Letter 41

As for the state of the republic, why should I describe it to you in detail? It has utterly perished, and is in this respect more wretched than when you left it: that at that time it seemed that a domination of such a kind had crushed the commonwealth as was agreeable to the multitude, and to the loyal men so burdensome that yet it was without ruin; but now suddenly it is held in such great hatred by all that we shudder at where it will burst out. For we have felt the wrath and intemperance of those men who, angry at Cato, brought everything to ruin; but they seemed to use such mild poisons that we appeared able to perish without pain. Now, however, by the hissing of the crowd, by the talk of honorable men, by the murmuring of Italy, I fear that they may have been inflamed. [2] For my part I was hoping, as I often used to discuss with you, that the wheel of the republic had so turned that we could scarcely hear its sound, scarcely see the imprinted rut; and so it would have been, if men had been able to wait for the passing of the storm. But after they had long sighed in secret, and afterward begun to groan, at last indeed they all began to speak out and to shout. [3] And so that friend of ours, unaccustomed to ill repute, always engaged in praise, awash in glory, is disfigured in body, broken in spirit, and knows not where to betake himself; he sees that going forward is headlong, and retreat inconsistent; he has the loyal as enemies, and the wicked themselves are not his friends. And mark the softness of his spirit. I did not hold back my tears when I saw him, on the eighth day before the Kalends of Sextilis [25 July], haranguing the assembly about the edicts of Bibulus. He who before had been wont to vaunt himself most magnificently in that place, with the utmost love of the people, with all men favoring him - how lowly was he then, how cast down he was, how he was displeasing even to himself, not only to those who were present! [4] O spectacle pleasing to Crassus alone, but to the rest not so! For because he had fallen from the stars, he seemed to have slipped rather than to have advanced; and, just as Apelles, if he should see his Venus, or Protogenes if he should see that Ialysus of his, smeared with mud, would receive, I believe, great grief, so I, not without great grief, beheld this man, painted and polished by me with all the colors of the art, suddenly disfigured. And although no one thought that, on account of the Clodian affair, I ought to be his friend, nevertheless so great was my affection that it could be drained by no injury. And so the Archilochian edicts of Bibulus against him are so pleasing to the people that we cannot pass by the place where they are posted, for the crowd of those who are reading them; but to himself they are so bitter that he wastes away with grief, and to me, by Hercules, they are vexing, both because they torment too cruelly the man whom I have always loved, and because I fear that a man so vehement and so fierce with the sword, and so unaccustomed to insult, may yield with the whole impulse of his spirit to grief and anger. [5] What the outcome of Bibulus will be I do not know. As the matter now stands, he is of admirable glory. For when he had postponed the elections to the month of October - because that affair is wont to offend the will of the people - Caesar had thought that by his own speech the assembly could be driven to go against Bibulus; though he said many things most seditiously, he could not wring out a single voice. What more do you want? They feel that they hold the goodwill of no party. The more, therefore, must violence be feared by us. [6] Clodius is hostile to us. Pompey assures me that he will do nothing against me. It is dangerous for me to believe it; I am preparing myself to resist. I hope that I shall have the utmost support of all the orders. I both miss you, and indeed the situation calls for you at this time. Very much in counsel, in spirit, and finally in protection will accrue to me, if I see you in time. Varro satisfies me. Pompey speaks divinely. I hope that we shall come off either with the highest glory or at least without trouble. As for you, take care that I may know what you are doing, how you are diverting yourself, and what you have settled with Sicyon.

To enter into details about politics would be superfluous. The whole country has gone to rack and ruin: and affairs are in one respect worse than when you left. Then it looked as though we were oppressed with a tyranny which was popular with the lower classes, and, though annoying to the upper, still comparatively harmless: but now it has become suddenly so universally detested that I tremble for the issue. For we have had an experience of the wrath and recklessness of the Triumvirs, and in their indignation with Cato, they have ruined the state. The poisons they used seemed to be so slow that I thought we could die painlessly. But now I am afraid they have been roused to energy by the hisses of the crowd, the talk of the loyalists, and the murmurs of Italy. I had hopes, as I used often to say to you, that the wheel of state had turned so smoothly that we could scarcely catch the sound of its motion, and scarcely see the track of its path: and that is what would have happened, if people could only have waited for the storm to pass. But for a while they stifled their sighs; then they began to groan aloud; and finally all set about airing their grievances at the top of their voices. And so our friend, being unused to unpopularity, and having always lived in an atmosphere of flattery and glory, disfigured in person and broken in spirit, does not know what to do with himself: he sees that to advance is dangerous, to retreat a confession of weakness: the respectable parties are his enemies, the very riff-raff not his friends. Yet see how soft-hearted I am. I could not restrain my tears, when I saw him on the 25th of July delivering a speech on the subject of the edicts of Bibulus. He used to carry himself with such a lofty bearing, enjoying unbounded popularity and universal respect: and now, how humble he was, how cast down, and what discontent he aroused in himself as well as in his hearers! What a sight! Crassus may have enjoyed it, but no one else. For seeing that he had fallen from the stars, one could not but attribute his swift descent to accident rather than to voluntary motion. And, just as Apelles or Protogenes, if they had seen their Venus or Ialysus smeared with mud, would, I imagine, have been cut to the heart, so I myself could not but feel poignant grief at seeing the idol on whose adornment I had lavished all the colours of my art suddenly disfigured. For though no one looked on it as my duty to retain my friendship with him after the Clodian affair, my affection for him was such that no slight could extinguish it. The result, is that now Bibulus’ scathing edicts against him are so popular, that one can’t pass the place where they are posted up for the crowd of people reading them. Pompey finds them so distressing that he is wasting away with grief; and I myself am much annoyed with them, partly because they cause so much pain to a man whom I have always loved, and partly for fear that being so impulsive and ready to draw the sword, as well as so unused to abuse, he may give full reins to his indignation and wrath. I don’t know what will be the end of Bibulus. As things stand at present his reputation is extraordinarily high. When he put off the elections till October, which generally annoys the populace, Caesar thought he could induce the people by a speech to attack Bibulus: but in spite of all his seditious talk, he could not ring a word out of anybody. In short they feel that they have lost the good-will of all parties: and so violent action on their part is all the more to be feared. Clodius is hostile to me. Pompey assures me he will do nothing against me: but I am afraid to trust him and am getting ready for resistance. I hope I shall have very strong support from all classes. For your presence I have a longing myself and circumstances call for it to meet the crisis. If I see you in time, I shall feel it a great accession to my policy, my courage and my safety. Varro is very obliging; and Pompey talks like an angel. I hope that in the end I shall either be certain of a glorious victory, or even escape unmolested. Let me know what you are doing, how you are enjoying yourself, and what has happened as regards the Sicyonians.

de re publica quid ego tibi subtiliter? tota periit atque hoc est miserior quam reliquisti, quod tum videbatur eius modi dominatio civitatem oppressisse quae iucunda esset multitudini, bonis autem ita molesta ut tamen sine pernicie, nunc repente tanto in odio est omnibus ut quorsus eruptura sit horreamus. nam iracundiam atque intemperantiam illorum sumus experti qui Catoni irati omnia perdiderunt, sed ita lenibus uti videbantur venenis ut posse videremur sine dolore interire; nunc vero sibilis vulgi, sermonibus honestorum, fremitu Italiae vereor ne exarserint. [2] equidem sperabam, ut saepe etiam loqui tecum solebam, sic orbem rei publicae esse conversum ut vix sonitum audire, vix impressam orbitam videre possemus; et fuisset ita, si homines transitum tempestatis exspectare potuissent. sed cum diu occulte suspirassent, postea iam gemere, ad extremum vero loqui omnes et clamare coeperunt. [3] itaque ille noster amicus insolens infamiae, semper in laude versatus, circumfluens gloria, deformatus corpore, fractus animo, quo se conferat nescit; progressum praecipitem, inconstantem reditum videt; bonos inimicos habet, improbos ipsos non amicos. ac vide mollitiem animi. non tenui lacrimas cum illum a. d. viii Kal. Sextilis vidi de edictis Bibuli contionantem. qui antea solitus esset iactare se magnificentissime illo in loco summo cum amore populi, cunctis faventibus, ut ille tum humilis, ut demissus erat, ut ipse etiam sibi, non iis solum qui aderant, displicebat! [4] O spectaculum uni Crasso iucundum, ceteris non item! nam quia deciderat ex astris, lapsus potius quam progressus videbatur, et, ut Apelles si venerem, aut Protogenes si Ialysum illum suum caeno oblitum videret, magnum, credo, acciperet dolorem, sic ego hunc omnibus a me pictum et politum artis coloribus subito deformatum non sine magno dolore vidi. quamquam nemo putabat propter Clodianum negotium me illi amicum esse debere, tamen tantus fuit amor ut exhauriri nulla posset iniuria. itaque Archilochia in illum edicta Bibuli populo ita sunt iucunda ut eum locum ubi proponuntur prae multitudine eorum qui legunt transire nequeamus, ipsi ita acerba ut tabescat dolore, mihi me hercule molesta, quod et eum quem semper dilexi nimis excruciant et timeo tam vehemens vir tamque acer in ferro et tam insuetus contumeliae ne omni animi impetu dolori et iracundiae pareat. [5] Bibuli qui sit exitus futurus nescio. Vt nunc res se habet, admirabili gloria est. qui cum comitia in mensem Octobrem distulisset, quod solet ea res populi voluntatem offendere, putarat Caesar oratione sua posse impelli contionem ut iret ad Bibulum; multa cum seditiosissime diceret, vocem exprimere non potuit. quid quaeris? sentiunt se nullam ullius partis voluntatem tenere. eo magis vis nobis est timenda. [6] Clodius inimicus est nobis. Pompeius confirmat eum nihil esse facturum contra me. mihi periculosum est credere, ad resistendum me paro. studia spero me summa habiturum omnium ordinum. te cum ego desidero, tum vero res ad tempus illud vocat. plurimum consili, animi, praesidi denique mihi, si te ad tempus videro, accesserit. Varro mihi satis facit. Pompeius loquitur divinitus. spero nos aut cum summa gloria aut certe sine molestia discessuros. tu quid agas, quem ad modum te oblectes, quid cum Sicyonus egeris ut sciam cura.