The Society for Ancient Languages
Week Four
English Translation |
EPISTULAE AD ATTICUM |
LETTERS TO ATTICUS |
| 1. 'Cottidiene' inquis 'a te accipiendae
litterae sunt?' si habebo cui dem, cottidie, 'at iam ipse ades.' tum igitur cum venero
desinam. unas video mihi a te non esse redditas, quas L. Quinctius, familiaris meus, cum
ferret ad bustum Basili vulneratus et despoliatus est. 2. videbis igitur num quid fuerit
in iis quod me scire opus sit. et simul hoc dieukrineseis problema sane politikon:-- Cum sit necesse aut haberi Caesaris rationem illo exercitum vel per senatum vel per tribunos pl. obtinente, aut persuaderi Caesari ut tradat provinciam atque exercitum et ita consul fiat, aut, si id ei non persuadeatur, haberi comitia sine illius ratione illo patiente atque obtinente provinciam, aut, si per tribunos pl. non patiatur <et> tamen quiescat, rem adduci ad interregnum, aut, si ob eam causam quod ratio eius non habeatur exercitum adducat, armis cum eo contendere, illum autem initium facere armorum aut statim nobis minus paratis aut tum cum comitiis amicis eius postulantibus ut e lege ratio habeatur impetratum non sit, ire autem ad arma aut hanc unam ob causam quod ratio non habeatur aut addita causa si forte tribunus pl. senatum impediens aut populum incitans notatus aut senatus consulto circumscriptus aut sublatus aut expulsus [sit] dicensve se expulsum ad illum confugerit, suscepto autem bello aut tenenda sit urbs aut ea relicta ille commeatu et reliquis copiis intercludendus--quod horum malorum, quorum aliquod certe subeundum est, minimum putes. |
1. You ask if a letter should be
expected daily by you, if I shall have him by whom I may send, then yes, daily. You say,
"But you yourself shall soon be near." Therefore at that time when I shall have
come, I shall desist. I notice one letter having been sent in return to me from you that
is absent, a letter which Lucius Quinctius, my friend, when he bore it near the tomb of
Basilus, was wounded and robbed. 2. You will see to it therefore whether what was in it is
that which there is a need for me to know, and at the same time examine the following
admittedly political problem:-- Since it is necessary that either (1) the candidature of Caesar is to be accepted with him holding his army either through the Senate or through tribunes of the plebs, or (2) for Caesar to be persuaded that he give up the province and its army and thus become consul, or (3) if it is not persuasive to him, then the elections could be held without suffering his candidacy and also with him holding his place in his province, or (4) if he should not permit this, through the tribunes of the plebs, and yet still takes no action, the matter will lead to an interregnum, or (5) if on account of this reason, that his candidature is not accepted, he should bring up his army, then it must be contended with him by means of arms. That commencement of arms, however, will begin either at once with us having been less prepared, or, more likely with his associates demanding in the elections that his candidacy be accepted by reason of law, and should it not be obtained, moreover, to move to arms either on account of this one reason, that his candidacy is not accepted, or, possibly (lit. if by chance), an additional reason is that a tribune, obstructing the Senate or inciting the people, is publicly censured or by decree of the Senate is restricted or removed from office or expelled, or claiming himself expelled, might take refuge with him. Having undertaken the war however, either the city must be held or with it abandoned he must be cut off from his supplies and remaining troops. Which of these evils, of which any one must certainly be approaching, do you judge to be the least? |
| 3. Dices profecto persuaderi illi ut tradat exercitum et ita consul fiat. est omnino id eius modi ut, si ille eo descendat, contra dici nihil possit, idque eum, si non obtinet ut ratio habeatur retinentis exercitum, non facere miror; nobis autem, ut quidam putant, nihil est timendum magis quam ille consul. 'at sic malo' inquies 'quam cum exercitu.' certe; sed istuc ipsum 'sic' [o] magnum malum putat aliquis, neque et remedium est ullum; cedendum est, si id volet. 'vide consulem illum iterum quem vidisti consulatu priore.' 'at tum inbecillus plus' inquit 'valuit quam tota res publica. quid nunc putas?' et eo consule Pompeio certum est esse in Hispania. o rem miseram! si quid id ipsum deterrimum est quod recusari non potest, et quod ille si faciat, iam a bonis omnibus summam ineat gratiam. | 3. You will likely say for him to have been persuaded so that he give up the army and thus become consul. It is completely to his means that, if he should lower himself to it, nothing could be said against it; and I marvel at him to not do this, if he does not hold his position so that his grounds for retaining his army is not maintained. For us however, as certain ones deem, nothing must be feared more than him as consul. "But I prefer such," you will say, "than him with an army." Certainly; but this 'such' itself someone [Pompey] deems the greatest evil, and there is none such cure; it must be ceded, if he wills it. "You can see him as consul again, since you have seen him as consul before." "But then he was weak," it is said, "yet he was stronger than the whole state. What do you think [his strength] now?" And with him as consul, it has been decided by Pompey that he will be in Spain. O 'tis a miserable affair!, if it is indeed something that must be deterred, yet which is unable to be rejected, and which, if he should do it immediately, it would make all good men most grateful. |