Letter 271

I am looking for something to write to you, but there is nothing: every day brings the same. That you are looking in on Lentulus is most welcome. Assign to him as many slaves, and which ones, as you see fit. As for Silius's willingness to sell, and the question of the price, you seem to be afraid, first, that he may be unwilling, and then that he may not be willing at that price. Sicca takes a different view; but I agree with you. Therefore, as he wished, I have written to Egnatius. As for Silius's wanting you to speak with Clodius, you may do so with my consent, and it is more convenient than what he asks of me, that I myself should write to Clodius. [2] As to the Castricius slaves, I believe it is most convenient for Egnatius to settle the matter, since you write that you think this is how it will be. With Ovia, please, see that it is brought to a conclusion. Since, as you write, it was night, I look forward to fuller news in today's letter.

Egnatius has written to me. If he has spoken to you, write and tell me, for the matter can be arranged most conveniently through him, and I think that is what ought to be done. For I don't see any chance of settling with Silius. My greetings to Pilia and Attica. The rest I have written myself. Pray see what can be done. Publilia has written to me that her mother is coming to me with Publilius at his suggestion and that she will come too, if I will let her. She begs me urgently and humbly to allow her and to answer her. You see what a nuisance it is. I answered that I was even worse than when I told her I wanted to be alone; so she must not think of coming to me at the present time. I thought, if I had not answered, she would come with her mother, now I don't think she will. For evidently that letter is not her own. But the thing that I see will happen—that they will come to me—is the very thing I want to avoid, and the one way of avoiding it is for me to flee. I don't want to, but I must. Now I want you to find out how long I can stay without being caught. Act as you say, with moderation. Please suggest to my son, that is if you think it fair, that he should keep the expenses of this journey within the rents of my property in the Argiletum and the Aventine, with which he would have been quite contented, if he stayed in Rome and hired a house, as he was thinking of doing: and, when you have made the suggestion, I should like you to arrange the rest, so that we may supply him with what is necessary from those rents. I will guarantee that neither Bibulus nor Acidinus nor Messalla, who I hear are at Athens, will spend more than he will get out of those rents. So please see who the tenants are and what they pay, secondly that they are punctual payers, and what journey money and outfit will suffice. There is certainly no need of a carriage at Athens, while for what he wants on the journey, we have more than enough, as you also observe.

quaero quod ad te scribam, sed nihil est: eadem cotidie. quod Lentulum invisis valde gratum. pueros attribue ei quot et quos videbitur. de Sili voluntate vendendi et de eo, quanti, tu vereri videris primum ne nolit, deinde ne tanti. Sicca aliter; sed tibi adsentior. qua re, ut ei placuit, scripsi ad Egnatium. quod Silius te cum Clodio loqui vult, potes id mea voluntate facere commodiusque est quam quod ille a me petit, me ipsum scribere ad Clodium. [2] de mancipiis Castricianis commodissimum esse credo transigere Egnatium, quod scribis te ita futurum putare. Cum Ovia, quaeso, vide ut conficiatur. quoniam, ut scribis, nox erat, in hodierna epistula plura exspecto.