Marcus Caelius Rufus→Marcus Tullius Cicero|c. 50 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Rome|AI-assisted
Have you ever seen anyone more foolish than your Pompey, who stirred up such turmoil and turned out to be so hollow? On the other hand, have you ever read or heard of anyone sharper in action than our Caesar, or more moderate in victory?
What is it? Do you think our soldiers, who in the hardest and coldest places, in the foulest winter, finished a war just by marching, were fed on carefully rounded apples?
"What then," you ask, "is everything so glorious?" No. If you knew how anxious I am, you would not laugh at this glory of mine, which has nothing to do with me. I cannot explain these matters to you except face to face, and I hope that will happen soon. Once Caesar has driven Pompey out of Italy, he has decided to call me to the city, and I already think that is as good as done - unless Pompey preferred being besieged at Brundisium.
May I perish if I have any stronger reason to hurry there than my intense desire to see you and share all my most private thoughts. And how many I have. Ah, I fear what usually happens: when I see you, I will forget them all.
But what crime have I committed that a necessary journey backward toward the Alps has fallen on me? The Intemelii are in arms, and not for any great cause. Bellienus, a slave born in Demetrius's household and stationed there with a garrison, took money from the opposite faction, seized a certain Domitius - a noble man there and Caesar's host - and strangled him. The community went to arms. So now I must go there with cohorts through the snow.
"Everywhere," you say, "the Domitii come off badly." I wish the descendant of Venus had shown as much spirit in dealing with your Domitius as the son of Psecas showed in dealing with this one.
Give greetings to Cicero's son.
CCCXLIII (Fam. VIII, 15) M. CAELIUS RUFUS TO CICERO (AT FORMIAE) NORTH ITALY, FEBRUARY (LATE) DID you ever see a more futile person than your friend Pompey , for having stirred up all this dust, without any stuff in him, after all? And, on the other hand, did you ever read or hear of anyone prompter in action than our Caesar , and more moderate in victory? Why! Do you think that our soldiers, who in the most inclement and frozen districts, in the severest winter weather, have successfully finished a war at a walk, have been fed on the pick of the orchard? “What, then,” say you, “is it all glory with you?” Nay, if you only knew how anxious I am, you would laugh at this glory of mine, which, after all, has nothing to do with me. I can't explain matters to you unless we meet, and I hope that will soon take place. For as soon as he has driven Pompey out of Italy , Caesar has resolved to summon me to Rome : and I look upon that as good as done, unless Pompey has preferred being besieged in Brundisium . Upon my life, the chief motive I have for hurrying there is my ardent desire to see you and impart all my thoughts. And what a lot I have! Goodness! I am afraid that, as usual, I shall forget them all when I do see you. But what have I done to be obliged to retrace my steps to the Alps ? It is all because the Intemelli are in arms, and that on some trumpery excuse. Bellienus, a slave of Demetrius , who was commanding a garrison there, seized one Domitius — a man of rank and a friend of Caesar 's — for a bribe, and strangled him. The tribe rushed to arms: and I have got to go there with my cohorts over the snow. All over the world, say you, the Domitii are coming to grief. I could have wished that our descendant of Venus had shown as much resolution in the case of your Domitius , as the son of Psecas did in this one. Give my love to your son.
XV. Scr. exeunte mense Februario a.u.c. 705. CAELIUS CICERONI SAL.
Ecquando tu hominem ineptiorem quam tuum Cn. Pompeium vidisti, qui tantas turbas, qui tam nugax esset, commorit? ecquem autem Caesare nostro acriorem in rebus gerendis, eodem in victoria temperatiorem aut legisti aut audisti? Quid est? num tibi nostri milites, qui durissimis et frigidissimis locis, teterrima hieme bellum ambulando confecerunt malis orbiculatis esse pasti videntur? "Quid? tam," inquis, "gloriose omnia?" Immo, si scias, quam sollicitus sim, tum hanc meam gloriam, quae ad me nihil pertinet, non derideas; quae tibi exponere nisi coram non possum, idque celeriter fore spero; nam me, cum expulisset ex Italia Pompeium, constituit ad urbem vocare, id quod iam existimo confectum, nisi si maluit Pompeius Brundisii circumsederi. Peream, si minima causa est properandi isto mihi, quod te videre et omnia intima conferre discupio, habeo autem quam multa. Hui vereor, quod solet fieri, ne, cum te videro, omnia obliviscar. Sed tamen quod ob scelus iter mihi necessarium retro ad Alpes versus incidit? Ideo, quod Intimelii in armis sunt, neque de magna causa: Bellienus, verna Demetrii, qui ibi cum praesidio erat, Domitium quendam, nobilem illic Caesaris hospitem, a contraria factione nummis acceptis comprehendit et strangulavit; civitas ad arma iit; eo nunc cum cohortibus mihi per nives eundum est. "Usque quaque," inquis, "se Domitii male dant." Vellem quidem Venere prognatus tantum animi habuisset in vestro Domitio, quantum Psecade natus in hoc habuit. Ciceroni f. s. d. [filio salutem do.]
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Have you ever seen anyone more foolish than your Pompey, who stirred up such turmoil and turned out to be so hollow? On the other hand, have you ever read or heard of anyone sharper in action than our Caesar, or more moderate in victory?
What is it? Do you think our soldiers, who in the hardest and coldest places, in the foulest winter, finished a war just by marching, were fed on carefully rounded apples?
"What then," you ask, "is everything so glorious?" No. If you knew how anxious I am, you would not laugh at this glory of mine, which has nothing to do with me. I cannot explain these matters to you except face to face, and I hope that will happen soon. Once Caesar has driven Pompey out of Italy, he has decided to call me to the city, and I already think that is as good as done - unless Pompey preferred being besieged at Brundisium.
May I perish if I have any stronger reason to hurry there than my intense desire to see you and share all my most private thoughts. And how many I have. Ah, I fear what usually happens: when I see you, I will forget them all.
But what crime have I committed that a necessary journey backward toward the Alps has fallen on me? The Intemelii are in arms, and not for any great cause. Bellienus, a slave born in Demetrius's household and stationed there with a garrison, took money from the opposite faction, seized a certain Domitius - a noble man there and Caesar's host - and strangled him. The community went to arms. So now I must go there with cohorts through the snow.
"Everywhere," you say, "the Domitii come off badly." I wish the descendant of Venus had shown as much spirit in dealing with your Domitius as the son of Psecas showed in dealing with this one.
Give greetings to Cicero's son.
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
XV. Scr. exeunte mense Februario a.u.c. 705. CAELIUS CICERONI SAL.
Ecquando tu hominem ineptiorem quam tuum Cn. Pompeium vidisti, qui tantas turbas, qui tam nugax esset, commorit? ecquem autem Caesare nostro acriorem in rebus gerendis, eodem in victoria temperatiorem aut legisti aut audisti? Quid est? num tibi nostri milites, qui durissimis et frigidissimis locis, teterrima hieme bellum ambulando confecerunt malis orbiculatis esse pasti videntur? "Quid? tam," inquis, "gloriose omnia?" Immo, si scias, quam sollicitus sim, tum hanc meam gloriam, quae ad me nihil pertinet, non derideas; quae tibi exponere nisi coram non possum, idque celeriter fore spero; nam me, cum expulisset ex Italia Pompeium, constituit ad urbem vocare, id quod iam existimo confectum, nisi si maluit Pompeius Brundisii circumsederi. Peream, si minima causa est properandi isto mihi, quod te videre et omnia intima conferre discupio, habeo autem quam multa. Hui vereor, quod solet fieri, ne, cum te videro, omnia obliviscar. Sed tamen quod ob scelus iter mihi necessarium retro ad Alpes versus incidit? Ideo, quod Intimelii in armis sunt, neque de magna causa: Bellienus, verna Demetrii, qui ibi cum praesidio erat, Domitium quendam, nobilem illic Caesaris hospitem, a contraria factione nummis acceptis comprehendit et strangulavit; civitas ad arma iit; eo nunc cum cohortibus mihi per nives eundum est. "Usque quaque," inquis, "se Domitii male dant." Vellem quidem Venere prognatus tantum animi habuisset in vestro Domitio, quantum Psecade natus in hoc habuit. Ciceroni f. s. d. [filio salutem do.]