apud te valere, sed ne iis, qui me rogarent, aliquid de nostra coniunctione imminutum esse ostenderem, tamen, cum T. Pomponius, homo omnium meorum in te 5 studiorum et officiorum maxime conscius, tui cupidus, nostri amantissimus, ad te proficisceretur, aliquid mihi scribendum putavi, praesertim cum aliter ipsi Pomponio satisfacere non possem. Ego si abs te summa officia 2 desiderem, mirum nemini videri debeat; omnia enim a 10 me in te profecta sunt, quae ad tuum commodum, quae ad honorem, quae ad dignitatem pertinerent: pro his rebus nullam mihi abs te relatam esse gratiam tu es optimus testis, contra etiam esse aliquid abs te profectum ex multis audivi ; nam "comperisse " me non audeo 15 dicere, ne forte id ipsum verbum ponam, quod abs te aiunt falso in me solere conferri; sed ea, quae ad me delata sunt, malo te ex Pomponio, cui non minus molesta fuerunt, quam ex meis litteris cognoscere. Meus in te animus quam singulari officio fuerit, et se- 20 natus et populus Romanus testis est: tu quam gratus erga me fueris, ipse existimare potes; quantum mihi debeas, ceteri existiment. Ego quae tua causa antea 3 ne: see on Mur. 2. 27. me roga- tra etiam esse, etc., 'nay, I rent: sc. litteras commendaticias. have heard from many that someT. Pomponius (Atticus). P. 18, thing the very opposite [of grati§ 15. tui cupidus, 'well dis- tude] has proceeded from you:' posed to you.' nostri: for case contra is an adv. and its posi(so tui) and form see on IV. 19. tion is very emphatic; for its at17. praesertim cum: see on tributive sense cf. adhuc, II. 27. Sull. 6. 28. 20. § 2. 10-14. desiderem,' claim:' 15-23. "comperisse:" see on notice the different meaning in Sull. 86. S. falso goes with Ep. I. 3. 16. commodum, hono- conferri. Meus animus ego: cf. rem, dignitatem, the province, Ep. I. 3. 22. officio, 'devotion.' triumph, and political position of testis est: for number cf. Ep. existiment, horta quae ad quae I. 3. 18. Antonius. feci, voluntate sum adductus posteaque constantia ; sed 25 reliqua, mihi crede, multo maius meum studium maioremque gravitatem et laborem desiderant; quae ego si non profundere ac perdere videbor, omnibus meis viribus sustinebo; sin autem ingrata esse sentiam, non committam, ut tibi ipsi insanire videar. Ea quae sint et 30 cuiusmodi, poteris ex Pomponio cognoscere. Atque ipsum tibi Pomponium ita commendo, ut, quamquam ipsius causa confido te facturum esse omnia, tamen abs te hoc petam, ut, si quid in te residet amoris erga me, id omne in Pomponii negotio ostendas: hoc mihi nihil 35 gratius facere potes. 1 III. (AD ATT. I. 16.) CICERO ATTICO SAL. Quaeris ex me, quid acciderit de iudicio, quod tam praeter opinionem omnium factum sit, et simul § 3. 24-33. sum adductus: sc. | Atticus (cf. Ep. II. 1. 5) in Epirus, ut facerem. constantia, 'con- towards the end of May, 61, giving sistency.' reliqua, the threat- an account of the trial of Clodius ened suit for misgovernment. (§§ 1-5), of his own position in the desiderant, as in § 2. 10. quae state and public matters generally refers to gravitatem and laborem: (§§ 11-13), and finally treating of for gender cf. Sull. 73. 19. non personal matters. For the trial committam, ut: cf. III. 17. 26. of Clodius read p. 41, §§ 73, 74, abs te: cf. § 2. 9; Sull. 3. 30, and and for the senate's part in it see on I. 27. 11. p. 74, §§ 96 and 99. III. SALUTATION: Formal or familINTRODUCTORY NOTE: Written iar? Notice that the same form from Rome to Titus Pomponius is used in all the letters to Atticus vis scire, quomodo ego minus, quam soleam, proeliatus sim: respondebo tibi ὕστερον πρότερον ̔Ομηρικώς. Ego enim, quamdiu senatus auctoritas mihi defen- 5 denda fuit, sic acriter et vehementer proeliatus sum, ut clamor concursusque maxima cum mea laude fierent: quod si tibi umquam sum visus in re publica fortis, certe me in illa causa admiratus esses; cum enim ille ad conciones confugisset in iisque meo nomine ad 10 invidiam uteretur, di immortales! quas ego pugnas et quantas strages edidi! quos impetus in Pisonem, in here given. Attico: the full name § 1. 1-5. Quaeris ex me: these is given above. He was Cicero's words serve to remind Atticus of most intimate and trusted friend, the letter to which this is a reply; a man of refined and cultivated for the prep. see on a II. 13. 16. tastes, extensive learning, and quomodo, why,' abbreviated great wealth. He had early de- from quo modo ['how,' so l. 13] voted himself to a business life and factum sit ut, etc. proeliatus kept resolutely aloof from politics. sim, evidently a phrase from He had large investments in Greece Atticus letter. ὕστερον πρότερον Ομηwhich required his personal super-pks [husteron proteron Homerivision and kept him from Rome kōs] 'last first in Homer's style :' much of the time- once for a see on IV. 21. 14, and for the use period of twenty-three years con- of Greek words in the letters see tinuously and thus gained for Exc. V. § 15. enim: see on IV. him the cognomen Atticus. On 9. S. auctoritas, etc. the first his return to the capital his house proposal of the senate (p. 41, § 73 became the resort of the ablest ad fin) had been opposed by one men of all schools and parties, of the consuls, and the struggle whose love and respect for him referred to was of the kind deare shown by the fact that he scribed, p. 77, § 112. lived (109-32) in security through 9-12. admiratus esses: the all the revolutions of Marius, protasis is omitted, e.g., si adfuSulla, Caesar, and the second isses; for the conclusion (apodosis) triumvirate. He died by volun- of visus sum cf. IV. 17. 28. tary starvation, when he found himself suffering from an incurable disease. It is largely to him that we owe the letters of Cicero which we possess; none of his own are preserved. con ciones: see p. 61, §§ 42, 43; Clodius was quaestor. ad invidiam, for the purpose of exciting unpopularity.' pugnas ... edidi, colloquial phrases, keeping up jestingly the proeliatus of 1. 3. Piso 9 Curionem, in totam illam manum feci! quomodo sum insectatus levitatem senum, libidinem iuventutis! saepe, 15 ita me di iuvent! te non solum auctorem consiliorum meorum, verum etiam spectatorem pugnarum mirifi2 carum desideravi. Postea vero quam Hortensius excogitavit, ut legem de religione Fufius tribunus pl. ferret, in qua nihil aliud a consulari rogatione differebat 20 nisi iudicum genus in eo autem erant omnia — pugnavitque, ut ita fieret, quod et sibi et aliis persuaserat nullis illum iudicibus effugere posse, contraxi vela perspiciens inopiam iudicum neque dixi quidquam pro testimonio, nisi quod erat ita notum atque testa25 tum, ut non possem praeterire. Itaque, si causam quaeris absolutionis, ut iam noÙ Tо пооτεдоν revertar, egestas iudicum fuit et turpitudo; id autem ut accideret, commissum est Hortensii consilio, qui, This re nem: M. Pupius Piso Calpurnia- | (see Exc. II. §§ 5 and 8). nus, now consul with M. Valerius sulted in a packed jury. de reli Messala, had been Clodius' sup-gione: sc. violata. Fufius, Ca. porter in all the proceedings before lenus. tribunus pl.: see p. 66, §§ 61-63. in eo . . . the senate. ... omnia, 'on 13-16. Curionem: C. Scri- that depended everything.' pugbonius Curio, consul in 76, de-navit, 'carried his point.' nullis fended Clodius in court. aucto- posse, 'that Clodius could rem, spectatorem: translate as not escape, whoever the judges suggested Mur. 7. 29. might be.' iudicibus, ab. abs. nullis: connect the negative with posse. §2.17-22. desideravi, ‘longed for: cf. Eps. II. 2. 10 and I. 3. 16. Hortensius: see on Sull. 3. 26-28. πρὸς τὸ πρότερον [pros to 33. Seeing that the senate's plan proteron], 'to the first point:' cf. could not be carried out because § 1. 4. revertar: for the clause of the opposition of the tribune cf. Sull. 82. 35; III. 18. 8. iudiFufius, Hortensius proposed a com- cum: for position cf. Sull. 83. 11; promise: that Fufius should put a IV. 18. 13. fuit, not the real apolaw through (ferret: see on Sull. dosis to si . . . quaeris: cf. § 1. 65. 8) the comitia bringing Clodius 8; for number cf. Ep. I. 3. 18. to trial, but leaving the jurors to id. . . commissum est: cf. Ep. be selected in the ordinary way│II. 3. 28. dum veritus est, ne Fufius ei legi intercederet, quae ex senatus consulto ferebatur, non vidit illud, satius esse 30 illum in infamia relinqui ac sordibus quam infirmo iudicio committi, sed ductus odio properavit rem deducere in iudicium, cum illum plumbeo gladio iugulatum iri tamen diceret. Sed, iudicium si quaeris 3 quale fuerit, incredibili exitu, sic, uti nunc ex eventu 35 ab aliis, a me iam ex ipso initio consilium Hortensii reprehendatur. Nam, ut reiectio facta est clamoribus maximis, cum accusator tamquam censor bonus homines nequissimos reiiceret, reus tamquam clemens lanista frugalissimum quemque secerneret, ut primum iudices 40 consederunt, valde diffidere boni coeperunt; non enim umquam turpior in ludo talario consessus fuit: maculosi senatores, nudi equites, tribuni non tam aerati quam, ut appellantur, aerarii; pauci tamen boni inerant, quos reiectione fugare ille non potuerat, qui maesti inter sui 45 dissimiles et maerentes sedebant et contagione turpitudinis vehementer permovebantur. Hic, ut quaeque 4 res ad consilium primis postulationibus referebatur, 29-34. dum veritus est: the clemens lanista: see on Sull. 15. perfect with dum, 'while,' is rare; 18. He would naturally spare his what is the regular tense? in- best men as much as possible. tercederet: see p. 68, § 72. sordibus, 'wretchedness.' iugulatum iri: for form cf. Sull. 21. 10. tamen: see on Sull. 1. 7: the ab. abs. plumbeo gladio = quamquam plumbeus esset gladius. § 3. 35-39. exitu, abl. of quality, in predicate with fuit understood. sic tale, cf. ita Sull. 22. 28, also predicate. eventu ... = 42-44. ludo talario, 'variety show,' so called from the dress of the performers, vestis talaris, reaching to the ankles.' senatores, equites, tribuni: see Exc. II. § 6. aerati, 'rich.' aerarii: a pun on the two senses of the word, one explained IV. 15. 32, the other p. 59, § 30 ad fin. § 4. 47-52. Hic: cf. Sull. 50.6; initio: explain the arrange- 21. 1: notice that this use of the ment of the words. reiectio: see word always implies surprise or inExc. II. § 8. accusator, L. Len- dignation. consilium: see Exc. tulus Crus, consul in 49. censor II. § 8. postulationibus, in the reiiceret: see p. 65, § 57. preliminary proceedings, demands ... |