Marcus Tullius Cicero→Gaius Scribonius Curio|c. 49 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome|Human translated
I no longer urge or ask you to come home; rather I myself wish to fly from here and arrive somewhere "where I may hear neither the name nor the deeds of the Pelopidae." It is incredible how shameful everything I am involved in seems to me. You evidently foresaw long in advance what was threatening, when you fled from here. Although these things are bitter even to hear of, yet it is more tolerable to hear them than to see them. You were certainly not in the Campus when, at the second hour, after the quaestorian elections had been set up, the chair of Quintus Maximus, whom they called consul, was placed there. When his death was reported, the chair was removed. But the man who had taken the auspices for a tribal assembly then held a centuriate one, and at the seventh hour announced a consul who was to serve until the Kalends of January, which were to fall on the next morning. So you should know that in Caninius's consulship nobody ate lunch. Nothing bad happened during his consulship, however; for he was of such marvelous vigilance that during his entire consulship he never saw sleep. You find these things amusing; for you are not here. If you could see them, you could not hold back your tears. What if I should write the rest? For there are countless things of the same kind, which indeed I could not bear if I had not taken refuge in the port of philosophy and if I did not have our friend Atticus as the companion of my studies. Since you write that you belong to him by full title and mortgage, but to me by use and profit, I am content with that; for what is truly one's own is what one enjoys and uses. But more of this another time. Acilius, who has been sent to Greece with legions, owes me the greatest obligation -- for I defended him twice on a capital charge when his affairs were still intact -- and he is not an ungrateful man and respects me greatly. I have written to him about you most carefully and enclosed that letter with this one. I would like you to write and tell me how he received it and what he promised you.
DCXCI (Fam. VII, 30) TO MANIUS CURIUS (AT PATRAE) ROME (JANUARY) No, I now neither urge nor ask you to return home. Nay, I am longing myself to fly away and to arrive somewhere, where “I may hear neither the name nor the deeds of the Pelopidae .” You could scarcely believe how disgraceful my conduct appears to me in countenancing the present state of things. Truly, I think you foresaw long ago what was impending, at the time when you fled from Rome . Though these things are painful even to hear of; yet after all hearing is more bearable than seeing. At any rate you were not on the Campus Martius when, the comitia for the quaestors being opened at 7 o'clock in the morning, the curule chair of Q. Maximus — whom that party affirmed to be consul — was set in its place, and then on his death being announced was removed: whereupon Caesar , who had taken the auspices as for a comitia tributa, held a comitia centuriata, and between 12 and 1 o'clock announced the election of a consul to hold office till the 1st of January, which was the next day. Thus I may inform you that no one breakfasted in the consulship of Caninius . However, no mischief was done while he was consul, for he was of such astonishing vigilance that throughout his consulship he never had a wink of sleep. You think this a joke, for you are not here. If you had been you would not have refrained from tears. There is a great deal else that I might tell you; for there are countless transactions of the same kind. I in fact could not have endured them had I not taken refuge in the harbour of Philosophy, and had I not had my friend Atticus as a companion in my studies. You say you are his by right of ownership and legal bond, but mine in regard to enjoyment and profit: well, I am content with that, for a man's property may be defined as that which he enjoys and of which he has the profit. But of this another time at greater length. Acilius , who has been despatched to Greece with the legions, is under a great obligation to me — for he has been twice successfully defended by me on a capital charge. He is not a man either of an ungrateful disposition, and pays me very constant attention. I have written to him in very strong terms about you, and am attaching the letter to this packet. Please let me know how he has taken it, and what promises he has made you.
XXX. Scr. Romae ineunte mense Ianuario a.u.c. 710. CICERO CURIO S. D.
Ego vero iam te nec hortor nec rogo, ut domum redeas; quin hinc ipse evolare cupio et aliquo pervenire, "ubi nec Pelopidarum nomen nec facta audiam." Incredibile est, quam turpiter mihi facere videar, qui his rebus intersim: ne tu videris multo ante providisse, quid impenderet, tum, cum hinc profugisti. Quamquam haec etiam auditu acerba sunt, tamen audire tolerabilius est quam videre. In campo certe non fuisti, cum hora secunda comitiis quaestoriis institutis sella Q. Maximi, quem illi consulem esse dicebant, posita est, quo mortuo nuntiato sella ablata est, ille autem, qui comitiis tributis esset auspicatus, centuriata habuit, consulem hora septima renuntiavit, qui usque ad Kalendas Ian. esset, quae erant futurae mane postridie: ita Caninio consule scito neminem prandisse; nihil tamen eo consule mali factum est; fuit enim mirifica vigilantia, qui suo toto consulatu somnum non viderit. Haec tibi ridicula videntur; non enim ades; quae si videres, lacrimas non teneres. Quid, si cetera scribam? sunt enim innumerabilia generis eiusdem, quae quidem ego non ferrem, nisi me in philosophiae portum contulissem et nisi haberem socium studiorum meorum Atticum nostrum; cuius quoniam proprium te esse scribis mancipio et nexo, meum autem usu et fructu, contentus isto sum; id enim est cuiusque proprium, quo quisque fruitur atque utitur. Sed haec alias pluribus. Acilius, qui in Graeciam cum legionibus missus est, maximo meo beneficio est—bis enim est a me iudicio capitis rebus salvis defensus—, et est homo non ingratus meque vehementer observat: ad eum de te diligentissime scripsi eamque epistulam cum hac epistula coniunxi, quam ille quomodo acceperit et quid tibi pollicitus sit, velim ad me scribas.
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I no longer urge or ask you to come home; rather I myself wish to fly from here and arrive somewhere "where I may hear neither the name nor the deeds of the Pelopidae." It is incredible how shameful everything I am involved in seems to me. You evidently foresaw long in advance what was threatening, when you fled from here. Although these things are bitter even to hear of, yet it is more tolerable to hear them than to see them. You were certainly not in the Campus when, at the second hour, after the quaestorian elections had been set up, the chair of Quintus Maximus, whom they called consul, was placed there. When his death was reported, the chair was removed. But the man who had taken the auspices for a tribal assembly then held a centuriate one, and at the seventh hour announced a consul who was to serve until the Kalends of January, which were to fall on the next morning. So you should know that in Caninius's consulship nobody ate lunch. Nothing bad happened during his consulship, however; for he was of such marvelous vigilance that during his entire consulship he never saw sleep. You find these things amusing; for you are not here. If you could see them, you could not hold back your tears. What if I should write the rest? For there are countless things of the same kind, which indeed I could not bear if I had not taken refuge in the port of philosophy and if I did not have our friend Atticus as the companion of my studies. Since you write that you belong to him by full title and mortgage, but to me by use and profit, I am content with that; for what is truly one's own is what one enjoys and uses. But more of this another time. Acilius, who has been sent to Greece with legions, owes me the greatest obligation -- for I defended him twice on a capital charge when his affairs were still intact -- and he is not an ungrateful man and respects me greatly. I have written to him about you most carefully and enclosed that letter with this one. I would like you to write and tell me how he received it and what he promised you.
Human translation - ToposText / Shuckburgh
Latin / Greek Original
XXX. Scr. Romae ineunte mense Ianuario a.u.c. 710. CICERO CURIO S. D.
Ego vero iam te nec hortor nec rogo, ut domum redeas; quin hinc ipse evolare cupio et aliquo pervenire, "ubi nec Pelopidarum nomen nec facta audiam." Incredibile est, quam turpiter mihi facere videar, qui his rebus intersim: ne tu videris multo ante providisse, quid impenderet, tum, cum hinc profugisti. Quamquam haec etiam auditu acerba sunt, tamen audire tolerabilius est quam videre. In campo certe non fuisti, cum hora secunda comitiis quaestoriis institutis sella Q. Maximi, quem illi consulem esse dicebant, posita est, quo mortuo nuntiato sella ablata est, ille autem, qui comitiis tributis esset auspicatus, centuriata habuit, consulem hora septima renuntiavit, qui usque ad Kalendas Ian. esset, quae erant futurae mane postridie: ita Caninio consule scito neminem prandisse; nihil tamen eo consule mali factum est; fuit enim mirifica vigilantia, qui suo toto consulatu somnum non viderit. Haec tibi ridicula videntur; non enim ades; quae si videres, lacrimas non teneres. Quid, si cetera scribam? sunt enim innumerabilia generis eiusdem, quae quidem ego non ferrem, nisi me in philosophiae portum contulissem et nisi haberem socium studiorum meorum Atticum nostrum; cuius quoniam proprium te esse scribis mancipio et nexo, meum autem usu et fructu, contentus isto sum; id enim est cuiusque proprium, quo quisque fruitur atque utitur. Sed haec alias pluribus. Acilius, qui in Graeciam cum legionibus missus est, maximo meo beneficio est—bis enim est a me iudicio capitis rebus salvis defensus—, et est homo non ingratus meque vehementer observat: ad eum de te diligentissime scripsi eamque epistulam cum hac epistula coniunxi, quam ille quomodo acceperit et quid tibi pollicitus sit, velim ad me scribas.