to my daughter and spake also thereof to your Nicia who as you know is a friend to Cassius But when I was returned beâ—ore I could read these your last I demanded of my daughter if she had done nothing in itâ— shee answered me that she had spoken therof to Licinia Cassius sister with whom I suppose he conueâ—seth not much And shee saidâ— that shee durst not part with that house without Decius her husbands knowledge who is gone into Spaine It lâ—kes me well to see that you make so gâ—eat account of conuersing liuing with me first that you would take that house wherein you shâ—ll not onely dwell neere me but as it were with me besides because you haue so great a desire to come to it vvhich notwithstanding let me not liue iâ— it be greater then mine Wherefore I will vse all â—he meanâ—s I can therein perceiuing how much it imports both thâ— one and other of vs. If I can do any thing you shall vnderstand of it Write backe to â—e of euery thing and certifie me if you please when you will come Farewell Cicero to Marcus Fabius Galiâ—â— Ep. 24. VVHether soeuer I turne my selfe I see manifâ—st signes of the loue you beare me vvhich was the occasion that you were displeâ—â—â—d abouâ— Tigellius I thanke you therâ—fore foâ— your good will but I 'le deliuâ—r you the case briefly
Whereupon though he be â—ree'd by the Law Licinia he seemes to be fallen into a greater danger Withall the day after the said absolution Hortensius presented himselfe in Curio's Theater as I thinke to be seene and because we should reioyce with him in his ioyes But as many as were there began to â—rample rore to make a thundring to cry out and keepe a buzzing which was the more obserued because Hortensius was come to old age without euer hauing beene whistled atâ— But on that day he was so soundly handled as it might suffice any man for all the daies of his life Of the Common-wealth I can write nothing to you Marcellus irruptions are pacified not out of neglect but in my opinion for some secret respects Of the creation of Consuls not knowing the time I can giue you no certaine aduertisement Marcus Octauius sonne to Cneius and Caius Hirrus are competitâ—rs with me in the petition for the Aedileship the one is really noble the other pretends to be noble but is not I was desirous to write this to put you into greater expectation of the issue hearing that Hirrus is my concurrent Neuerthelesse as soone as you are aduertised of my creation I pray remember the Panâ—hers and to procure Sitius to pay me I gaue to Lucius Castrinius Paeto the first volume of the matters of Rome the second to him that brings you these Farewell Marcus Caelius to Cicero Epist. 3. VVHat will you say now doe I not write vnto you doe I not quite contrarie to that you said Yes certainely so that my letters come to your hands And in this my diligence is the greater because when I haue time to spare I cannot haue a better recreation When you were in Rome and I had no businesse I vsed to come with great contentment to your house and to passe the houres with you in sundrie discourses I would I could now doe so for in truth since your departure me thinkes I am not onely left alone but that Rome remaines voyd And wheras before many times such was my negligence I let slip many daies without comming to see you Now in conclusion I am readie to teare my selfe with my â—eeth because I cannot be euery day with you But Hirrus my competitor is the greatest cause that I desire you day and night Oh! if you knew how this your concurrent in the Augurship is vexed and faynes not to see that my plots take better effect then his of which I desire you may be aduertised for in truth you would wish it more for your owne respect then mine For if I remaine Aâ—dile it may so be that I shall be created with some rich associate But if Hirrus get it not we shall haue such sport at his repulse that for all the time of our life we shal neuer want matter to laugh at May this be so 't is certainely Neither can Marcus Octauius in any sort pacifie their hatreds that are opposite to Hirrus who are many As for Milo's goods I haue so wrought that Philotimus your wiues free-man hath restored them to his kindred 〈◊〉 haue acknowledged herein his fidelitiâ— and loue giuing him in reward of his seruice as much as you set downe Now it remaines that I entreat you that if you haue spare time as I hope you shall to direct vnto me some worke that by this I may know you are mindfull of me Questionlesse you 'le say your request is not foolish but how came this into your minde I would that among so many compositions of yours some one might come to light which might also be a testimonie to posteritie of our friendship For the qualitie of the worke I referre it to you for you hauing all knowledge can best determine of the subiect In generall I tell you thâ—t I desire a thing which may be fit me and that it may be replenish't with documents to giue men occasion more willingly to read it Farewell Marcus Caelius to Cicero Epist. 4. I Enuie you because you haue euerie day so great newes as makes you wonder first that Marcus Messalla was absoluâ—d and afterwards condemned that Caius Marceâ—lus remaines Consull that Marius Calidiuâ— after his repulse was accused by Marcus Gallius and Quintus Gallius brethren that Publius Dolabella is one of the fifteene But I enuie you not because you did not see how many colours came into Lentulus Cruscâ—llus countenance when he had the repulse For certainely there was neuer a more delight some thing to behold and peraduenture he thought it would not so haue past with him and Dolabella himselfe had little hope thereof But if our Gentlemen had not had their eyes open vndoubtedly he had ouercome his sute and his opposite would almost voluntarily haue giuen ouer the enterprise I doe not thinke you wonder that Seruius chosen Tribune of the people should be condemned Whose place Curio hath demanded and in their hearts who know not his gentle disposition he hath imprinted a strange feare But as I hope and desire and as he makes shew he will not start an inch from the Senate nor from the partie of good men he is now wholly for this And that he tooke vpon him such a resolution Caesar was the occasion who not vsing to respect money for the obliging of euery man to him how base soeuer he were seemed to make little reckoning of him Wherin I thinke as also by others he hath beene aduertised that a matter of pleasant admiration ensued Curio who euer before had carried himselfe inconsiderately hauing vsed all his wit and cunning to frustrate their designes which made opposition to him in his Tribunship I speake of the Laelij Antonij and other bragadoshi's I deferred to write vnto you because the creation of Magistrates hanging in suspence I was enforced continually to attend vnto negotiations and partly I was desirous to tarry the end that so I might aduertise you of euery thing and supposing they would presently be dispatcht I expected till the first of August The creation of the Praetors was prolonged through certaine impediments I know not how fauourable fortune will be to me in the creation of the Aediles Curules It is true that in that of the Aediles of the people manifest signes appeared more in fauour of me then Hirrus Of Marcus Caelius Vicinianus I haue no feare You know how we made a scoffe of him when he said that he would put on for the creation of a Dictator The foole propounded it and remain'd vilified and many cries were heard against him The same people afterwards seemed to haue an extreame desire of Hirrus I say to pleasure him ouer the shoulders I hope 't will not be long ere you vnderstand that from me vvhich you expect and that of him which I durst scarcely hope for As for the state of the Common-wealth we did not hitherto looke for any new matter But the one and twentith of Iuly the Senate being assembled in the temple of Apollo
this present decree That Lucius Paullus and Caius Marcellus Consuls for the future yeere on the Calends of March which will bee the first day of their Magistracie should propound vnto the Senate the affaires of the Consular Prouinces and onely propound it omitting all other businesses And that in this they should not haue respect to the ordinary impediment of those daies when the people are called to parliament to the end that the decree may passe howsoeuer and when they doe this they shall haue ample authoritie to lâ—t none of those Senators enter into counsell which are in the number of the three hundred Iudges and in case it be needfull to speake thereof to the people or Plebeians that Seruiuâ— Sulpâ—â—ius and Marcus Marcâ—llus Consuls for the present yeere or the Praetors or Tribâ—nes of the people whether of them they thinke good shall take care to discharge this office and if the forementioned will not doe it the Magistrates of the yeere â—ollowing shall not faile to performe it A note of the Senators which confirmed the decree The last of September in the Temple of Apollo there were present Lucius Domitius Aenobarbus son to Cneius Quintus Ciciliâ—â— Metellus Piuâ— Scipio son to Quintus Lucius Villius Annalis son to Lucius of the Tribe Ponâ—ina Caius Sepâ—imius son to Titus of the Tribe Quirina Caius Scribonius Curio son to Caius of the Tribe Pupinia Lucius Atteius Capito son to Lucius of the Tribe Aniensis and Marcus Oppiâ—â— son to Marcus of the Tribe Tereâ—tina Marcus Marcellâ—â— Consull hauing propounded the motion of the Prouinces the Senate censured that none of those that haue power to hinder or oppose should put in any delay that the Consuls might not presently propound to the Senate and the Senate forthwith deliberate of things appertaining to the Common-wealth Whosoeuer shall oppose the Senate iudgeth such an one to haue attempted against the Common-wealth And if any resist the present decree the Senate ordaines that his opinion bee set downe in writing and bee discussed of in the Senate and in the presentâ— of the people To this decree Caius Coelius Lucius Vicinius Publius Cornelius and Caius Vibius Pâ—nsa opposed themselues Besides it hath pleased the Senate concerning the Souldiers that were in Caius Caesars armie that of such of thâ—m as had finished the terme of their seruice or had any iust occasion to giue ouer their entertainment the Senate might be informed that their reasons may bee considered If any man resist this decree the Senates pleasure is that his minde be put in writing and that the matter bee propounded to the Senate and people This decree Caius Coelius and Caius Pansâ— Tribunes of the people withstood And besides this the Senates pleasure is that the next yeere the Praetors of the yeere present bee sent into the Prouince of Cilicia and into the other eight Prouinces which are gouerned by those that haue beene Praetors and that they that are sent shall be sent by lot and if these bee not so many as may suffice that Praetors bee chosen out by lot of the next precedent yeeres which haue not beene in gouernment and that they be sent by lot to the gouernment of the sayd Prouinces And if there be not so many of these as may bee sufficient that one after another the Praetors of the immediate next yeeres cast lots that haue not beene deputed to gouernment and let this bee so long done while the number of them is made vp which are to bee sent to the gouernment of the Prouinces If any oppose this dâ—cree let his minde bee specified in writing to the Senate This decree Caius Coeâ—ius and Caius Pansa Tribunes of the people opposed Moreouer it was obserued by those words of Cneius Pompeius and great hopes therby was conceiued that hee could not without iniustice determine of Caesars prouinces beâ—ore the Calends of March but that after the Calends hee would thinke thereupon And being demanded what if any man should then oppose he answered that it should be as much as if Caesar should suborne one not to suffer the Senate to delibâ—rate as if openly hee should deny to obey it And what if he said another would be Consull and keepe the Armie too he replied free from choller What if my sonne would giue me the bastanado By these words it was collected that Pompeie and Caesar were not of accord Whereupon Caesar as I perceiue will now discend to one of these two conditions either to remaine in the gouernement of the Gaules and so being absent he cannot demaund the Consulship or else obtaining it he will depart Curio sets himselfe wholly against him I know not what he can doe But I see that he aymes at a good end and therefore cannot be ruinated He shewes me great courtesie But the present hee made me will redound to my losse For if he had not giuen me those Panthers which were brought out of Africa for his sports peraduenture I had neuer entred into this dance But seeing I am entred and that I must celebrate my sports I put you in mind of that which so often I haue written that you 'le procure me some Beast from those parts And I commend vnto you the credite I haue with Sitius I haue sent Philo thither my free-man and Diogenes Graecus who will speake to you in my name and deliuer you my letters I recommend them both vnto you and the cause for which I sent them the which how much it imports me you shall see in the letters that they shal present you Farewell Marcus Caelius to Cicero Epist. 9. DOe you thinke that Hirrus remain'd scorned but you doe not well know all For if you knew how easily and with how little paines I put him downe you would blush calling to mind how he was sometimes so impudent as to concurre with you And after this repulse he laughes with euery man to counterfeit a good Cittizen he speakes against Caesar he blames the Senate for being so slacke to deliberate he followes Curio with ill words what needes more this repulse hath made him change nature Besides this though he neuer appeared in the Forum and hath little practise in pleading yet is there not a more courteous aduocate then he He entertaines and followes euery cause but seldome after noone I wrote vnto you that on the xiij of August the matter of the Prouinces would be determined but because Marcellus chosen Consull for the yeare following was of another opinion it is put ouer to the first of September The Consulls were so farre from doing any thing els that they could not bring many Senators to Counsell I sent not these before to day which is the second of September and hitherto no course at all is taken For any thing I seeâ— this cause will be deferred tiâ—l the next yeare and so farre as I conceiue you must leaue one in the gouernment of the Prouince For otherwise exchange cannot be made seâ—ing it cannot be
resolued that a new gouernour should be sent into the Galliâ— which must needs stand in the same condition that other Prouinces doe Of this I make no doubt and I meant to write to you thereof that you might know how to dispose of your selfe Almost in euery letter I write vnto you of the Panthers It will be lâ—ttle credite to you that Patiscus should send ten to Curio and that you should not send me many more Curio gaue me those ten with other ten besides which he had out of Afriâ—a to the end you mâ—y not suppose that he can onely giue possessions You may hâ—ue as many as you will so you will be mindfull in sending to call for those Cybiratae and writing into Pamâ—hilia where they say a number are taken and I importune you more now then vsually for I determine to solemnize my spoâ—ts separate from my Colleague For my sake straine your nature a little vse diligence herein You were wont to be pleased as well as my selfe to haue but feâ— businesses now you shall hâ—ue no â—urther trouble then to speake that is to command and giue in charge For when they are taken you may leaue the caâ—e of keeping and conducting them to those men whom I haue sent to recouer my debt of Siâ—ius And peraduenture if you put me in hope of hauing them I will send others for the same purpose Marcus Feâ—idius a Romane knight comes in those parts for his occasions He is an honest young man valiâ—nt and sonne to a friend of mine I recommend him to you and entreate you to repute him in the number of your friends He hath certaine land in your Prouince which payes part of the increase He would by your fauour be free'd from this imposition Which thing is both easie and honest for you to grant him and you shall bestow a benefit vpon men gratefull mindfull and replenished with bountie I would not haue you thinke that Fauonius hath not had their fauour who sell their voyces at a price but he found none of the better sort of Cittizens fauourable to him Your Pompeius sayes openly that he will neuer permit that Caesar shall hold his Prouince with an Armie and be Consull neuerthelesse he gaue councell that the Senate should not for the present enter into any other deliberation and â—hat Scipio should be expected to deliuer his opinion thereof the first of March and that then the matter should be propounded in the Senate and that nothing else should be done before this be ended Which opinion daunted Balbus Cornelius and I know hee complain'd thereof to Scipio Calidius in defending himselfe was most eloquent in accusing another rather cold then otherwise Farewell Marcus Caelius to Cicero Epist. 10. WE were much grieued aâ— the newes which by the letters of Caius Cassius and King Deiotarus we vnderstood Cassius writes that the Parthian souldiers haue passed Euphrates Deiotarus that they came into our Prouince by the countrey of the Comagens There was none more vexed then my selfe and that for your cause knowing that you are ill prouided in your Armie and fearing least this commotion might cause some preiudice to your honour for I should feare your life if you had a greater Armie But because it is but little I imagine you will not ioyne battaile of which necessitie I know not what construction will be made I câ—nnot certainely rid my mind of this care till I vnderstand that you are come into Italie But this newes of the Parthians passage hath raised vp diuers opinions Some giue counsell to send Pompeius thither others that he should be retain'd at Rome othersome that Caesar should be sent with his Armie and others that the Consuls should repaire thither But no man is of opinion that this enterprise is to be committed to priuate Cittizens And the Consuls fearing least the Senate should send them or conferre this charge vpon some other to their disgrace vse all meanes to preuent a session of the Senate So as they appeare not to be very careful in the necessities of the Common-wealth But this negligence or cowardise or feare whether we may call it is couered with reasonable pretexts making shew that they refuse the Prouince out of modestie Your letters are not yet arriued and if those of Deiotarus had not come so suddenly men were about to beleeue that Cassius had fayned the Parthian warre and caused the Arabians to ouer-runne his Prouince to the end it might seeme endamaged not by him but by the enemie Whereupon by my aduise you shall write with diligence and warily how matters there passe to the end it may not appeare that either you haue followed any mans humor or concealed any particular of importance Now the yeare is at an end for the xviij of Nouember I wrote these presents I see not how any thing can be concluded before Ianuary You know how cold and slow Marcellus is and in like manner how slâ—ckâ— Seruius is What may you iudge of these men and how can you beleeue they will doe that which they haue no mind vnto when they performe that vvhich they affect so coldly for they seeme to haue no will thereunto At the change of Magistrates if the Parâ—hian warre proceed this mannage will spend the first moneths but if there be no warre there or onely the same that you or your successors with the least succours sent may prosequute it I see Curio will vse all meanes first to crosse Caesaâ—â— and then to assist Pompeius in what soeuer thing he can little or great Paullus by loftie words shewes what a desire he hath to goe into the Prouinâ—e To whose ambition our Furnius will oppose himselfe touching others I know not what to thinke I hâ—ue written to you what I know I cannot see what else will happen I see that time produceth many things and that many daily are a framing but they 'le be all comprehended withiâ— these bounds I will not forâ—et to certiâ—ie you how Curio sues for a diuision of the Campaâ— territorie It is said Caesar cares little for it but that Pompeius desires much it should be diuided to the end that Câ—sar at his comming may not enioy it As for your departing out of the Prouince I cannot promise you to obtaine that a successor may be sent you but I assure you your time shall not bee prolonged If in regard of the present warre the Senate enioyne you to remaine there and if you may not refuse it with your honor you may take what course you thinke good 'T is sufficient for me that I remember with vvhat vehemencie at your departure you entreated me that I would not permit the time of your office to be prolonged Farewell Marcus Caelius to Cicero Epist. 11. YOur supplications procured no long but great trouble there was a strange obstacle interposed it selfe For Curio your louing friend sâ—eing himselfe too vniustly crosâ— by the Consuls that hee could not treate of any thing with
desire Though I consider I teach the Dolphines to swim But seeing I perceiuâ— that you cannot sell the possessions had of your debtors for payment according to Caesars valuation nor fill a pot wiâ—h money it bâ—hooues you to returne to Rome I hold it farre better that you should dye here with eating too much then there for want of meat I see you haue consumed that which you had I hope your friends haue done the like you are therefore blowne vp if you looke not to your selfe You may ride to Rome vpon that Mule which you say is left you seeing you haue eaten your Gâ—lding You shall haue a place in the schoole as an Vsher vnder mee and withall you shall haue a cushion Farewell Cicero to Papirius Paeto Epist. 19. ANd yâ—t you leaue noâ— your wonted malice You write â—hâ—t Bâ—lbus was contentâ—d with a verie little as minding to inferre that if Balbus bee contented with lesse then indifferent suppers much more ought I to be therin satisfied who am in respect of him as one that hath beene Consull is in respect of a King much inferior You know noâ— that I haue wrung euery thing out of his mouth you know not that he came presently to light at my house Neither do I woÌ„der so much that he lighted not rather at yours as that he went not vnto his own So soon as I saw him said I what doth our Pâ—to and he sware vnto me that he neuer was more willingly in any place If you haue made him this man with words I 'le frame my â—ares as apt to to heare you as his but if with good cheere Let me in fauour request you not to thinke that the Balbi are more worthie then the eloquent Euery day some impediment growes vpon mee but if I can shake off matters so that I may come thither I will worke after such a sort that you shall not be ablâ— to excuse your selfe that you were too late aduertised Farewell Cicero to Papirius Paeto Epist. 20. YOur letters affoorded me a double contentment both because I haue laughed and in that I vnderstood that you at length can laugh Neither am I displeased that like a bad souldier you haue loaded me with apples but I am sorrie that I could not come thither as I determined For not for few daies but continually I would haue lodged with you And thinke not that your dish of wine and honie should more haue seru'd my turne From an egge to roasted veale that is from the beginning of supper euen to the last you should haue seene me rauen like a Wolfe You were wont to commend me as a man easily to be satisfied and with a slender meale now I am whollie chang'd For now I thinke no more on the Common-wealth nor what opinion I â—hould deliâ—er in the Senate nor how I am to plead and handle causes I applie my selfe to an Epicurean life not to the dissolute life at this day but to that delicate and moderate one which you vsed when you had plentie to spend though at this time you haue more Farmes then euer you had So that bee prepared you haue to doe with a man that can eate soundly and that now at length vnderstands somewhat and men that haue learned late you know how troublesome they are to content and you must forget your banqueting dishes and daintie Cakes We are now come to that point that we dare enâ—ite to supper your Verrius and Camillus and you know what delicate fellowes they are Butâ— obserue yet a further presumption I inuited Hirtius also to supper but he gate no Peacockes And at this supper my Cooke besides hot broth sent vp no dishes like to those that wâ—re vsuall at Hirtius suppers This therefore is now my life In the morning I visite at home many honest men but in miserable condition and these ioyfull Conquerors Who in troth verie courteouslie and louinglie entertaine me After this my visitation I shut my selfe vp to my studies either I compose something or else I read Some also come to heare me as a learned man because I am a little more learned then they are Afterwards all the rest of the time â—is spent about bodilie health I haue lamented my countrie more bitterly and longer time then euer Mother lamented her onely childe If you wish mee well procure your health to the end I may not dâ—uâ—ur your substance while you are sickelie For I am resolued noâ— to sâ—are you be you neuer so diseased Farewell Cicero to Papirius Paeto Epist. 21. IS it possible doe you thinke you are fooliâ—h in seeking to imitate me in the flashes for so you tearme them of my speeches you should be foolish indeed if you could not attaine thereunto but seeing in this you doe not only equalize but exceed mee you should â—coffe rather at me then at your selfe That saying of Trabea concurres not with you I am hee that labours in vaine But tell me a little What seeme I to you in my Epistles doe you not thinke I discourse with you in vulgar tearmes For wee must not alwaies speake after one manner It is one thing to write an Epistle anothâ—r to pleade a cause another to speake to the people Nay the causes themselues are not to be handled after one fashion In priuate matters and not in all buâ— in those of light importance â—uery thing must more nicely be scanned but where a mans person his goods or his honor is questioned greater ornament of eloquence is required Epistles are wont to be framed of words dailie vsed But I pray you my Paeto how came it into your minde to say that there was neuer any Papirius which was not a plebeian For meanâ—r fâ—milies haue beene of the Patrician order The first of them was Lucius Papirius Mâ—giâ—â—anâ—us who was Consull with Lâ—cius Sempronius Atratinuâ— hauing bâ—ene before Censor with the samâ— colleague 312. yeares after the building of Rome But then you were câ—lled Papiâ—â— After these there were xiij more which obtained of the higher dignities before Lucius Papirius Crassâ—â— who was the first that gaue oueâ—â— he name Pâ—pisius This man was dictâ—tor and had for captaine of the ranke Mâ—letarie Lucius Pâ—piriâ—â— Cursor 415. yeeres after the building of Rome and foure yeeres after he was Consull with Ceso Duillio After these came Cursor a verie honourable man then Lucius Masso who in demaunding the Aedileship died After him many Massenes of which Patricians I would haue you reserue pictures in your house Then follow the Carbones and the Turdi these were Plebeians of whom I would haue you make no account For besides this Câ—â—ius Carbo who was slain by Damasippâ—s none of the Carbones euer benefitted the Common-wealth We knew Câ—eius Carbo and that his infamous brother Who can bee more wicked then they were of this friend of mine the sonne of Rubria I say nothing There were three brethren Publius Caius Marcus surnamed Carbones Publius accused by Flaccus was
giuing of your voyce some which I demonstrate that you haue out of zealous loue and tendernesse performed as in that about the charge of publicke sports But you who are most learned know well that if Caesar were a King as I suppose he was you may for the office you vndergoe be both praysed and blamed praised because your faith and humanitie is to be commended for louing your friend after death which reason I am wont to vse blamed because our Countries libertie should be preferred before the life of a friend vpon which your aduersaries ground themselues I much desire that the controuersies I haue had about these clamors might be related to you But amongst others there are two speciall particularities in your commendation which no man infeâ—s more willingly or oftner then my selfe which is that you perswaded more then any other that the ciuill warre might be withstood and the victorie moderated Wherein I neuer found any mâ—n that was not of my opinion Wherefore I thanke our Trebaâ—ius who was the cause that I wrote vnto you these letters To which if you giue no credite you must needs iudge me very discourteous and inhumaine which would woÌ„drously displease me and differ much from your owne disposition Farewell Caius Matius to Cicero Epist. 28. I Tooke great contentment in your letters because I vnderstood that you retaine that opinion of me which I hoped and wished you should haue Whereof though I no waies doubted yet in that I made greaâ— reckoning that it might be entirely preserued it did a little touch me 'T is true that I was priuie to my selfe that I had committed nothing that could offend the minde of any honest man And therefore I did the lesse beleeue that you being adorned with infinite and excellent sciences would be rashly perswaded to any thing especiâ—lly knowing well that I euer did and doe beare you singular affection Which hauing succeeded as I wisht I will â—nswer to the false oppositions against which you haue oftentimes defended me performing an office answerable to your most ingenuous condition and worthy of our amitie For I know what matters they obiected against me since the dâ—ath of Caesar. They accuse me because I lament the death of a great friend and that I am afflicted because a man is slaine whom I loued affâ—rming that my countrie should be 〈◊〉 before any friâ—ndship as if they had alreadie made triall that such a death was beneficiall to the Commonwealth But I will not argue subtiâ—lie I confesse thaâ— for mine owne part I cannot perceiue it and that I am not yet arriued to this height of wisedome Neither did I follow Caesar in ciuill discord but in that he was my friend though the course displeased me yet would I not abandon him Neither did I euer approue the ciuill warre much lesse the occasion thereof hauing in the very infancie oâ— it applied all my endeuour to extinguish it And therefore in his victorie though he was that great friend vnto me that he was I was neithâ—r delighted with honour or monie Of which rewards others were insatiable whose power was lesse with him then mine was And on the other side my goods by Caesars law were damagâ—d and by my fauour most of them that reioyce at Caesars death obtain'd that they might liue in their countrie That the cittizens who were vanquished might be pardoned I laboured no lesse thâ—n for mine owne safetie I therefore who laboured for eueâ—y mans preâ—eruation should I not greeue for his death from whom I purchas'd it especially being hated for their occasion who murdred him You shall therefore vndergoe the penaltie say they because you dare question that that we haue acted Oh pride neuer heard of that some may vaunt in their impietie and others cannot so much as mourne without their ouerthrow And yet in all ages seruants haue beene allowed to feare to reioyce and to grieue rather when they sawe good then any other The which libertie they now which make profession to haue giuen it vs for so they often report seeke violently to depriue me oâ— by threatnings But they labour in vaine There shall be no danger so terrible that shall make me halt in my dutie or humanitie For I haue alwaies held that an honorable death should neuer be auoided but rather oftentimes desired But why should they be angrie with me for desiring them to repent them of what they had committed I confesse I would haue euery man to be greeued for the death of Caesar. Oh But I am enioyned by the office of a good Cittizen to desire the safetie of the Commonwealth That this desire is in me if it be not knowne without my relating it both by those things which hâ—eretofore I haue effected and by those which heereafter I hope to performe I am content that in defendiug mine owne causes words may not auaile me Therfore I earnestly entreat you that you will conceiue better of my reasons â—hen I am able to vtter them and that you will thinke if you be of opinion that it is a good thing to doe well that I can hold no mâ—nner of commerce with bad men Were it peraduenture fit â—or me now that I am laden with yeares to goe out of that path wherein I haue led my youth which carryeth with it some excuse for error shall I againe nâ—w mould my selfe This error I will not commit nor will I doe any thing that may displease Except I doe lament the vnhappie fortune of my dearest friend and so great a personage And if I were of an other minde I would neuer denie it least that besides my being reâ—puted wicked in offending I might be thought timerous and a false dissembler Tâ—ue it is that I had the chaâ—ge of the publike shewes which Caesar the little youth made in honor of Caesars victorie But this had reâ—pect to a particular office not to the state of the Common-wealth In which charge notwâ—thstanding both for the memoriall I reserue of so great a â—riend and for the desire I haue to honour him thus dead as he is I could not be deficient And the youâ—h of such great hopes and so worthie of Caesar requesting me therâ—unto I was constrained to accept of it I also went many times to the house of Antonius the Conâ—ullâ— to salute him to whom you shall finde that euen they which esteâ—me me little affected â—owards my countrey resorted daily only to craue of him or carry awâ—y something But what an arrogancie is this That Caesar did neuer forbid me to conuerse with whom I thought good and euen with persons whom he loued not and these men that haue bereâ—uâ—d mee of my friend by carping or reprehending me doe their worst to enforce me nor to loue them that I like well of But I know I haue hitherto liued so modestly that heereafter euill tongues shall be little able to defame me and that also they who loue me not because I still perseuer in louing
Antonius had a great garrison in Bononia and at Claterna was our Hirtius and Caesar at Fâ—rum Cornelium both of them with a great Armie and Paâ—sa had in Rome leuied many men which were raised in Italie by choice The winter was an impediment that as yet the enterprise was not attempted Hirtius made shew as by frequent letters hee signifies to me that hee would doe nothing but deliberately Except Bononia Regium in Lombardie and Parma we had Gaulâ— wholly deuoted to the Common-wealth And the Transpadani your Clients stood wonderfully for vs. The whole Senate besides the Consulares was most resolued of whom there is onely Lucius Caesar that is most constant and who aimes directly at the publique good Wee haue lost a great stay â—y the death of Sulpitiusâ— The others are partly hollow-hearted and in part maleuolent Some enuie their praise whom they see commended in the Common-wealth But the people of Rome and all Italie are wonderfully vnited These breefly were the matters with which I desired you might bee acquainted Now I desire that from those Easterne parts the light of your valor may be resplendent Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 6. HOw things stood when I wrote you these letters you may vnderstand from Caius Tidius Strabo an hohonest man and verie well enclined to the Common-wealth and to you so affected that onely to come and finde you out hee hath abandoned his house and substance And therfore it is needlesse that I should recommend him to you his comming may bee a sufficient recommendation As for our affaires you are to imagine and perswade your selfe thus much that all good mens â—â—â—uge â—â—es in you and Marcus Brutus if it fortune that things succeed not in Italy as they were wished which God forbid When I wrote thâ—se letters to you matterâ— were reduced to their last triall Foâ— Brutus could now no longer keepe himselfe in Mutina Who being preserued the victorie is ours if notâ— which God grant otherwise wee will all flye to you as to the hauen of safetie Wherfore you must take vpon you so great a courage and make such preparation as is necessary for the recouerie of the Common-wealth Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 7. WIth what care both in the Senate and with the people I haue defended your honour I had rather you should vnderstand from other friends then from my selfe Which sentence of mine in the Senate would easily haue preuailed if Pansa had not violently opposed it This sentence being deliuered Marcus Seruilius Tribune of the people brought mee to speake vnto the assembly I deliuered of you what I could in the audience of so great a multitude as the Forum was able to containe with such a shout and consent of the people as I neuer saw the like I desire that you would pardon me though I did in this against the will of your mother in law She being fearefull as women are wont to bee doubted lest Pansa might haue beene offended True it is that Pansa speaking to the people alledged that your mother and your brother were not willing that I should haue denounced such a sentence But I was not moued with these things my minde was of another matter I sought the good of the Common-wealth which I euer affected together with your honour and estimation But of that which I both largely discoursed in the Senate and deliuered to the people I would haue you to acquit my promise For I haue promised and in a manner confirmed that you neither did nor would expect our decrees but that of yourselfe according to your custome you would defend the Common-wealth And though wee had not yet vnderstood either where you were or what Forces were with you yet I presupposed that all the Forces and people of those quarters were in your power And I held for certaine that the Prouince of Asia was ere this by your means recouered Now beare your selfe so that in augmenting your owne glorie you goe beyond your selfe Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 8. AMongst other aduertisements which you haue of the proceâ—dings of Rome I think you haue vnderstood of the wickednesse extreme leuitie and inconstancie of your kinsman Lepidus Which was the cause that whereas wee iudged the warre to haue beene ended now wee are enforced to war more then euer All our hope consists in Decimus Brutus and in Plancus but to speake truth we haue greater in you and in my Brutus hoping that you will not onely preserue vs if matters here which God forbid succeed not but also establish vs in perpetuall libertie We heard of Dolabella that which we desired but we had no certainetie thereof For your selfe be out of doubt that hitherto you are reputed a great man and it is expected that hereafter likewise you will make your selfe knowne for such Proposing thus much vnto your selfe labour to come on a pace to the height of enterprises The people of Rome are of oâ—inion that there is nothing but may by you be compassed and obtained Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 9. THe breuitie of your letters will be the cause that I also shall be briefe in writing And to speake truth I hâ—ue not much whereof to write knowing assuredly that the proceedings of Rome are related vnto you by the ordinarie aduises and of yours in these parts we heare nothing For as if Asia were on euery side shut vp there come no aduertisements vnto vs but onely a rumor that Dolabella is vanquished which hitherto is not verified though they still talke thereof When wee supposed the warre ended vpon a suddaine through your Lepidus we are fallen againe into exceeding great trouble And the greatest hopâ— the Common-wealth hath is in you and your people True it is that we haue mightie armies neuerthelesse though all things should succeed as I hope happily yâ—t it much impoâ—ts that you come hither for the hope of the Common-wealth is but little I will not say none at all But what is men looke it should take effect in the yeare of your Consulship Farewell Cicero to Caius Cassius Epist. 10. LEpidus your kinsman and my familiar friend together with others that revolted against the Common-wealth were by common consent of the Senate the last of Iune denounced rebells To whom notwithstanding all August was graunted to be thinke themselues The Senate questionlesse is full of courage and the rather by reason of the hopes they conceiue of your succour The warre at the writing hereof was very hot for which we may â—hanke the wickednesse and inconstancie of Lepidus We heare euery day that newes which we desire of Dolabella But as yet they haue no ground nor come they from any person worthie of credite There is onely a muttering thereof amongst the multitude Neuerthelesse by the informations of your letters written from the Campe the seuenth of May the Cittie was of firme beliefe that he was by this time suppressed And that you would come into Italie
rather discharge their Consulship at Romeâ— wherefore if you request them that I in the meane while may haue the managing of Asia I hope you may obtaine it Besides Pansa and Hirtius promis'd mee by word of mouth and afterwards wrote vnto me thereof and Pansa affirmed as much to ouâ— Verrius that he would procure that during his Consulship I should haue no successor Yet I protest that I affect not this prorogation out of any desire I haue vnto the Prouince For vnto me it hath euer beene very troublesome dangerous and expensiue But because I would not haue suffered in vaine so many discommodities and be vrged to depart from hence before I reape the last fruites of my laborious industrie For if I could send home those somms which I had gathered I would require a successor but to get in that which I disboursed to Cassius and that which we lost by the death of Trebonius and by Dolabella's crueltie or by their perâ—idious proceedings who failed both me and the Common-wealth against the dutie of their allegeance Which cannot bee done without time I am vâ—ged to desire that you as your custoâ—e is would be a meanes that I may haue this opportunitie I hope I haue so borne my selfe towards the Common-wealth that in reason I may expect not the benefit oâ— this Prouince but as much as Cassius and Brutus not onely in that I was an associate with them in that same action and daunger but also because now I am not wanting in any valour or industrie For I was the first that brake the lawes of Antonius the first that drew Dolabella's Cauallerie to take part with the Common-wealth and that surrendred it to Cassius the first to presse souldiers for generall safetie against that most wicked conspiracie and that onely vnited Syria and the Armies that were there with Cassius and the Common-wealth For if I had not giuen so much treasure to Cassius so many men and with that expedition I did he would neuer haue attempted to goe into Syria Which if it had not beene the Common-wealth should by this time haue had no lesse cause to feare Dolabella then Antonius And all these things I did notwithstanding I was a familiar friend and companion to Dolabella and by neare affinitie allied to the Antonij and had also by their meanes gotten my Prouince But because I bare greater loue to my countrie I was the first that rais'd war against mine owne familiars And though I finde that for these things I haue not hitherto had any great recompence Yet am I not altogether out of hope nor will I hold it troublesome resoluedly to perseuer in the desire of libertie only but in labour also and in dangers Nâ—uerthelesse if for the benefit of the Senate and of all good men I be also put forward by some prouocation of iust and lawfull glorie wee shall bee in the greater authoritie with others and consequently be able the more to assist the Commonwealth When I was with Brutuâ— I could not see your son because he was then gon with the troups of horse to their assigned winter guaâ—isonâ— But thâ—t he is so disposed I â—weare vnto you I reioyce both for yours and â—or his but especially for mine owne sake For I hold him in the estâ—eme of a Brâ—thâ—r because he is your sonne and worthie of you Farewell From Pâ—â—ga the 29. of May. Publius Lentulus sonne to Publius Vice-quaestor and Vice-praetor to the Consulls Praetors Tribunes Senate people and Communaltie of Rome Epist. 15. DOlabella hauing by wicked means oppressed Asia I went into Macedonia a neighbour Prouince and to the Guarisons of the Commonwealth which Marcus Brutus a renowned person had vnder his gouernment and I sought to bring to passe that the prouince of Asia and the impositions might by the meanes of persons which could easily perâ—orme it bee reduced within your authoritie Whereof Dolabellâ— being very fearefull and after his sacking of the Prouince fingring the customes but aboue all most cruelly pillaging and selling all the Romaine cittizens hee being so sodainely departed that we could not in time come vp with our â—orcâ—s it was not fit for me to soâ—ourne there any longer or to expect supplies of souldiers And I both thought it good ouâ— of hand to returne vnto my office and to recouer the remainder of the â—axations and to get in that money which I had collected and besides this presentlie to examine whâ—t summes had beene seazed on and by whose negligence that I might absolutely inâ—forme you of â—he successe thereof In the meane while sayling amongst the Islands which lay in my way to Asia I being informâ—d that Dâ—labâ—ll's Nauâ—â— was in Lycia and that the Rhodij had diuers ships furnished vndâ—r saile and in a readines with that shipping which partlie I brought with me and in part was gathered by Patiscusâ—he â—he vice Quaestor a person very inward with mee both for the familâ—aritie we haue had togâ—ther and for the affection we both ioyntlie beare to â—he common-wealth I reâ—urned to Rhodes being confident iâ— your auâ—horitie and the Senates decree by which you had proclaymed Dâ—labella for an enemie and building vpon the League which Marcus Marcellus and Seruius Sulpitius being Consulls was renewed with the â—hodij wherein they had taken oath that they would esteeme those enemies which by the Senate and people of Rome were so reputedâ— But we were much deceiued For they were so farre from furnishing vs with men for the securitie of our Nauie that euen at the entrie into thâ—â—owne at the Port those habitations that were withâ—ut the Citie denyed our souldiersâ— not onely sustenance but very water and wee our selues with one smalâ— Barke were scarcely enâ—ertained Which indignitie and disparagement of Maiestie not only to my place but also to the Empire and people of Rome I for this cause digested in that by intercepted letters wee vnderstood that Dolabella being out of all hopes of Syria and Aegypt resolued as necessarily must â—nsue to embarque himselfe with all his theeâ—â—sh followers and with all the money and so to comâ—â—or Italie And that for this effect the great Merchants ships also of which there was none that were of a lesser burthen then two thousand Amphorae that were vnited in Lyciâ— were layd for by his Armada â—oued O conscript Fathers wiâ—h the feare heere of I the rather made choyce to support these iniuries and though with our disgrace first to attempt all other meanes Wherefore being admittâ—d into the Cittâ—e and Senate by their consent I propounded the cause of the Commonwealth with as great vehemencie as I could and set before them all the danger which would ensue if that Rebell should with his associat's bee â—mbarqued But I 〈◊〉 the Rhodij so peruerse that they thought euery one more loyall then those thâ—t really were so Neither did they beleeue that there was such a concord aâ—d vnion of all degrees couragiously to defend Libertie and were conâ—ident that
the Senate and euery honest man would as yet bee patient and that it was not possible that any man should dare to denounce Dolabellaâ—or â—or a rebell Finally whatsoeuer was â—alsely auer'd by these knaues they held more true then in eâ—fect it was or then that which wee could beate into themâ— Out of the same peruersitie also before our comming and after Trebâ—nius was so vnworthily murdred and so many other wicked actions two Embassies of theirs went to Dolabella and certainely without any presidenâ— contrary to their lawes yea and though they were prohibited by their Magistrates Whether they did these things for feare as they affirme of certaine territories which they hold within the continenâ— or out of a bad intention or through the ouerswaying power of some few which had also heeretofore vsed the same vilâ—anie to renowned men and being at this present in highest dignities would not by any example either on your part or ours that were prâ—sent though easily they might neither prâ—uent our present perill nor that which menaced all Italie and our citie if that Traytor together with his thâ—â—uish associates being â—xpelled out of Asia and Syria had there arriued Some also were â—uspicious that the said Magistrates did but entertaine time and delaie vs while Dolabella's Fleet might bee aduertised of our comming Which suspicion was the more confirmed by some particulars which succeeded especially because Seâ—tus Marius and Caius Titius Dolabâ—lla's Legates departed suddainlie out of Lyciâ— from the Nauie and in a Fust fled away Leauing there all the great shippes in preparation and gathering of which they had spent no small time and labour Wherefore we comming from Rhâ—des into Lycia with such shipping as we had we took the great shippes and restord them to their owners and free'd our selues from the great feare which possessed vs that Dolabella with his fellow rebells would haue made for Italie The Nauie which gat away we pursued as farre as Syda which is the vttermost lymit of my Prouince There I vnderstood that one part of Dolabella's shipping was fled and another gone into Syria and Cyprus I knowing that Caius Cassius a famous Captaine and Cittizen was in Syria with a great Fleet in readinesse reâ—urned to my charge wil endeuour O conscript Fathers to vse for you and for the Common wealth all officious care and diligence to recouer those summes of money with the greatest possible expedition and send them you with all the accompts When I haue runne ouer my Prouince and haue notice who haue beene faithfull to vs and the Commonwealth in preseruing the treasure by me layd vp and who those wicked persons haue beene that wilfully carried these publike moneys to Dolabella I will thereof aduertise you Against whom if you finde it fitting rigorouslie to proceede according to their desert affording me that reputation with your authoritie I shall the more easilie be able both to recouer the remainder of the Customs and to preserue it being recouered In the meane while that I may the better hold the customes and defend the Prouince from insultatâ—oâ—s I haue drâ—wen together a necessarie guard of men which offered themselues oâ— their owne good will When these leâ—ters were written there came into Pamphilia about thirtie souldiers that fled into Syria of those that Dolabella had entertained in Asia These men brought newes that Dolabella was gone to Antiochiâ— which is in Syria buâ— that he was not there receiued and striuing diuers times to enter thereinto by force hee was euer repulsed with disaduantage So that loosing about an hundred men and leauing there diuers sicke persons he fled by night from Antiochia towards Laodicea And how in that might all his Asiaticke souldiers left him amongst which some eight hundred returned to Antiochia and yeelded vp themselues to those which held that Citie for Cassius the others by mount Amaâ—us came downe into Cilicia of which number they likwise said they were But that it was reported that Cassius with all his people was about foure daies iourney from Laodiceâ— when Dolabellâ— went thither For which cause I assuredly hope that this most wretched rebell will pay for his disloyaltie sooner then is expected From Perga The 2. of Iune Caius Trebonius to Cicero Epist. 16. I Arriued in Athens the xxij of May where to my infinite contentment I saw your sonne dedicated to the noblest studies and in great â—steeme for his modestie Wherein what pleasure I tooke you may vnderstand without my telling you For you know well how much I value you and how greatlie in respect of our ancient and and sincere loue I reioyce at all your prosperities much more at this so great an happines Doe not suppose my Cicero thaâ— I deliuer this to you to flatter you Your youth and therefore ours for I haue nothing but what is yours hath aboue all others wonne the hearts of eueâ—y man that lyes in Athens and is more then any man studious of those vertues which yoâ— especiallie affect and are most excellent So that in what I can truelie congratulate with you I doe it willingly and no lesse with my selfe then you that wee finde him whom wee must what soâ—uer hee were loue of necessitie to be of such condidition that we may loue him wiâ—lingly Discoursing with me hee cast out a word that he would see Asia whereunto he was noâ— onely by me inuited but entreated that he would doe iâ— especially while I had the gouernment thereof And you may be assured that I will vse him with that deare affection that your selfe would I will also take order that Craâ—ippâ—â— may come with him to the end you may not thinke that in Asia he neglects those studies whereunto you haue exhorted him I see him well dispos'd and farre entred into a good way neuerthelesse I will not cease to encourage him therein to the end that day by day learning and exercising himselfe he may goe forward At the date of these I knew not what was done about the Common wealth I heard certaine rumors the which God graunt may be false that once we may enioy a quiet libertie which hitherto I neuer could Notwithstanding in my Nauigation hauing found a little vacancy I haue compounded a trifle according to my manner to present you with And I haue collected together certaine sayings deliuered by you to my great honour which I haue here vnder written Wherein if I seeme vnto you in some words a little too free excuse me in that he against whom I speake is such an one as deserues worse then I haue spoken Let me request you also to pardon our choller which is but iust against such men and Cittizens And then why should Lucilius rather be permitted to take vpon him this libertie then my selfe Considering that if the hatred he baâ—e to them of whom he spake il were â—quall to mine yet were not they more worthy then this man with so great a liberty of words to be reproued I
secretest cabinets of our Art I will extract an admirable forme of recommendation Which if I doe nor performe endeuor you that by th' effect he may he may beleeâ—e at least that I haue seru'd his turne with letters full of vnusuall Art and motiues This will be done if you shew him all mannâ—r of courtesie that either your nobilitie moues you to or by your authoritie is permitted you not only in action buâ— also in words breefly with your â—â—ry coâ—ntenance Whiâ—h things how much they preuaile in a Prouince I would you had once put in practise Neuerthelesse I hold opinion that the man I commend vnto you is very worthy of your friendship And beleeue it not onely because Cuspius affirmâ—s as much vnto me though this might suffice but in that I know hee can censure of men and hath iudgement in the election of his friends In a word I shall be enform'd of what force these letters were with you and as I hope I shall haue occasion to thanke you And in the meane while in any thing wherein I thinke you would be glad that I should vse mine endeuour I will not faile withall effectuall diligence to employ it Respect your health PVâ—lius Cornelius the bearer heeâ—â—of was commended vnto me by Pâ—blius Cuspiâ—s to whom both onâ— oâ— loue and obligation how much I desire to giue all satisfaction by what is written may be gathered My especiall request is that from this recommendation I may out of hand receiue the greatest and most frequent thankes that poâ—sible can bee giuen mee by Cuspius Cicâ—ro to Caius Cluâ—ius Epist. 7. WHen vpon your departure for Gallia moued by our interchanged affection and the great respect you beare me you came home to visit me I spake with you about the Aâ—ellani who pay tribute for that part of their Countie which lies in Gallia intimating vnto you how neerely I was touched with their interest 's And after your departure the matter being such as it mainly imported a towne of that worth and which I so much esteemed being confident in your good inclination towards me I thought my selfe obliged to write vnto you theroâ— with all possible diligence Though I am not ignorant either of the condition of the times or of your power And I vnderstand but too well that the charge yâ— was giuen you by Caius Caesar was not to iudge but to execute Wherfore I request you to do only so much as I thinke you can and will for my cause willingly And first I would haue you to conceiue it to be true that all the busines of this towne or Incorporation is that there maine interest lies in this County which paies tribute and now through the burdensome impositions it hath endur'd it is â—alne into extreame pouertie Which inconuenience though it appeareth that many other haue equally suffered neuerthelesse I assure you that this towne in particular hath suffered moâ—â— then other Which I forbeare to reâ—â—â—e vnto you least in complaining of my friends miseries I may seeme to distaste those persons whom vnwillingly I would Wherefore were I not confident in my hopes that I can manifest vnto Caesar how that towne vndeseruedly was ouercharg'd with such a burden I would neuer haue sollicited you vpon this occasion But because I am assurâ—d and perswaded that he will haue respect vnto the worth of the Towne to the equiâ—ie and also to the good affection the inhabitants thereof beare towards him I thought good to request and entreat you that you will reserue this cause to him to bee dispatched Which though I would not forbeare to entreat of you though I had not heard that you euer granted so much before yet I entertaine more liuely hopes of obtaining it seeing 't was told me how the Rhegienses had obtained from you the selfsame fauour Who though they be linked in friendship with you yet your loue towards me bids me hope that what courtesies you haue done for your owne you will also performe for mine acquaintance Especially considering that hauing many friends which would sue for the like at your hands by my meanes I request this kindenes only for these men And though I assure my selfe you vnderstand that I discharge not this office without cause and that no vaine ambition hath tickled me on with so great instance to sollicite you yet would I haue you giue credit to my sincere speeches that I am to this towne much obliged it hauing euer aswell in time of my prosperities as disasters made knowne their singular affection to me Wherefore in respect of the viscerall amitie we hold together and for that great loues sake which you haue euer borne me I do in the greatest earnest I am able entreate you that you considering that the estate of â— who le Towne is heere handled which is neere vnto me both in friendshippâ— office and affection will bee pleased to gratifie me And wee shall so value your fauour if wee obtaine from Caesar as our expected grace wee shall repute it granted by your benefit if otherwise wee shall notwithstanding remaine in the same obligation in that you labour'd to procure it vs. And besides the singular pleasure you shall doe me thereby you shall by meanes of such an important fauour further oblige vnto yoursâ—lfe most bountiful noble and most gratefull cittizens and such as shall be worthy of your friendship of whom you may alwaies make any vse either in your owne or friends occasions Farewell Cicero to Marcus Rutilius Epist. 8. BEing a sufficient testimonie to my selfe of the respect that I owe you and hauing by experience made triall of the loue that you beare mee I haâ—e had the boldnesse to requâ—st a fauour as much importing mee as it was necessarie for me to require it of you What esteeme I make of Publius Sextius there 's no man knowes better â—hen my selfe and how much I ought to esteeme him you and all men can imagine Hauing heard from others how well you stand affected to me hee requested me that I would write vnto you with all possible efficacie about the busines of Caâ—us Albinus the Senator by whose daughter the same Publiuâ— Sextius had that vertuous young man Lucius This therefore I haue written vnto you to the end you may apprehend that not only I am bound to haue a care of Publius Sextius but Sextius of Albinus Now the busines is this Caius Albinus receiu'd in payments certaine Farmes of Marcus Laberius at the prises they were valued at which Farmes Laberius bought of Caesâ—r being part of the estate of Plotius If I should say â—hat iâ— would not bee profiâ—able for the Common-wealth that they should be deuided it might seeme that I did not entreat but instruct you But it being Caesars pleasure that the sales and assignements made by Sylla should stand good to the end that his might be thought more durable if the same Farmes be diuyded which Caesar himselfe hath sold what securitie can there bee
it especiallie appertaines to my care and ofâ—ice in that I being desirous to reduce that Towne into better forme I haue beene the cause that my sonne my nephew and Marcus Caesius my great friâ—nd should be made Aediles for in our Towne this onely Magistracie is created and no more These you shall honor and especially my selfe if by your fauour and vigilancie â—he Communaltie of this Towne shall end their businesse without difficultie which I request you to effect as earnestly as I can possibly Farewell Cicero to Brutus Ep. 12. IN another Epistle I did generâ—llie commend vnto you the Commissioners of Arpinas and with the greatest care I could In this I more particularly recommend vnto you Quintus Fusidius my especiall friend not any waies to diminish the former but to adde this recommendation For he is sonne in law to my singular good friend Marcus Caeâ—ius and heretofore in Cilicia he was with me Tribune of the souldiers In which place he so bare himselfe as I thought I had rather receiued then bestow'd a benefit Besides this he is delighted with our studies which you were wont to esteeme highly Wherefore I would entreat you to enterteine him with all courâ—esie and to vse all meanes that this Embassie which being inioy'd by â—â—ine authoritie he hath with his owne inconueniencie vndertakeÌ„ may ad glory to his industrie For he desires as â—uery vertuous man naturally doth to reape great commendation as well from vs who perswaded him therunto as also â—rom our countri-men Which he shall compasse if he obtaine your fauour by my recommendation Farewell Cicero to Brutus Ep. 13. LVcius Castronius Patus the chiefest without comparison in the towne of Luca is noble wise full of courtesie a man of great bountie and graced both by vertue and also fortune if this be any thing to the present purpose And besides he is so far my most familiar friend that he more respectiuely obserues no man of our order Wherefore I commend him vnto you both as my friend and one that 's worthie of your acquaintance Whatsoeuer you doe for him will assuredly be returned by your owne content and mine acceptance Farewell Cicero to Brutus Ep. 14. LVâ—ius Titius Strabo a Romaine Knight of an honourable familie and of great and rich estate is my bosome friend and all intrinsecall rightâ— runne equally betweene vs. This man should haue certaine moneys out of your Prouince from Publius Cornelius The matter is remitted into Gallia by Volcatius a iudge of Rome And because it is more honest to be carefull of a friends moneys then of our owne I more seriously then if it were an interest of mine request you that about the procuring an end of the action you would interpose your selfe for expedition And to endeuour so farre aâ— you thinke it iust and reasonable that Strabo's Freeman who is sent for this effect may without any encumbrance finish the businesse and recouer the moneys And it shall both giue me great contenâ—ment and you your selâ—e shall acknowledge Lucius Titius to bee most worthie of your friendship And I heartily entreat you to employ that care herein which you were wont to take in euerie thing wherein you found that I delighted Farewell Cicero to Caius Caesar Imperator Ep. 15. I Solidly commend vnto you Praecilius whose Father is your friend my familiar and a man of great integritie For besidâ—s that I beare an infinite loue to this young man being ciuill and modest and because he loues me entirely I haue manifestly found his father in all my occasions to haue beene much affected to me This is he who amongst others was especially wont to laugh at my proceedings and reprehend me in that I did not ioyne with you and the rather because you inuited mee thereunto with honourable conditions But his inducementâ— drâ—e not my consent Because on the other part I heard those our great defenders of the Common-wealth cry out Be valorous that after world's may rayse Some brain to blazon thy deserts praise Thus was I puckled in a foggie mist. And yet he continued his exhortations But they though I were alreadie thoroughly hot seeking by glorie to enflame meâ— said Die not vnusefull and without renowne But die that memory thy acts may crowne But now you may perceiue they moue me but a little And therefore leauing the loftie style of Homer I betake me to the true precepts of Euripides I hate his councell that 's for others wiâ—e And in his owne occasions wants his eyes Which verses Praecilius the elder commendes exceedingly affirming that we may liue warily and yet retaine our precedencie and principalitie But to returne where we began you shall shew me a memorable fauour if out of your singular courtesie you enterteine this young man and to the good inclination which I am perswaded you haue to pleasure him and his Father make vpon this my recommendation some new addition I haue vs'd a new style of writing to giue you to vnderstand that I send no vulgar commendation Farewell Cicero to Caius Caesar Imperator Ep. 16. AMongst all the mobilitie I lou'd no young man so well as Publius Crassus and hauing conceiu'd great hope of him in his tender yeares I began to hope better seeing my iudgement of him to be verified Now you shall vnderstand that euen when he liued I much esteem'd and made great accompt of Apollonius his Free-man because he was affected to Crassus and Crassus in his vertuous studies made so good vse of him that he lou'd him dearely Then after the death of Crassus I thought him also for this cause more worthie of my loue and to be receiued into my protection in that he held himselfe bound to obserue and honour those that Crassus lou'd and loued Crassus Whereupon he came to me in Câ—licia and seru'd me in manie occurrents both faithfully and prudently And as I thinke in the warre of Alexandria hee neuer fail'd you in whatsoeuer he was able to compasse either by his fidelitie or industrie And hoping that you also had the same opinion of him he came into Spaine first questionlesse vpon his owne deliberation but next for your assistance Neither did I otherwise promise to recommend him vnto you not but that I suppos'd my commendation would be of some effect with you but in that I thought he needed not be to you commended hauing beene with you in the warre and you for the memoriall of Crassus reputing him in the number of your owne And if he would haue sought recommendation he saw that other men also would haue done him this pleasure For the iudgement I made of him I haue willingly passed my word both because he esteem'd much thereof and in that I knew my testimonie would be of some credit with you I say therefore that I haue found him a learned man and studious of all â—xcellent sciences and that euen from his tender yeares For when he was but a childe he remain'd a good while
haue departed from me had I not permitted him Wherefore I recommend him to you as one of my house and as my verie vsefull friend You shall doe me a great pleasure if you so entrâ—at him that hee may take notice of the profit and assistance that did accrue vnto him through my recommendation Farewell Cicero to Publius Seruilius his Colleague Ep. 72. BEfore you departed from Rome I recommended vnto you in your garden as effectuallie as I could the goods moueables reckonings and possessions that my necessarie friend Caerellia hath in Asia and you according to your custome and continuall waightie courtesies freely tooke vpon you to doe any thing Now I hope you are as mindfull of the said businesse as you were wont to be of other matters Notwithstanding Caerellia's Solicitors haue written to me that it were good to giue you often remembrance thereof being for the greatnesse of your Prouince and the multitude of affaires much employed I desire therefore that you would be mindfull how freely you promised me all those fauours which your dignitie might affoord I am fully of opinion that you haue ample authoritie of satisfying Caerellia out of that decre of the Senate which was enacted in that cause of the heires to Caius Vennonius Wherein notwithstanding I referre my selfe to your councell and iudgement as being to eâ—terpret it in such sort as shall appeare best vnto your wisedome For I know that you haue euer highly esteem'd the authoritie of that order It onelie remaines for me to tell you that wherein so euer you fauour Caerellia you shall doe me a singular pleasure Farewell Cicero to Quintus Philippus Vice-consull Ep. 73. YOur gouernment being expired I congratulate your healthfull and safe returne with the preseruation of your owne honour and great satisfaction to the Common-wealth And if I had seene you in Rome I would presentially haue giuen you thanks for the loue and fauour you shewed to my familiar friend Lucius Egnatius in his absence and Lucius Oppius that was present Antipater Derbetes vseth to entertaine me and I him and besides there passeth great familiaritie betwixt vs. I heard that you are very much displeased with him and it grieâ—'d me I know not whither he deserued it but sure I am that such a person as you are would doe nothing without iust occasion Howsoeuer it be I entreat you as effectually as possible I can for our auncient and true friendship that you would be pleased to pardon his sonnes who are vnder your power especially at my intercession If you thinke it not preiudiciall to your owne reputation Iâ— which case I would not request it for I should haue a respect of greater antiquitie to your honour then to Antipaters acquaintance But I verily beleeue yet I may be deceiu'd that by such an act you shall rather get prayse then infamie About this matter what may be done and what you may doe for my sake for I make no doubt of what you would doe I desire so it be not troublesome vnto you to be further certified Farewell Cicero to Quintus Philippus Vice-consull Ep. 74. THough I am assured that out of the loue you beare me and for the familiar friendship that is betwixt vs you are mindfull of my recommendation yet will I not omit most effectually to recommend againe vnto you my kinde friend Lucius Oppius presâ—nt and the affaires of my domesticall acquaintance Lucius Egnatius absent The frieÌ„dship familiaritie I haue with him is so great as I could not be more carefull if it were mine owne cause Therefore I shall take it as an extraordinarie kindnâ—sse if you giue him cause to concâ—iue how I am no lesse beloued of you then I giue my selfe to vnderstand You cannot doe me a greater fauour then this and I earnestly request you to performe it Farewell Cicero to Titus Titius sonne to Titus Legate Ep. 75. THough I am of constant beleefe that my first recommendation preuailed much with you yet I am desirous to giue contentment to Caius Auianus Flaccus my familiar friend whom I am not onely desirous but bound â—o fauour wherein possible I am able of whom in presence I spake effectuallie to you when you kindly made me answere and with great efficacie I wrote vnto you afterwardes thereof I request you to pardon me if to giue him satisfaction I may seeme vnmindfull of your constancie I desire therfore the same fauour at your hands which is that you will permit Auianus that at all times of the yeare he may conueie his come whâ—ther soeuer stands best with his commoditie Which courtesie in like manner by my meanes he obtained for three yeares while Pompeius had this charge To conclude that wherein you may doe me greatest pleasure is to let Auianus know your loue towardes me seeing he is assured of mine to himselfe This will be very acceptable to mee Farewell Cicero to the Quatuor-viri and Decuriones Epist. 76. THe friendship I enterteine with Quintus Hippius growes from so many occasions as there cannot be found a more absolute then our coniunction And were it not for this I would follow my accustomed manner which is to be troublesome to you in nothing For you can beare me sufficient testimonie that though I were certaine to obtaine whatsoeuer I desired yet would I neuer be burdensome vnto you I request you therefore as earnestly as I can or am able that you will so farre fauour me as to vse Caius Valgius Hippianus with all courtesie and make an end with him by exempting and making free that possession which somtimes he bought of you in the Fregellan territorie If you satisâ—ie me in this my request I shall thinke I haue receiu'd a speciall benefit Farewell Cicero to Publius Sulpitius Imperator Ep. 77. I Went not often into the Senate by reason of the conditions of the times but hauing receiu'd your letters and vnderstood how your honor was herein touched I obseru'd that it was my dutie to goe thither and that doing otherwise I should haue wrong'd our auncient amitie and haue perform'd a matter vnworthie of our benefits one to th' other Wherefore I went thither and willingly aduis'd that all the Temples of the gods â—hould publiquely bee visited and thankes rendred to them for what you had effected in the behalfe of the Common-wealth And vpon euery occasion when either your profit honor or dignitie comes in question I will neuer faile you in those endâ—uours and offices wherein I am engaged And you shall doe me a pleasure to write thereof vnto your friends notifying vnto them my affection and the desire I haue to write vnto you that so they may securely build vppon me whensoeuer it occurres that I may giue you any assistance Marcus Bollanuâ— is a friend to me of manie yeares standing an honest man valiant and adorned with as many good parts as can be desired I recommend him to you wiâ—h all zeale and entreat you to let him vnderstand how this my
Dyrrhachium the 26. of Nouember I Am come to Dyrrhachium because it is a free Cittie and kinde to me and not farre from Italie But if the great concourse of people there shall dislike me I will repaire to some other place and giue you notice Cicero to Terentia his wife and to Tulliola and Cicero his children Epist. 2. DOe not suppose that I vse to write very long Epistles to any man except he write at large to me And I thereupon iudge it reasonable to make him alike answer For first I know not what to write and then at this time there 's nothing that I vndergoe more vnwillingly And if this happen to me when I write to others what may it doe now thinke you when I write to your selues to whom I cannot endite a letter which is not accompanied with many teares knowing you to be fallen into extreame miserie whom I was euer desirous to behold in great felicitie which I was bound to endeuour and had I not beene so tymerous had effected Piso by his courteous offices hath procur'd that wheras before I loued him now I deseruedly stand bound vnto him I haue withall possible efficacie exhorted him by letters to â—he enterprise which is begunne for my good and as I ought I thanked him You write how you conceiue great â—opes in the new Tâ—ibunes of the peoâ—le You may well hope if Pompeiusâ—fford â—fford vs his assistance but I doubt of Crassus I perceiue wiâ—h how great a spirit and how louingly you vndergoe euery thing neither doe I wonder at it but notwithstanding it exceedingly greeuâ—s me that we are reduced to such a point that my miseâ—ies cannot be eâ—sed but wiâ—h yours For Publius Valerius a very louing man wrote that vnto me which drew from me many tears in reading it how froÌ„ the temple of the Goddesse Vesta you were led â—o â—he Valerian Table Alas deare heart and my only happinâ—s is it then true â—hat you my Terentia to whom all others were wont in their necessities to hâ—uâ— recourse for helpe should now bâ—e so molested and put to so much weeping and miseries and that this should pâ—ocâ—ed from my error who haue presâ—rued others to reserue vnto my selfe perpetuall aâ—flâ—ctions Wheâ—eas you write vnto me about the house that is touching the plat of ground I will â—hen only hold that I am restor'd when that is resâ—ored But what should I say theâ—e things are not in our power Iâ— grieues me that you bâ—ing poore and destitute should be vrged to beare part of the charges which of necessitie we are to be at Yet if the matter obtaine a wished end wee shall haue good recompence for euery thing But if Fortune no waiâ—s altâ—r wilt thou poore soule cast away â—hat little which thou hast Ah deare heartâ— leaue the charge vnto others that are betterable if they will to sustaine it do not if â—ou loue me torment that weake body of yours as me thinkes you doe For day â—nd night you present your selfe vnto my thoughts I see you vndergoe the burden of all paines I know not how you are able to endure it And I am afraid least you ouercharge your selfe so much as you will be enforc'd to giue ouer buâ— I also obserue that all hopes of my safetie depend on you Be therefore carefull of your healâ—h to the end we may attaine to â—hat which you desire and on which you haue bent all your cogitations I know not to whom I should write whether to them that write to mee or to them that you wish me to write vnto To content you I will deâ—erre it no longer But I would haue you send me letters as often as you can especially if there bee the least certainetie of any hope Farewell deare hearts farewell From Thâ—ssalonica the 4. of October Cicero to Terentia his wife and to Tulliola and Cicero his children Epist. 3. I Receiued three letters from you by Aristocritus which I had almost blotted out with weeping For my Tâ—rentia I am much afflicted and so much that I scarcely liue yet feele I not more hart-greefe for mine own then for your miseries and for those which all of you haue suâ—fered Although in this respect I am more miserable then thou who art most miserable For the bitternes of this fortune is equall to vs both but the blame is only mine I should either haue accepted of the embassies by meanes whereof I might haue shunned the danger or by my friends endeauours haue constantly resisted the iniuries of mine enemies or else haue dyed with resolution To a worser state then that wherein I now stand I could neuer haue been reduced Which is the cause that I greeue not more for the euill then for the reproâ—ch thereof being asham'd that my deare wife sweet children by my cowarddize and negligence should lead a lifâ— so miserable and so lamentable Youâ— vnhappie state hourely presents it selfe before mine eyes and because I know how weake you are of sexe the more am I sorrowfull considering that you cannot vndergoe so many troubles without great danger And besides I perceiue no hope of my safetie There are two things which oppose our desires the hatred of many and the enuie almost of all men And as to preserue our former state little was requisiâ—e so to recouer it infinite labour is required Neuerthelesse while you are hopefull I will also support this my wearie and languishing body with some hopefulnesse that in being wanting both to you and to my selfe as I haue beene hitherto despaire may not augment our euills As for that point where you write that I should be wary to remaine in a place of sâ—curitie this I can easily performe because mine enemies shall haue small reason to desire my death in that they should thereby ease me oâ— so many miseries which they desire that I should liue in And yet I will obey your commands I haue thanked my friends as you enioyn'd me in your letters and touching their friendly procurements about my safetie I haue written I was therof by you aduertised The conueyer of these letters was Dexippus For our Piso I haue heard by all men and I plainely my selfe perceiue it that he beares vs wondâ—rfull affection which with admirable effâ—cts he doth also demonstrate The gods grant that togeather with your selfe and our children we may long liue in the sociâ—tie of such a sonne in law The hope which now remaines is whollie in the new Tribunes of the people and onely in the first daies of their entrie into their office for if the matter doe grow staâ—e t is no more to bethought of And for this cause I haue sodainely returnd you Aristocritus that you may presently write vnto me what beginning the matter had in what state it standeth though I also enioyned Dâ—xiâ—pus that heâ—â—â—ould without delay reâ—urne vnâ—o me And I haue written to my brother râ—questing him that he will not faile as often as he can to send me
haue warre with Antonius our swaggering Colleague a man beyond all other â—ost outragious but not vpon â—quall conditions For we vse words he armes He speakes ill also of you to the people but he shall not goe so away with it for he shall be made to know whom he hath iniuried I suppose others haue written the newes past vnto you But expect from me what comes hereafter which may easily be presaged Euery thing bends to ruine Good men haue no Head And they who slâ—w the Tyrant are in remote Countries Pâ—nsa is well enclined and speakes couragiously Our Hirtius is slacke in the recouery of himselfe What will ensue I certainly know not one hope remaines that the people of Rome will once be like their predecâ—ssors I will not surely be wanting vnto the Common-wealth and I whaâ—soeuer haâ—pens wherein I am innocent will wâ—th a constant mind support it and aboue all I will defend your fame and reputation The xx of September in a fuâ—l Sâ—nate I passed a decree as well about other important matters as also of this that the Prouinces should remaine to those that were in gouernment and be assignâ—d ouer to none but to such as shoâ—ld bee sent thither by the Senates oâ—der It is true that I pâ—opounded this coursâ— for the respects of the Common-wealth buâ— questionlesse more foâ— the preseruation of your dignitie Whâ—refore I entreat you out of our amâ—â—iâ— and exhort you for the Common wealthes cause tâ—at you will not suffer any man to take vpon him any authority in your Prouince and that you will euer make honour your obiect before which nothing should be preferred I speake to you freely as our inward friendship requireth Touching Sempronius if you had carried your selfe according to my letters you would haue purchased great esteeme with euery man But this is past neither is it of any great momeÌ„â— What I will now tell you much more importeth Be sure to retaine the Prouince vnder the power of the Common-wealth I would haue written more copiously but that your men were in hast therefore excuse me to our Cherippus Farewell Cicero to Coâ—â—ificius Epist. 23. STraetorius gaue me ample information both of the state of your Prouince and of the forme you obserue in gouerning it Oh what a number of intolerable things are coÌ„mitted euery where But by hoâ— much the moâ—e eminent your place is by so much the lesse should you haue digested those matters which happened to you For though the indigâ—ities which you support out of the greatnesse of your mind and vnderstanding are not such as you should take them deepely to heart â—et should you not omit to reuenge them Bâ—t of these things another time I know vndoubtedly that you are informed of the daily occurrents of the Citie and if I did not imagine it I would write thereof my selâ—e vnto you and I would also write of all the attempts of Caesar Octaâ—ianus and how the Vulgar beleeues that Antonius hath charg'd him wrongfully that hee might with violence take the young mans treasure from him But wise men and of good disposition hold the matter for truth and allow thereof What should I say more There is great hope in him 'T is thought hee will enter into any enterprise that may procure him praise and glory But Antonius our familiar friend obserues himselfe to be so generally hated as hauing â—urprized them in his house who meant to kill him he dâ—res not discouer them The ix of October hee went to Brundusium to meet with the foure Legions that return'd out of Macedonia being perswadâ—d that with money hee could haue won them to his direction and so conduct them to Rome to bridle vs here and hold vs in seruitude This is as it were a modell of the Common-wealth if it be any CoÌ„monwealth at all where all matters are carried by Armes and Soldiers And I am much vexed to think that you could not for yeeres relish the Common-wealth in a time when it was entire and out of danger and yet in former times there was some hope but now euen hope it selfe is taken away And what hope can there be seeing Antonius durst tell the people that Canutius sought to obtaine their fauor who could not with his safetie be permitted to remaine within the Citie For mine owne part I patiently endure thankes to Philosophie these and all things else which are incident to man For she doth not onely free mee from griefe but also armes me against all the assaults of Fortune And I aduise you to doe the like and to make nothing in the number of euills wherein your selfe haue had no hand In which point I will no further extend my selfe because I wil not speake of those things which you know better then my selfe Our Strâ—torius euer gaue me content but now I am vrged to loue him more then hitherto perceiuing that in your occasions no man could haue vsed greater diligence or haue beene more circumspect Haue a care of your health for heerein you shall do me an vnspeakable pleasure Cicero to Cornificius Epist. 24. IN euery occasion which presents it selfe of honouring or assisting you I discharge those offices I owe vnto you as you shall vnderstand by your friends letters to which I referre my selfe But yet I cannot forâ—eare to exhoâ—t you to be verie carefull of the Commonwealth This is an action worthy of yâ—ur courage of your vnderstanding aâ—d of â—hat hope which you oughâ— to nourish of augmenting your owâ—e dignities Buâ— to this purpose another time I will discourse with you more at lâ—rge for at thâ— writing of this there was noâ—hing certaine The Ambassadouâ—s weâ—e not yet returned which the Senate sent not to entreat Antonius for peace but to put him in minde of war if hee yeelded not to the Ambassadours woâ—ds I neuerthelâ—sse so soone as I had anie opportunitie according to my woâ—ted custoâ—e defended the Common-wealth and offâ—â—ed my selfâ— as head vnto thâ— Sâ—nate and people of Rome And after I embraced the cause I euer defended safetie and common libertie But my desire is you should also vnderstand this by other mens letters I recommend vnto you Titus Pinarius my speciall friend and I recommend him with all efficacie I loue him exceedingly both because he is adoâ—ned with all vertues and in that he is delighted in our studies He is Agent for our Dionysius who by you is much but by my selfe infinitely beloued And therefore â—hough I know it superfluous yet I commend his affaires vnto you entreaâ—ing you to haue such a care thereof as by the letters of Pinariuâ— who will bâ—e verie gratefuâ—l wee may euidently vndeâ—stand that you haue beene fauourable both to him and Dionysius Farewell Cicero to Cornificius Epist. 25. ON the feasts of Baâ—â—â—us I receiued your lâ—tters whiâ—â— Cornificius told mee hee deliuered two and twenty daies afâ—er the receipt Therâ— was no Senate that day â—or the day following The day of Mâ—nâ—rua in full Senate I
handled your cause and it seem'd Minâ—rua herselfe that day fauour'd me For the Senat◠〈◊〉 â—he selâ—e same dayâ— that I plâ—aded for you ordained that the Statue of Minerua which I had set vp in the Capitoll with this inscription Custos vrbis and was by a gust of winde blowne downe should be againe erected Pansa recited your letters The Senate approued highly of the matter with much alacritie to the greefe of Minotaurus that is of Clauisius and Taâ—rus and an honourable decree was passed in your fauor There were some which demanded that some disgrace might hâ—ue beene impos'd vpon them But Pansa would needs vse all clâ—mencie I my Cornificius the first day that euer I conceiued hope of libertie the xx of December while others lingered layd the foundations of the Common-wealth That verie day I labour'd much wrought effectually in the promotion of your dignitie For the Senate granted mee that the gouernment of the Prouinces sâ—ould not be altered and yeâ— I ceased not afterwards to beat downe and impugne him that with great scorne to the Common-wealth and iniurie to you held being absent this Prouince So that exclaiming and crying out vpon him daily I procur'd that whether he would or no he betooke â—im to the Citie and was not onely thrust out of the hope but the prâ—sent securitie and possession of his Prouince I am verie glad that for matters which I dâ—seruedly and most iustly spoke against him you haue by your sufficiencie preserued your owne honor and that you haue beene dignified with the greatest honours of the Prouince Whereas you purge yourselfe towards me concerning Sempronius I except of the excuse you make For that was a kinde of season when it was requisite to liue after another mans humour Now you must vnderstand thâ—t I who was wont to counsell and fauour you being angrie with the times despairing of libertie went presently into Greece but the Northerne windes like good Citizens being displeas'd that I should abandon my Countrey would not follow me and those of the South blowing forcibly a contrarie course brought me backe to Rhegium that is amongst your kindred and from thence being assisted with wind and oares in great hast I came into my Countrey Where the day following in the Senate wheras others were in great seruitude I onely was free and spake in such a mannâ—r against Anâ—onius as hee was not able to endure but wiâ—h that drunken furie of his oppos'd himselfe against me And seâ—king to shed bloud he did not onely desire thâ—t some prouocation woâ—ld proceed froÌ„ me but also layd to yâ— end snares This man belching as it were and vomiting was by me so repelled that he lay open to the blowes of Câ—sar Octauianus â—or the generous young man first to guard himselfe and then for the interest of the Common-wealth hath gotten forces togetheâ— Which if he had not done the returne of Antonius from Bâ—uâ—dusium would haue beene a plague to our Countrey I suppose you know what afterwards ensued But to returne where I left I accept of your excuse for Sempronius Then in so great an hurly-burly you could not resolue of anie thing Now the time permiâ—s that we may liue after any other fashion and that other custâ—mâ—s may bee embraced as Terentius speaketh Wherefore my Quintus enter with vs into the same ship and come vp to the sterne There 's now but one ship fraught with all good men which I endeuour â—o keepe from swaruing God grant with a prosperous course buâ— what windâ—s soâ—uer blow my skill shall neuer be wanting And what can verâ—ue further effect As for your occasions bee of a noble and haughty courage and be resolu'd that all your honour must stand with the safetie of the Common-wealth I will effectually wherein I can fauour Pubâ—ius Lucâ—â—â—us And iâ— was not needfull yâ—u should â—ecommend him he being most deaâ—e vnto me We haue too much out of season lost Hirâ—us and Pansa our Colleagues most bâ—neficiall members to the Commonwealth in their Consulships For though in respect of that Rebell Antâ—nius the Common-wealth is secure yet is she not absoluâ—ely rid of molestationâ— I will defend her according to my custome if no accident hinder mâ—e Though at this instant I am vâ—ry wâ—ary But no defatigation shall haue power â—o far ouâ—r me as to make me faile in offices or fidelitie And to this purpose let these sufficeâ— I will write nothing to you of my selfe I leaue that for you to vnderstand from otheâ—s Wee had certaine informations of you which I would they were true Of Cneius Minutius whom in certaâ—nâ— letters you exâ—old to the heauens sâ—me hâ—rd reports are dispersed of which as also of the proceedings in these parts I desire to heare from you the certainty Farewell Cicero to Cornificius Epist. 26. QVintus Turius who hath negotiated in Africa an honest man and of a good familie made his heires Cneius Saturninus Sextus Aufidius Cneius Annâ—ius Quintus Câ—nsidius Gallus Lucius Seruilius Posthumus Caiuâ— Rubellinus men like vnto himselfe By their speech I conceiued that I was more bound to thanke you for that you had done for them then to commend them vnto you For they so highlie extoll your generous disposition and the courtesie which I saw you had afforded them that I dare not further enâ—reat you Neuerthelesse I will presume knowing of what power my recomendation is with you And therefore I request you that the same fauour you shewed him wiâ—hout my letters you will for their respect afford it him more plentifully And of my recommendation the substance is this that you will not permit that Erotes Furius Freeman to Quintus Furius vsurpe the inheritance of Furius as hitheâ—to he hath done And that for my sake you wil make speciall esteeme of them in all oâ—her occurrents Wherein you will receiue great contentmeâ—t both for their eminencie and in respect of their obseruance towards you And herein I entreat you as earnestly as I am able Farewell Cicero to Cornificius Epist. 27. Sâ—xtus Aufidius obserues me after such a sort as I am not more honored by any of my kindred And so magnificent hee is that in this point no Romane Knight is his Superiour Then is he of such a temperate and milde behauiour that in him singular grauity concurs with affabilitie I commend vnto you his businesses in Africa with such sinceriâ—ie and so heartily as they possibly can bee recommended You shall highly fauour mee in doing your endeuour to let him vnderstand that my letters were of great authoritie with you And this is my maine request deare Cornificius Farewell Cicero to Cornificius Epist. 28. I Am also of your opinion that they who as you write threatned Lilybaeum deserued there to be punished But you are affraid as you say to seeme too forward in your chastizements and â—herfore you were affrayd â—o appâ—are a grauâ— and couragious Citizen or such an one as is worthy to bee your selfe I like