Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. 47 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome/Athens|AI-assisted
I readily agree with what you explain at length in your letter: no advice of yours can help me, and certainly no consolation can relieve my grief. None of my misfortunes has come on me by fate; that would have been bearable. I have brought them all on myself by my mistakes and by my weakness of mind and body, which I wish those closest to me had seen fit to remedy. So, since there is no hope of advice or consolation from you, I will not ask for them anymore. Only please do not stop writing whatever occurs to you whenever you have someone to send it by, and as long as there is someone to send it to, which will not be long.
There is a rumor, though not a very certain one, that Caesar has left Alexandria. It first came from a letter of Sulpicius and has been confirmed by every later messenger. I do not know whether to prefer it false or true, since it makes no difference to me.
As I have already told you about the will, I would like it preserved in a safe place. I am worn out and harassed by my unhappy daughter's infatuation. I do not think there has ever been such a child of misfortune. If there is any way I can do something for her, please suggest it to me. I see there will be the same difficulty in giving me advice as before, but this causes me more anxiety than anything. It was blind of me to pay the second installment. I wish I had not, but that is over and done with.
I beg you to do your best, since matters are at the last extremity, to collect and gather whatever you can from the sale of plate and furniture, of which there is a good deal, and put it in a safe place. I now think the end is near. There will be no peace negotiations, and the present government will collapse even without an adversary. Speak to Terentia about this too at your convenience, if you think fit. I cannot write everything. Farewell. July 5.
I can quite believe what you explain at some length in your letter, that no advice of yours can assist me: and certainly there is no consolation which can relieve my sorrow. For none of my misfortunes has come upon me by fate—that would have been endurable—but I have brought all on myself by my mistakes and my mental and bodily afflictions, which I only wish my nearest and dearest had thought fit to remedy. So, as there is no hope of any advice from you or any consolation, I will not ask for them henceforth: only please do not cease from writing to me anything that may occur to you, when you have anyone to send it by, and so long as there is anyone to send it to; which will not be long.
There is a rumour, though not a very certain one, that Caesar has left Alexandria. It came first from a letter of Sulpicius, and has been confirmed by all subsequent messengers. Whether to prefer it to be false or true, I don't know, as it does not matter to me.
As I told you already about the will I should like it to be preserved in a safe place. I am worn out and harassed by the infatuation of my unhappy daughter. I don't think there ever was such a child
of misfortune. If I can do anything for her in any way, I wish you would suggest it to me. I see there will be the same difficulty as there was before in giving me advice: but this causes me more anxiety than anything. It was blind of me to pay the second instalment. I wish I had not: but that is over and done with. I beg you to do your best, as it is in the last extremity, to collect and get together what you can from the sale of plate and furniture, of which there is a good deal, and put it in a safe place. For now I think the end is near, there will be no peace negotiations, and the present government will collapse even without an adversary. As to this speak to Terentia too at your convenience, if you think fit. I cannot write everything. Farewell.
July 5.
[1] facile adsentior tuis litteris quibus exponis pluribus verbis nullum (consistere) consilium quo a te possim iuvari. consolatio certe nulla est quae levare possit dolorem meum. nihil est enim contractum casu (nam id esset ferendum), sed omnia fecimus iis erroribus et miseriis et animi et corporis quibus proximi utinam mederi maluissent! quam ob rem quoniam neque consili tui neque consolationis cuiusquam spes ulla mihi ostenditur, non quaeram haec a te posthac; tantum velim ne intermittas, scribas ad me quicquid veniet tibi in mentem cum habebis cui des et dum erit ad quem des; quod longum non erit. [2] illum discessisse Alexandria rumor est non firmus ortus ex Sulpici litteris; quas cuncti postea nuntii confirmarunt. quod verum an falsum sit, quoniam mea nihil interest, utrum malim nescio. [3] quod ad te iam pridem de testamento scripsi, apud epistulas velim ut possim adversas. ego huius miserrimae facultate confectus conflictor. nihil umquam simile atum puto. quoi si qua re consulere aliquid possum, cupi a te admoneri. video eandem esse difficultatem quam in consilio dando ante. tamen hoc me magis sollicitat quam omnia. in pensione secunda caeci fuimus. aliud mallem; sed praeteriit. te oro, ut in perditis rebus si quid cogi, confici potest quod sit in tuto, ex argento atque satis multa ex supellectile, des operam. iam enim mihi videtur adesse extremum nec ulla fore condicio pacis eaque quae sunt etiam sine adversario peritura. [4] haec etiam, si videbitur, cum Terentia loquere opportune. non queo omnia scribere. vale. iii Non. Quintil. Cicero
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I readily agree with what you explain at length in your letter: no advice of yours can help me, and certainly no consolation can relieve my grief. None of my misfortunes has come on me by fate; that would have been bearable. I have brought them all on myself by my mistakes and by my weakness of mind and body, which I wish those closest to me had seen fit to remedy. So, since there is no hope of advice or consolation from you, I will not ask for them anymore. Only please do not stop writing whatever occurs to you whenever you have someone to send it by, and as long as there is someone to send it to, which will not be long.
There is a rumor, though not a very certain one, that Caesar has left Alexandria. It first came from a letter of Sulpicius and has been confirmed by every later messenger. I do not know whether to prefer it false or true, since it makes no difference to me.
As I have already told you about the will, I would like it preserved in a safe place. I am worn out and harassed by my unhappy daughter's infatuation. I do not think there has ever been such a child of misfortune. If there is any way I can do something for her, please suggest it to me. I see there will be the same difficulty in giving me advice as before, but this causes me more anxiety than anything. It was blind of me to pay the second installment. I wish I had not, but that is over and done with.
I beg you to do your best, since matters are at the last extremity, to collect and gather whatever you can from the sale of plate and furniture, of which there is a good deal, and put it in a safe place. I now think the end is near. There will be no peace negotiations, and the present government will collapse even without an adversary. Speak to Terentia about this too at your convenience, if you think fit. I cannot write everything. Farewell. July 5.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
[1] facile adsentior tuis litteris quibus exponis pluribus verbis nullum (consistere) consilium quo a te possim iuvari. consolatio certe nulla est quae levare possit dolorem meum. nihil est enim contractum casu (nam id esset ferendum), sed omnia fecimus iis erroribus et miseriis et animi et corporis quibus proximi utinam mederi maluissent! quam ob rem quoniam neque consili tui neque consolationis cuiusquam spes ulla mihi ostenditur, non quaeram haec a te posthac; tantum velim ne intermittas, scribas ad me quicquid veniet tibi in mentem cum habebis cui des et dum erit ad quem des; quod longum non erit. [2] illum discessisse Alexandria rumor est non firmus ortus ex Sulpici litteris; quas cuncti postea nuntii confirmarunt. quod verum an falsum sit, quoniam mea nihil interest, utrum malim nescio. [3] quod ad te iam pridem de testamento scripsi, apud epistulas velim ut possim adversas. ego huius miserrimae facultate confectus conflictor. nihil umquam simile atum puto. quoi si qua re consulere aliquid possum, cupi a te admoneri. video eandem esse difficultatem quam in consilio dando ante. tamen hoc me magis sollicitat quam omnia. in pensione secunda caeci fuimus. aliud mallem; sed praeteriit. te oro, ut in perditis rebus si quid cogi, confici potest quod sit in tuto, ex argento atque satis multa ex supellectile, des operam. iam enim mihi videtur adesse extremum nec ulla fore condicio pacis eaque quae sunt etiam sine adversario peritura. [4] haec etiam, si videbitur, cum Terentia loquere opportune. non queo omnia scribere. vale. iii Non. Quintil. Cicero