Marcus Tullius Cicero→Titus Pomponius Atticus|c. 45 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome/Athens|AI-assisted
About Andromenes I had thought it was as you write. You would surely have known and told me. Yet you write to me about Brutus in such a way as to say nothing about yourself. When do you suppose he is coming? For my part, I shall reach Rome the day before the Ides. I had meant to write to Brutus in this sense (but since you write that you read the letter, perhaps I was somewhat unclear [asaphesteros, "rather obscure"])—that I had gathered from your letter that he did not want me to come to Rome now as if for the sake of escorting him. But since my arrival is now at hand, please see to it that the Ides do not in any way hinder him from being at his Tusculan villa at his own convenience. For I was not going to require his presence for the accounting (in a business of that kind, why are you alone not sufficient?), but I wanted him for the will—and that I would now rather have on some other day, so that I do not seem to have come to Rome on that account. So I have already written to Brutus that, as I had supposed, there is no need for the Ides. I should like you, then, to manage this whole matter so that we do not hamper Brutus's convenience even in the slightest particular.
But what, after all, is it that makes you shudder, because I order the books to be given to Varro at your own risk? Even now, if you are in doubt, let me know. For there is nothing more polished than those books. I want Varro to have them, especially since he himself desires it; but he is, as you know, a formidable man [deinos anēr]: "perhaps he might even bring a charge against the blameless" [tacha ken kai anaition aitiōōto, an echo of Homer, Iliad 11.654]. And so his face often comes before me, complaining—perhaps even of this very thing, that my own side is more fully defended in those books than his is; which, by Hercules, you will understand is not the case, if you ever come to Epirus. For at present we yield to the letters of Alexio. But for all that I do not despair that it will meet with Varro's approval, and since I have gone to the expense of large-format paper, I readily put up with its being kept back. But again and again I say: it will be done at your own risk. So if you have misgivings, let us transfer it to Brutus; for he too is an Antiochean. O the flighty Academy, true to its own nature! Now this way, now that. But tell me, please, did my prefatory letter to Varro really please you so much? Confound me if I ever take such pains over anything again. So I did not even dictate it to Tiro, who is in the habit of taking down whole passages at a time [periochas, "sections"], but to Spintharus, syllable by syllable.
As for the letter to Caesar, I was always ready to let your friends read it first. If I had not been, I should not have done my duty by them, and should very nearly have imperilled myself, if I were likely to offend him. But they have acted frankly, and I am thankful to them for not concealing their feelings; but the best thing of all is that they want to make so many alterations that there is no sense in my writing it all over again. However, what view ought I to have taken of the Parthian war except what I thought he wanted? Indeed what other purpose had my letter save to kowtow to him? Do you suppose I should have been at a loss for words, if I had wanted to give him the advice which I really thought best? So the whole letter is unnecessary. For, when I cannot make a coup, and a fiasco, however slight, would be unpleasant, why should I run unnecessary risk? Especially as it occurs to me that, as I have not written before, he would think I should not have written until the whole war were over. Besides I am afraid he may think it is to sugar the pill of my Cato. In fact I am very sorry I wrote it, and nothing could suit my wishes better than that they do disapprove of my zeal. I should have fallen foul of Caesar's party, and among them your relative.
But to return to the gardens. I don't in the least want you to go there, unless it is quite convenient to you: for there is no hurry. Whatever happens let us direct our efforts towards Faberius. However send me the date of the auction, if you know it. I have sent this man, who came from Cumae, straight on to you, as he said Attica was quite well and he had letters.
de Andromene ut scribis ita putaram. Scisses enim mihique dixisses. tu tamen ita mihi de Bruto scribis ut de te nihil. quando autem illum putas? nam ego Romam pridie Idus. Bruto ita volui scribere (sed quoniam tu te legisse scribis, fui fortasse a)safe/steroj ) me ex tuis litteris intellexisse nolle eum me quasi prosequendi sui causa Romam nunc venire. sed, quoniam iam adest meus adventus, fac, quaeso, ne quid eum Idus impediant quo minus suo commodo in Tusculano sit. nec enim ad tabulam eum desideraturus eram (in tali enim negotio cur tu unus non satis es?) sed ad testamentum volebam, quod iam malo alio die ne ob eam causam Romam venisse videar. scripsi igitur ad Brutum iam illud, quod putassem, Idibus nihil opus esse. velim ergo totum hoc ita gubernes ut ne minima quidem re ulla Bruti commodum impediamus. [3] sed quid est tandem quod perhorrescas quia tuo periculo iubeam libros dari Varroni? etiam nunc si dubitas, fac ut sciamus. nihil est enim illis elegantius. volo Varronem, praesertim cum ille desideret; sed est, ut scis, deino\j a)nh/r: ta/xa ken kai\ a)nai/tion ai)tio/w?to. ita mihi saepe occurrit vultus eius querentis fortasse vel hoc, meas partis in iis libris copiosius defensas esse quam suas, quod me hercule non esse intelleges, si quando in Epirum veneris. nam nunc Alexionis epistulis cedimus. sed tamen ego non despero probatum iri Varroni et id, quoniam impensam fecimus in macrocolla, facile patior teneri. sed etiam atque etiam dico, tuo periculo fiet. qua re si addubitas, ad Brutum transeamus; est enim is quoque Antiochius. O Academiam volaticam et sui similem! modo huc, modo illuc. sed, quaeso, epistula mea ad Varronem valdene tibi placuit? male mi sit si umquam quicquam tam enitar. ergo ne Tironi quidem dictavi qui totas perioxa\j persequi solet sed Spintharo syllabatim.
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About Andromenes I had thought it was as you write. You would surely have known and told me. Yet you write to me about Brutus in such a way as to say nothing about yourself. When do you suppose he is coming? For my part, I shall reach Rome the day before the Ides. I had meant to write to Brutus in this sense (but since you write that you read the letter, perhaps I was somewhat unclear [asaphesteros, "rather obscure"])—that I had gathered from your letter that he did not want me to come to Rome now as if for the sake of escorting him. But since my arrival is now at hand, please see to it that the Ides do not in any way hinder him from being at his Tusculan villa at his own convenience. For I was not going to require his presence for the accounting (in a business of that kind, why are you alone not sufficient?), but I wanted him for the will—and that I would now rather have on some other day, so that I do not seem to have come to Rome on that account. So I have already written to Brutus that, as I had supposed, there is no need for the Ides. I should like you, then, to manage this whole matter so that we do not hamper Brutus's convenience even in the slightest particular.
But what, after all, is it that makes you shudder, because I order the books to be given to Varro at your own risk? Even now, if you are in doubt, let me know. For there is nothing more polished than those books. I want Varro to have them, especially since he himself desires it; but he is, as you know, a formidable man [deinos anēr]: "perhaps he might even bring a charge against the blameless" [tacha ken kai anaition aitiōōto, an echo of Homer, Iliad 11.654]. And so his face often comes before me, complaining—perhaps even of this very thing, that my own side is more fully defended in those books than his is; which, by Hercules, you will understand is not the case, if you ever come to Epirus. For at present we yield to the letters of Alexio. But for all that I do not despair that it will meet with Varro's approval, and since I have gone to the expense of large-format paper, I readily put up with its being kept back. But again and again I say: it will be done at your own risk. So if you have misgivings, let us transfer it to Brutus; for he too is an Antiochean. O the flighty Academy, true to its own nature! Now this way, now that. But tell me, please, did my prefatory letter to Varro really please you so much? Confound me if I ever take such pains over anything again. So I did not even dictate it to Tiro, who is in the habit of taking down whole passages at a time [periochas, "sections"], but to Spintharus, syllable by syllable.
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
de Andromene ut scribis ita putaram. Scisses enim mihique dixisses. tu tamen ita mihi de Bruto scribis ut de te nihil. quando autem illum putas? nam ego Romam pridie Idus. Bruto ita volui scribere (sed quoniam tu te legisse scribis, fui fortasse a)safe/steroj ) me ex tuis litteris intellexisse nolle eum me quasi prosequendi sui causa Romam nunc venire. sed, quoniam iam adest meus adventus, fac, quaeso, ne quid eum Idus impediant quo minus suo commodo in Tusculano sit. nec enim ad tabulam eum desideraturus eram (in tali enim negotio cur tu unus non satis es?) sed ad testamentum volebam, quod iam malo alio die ne ob eam causam Romam venisse videar. scripsi igitur ad Brutum iam illud, quod putassem, Idibus nihil opus esse. velim ergo totum hoc ita gubernes ut ne minima quidem re ulla Bruti commodum impediamus. [3] sed quid est tandem quod perhorrescas quia tuo periculo iubeam libros dari Varroni? etiam nunc si dubitas, fac ut sciamus. nihil est enim illis elegantius. volo Varronem, praesertim cum ille desideret; sed est, ut scis, deino\j a)nh/r: ta/xa ken kai\ a)nai/tion ai)tio/w?to. ita mihi saepe occurrit vultus eius querentis fortasse vel hoc, meas partis in iis libris copiosius defensas esse quam suas, quod me hercule non esse intelleges, si quando in Epirum veneris. nam nunc Alexionis epistulis cedimus. sed tamen ego non despero probatum iri Varroni et id, quoniam impensam fecimus in macrocolla, facile patior teneri. sed etiam atque etiam dico, tuo periculo fiet. qua re si addubitas, ad Brutum transeamus; est enim is quoque Antiochius. O Academiam volaticam et sui similem! modo huc, modo illuc. sed, quaeso, epistula mea ad Varronem valdene tibi placuit? male mi sit si umquam quicquam tam enitar. ergo ne Tironi quidem dictavi qui totas perioxa\j persequi solet sed Spintharo syllabatim.