Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. 46 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome/Athens|AI-assisted
Egnatius has written to me. If he has any conversation with you (for the business can most conveniently be handled through him), let me know in writing, and I think it ought to be done. For with Silius I do not see that it can be brought off. My greetings to Pilia and Attica. This much to you in my own hand. Consider, please, what is to be done. Publilia has written to me that her mother, after speaking with Publilius, would come to me along with him, and she herself with them, if I would allow it. She begs in many suppliant words that this be permitted and that I write back to her. You see how vexing the matter is. I wrote back that I am in even worse case than at the time when I told her I wished to be alone; and that therefore I do not want her to come to me at the present time. I supposed that, if I wrote back nothing, she would come with her mother; now I think not. For it was plain that that letter was not her own. But that thing which I see is going to happen, this is the very thing I want to avoid, namely that they should come to me; and there is one way to avoid it, that I [fly off]. I would rather not, but it is unavoidable. I now ask you this: find out up to what day I can stay here in such a way that I am not caught off guard. You will manage it, as you write, with restraint. [2] I should like you to put this proposal to [young] Cicero — provided, however, it does not seem unfair to you — that the expenses of this period abroad, with which, if he were at Rome and rented a house, as he was thinking of doing, he would easily be content, he should fit to the rents from the Argiletum and the Aventine [properties Cicero owned in Rome]; and once you have put this to him, I should like you yourself to regulate the rest, how out of those rents we may supply him with what he needs. I will guarantee that neither Bibulus nor Acidinus nor Messalla, who I hear will be at Athens, will spend more than what will be received from those rents. And so I should like you first to look into who the tenants are and at what rate, and then that they be such as will pay on the day, and what is enough for travel money and equipment. For a pack-animal he certainly has no need at Athens. As for what he is to use on the road, there are more of them at home than were needed, as you yourself observe.
I could be very comfortable here considering my troubles even without
Sicca—for Tiro is better; but, as you tell me to look out that I'm not
caught, by which I am to understand you can't fix a day for the
departure I mentioned, I thought the best thing would be to go to Rome.
That I see is your opinion too. So to-morrow I shall go to Sicca's
suburban place. Then I think I will stay at your place at Ficulea, as
you suggest. The matters you have mentioned we will investigate
together, as I am coming. Your kindness, diligence and good sense both
in managing my affairs and in forming plans and suggesting them in your
letters, goes to my heart wonderfully. However, if you do anything with
Silius, even on the very day of my arrival at Sicca's place, please let
me know, especially which part he wants to withdraw. You say "the far
end." Take care that is not the very bit which, as you know, set me
thinking about the thing at all. I am sending you a letter of Hirtius',
which has just come. It is kindly expressed.
Egnatius mihi scripsit. is si quid tecum Jocutus erit (commodissime enim per eum agi potest) ad me scribes, et id agendum puto. nam cum Silio non video confici posse. Piliae et Atticae salutem. haec ad te mea manu. vide, quaeso, quid agendum sit. Publilia ad me scripsit matrem suam, cum Publilio loqueretur , ad me cum illo venturam et se una, si ego paterer. orat multis et supplicibus verbis ut liceat et ut sibi rescribam. res quam molesta sit vides. rescripsi mi etiam gravius esse quam tum cum illi dixissem me solum esse velle; qua re nolle me hoc tempore eam ad me venire. putabam si nihil rescripsissem illam cum matre venturam; nunc non puto. apparebat enim illas litteras non esse ipsius. illud autem quod fore video ipsum volo vitare ne illae ad me veniant, et una est vitatio ut ego <avolem>. nollem, sed necesse est. te hoc nunc rogo ut explores ad quam diem hic ita possim esse ut ne opprimar. ages, ut scribis, temperate. [2] Ciceroni velim hoc proponas, ita tamen, si tibi non iniquum videbitur, ut sumptus huius peregrinationis quibus, si Romae esset domumque conduceret, quod facere cogitabat, facile contentus futurus erat, accommodet ad mercedes Argileti et Aventini, et cum ei proposueris, ipse velim reliqua moderere quem ad modum ex iis mercedibus suppeditemus ei quod opus sit. praestabo nec Bibulum nec Acidinum nec Messallam, quos Athenis futuros audio maiores sumptus facturos quam quod ex eis mercedibus recipietur. itaque velim videas primum conductores qui sint et quanti, deinde ut sint qui ad diem solvant et quid viatici, quid instrumenti satis sit. iumento certe Athenis nihil opus est. quibus autem in via utatur domi sunt plura quam opus erat, quod etiam tu animadvertis.
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Egnatius has written to me. If he has any conversation with you (for the business can most conveniently be handled through him), let me know in writing, and I think it ought to be done. For with Silius I do not see that it can be brought off. My greetings to Pilia and Attica. This much to you in my own hand. Consider, please, what is to be done. Publilia has written to me that her mother, after speaking with Publilius, would come to me along with him, and she herself with them, if I would allow it. She begs in many suppliant words that this be permitted and that I write back to her. You see how vexing the matter is. I wrote back that I am in even worse case than at the time when I told her I wished to be alone; and that therefore I do not want her to come to me at the present time. I supposed that, if I wrote back nothing, she would come with her mother; now I think not. For it was plain that that letter was not her own. But that thing which I see is going to happen, this is the very thing I want to avoid, namely that they should come to me; and there is one way to avoid it, that I [fly off]. I would rather not, but it is unavoidable. I now ask you this: find out up to what day I can stay here in such a way that I am not caught off guard. You will manage it, as you write, with restraint. [2] I should like you to put this proposal to [young] Cicero — provided, however, it does not seem unfair to you — that the expenses of this period abroad, with which, if he were at Rome and rented a house, as he was thinking of doing, he would easily be content, he should fit to the rents from the Argiletum and the Aventine [properties Cicero owned in Rome]; and once you have put this to him, I should like you yourself to regulate the rest, how out of those rents we may supply him with what he needs. I will guarantee that neither Bibulus nor Acidinus nor Messalla, who I hear will be at Athens, will spend more than what will be received from those rents. And so I should like you first to look into who the tenants are and at what rate, and then that they be such as will pay on the day, and what is enough for travel money and equipment. For a pack-animal he certainly has no need at Athens. As for what he is to use on the road, there are more of them at home than were needed, as you yourself observe.
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
Egnatius mihi scripsit. is si quid tecum Jocutus erit (commodissime enim per eum agi potest) ad me scribes, et id agendum puto. nam cum Silio non video confici posse. Piliae et Atticae salutem. haec ad te mea manu. vide, quaeso, quid agendum sit. Publilia ad me scripsit matrem suam, cum Publilio loqueretur , ad me cum illo venturam et se una, si ego paterer. orat multis et supplicibus verbis ut liceat et ut sibi rescribam. res quam molesta sit vides. rescripsi mi etiam gravius esse quam tum cum illi dixissem me solum esse velle; qua re nolle me hoc tempore eam ad me venire. putabam si nihil rescripsissem illam cum matre venturam; nunc non puto. apparebat enim illas litteras non esse ipsius. illud autem quod fore video ipsum volo vitare ne illae ad me veniant, et una est vitatio ut ego <avolem>. nollem, sed necesse est. te hoc nunc rogo ut explores ad quam diem hic ita possim esse ut ne opprimar. ages, ut scribis, temperate. [2] Ciceroni velim hoc proponas, ita tamen, si tibi non iniquum videbitur, ut sumptus huius peregrinationis quibus, si Romae esset domumque conduceret, quod facere cogitabat, facile contentus futurus erat, accommodet ad mercedes Argileti et Aventini, et cum ei proposueris, ipse velim reliqua moderere quem ad modum ex iis mercedibus suppeditemus ei quod opus sit. praestabo nec Bibulum nec Acidinum nec Messallam, quos Athenis futuros audio maiores sumptus facturos quam quod ex eis mercedibus recipietur. itaque velim videas primum conductores qui sint et quanti, deinde ut sint qui ad diem solvant et quid viatici, quid instrumenti satis sit. iumento certe Athenis nihil opus est. quibus autem in via utatur domi sunt plura quam opus erat, quod etiam tu animadvertis.