2. Baciiius rose, and began to make a motion with respect to the threatened impeachments. And, first of all, he asked Maroellinus's opinion. He, after having complained with great bitterness of the ctmSagrations, and murders, and stomingB perpetrated by Clodius, gave his opinion that he hiniself should assign the judges by lot with the assistauoe of the city prsetor; that when the business of assigning of the judges was finished, the comitia should be held; and that whoever ofiered any obstacle to the tribunals would act contrary to the interests of the republic After his opinion had been received with great approbatioa, Caiua Cato spoke against * From the middle of December to the end of the year, the wLole &ne \ras taken up vdth the different feativalfi, — SatumaliB, C'palia, Angeronalia, Lorentinalja, imd JuTennlia.
It OICBHO 8 LETTERS it, and bo did Cassius, calling forth great acclamations from the senate, m he espi'cssed hia opinion that the comitia ought to take preoedenco of tho inipeachmentB, Philippus agreed with Leutulus.
3. Afterwards Racilins asked mo my opioioo, first of all the senators out of office. I made a long speech about the whole frenzy and piratical wickedness of Publiua Clodiuaj I accused him as if he had been on his trial, with incessant and favonrabla murmurs of assent from the whole senate. Sevcrna AntistiuB praised my speech at tolerable length, and in Ian--gu^e for from ineloquent; and he supported the cause of the courts of justice, and said that he should always consider it of the greatest importance. That opinion was adopted, Thea Ctodius, when he was asked his opinion, began to take up all the rest of the day with his speech; he declared in furious language, that he had beeti attacked by Kacilius ia a, most insulting and discoiirteoua manner. And then his factious mob on a sudden, in the space in front of the senatehouse, and on the steps, r^sed a very great disturbance, being excited, I imagine, against Quiutus Sextilius, aud the friends of Milo. The fear of this uproar spreading abroad, we iin< mediately broke up, with great complaints from all parties.
You have an account of the transactions of one day. The rest of the business, I imagine, will be postponed till the month of January. Of the tribunes of the people, we find Eacilius by far the best. Antistius, too, seems likely to be friendly to lis. As for Plancius, be ia wholly devoted to us. If you love me, be very considerate and careful how you put the month of December.i LETTER II.
Mareoi to his brother Qmntui, greeting. 1. It is not from pressure of business, with which, hoi ever, I am pretty much hindered, but from a slight of weak eyes, that I am led to dictate this letter, instead g writing with my own hand, as I usually do to you. in the first place I excuse myself to you in the very par tioular in which I accuse you; for no one has ever yet asl me, "Whether I wished to send anything to Sardinia!" \.
3 BROIHEIt QUIHTUS.
3 BROIHEIt QUIHTUS.
I anppose you often find people ask you, " Whother yon wish to send anything to Rome f" As to what you wrote to me in the name of Lentuliis aud SestiuB, I Bpoke gu that matter with Cinciua, However the busiuess atauds, it is not a very easy one; but ia truth Sardinia ha£ something very well suited to recal to people's tuiud a circumatance which hod escaped tlieir recolle*:tiun. For as the great Gnic< cbiis, when he was augur, after ha arrived in that province, recollected what had happened to him contrary to the auBpieea, irhea holding the comitia in the Campus Martins tor the election of confiuia, so you, too, aeem to me, now that you are in Sardinia,^ to have reflected again at your leisure on the riiape of the house of Minucius, aad on the debt which you owe to Potnponiua. But as yet I have bought nothing. The auction of Oulleo'a ])roperty has token place. There was no one to purchase the property; if the terms should be very brourable, perhapa I may not let it aiip myselt ~j About your building, I do not ceaao To press Cyrus, oud e that he will attend to his duty; but everything is a K^ldow, because of the expectation which is entertaiuod of _ itic ffidileship.^ For the comitia aeem likely to take e without delay; they have been given out for tlie 22d of January. However, I would not wish you to be uneasy about them; every kind of caution shail be practised by ua.
3, A vote of the senate has been passed about the king of Alexandria,^ that it appeitrs dangerous to the republic for him to be restored with a multitude; and when there followed a contest in the senate, whether Lcntulua or Pomjiey should be appointed to restore him, Lentulus appeared to have the majority. In this transaction I satisfiad my sense of obligation to Lentolns to admiration, and that of goodwill to Pompey with honour. But, by those who wished to 1 Quietus was in SBrdioia, as one of Fompey's commissioners to pioetm com for tlia city.
* ClodiuB was Btandiu); for the sdUeship.
* Tfai* waa Ptolemy Auletes. who- WEia now nt Rome, and wbo bod ptomred a vote to be pasaed that he shauld be restored to bin kingdom. The vote thnt he ebnuld not ba restored aith a multUtuIf, was euued by a, verse which Coins Cato, a tribune, profoBsed to huie feimd in the Sibylluie verHee, and which he interpreted to meun that ■D army ought not tu be employed in the matter; while one of the noloilB which mode ho maoy deaimua of the appointment to teal on. lum, wa% that it would furaiah a pretext for levying an armj.
brourabli H|Abo ■■pntic pEoe wit!
I I CICKIiO 8 LETTBBa B LentuJus, the matter was protracted by means of felse aeeusationa, Tbe days of the comitia followed, during which a senate could not be held. What will be the result of the bandit-like conduct of the tribxmea, I cannot conceive; but still I suspect that Caninius will carry his motion by force. What Pompey's wiBhes in that matter are, I do not clearly see; but every oce discerns what hia ftienda want: and the creditors of the king, without any disguise, furnish money to be used s^ainst Lentulus. Beyond all doubt, the matter now appears to be out of the reach of Lentulus, to my great sorrow, although he lias done many things for which, if it were proper, we might iairly feel angry Mfith i. I should wish you, if it is convenient, as soon as the weather is fine and setljed, to embark on board ship, and €Ome to me; for there are great numbers of things in which I waut you daily in every way. Your fomily and mine are wed. 19th January, LETTER in. ■ Marcui to hie brother Quintas, greetinij.
1. I mtOTK to you already what happened before; leam now what took place afterwards. The business of embassies was postponed from tiie 1st of February to the 13tL On that day the matter was not settled. On the 2d of February, Milo was present; and Pompey came to give him his coimtenauce. Marcellua spoke, being asked by me. We came off Tery respectably. The day of trial was put off to the 6th of February. In the meantime, as the business of the embaS' eies waa postponed tiU the IStb^ a motion was made about the provinces of the quajstora, and about some compliments to be paid to the pnetors; hut, from the introduction of frequeut corijplaiats about the general state of afiairs, no business was transacted. Caius Cato pi-oposed. a law to taJte away hia command from Lentulus. His son clianged his 2, On the 6th of February Milo appeared; Pompey spoke, or rather, intended to Epcai; for as soon aa he was on his legs, the mob in Clodiua'a pay raised a disturbance, which lasted throughout hia whole speech; and in such a manner TO HIS BKOTHEB tJUlNTUS.
that he was hiudered from being heard, not merely by the Doiae, but by nsproiiches and abuee. When he bad Hummed Dp what he bad been eayiug, (for in that matter he behaved with covirnge enough; he was not deteiTed from proceeding; he said all that be meant to say; and, indeed, there wers momeats when be was heard in silence; and iie continued (a the end trith great authority; but when be had summed up,) up rose Clodius, when such a shout was raised ngainst him by our party, for we determined to pay him off, tliat he was master neither of bis senses, nor of his expressions, nor of bis couutentuioe. This scene was continued till two o'clock, Poiapey having scarcely finished his peroration at twelve, while every sort of abuse, and even the most obscene TBTBea, were uttered in the way of attack upon Clodius and Glodia. He, furious with passiuu, and pale with terror, amid the uproar, addressed questions to his mob: " Who was it that was killing the people with famine )" The mob replied, " Pompey." " Who was it that wanted to go to Aleiandriai" They replied again, '"Pompey." "Whom did they wish to go i" They answered, " Craasus," And he, on tbia occasion, was present with MUo; but with a disposition fiir from friendly. At about three o'clock, as if a si^ial had been given, Clodius'a mob began to spit upon our party.
IndigDation rose to a great height; they began to press on in order to drive us from our seats. A rush was made upon them by our party; and a flight of the mob took place. Clodius was driven from the rostrum, and we too then fled, lest we should meet with any accident in the confusion. The seciate was summoned to the senate<house; Pompey went home. Nor did I indeed attend tbe senate, that I migbt neither be silent on matters of such impai'tauce, nor oSend the feelings of the well-afieoted citizens, by defending Pompey; for he was attacked by Bibulus, and Curio, and Favonius, and the jDUOger Servilius. The matter was put off till the nest day. Clodius deferrred the day of impeachment to the Quirinalia. 3. On the 9th of February, tbe senate met in the temple of Apollo, in order that Pompey might be present. Tbe nuitta- was bandied by him witli great gravity. On that day nothing was done. On the 10th of February, a decree of senate was made in the temple of ApoUo, "That what bad been done on the 6tb of February had been contrary to tiae of tbe republic." Oa that day Cato iirjeV^ei I CICERO B UilTEltS against Pompey with great Tehemence; and tliroiagliout liia whole speech accuaed him as if he had been upon his trial. Of me, much against my will, he said a great deal; estolling me very highly; and wbea he exposed Porapey'a treachery towards me, he was listened to with profound silence by the disaffected. Pompey replied to him with great euergy, and gave a character of Crafisua, and said in plain words, that ha would be better prepared to defend his life than Afi'icunus had been, whom Caiua Carbo had killed, 4. Thuagreatmatteraappearedtorae to bo in agitation; for Pompey understands these things, aud communicates them to me, being well aware that plots are formed against his life; that Cains Cato is supported by Crassus, that money is furnished to Clodiua, and that both of tham are encouraged by him, by Curio, and Bibulua, and the rest of those who are always disparaging him; and that he has to take the moat diligent care not to be overwhelmed, while the populace which attends all the asaemhlies is almost entirely alienated from him; while the nobility is hostile to him, the senate unfavourable, and the youth of the city corrupted. He is, therefore, preparing himself, and sending for people from the country. And Clodius is strengthening his mob of artisans. A strong force is facing prepared far the Quirinalia, and in that respect we are much superior to the number of Pompey'a adherents. But a great body of meu is also espected from Picenum and Gaul, that we may also resist Cato's motions about Milo and Lentulus.
6. On the 10th of February, Sestiua was impeached under the Pupinian law by Outeus Neriiis the informer, on a charge of corruption, and on the same day by a certain Marcus Tnlliua for violence. He was sick. Immediately, aa it was our duty to do, we went to see him at his house, aud promised our entire energies to hia service; and we did this contrary to the general eicpeotation, (as men thought that we were with reason offended with him,) in order to appear both to him aud to all men to be of a most humane and grateful disposition. And so we shall continue to do.
But this same informer, Nerius, added to the number of those whom he aftirmed to be his accomplices, Cnraus LentuluB Vaccias, and Caiua Cornelius. On the same day, a vote of the senate was pa*eed, that all the different compam'e^ and those who belonged to tlie different decurite, TO HI3 BROTHEB QDniTUS.
Aould depart; and that a law should be enacted respecting Ibem, to the efTect, that those who should not depart, should be liable to the punishment whicii is inflicted for violence.
6. On the 1 1th of February 1 made a speech in defence of Bestia, who was accused of corruption before Cnrcua Domjtiiis the praetor, in the middle of the forum, in the presenco of a Taat crowd of people, and while speaking, I happened to touch upon that occasion when Sestius, after receiving many tt-cunds in the temple of Castor, was saved by the assistance of Bestia. Here I very seasonably made the best of those things which were imputed to SsBtiua as crimes, and I extolled him with well-deaervcd praises, with the great approbation of all men. The affair was exceedingly grateful to the man. And I mention this to you now, because in your letters you have often given me a hint on keeping well with Sestius.
7. On the 12th of February I wrote this letter before daybreak; on that day I was goiug to sup with Poraponius on the occasion of his marriage. Everything elso in our af&ira of this natme is, as you described to me, though I could hardly believe you, full of dignity and influence, which have been restored both to you and to me, my brother, in consequence of your pnidenca, patience, integrity, piety, and courteonsnoss. Tho house of Liciniua at the grove of Piso is hired for you; but I hope that within a few months after the 1st of Jidy, you will move into your ovm. Those elegant tenants, the Lamiae, have hired your house in the Carinte, I have never received any letter from you since that which was dated at Olbia, I want to know what you are doing, and tow you are amusing yourself; and above all things, I want to see you aa soon as possible. Take care to preserve your health, my brother, and though it is winter, recollect that it is a Sardinian^ winter.
i5th February.
Mareui io 7im hrotherJ^uiTitus, greeting.
1. Our friend Sestius was acq^nitted on the 14th of March, Ud be was acquitted unanimously; a point which was of ■ Sardinia had a bud ciararfBr 88 an unhealthy iBlanA.
ciciiBo s LErmats very great importance to the republic, tlint there slionld appear to be no difference of opinion in a canse of that kind. Aa to that other object too, which I knew was often a cause of aaidaty to you, nameJy, that we sliould give no opportunity to any ill-dispoBed person to censure us, (who might say ^t we were ungrateful if we did not bear witli that man's perveraCQeas in some particulars as patiently as possible,) you may be assured that we completely attained it in that trial, so that I wsb considered to have displayed the greatest possible sense of gratitude; for in defending the ill-terapered man I abundantly satiafitid him; and, for my own gratifi-cation, I, as he was above all things desirous should be done, cut up Vatiniua, by whom he was openly attacked, amid the applauae of gods and men. Moreover, when our friend Paullus was produced as an evideuce against SeetiuH, he confirmed the statement that he was going to lay an information against Vatinins, if Macer Liciniua delayed to do so; when Macer rose from the seats occupied by the friends of Sestius, and declared that he would not feil to stand by bim Would yon know the resultT Tatinius, petulant and audacious aa he is, went away in great agitation, and greatly weakened in hia in9ueiice.
2. Your son Quintus, a most escellent boy, is going on with his education remarkably well; aud I have now the more opportunity of noticing this, aa Tyraunio gives him lessons at my honse. The building of botii our honsas is going on vigorously. I have provided for the payment of half his money to your contractor; and I hope that before the winter we shall be both living together under one roof. Respecting my daughter Tullia, a girl wHo is i-cally very much attached to you, I hope that I have concluded matters with CrasBipes.* There wei-e two days after the I^atin holidays which are accounted sacred, or else it would have been settled. Latiar* was going ****** ' Tulliai WIS a widow now. Her first fauaband bad been Luoius CalpumiuH Piso Frugi. She now married JuaiuB Craesippa. After his death, abe marrisd DolabdJa.
' There ia aome eiTDr in the MS. here. This name is moat likely wrong; and the ead of Uie letter Deems to be loet. There is aome difliBreaca of opinion betweoa the Tsrioua editors, bb to the division of this, and one or two of the sobaequent letters. I have followed the a/d airaitgeineatf which is tdao adc^^ed bf Nobbe.
mtoZHEB qunncs.
Marcut to Iiis brother Quintua, greeting.
I TTAn written yon a letter before, in ■which it vaa mcnficmed that my daaghter TuUia waa betrothed to CrasHipea on the 4th of April; aiid I gave you also other details of the Bflaars of the republic, and of my own private matteiB. The following particulars have taken place Bince: — Ou the 5th of April, a sum of money, to the amount of more than three himdred and twenty thousand pounds,' was voted ta Pompey, hy a decree of the aenate, to purchase com for the city. But on the same day tliere was a violent discuaaion about the lands in Campania, with ao nprwir in the senate almost equal to that of an assembly of the people. The want of money, and the high price of com, made the dispute Bharper.
2. Imuatnot omit to mention this either. TheCapitoline* college, and the priests of Mercury, have erpelled Marcns Furius Flaccus, a Roman kntgtit, and a most worthleES fellow, from the oollogc, though he was present when they came to the decision, and threw himself at the feet of every one of them.
I LETTEE VI.
Manoi Cicero to his brother Qtiintus, greetinij.
Os the 6th of April I gave the wedding-feast to Craa-Bnt at this banquet that excellent boy, your and ' HSOCOC. Paul Manutiug considera tint quairinffeiilies cmtma BiZfui nwmmUm is mennb, t,;. 40,000 BestBrtia, or Bomethuig mora thaii *320,000..Let it be observed, hnwe^w, that with regard to moat, or - all, cf tbe sums of muuej mentionsd in these lettera, there is very great nnaertuiiitf.
» The CapitoliuB college consiated of men dweUing in tto Capitol «ntl in the citadel, of ■whom Camirufl made n college, for the purpose of ■nporintending the games in honour of Jupiter Capi^tolinuB, which, wero "" ''tilted fur the preservation of the CspitoL See livy, ■v. Miwy Quintus, was not present, because he had taken some slight offence; and therefore, two days afterwards, I went to QuintuB, and found him quite candid; and he held a long conversation with me, full of good feeling, about the qnarrela of our wives. What would you have more? Nothing could be in better taste than his language. Pompouia, however, made Bome complaints of you; but these matters we will discuss when we meet.
3. When T left the boy I went into your grounds; the business was going on with pleaty of buildera, I urged Longilius, the contractor, to make haste. He assured me positively that he was anxious to give ua satisfaction. It will be a, very tine house, for a better notion could now be formed of it thoJi we had conceived irom the plan. At the same time, my house, too, was going on with great speed. That day I supped with Crassipea; and after supper I went in a litter to Bee Pompey at his villa. I had not been able to meet Lucceius, because he was away, and J was very anxious to see him, because I was going to leave Rome the next day, and because he was going to Sardinia. At last I found the man, and begged him to send you back to ua as soon aa possible. He said he would do 80 immediately. And he was going to sot out as he said on the 1 1th of April, with the intention of embarking cither at Leghorn or at Pisa.
3. As soon OS he shall have arrived, my brother, do not let slip the first opportunity for sailing, provided the weather be favourable. Tliat abundance (o^^iXai^ut) which you are in the habit of talking of, I desire sufficiently; that is to say, so as to receive it willingly if it comes, but not so as now to hunt for it if it keeps out of my way. I am building in three places; restoring and embellishing in others; I live a little more liberally than I used to do. If I had you with me, I should be forced to give a little play to the masons; but, as I hope, we shall soon talk these things over together.
4. Affairs at Rome, however, are in the following condition:— Lentulua makes a very good consul, his colleague offering no hindrance; indeed he is, I repeat, bo good, that a better. He prevented anything whatever being done in the day« of the comitia; for even the Latin holidays mBire renewed; and yet supplications were not wanting.
TO HXB BROTnER IJUIKTOS.
5, In tliia manner some most pernicious lawB folly resisted, especially those jiroposed by Cato, wht fiiead Milo has admirably baffled. For that avenger i gladiatora and matadors had bought some matadors from CoBConlus and Pomponiua, and never appeared in public without a troop of them aimed. He could not maintain thetn, BO that he could scarcely keep them about him. Jlilu became aware of tliis; and gave a commission to a man Tvho was no particular friend of hie, to buy the whole establishment from Cato without any euspiciou; and as soon as it was renidved from Cato'a house, EaciliuSj who at this moment is the only real tribune of the people, divulged the whole matter, and said that those men had been bought for him, (for so it had been agreed upon,) and stuck up a notice, that he was going to sell the establishment of gladiators and matadors belon^ng to Cato. Much laughter followed this itnnouu cement. So uow Lontulus has tired Cato of proposing new laws, aa well as those persons who proposed those monetroua enactments with reference to Ctesar, which no one chose to impede by his veto, Foi' aa to what Caninius intended about Pompey, that hag doubtless cooled considerablyj suice tho thing itself is disapproved; and our friend Pompey is much blamed for his conduct with respect to Lentulus,^ who had behayed to him in a ftiendly monnei*. And indeed he is not the some person that he used to bo; for he has given no slight offence by his exertions on behalf of Milo to those most infamous and despicable dregs of the people that adhere to Clodius; and the well-disposed citizens, too, want a good deal which they do not find in him, and bUme a good deal which they do.
In one respect Marceilinua indeed does not satisfy me; which is this, that he treats him with too much asperity; although he does this not at all against the will of the senate. On this account I withdraw with the less reluctance from the senftte-house and from all conne^on with public affoirs.
6. With respect to law proceedings, we are much in the same state that wo wore; my house ia thronged by the ' LentuluB Imd been the priacipul mennjs of the comiuiesion to Boj^ly Rome with food beiug entrusted to Pompey; who, however, endeavoured to deprivo him of the honour of beuig appointed t voured to deprivu him n « Ptolemy to hia kiugdom, so C[CEIH>8 LETTERS gi-eatest orowda of people imagiuable. One thing has happened unpleasantly, through the imprudence ol' Milo, with respect to Sextua Cceliua, whom I did not wish to be proseciited at this time, or by accusers who wanted influence. He just wanted three votes of the moat worthleas men on the bench; and so the people insiat upon it that the man shall be tried again; awd tried again he must be. for men will not bear it. And because he was almost couvicted while pleading hia cause before hia own friends, they look upon him ss yirtualiy convicted. In that matter also the unpopularity of Pompey was a hindrance to us: for the votfis of the senators acquitted him by a majority; those of the knights were equally balanced; those of the tribunes of the treasury condemned him. But the daily convictions of some or other of my enemies console me for this disappointment, among whom Servius had a vety narrow escape, to my great joy; the rest are entirely crushed. Cains Cato made a speech, to the effect that he would not permit the comitia to be held if the days for doing business were taken away from the people. Appius had not yet returned from Crasar.
7. I am amaaingly anxious for a letter from you. And I am aware that till this time the sea has been impassable; but still people said that some pereona had come from Ostia, who extolled you in an extraordinary degree; and said that you were very highly esteemed in the province. They added, that the same persona brought word, that you intended to cross at the iirat opportunity for sailing. I hope you will: but although I am most desirous of all to see yourself, still I hope for a letter from you first. My brother, fai'ewell.
LETTER Til.
MarcHB io hu brother Quinlm, greeting.
On the 11th of April 1 dictated this letter to you before daybreak, and wrote on the road, with the purpose of staying that day with Titus Titius in the neighbotu'hood of Anagnia, But I thought of staying the next day at Laterium,^ and from thence, after remaining four or five days in the neigh- ' Laterium was n couiitry-houHB of Quintiia Cicero, in the iiei£hbouthood of Arpiuuin.
TO HIB BROTHEB QtriMTDS, fil boarbood of Arpinum, to go to the neighbourhood of Poropeii, ud on my return to View the country about Cumte, in order that, as Milo's trial is fixed for tLe 7th of May, I niiglit arrive Kt Borne the day before, and on that day, as I hoped, might >ee you, my dearest and moat beloved brother. It hiiB Beenied wdl to me that the banning of the building at Arcanum^ should be stopped till you airive. Take cai-e of your health, my brother, and come aa goou us possible.
LETTER Vni. M'ircuM Cicero to his brotlier Quint'u, greel'mg.
1. O LETTBH of yours, most acceptable to me, long expected, at first indeed with eager desire, but now even witJi some apprehension. Know, too, that this is the only letter which I have received since that which your sailor brought me, and dated from Olbia. But let everytliing else, as you aay in your letter, be reserved till -we can talk it over toge-Orer. Tet this one thing I cannot forbear to mention. On the 15th of May the senate, being very crowded, was most admirably disposed, as it showed by refusing a EupplicatioQ in honour of Gabinius.' Bacillus eweare that such a thing never happened to any one before. It is very well received outof-doOTB. To me it is agreeable on its own account, and more agreeable, because the decision was made in my absence, (for it e^reasea tlie real sentiments of the senate,) and without any opposition or influence of mine. I was at Antium at the time.
2. Kb to what was said, namely, that there would be a dis-CQ^OD, on the fifteenth and the day after, on the subject of the lands in Campania, there was no discussion. Wliat I myself should say on the subject, I am in doubt; but I eliail probably say more than I had intended, for he will be present. Farewell, my moat esuellent and most wished-for brother, and hasten to me. Our children make you the same request; beg^ng you to be aure to naiud this, that you will sup here wben you oome.
' Arcununi was another tiIIb belonging to Quiiitus. ' QaWtiiUB, aa proooasul ot Syria, had gaiued aome trifling advant^w over Ule Arabs ou ttie froutlen of the pruvhiue.
I CkCXSOB LSn^BS LETTER IX.
TIu* letter wtt vntten tbe jtar aflcr Ihoae jireceding. in the conaul-«lup of Fampey uid Caatat; both for Uie second time. Their election hul heeai cazried aguiut ifae aoute bj the m<ut open tiolenoe. tScero, who had. oSraded Hie trinniTiia by his oppoeition to • Cssir'i igruim law, wu uixiaiu to reunite himBelf to them.
Mareus Cicero to KU hntker Quinlui, greeting. 1. I HAD a euspicion that my book woiJd pleaso youj that it has pleased you so much as you write that it has, I am greatly delighted. As to what you remiod me about our L'rania, and advise me to remember the speech of Jupiter, which iii at the end of that book, 1 remember it well enough, aiid hare written all those tiuogs more to please myself than others.
2. But BtiiJ, the day after you went, I went, late at night, with Yibullius to call upon Pompey; and when I had talked to I""' about these works and inscriptions, he answered me with exceeding kindness, and gave me great hopes. Ho said that he should like to talk with Crassua, and advised me to do the same. I attended Crassoa as consul home from the senate; he undertook the b-iainess, and said that there was a point which Clodius, at this moment, was very desirous to caiTy by means of his and Pumpey'a assistance; and that ho thought, if I threw no olibtacle in his way, that I might obtain what I wished without any struggle. I entrusted the whole afiair to him, ajid said that I would leave myself entirely in his hands. Publius Crassua was present at this conversation; a yoimg mau, as you aro aware, devotedly attached to me. J^ow, what Clodius wants is some embassy; and if ho cannot obtain it from the senate, he would have it by means of the people; a free embassy ' to Byzantium, or ' Tbe l-aXiaUlegiitio libera, "During tbe liitterjieriod of the republic it liad liecome cuatomnry for aanatocB to obtain from tbe Beuato pcrmislion to tniTel througlt or etsy in any proTince, Bt the eipcDSe of the provinuials, merely for the purpose of managing and qonduoting their own pereonal afikire. There w.ib no restmint as tu the length of time the sens' tors were allowed to Bvail themeelTes of this pririlege, which was a, heavy burden on the proviiicials. Tbia mode of Bojouming in a province was called Itsalh lilera, becaoEB those who availed themselves of it enjoyed TO HIS BROTHER QCINTUB. S3 to Brogitaros, or to both. It is a means for making a great deal of money, I shali not give myself much trouble oa the subject, even though I do not obtain what I want myself. However, Pompey talked the matter over with Crassus; and they seem to have undertaken the business. If they do so, well; if not, then we wilt return to our Jupiter.^ 3. On the 13th of May, a, decree of the senate was passed on the subject of corruption, in. accordance with the opinion of Afraniua, on which 1 apoka when you were present; but with great indignation on the part of the senate. Tlie consuls did not follow up their opinions; and when they had expressed their assent to Afranius's proposal, they itdded a wisli that the pi'eotors should be created in such a manner as to leave them private individuals for aisty days. On that day they plainly repudiated Oato. In short, they are absolute masters of everytliing, and they wish every one to be naze that that is the case.
LETTER X. Marcus to his hrollter Qidniics, greeiinff. 1. You are afraid of interrupting me. In the fii-st place. If I were as much occupied as you fancy, you know what alone can Xie properly called interruption. Does Ateiua ever interrupt yon'i In truth, you seemed to mo to teach me a d^ree of politonesa on that head which I certainly never practice towards you. 1 would wish you to summon mo, and interrupt mo, and put in your word, and convcrae with me; for what can be more agreeable to mo! Upon my word, no Mase-Gtricken poetaster more gladly reads his Inst poem than I listen to you on every subject, public or piivato, nu-al or dviL But it happened tlirough my own stupid shamefacedttesa, that when I was going away, I did not take you with