superiores fore nos, animo, ut in hac re publica ne casum quidem ullum pertimescam. Sed tamen se res 15 sic habet: si diem nobis Clodius dixerit, tota Italia concurret, ut multiplicata gloria discedamus; sin autem vi agere conabitur, spero fore studiis non solum amicorum, sed etiam alienorum ut vi resistamus. Omnes et se et suos amicos clientes, libertos servos, pecunias 20 denique suas pollicentur. Nostra antiqua manus bonorum ardet studio nostri atque amore; si qui antea aut alieniores fuerant aut languidiores, nunc horum regum odio se cum bonis coniungunt. Pompeius omnia pollicetur et Caesar, quibus ego ita credo, ut nihil de mea 25 comparatione deminuam. Tribuni pl. designati sunt

day had to be set, hence the phrase. Private citizens could bring criminal charges before the standing courts only (Exc. II. §§ 7 and 11), for which the terms are postulare (§ 15. 5) and reum facere. tota Italia, as actually happened when his recall was brought before the comitia centuriata. discedamus, come off.' vi: for this abl. of manner (so in l. 18) see on silentio, Sull. 62. 25. fore, ut resistamus: cf. Ep. III. 7. 105; necessary or unnecessary?

§ 16. 13, 14. superiores fore fore the comitia, something which nos: this clause in apposition | no private citizen could do. Such with spe takes the construction a charge could not be sprung upon that regularly follows words of the accused without notice; a hoping (see on I. 9. 25), while the clause ut pertimescam in apposition with animo takes the construction (result) that would be used were animo omitted, because the noun animus has no meaning in itself to suggest any special construction. in hac re publica, ' even though the condition of the state is such,' i.e., as he has just described it: for the concessive phrase see on II. 18. 12. ne casum quidem: connect the quidem with in hac re publica and the ne with the verb. The emphatic word does not always stand between the ne and quidem, though some word always does. Sed tamen; see on Mur. 48. 1.

15-18. diem dixerit: this is the term used of a magistrate who brought a criminal charge be

21-24. studio nostri atque amore: for case of nostri cf. alicuius, Ep. IV. 2. 36; for its form, Ep. II. 1. 7; for its position, Ep. III. 2. 27. regum, who? pollicetur, same position as nostri above. ita... ut, restrictive: cf. for trans. Mur. 5. 1-3,

nobis amici; consules se optimos ostendunt; praetores habemus amicissimos et acerrimos cives Domitium, Nigidium, Memmium, Lentulum; bonos etiam alios, sed hos singulares: quare magnum fac animum habeas et spem bonam; de singulis tamen rebus, quae quotidie 30 gerantur, faciam te crebro certiorem.

VII.

(AD ATT. III. 1.)

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

Cum antea maxime nostra interesse arbitrabar te esse nobiscum, tum vero, ut legi rogationem, intellexi ad iter id, quod constitui, nihil mihi optatius cadere posse,

I. A bill in general terms, ut qui civem Romanum indemnatum interemisset, ei aqua et igni interdiceretur. This bill did not become a law, as Cicero left the city before it was acted upon, and Clodius let it drop.

26-28. amici, of course exclud- Sull. 62. 1) of Clodius must be ing Clodius. consules: sc. desig- carefully distinguished: nati: see on § 15. 4. optimos: he was soon undeceived on this point. praetores: sc. designatos. Domitium: see on Ep. III. 12. 179. Nigidium: see on Sull. 42. 28. Memmium: see on Ep. IV. 3. 48. Lentulum: see on Ep. III. 3. 38. alios: how many praetors were there?

VII.

II. A bill aimed at Cicero individually (privilegium), ut M. Tullio aqua et igni interdiceretur. During the 17 days that had to inINTRODUCTORY NOTE: Written tervene between the proposal and on the road to Brundisium to passing of a law (I. 4. 13) CiceAtticus in Rome (see on Ep. V. ro's friends got a clause inserted, § 3 ad fin.) at the beginning of II. (a), limiting the interdict to a April, 58. Read p. 43, §§ 78 and distance of 400 miles from the 79. The bills (rogationes, see on city, and in this modified form

quam ut tu me quam primum consequerere, ut, cum ex 5 Italia profecti essemus, sive per Epirum iter esset faciendum, tuo tuorumque praesidio uteremur, sive aliud quid agendum esset, certum consilium de tua sententia capere possemus; quamobrem te oro, des operam, ut me statim consequare, quod eo facilius potes, quoniam 10 de provincia Macedonia perlata lex est. Pluribus verbis tecum agerem, nisi pro me apud te res ipsa loqueretur.

the bill became a law in the comitia | 6. tuo tuorumque: for tributa. position cf. Sull. 69. 26; IV. When Cicero gave way before 9. 1. praesidio, against the the first bill (I.), he retired to one banished Catilinarians living in of his country seats (probably the Epirus. one near Arpinum: see on Ep. 10, 11. de provincia . . . lex: III. 18. 213), and remained there the regular method of assigning until he heard of the second rogatio (II.), not later than March 19. He then started for the East, intending to leave Italy by way of Brundisium, and expecting to be accompanied by Atticus. He writes this letter to notify Atticus of his departure.

the consular provinces has been explained (cf. Ep. III. 8. 116), but Clodius, in order to secure the aid of the consuls, had proposed a law assigning Macedonia to Piso, and Cilicia (afterwards Syria) to Gabinius. Atticus had large investments in Macedonia,

1. nostra: for case cf. Ep. V. and had therefore desired to 3. 28.

2. rogationem, II.

on Ep. VI. 15. 8.

stay in Rome until the law was voted on. Pluribus verbis:

4. consequerere: for mood see for the thought cf. Ep. V.

3. 25 f.

VIII.

(AD ATT. III. 3.)

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

Utinam illum diem videam, cum tibi agam gratias, quod me vivere coëgisti! adhuc quidem valde me poenitet. Sed te oro, ut ad me Vibonem statim venias, quo ego multis de causis converti iter meum: scilicet, eo si veneris, de toto itinere ac fuga mea consilium 5 capere potero; si id non feceris, mirabor, sed confido te esse facturum.

VIII.

him, he could more easily escape from the former town to Sicily than from the latter to Greece. At any rate, he writes this note to ask Atticus to follow him at once.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE: Written on the road to Vibo to Atticus in Rome; the date cannot be precisely fixed. Before reaching Brundisium (see Ep. VII.) Cicero suddenly changed his mind, and turned his course to Vibo in Bruttium, on the western coast of Italy. He probably thought it safer to wait for Atticus in Vibo than in Brundisium, because in the event of sudden violence threatening mirabor: see on Sull. 7. 1.

2-6. vivere coëgisti. Cicero tells us again and again that he had made up his mind to die by his own hand, and had only consented to live on account of Atticus' earnest persuasion. me poenitet: sc. vivere, or (cf. Ep. V. 2. 7 status) vitae. si . . . feceris,

IX.

(AD ATT. III. 4.)

CICERO ATTICO SAL.

Miseriae nostrae potius velim quam inconstantiae tribuas, quod a Vibone, quo te arcessebamus, subito discessimus; allata est enim nobis rogatio de pernicie mea, in qua quod correctum esse audieramus, erat 5 eiusmodi, ut mihi ultra quadringenta milia liceret esse. Illo cum pervenire non liceret, statim iter Brundisium versus contuli ante diem rogationis, ne et Sicca, apud