OR T

nullius consilii, sed tamen civis Romanus et Cato, vix vivus effugerit, quod, cum Gabinium de ambitu vellet postulare neque praetores diebus aliquot adiri possent 5 vel potestatem sui facerent, in contionem escendit et Pompeium privatum dictatorem appellavit: propius nihil est factum, quam ut occideretur. Ex hoc, qui sit status totius rei publicae, videre potes. Nostrae tamen 16 causae non videntur homines defuturi: mirandum in 10 modum profitentur, offerunt se, pollicentur. Equidem cum spe sum maxima, tum maiore etiam animo, spe,

C. Cato, a man of shifting principles, strong prejudices, and vioMarcus lent temper. nullius consilii:

for case cf. modi, Sull. 64. 27; III. 25. 23. et Cato, and a Cato,' i.e., his mere name entitled him to respect. Gabinium. Aulus Gabinius and L. Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus were the consuls-elect, both men of the basest character and tools of the triumvirate. postulare, 'to accuse,' ' bring suit against,' a legal term. praetores, p. 65, § 59, Exc. II. § 7.

greater part of the letter is omitted, | adverb in -us cf. Ep. III. 9. 125. as having nothing to do with Cicero's political affairs. SALUTATION: Quinto: see Exc. V. § 12. Fratri. Q. Tullius Cicero was the orator's younger and only brother, and had been educated with him at home and abroad. He married Pomponia, the sister of Atticus, but his hasty temper and her sensitiveness made their married life unhappy, and they separated in 45. Quintus was aedile in 65, praetor in 62, and propraetor of Asia from 61 to 58. He left his province about the time Cicero went into exile and hurried to Rome, fearing a prosecution for misgovernment. This he escaped, and he worked zealously for his brother's recall. In 57 he was legatus to Pompeius in Sardinia, in 54 to Caesar in Gaul and Britain. He took sides with Pompeius in the civil war, but was pardoned by Caesar, only to fall a victim to the proscription of 43. § 15. 2-5. funditus: for another of the pronoun ?

6-8. potestatem sui facerent,' would not allow themselves to be spoken to,' lit. 'would not give him a chance at them;' in a different sense Caes. I. 40. 8. in contionem, 'the platform:' give the three meanings of this word, Mur. 50. 6. quam ut occideretur: for the clause see A. 332 b: G. 647 Rem. 4; H. 502 2; B.284 4. Ex hoc ex hac re: gender of hoc? Parallel use of the neuter? Cf. Sull. 31. 19. What is the objection to this substantive use

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

§ 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 day had to be set, hence the phrase. clause ut . . . pertimescam in ap- Private citizens could bring crimiposition with animo takes the con- nal charges before the standing struction (result) that would be courts only (Exc. II. §§ 7 and 11), used were animo omitted, because for which the terms are postulare the noun animus has no meaning (§ 15. 5) and reum facere. tota in itself to suggest any special Italia, as actually happened when construction. in hac re publica, his recall was brought before the comitia centuriata. discedamus, come off.' vi: for this abl. of manner (so in 1. 18) see on silentio, Sull. 62. 25. fore, ut resistamus: cf. Ep. III. 7. 105; necessary or unnecessary?

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.

6

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? 15-18. diem dixerit: this is pollicetur, same position as nosthe term used of a magistrate tri above. ita... ut, restrictive; who brought a criminal charge be- 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,

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: I. A bill in general terms, ut he was soon undeceived on this qui civem Romanum indemnatum point. praetores: sc. designa-interemisset, ei aqua et igni intertos. Domitium: see on Ep. III. diceretur. This bill did not be12. 179. Nigidium: see on Sull. come a law, as Cicero left the city 42. 28. Memmium: see on Ep. before it was acted upon, and IV. 3. 48. Lentulum: see on Clodius let it drop. 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 roga- the consular provinces has been tio (II.), not later than March 19. explained (cf. Ep. III. 8. 116), He then started for the East, in- but Clodius, in order to secure tending to leave Italy by way the aid of the consuls, had proof Brundisium, and expecting to posed a law assigning Macedonia be accompanied by Atticus. He to Piso, and Cilicia (afterwards writes this letter to notify Atticus Syria) to Gabinius. Atticus had of his departure. large investments in Macedonia,

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

3. 28.

2. rogationem, II.

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

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

on Ep. VI. 15. 8.

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.

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 con

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.sented to live on account of AttiHe 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.

cus' earnest persuasion. me poenitet: sc. vivere, or (cf. Ep. V. 2. 7 status) vitae. si . . . feceris,