kind I know not whether I ought to pre thus far in his behalf; as his chafatter, after all, must be referred to your can experience. But in forming new mations of every fort, it is of much rance in what manner the firft approaches are made, and by whofe hands te avenues of friendship (if I may fo eres myfelf) are laid open. It is this fe that I have here undertaken: and tegh the employment in which Varro and related to you, may well render fervices unneceffary; yet they cerly cannot render them prejudicial. If I poffefs that share in your efteem rich Varro imagines, and which I myem perfuaded I enjoy; let me foon have the fatisfaction of hearing that my Find has received all the advantages this letter, that are agreeable to his hopes, and to my firm expectations. Farewel. ment at the house of Valumnius. We lay down about the ninth hour+: and I am placed with your friends Atticus on my right hand, and Verrius on my left. You will wonder to find that I can pafs my time thus jovially in the midst of fervitude. Yet tell me, my friend, you who are the difciple of a philofopher, what elfe fhould I do? And to what purpofe fhould I torment myself with endless difquietudes? "Spend your days then," you will probably reply, "in literary occupations." But can you imagine I have any other? or that without them my very being would not be utterly infupportable? However, though employments of this kind cannot fatiate; there is a certain time, nevertheless, when it is proper to lay them afide. Now at such intervals, though a party at fupper is not altogether a point of fo much importance to me, as it was to you, when you made it the fingle fubject of your arch query to the philofopher t; yet I know not in what manner I can more agreeably difpofe of myself till the hour of fleep. But I was going to name the reft of our company; and to tell you, that Cytheris is You will be aftonifhed, I fuppofe, to find reclined at the left hand of Eutrapelus. fuch fociety; and will be apt to cry out your grave and philofophical friend in with the poet, man of fenatorian rank whom he treats th greater marks of esteem. I therefre recommend him to you, not only as friend, but as worthy of being yours. And I am very fure, that whatever ferrice you fhall render him, will afford a fatisfaction to yourfelf, as well as confer a obligation upon me. Farewel. LETTER CXII, To L. Papirius Patus, [A. U. 707-] WRITE this letter upon my tablets, in the midst of an entertain And is this he, the man fo late renown'd; Whom virtue honour'd, and whom glory crown'd ? This, the fam'd chief, of every tongue the praife; Of Greece the wonder, and of crowds the gaze? The truth of the matter is, I had not the least fufpicion that this fair lady was to be of our party. However, I have the example of the Socratic Arifippus, to keep me in countenance; who when he was reproached with having a commerce of * The time of meals feems a very extraordinary feafon for the purpofe of writing letters. How ever, it was cuftomary with the Romans to em ploy themselves in this manner between the feveral courfes and they ufually carried tablets about them for that ufe. Plutarch informs us, that Cæfar generally figned his difpatches at table. Plut. in vit. Caf. The Romans reclined themfelves upon couches at their meals. The ninth hour answers to our three o'clock in the afternoon; and was the ufual time when they made their laft and principal meal. The story to which Cicero here alludes, is more explicitly mentioned in a fubfequent part of gallantry this letter. F 3 gulantry with the Comatin courtefan, , replica the paapter (withet concerted), I e. The a the origiyou think pro い 32. import. In the Fre vou, that I never s fort, even when I and much lefs now ごき。 But my great deve meetings; where taat comes uppermoft, eighs and forrows of Nez were you yourfelf in a mood, my friend, when erste philofopher could not allery to whom, when he g the company had any repole to him, you replied gavity, that it had been a w you the whole morning, yes bould find a party to fup?" redit expected, perhaps, going to ask him, whether even only, or heavens whereas it was at that nuch more your concern the humorous problem ce at what manner I pafs my e part of every day to atter which, that I Get de mvfelf from the 1 generally fup in on thefe occations grening our fumpalas! can now I do not even in rell extent it allows. med therefore at my you will receive a gueft more abundantly than tulate you on the fuccefs of your affairs I am by no means indeed fo imprudent as to flatter you with falfe hopes: for ar unexpected difappointment would proba bly fo deprefs your fpirits, that nothing would ever be capable of raifing them again. I have folicited your caufe with more freedom than was altogether fuitable perhaps, to a man in my circumstances as the invariable friendship which I have ever borne towards you, and which you have always moft faithfully cultivated taught me to furmount the difliculties that fortune, by impairing my credit, had thrown in my way. Accordingly the promife of your pardon is obtained: and all preliminaries are adjusted and confirmed that relate to your reftoration. I fpeak this upon my own certain knowledge; having been a witnefs to the whole tranf action. It happens indeed very luckily, that I am connected with all Cæfar's favourites: infomuch that, next to Cæfar, there is no one who ftands fo high in their friendship as myself. Panfa, Hirtius, and Oppius, Balbus, Matius, and Poftumius, have each of them diftinguished me with particular marks of their esteem. If I had endeavoured to eslablish this intereft, merely with a view of ferving you in the prefent conjuncture, I should by no means think I had reafon to be ashamed. But I did not cultivate their good graces upon any motive of this temporizing kind: on the contrary, every one of thefe, whom I inceffantly folicited in your behalf, are my old friends. In this number we are principally obliged to Panfa; who as he has the greatest credit and influence with Cæfar, fo he fhewed himself extremely zealous for your intereft, and very defirous likewife of obliging me. I must mention Tullius Cimber falfo, as one with whofe good offices : at the prætorfhip from which poft he was elected, in the year 66, to the government of Cilicia. As he had distinguished himself during his tribunate by promoting the intereit and honours of Pompey; fo he appears to have been a warm partifan of his caufe in the civil wars: in confequence of which he was at this time in exile. Pigb. Annal. iii. 376. This perfon, though greatly in favour with Cafar, was afterwards one of the principal confpirators against him. It was he that gave the fignal to the rest of his affociates when they affaffinated Cæfar in the fenate: and Cimber held him by the gown, while Caffius gave him the first stab. Suet. in Jul. 82. upon upon this occafion I have great reafon to be used. He employed them more fuccesfully upon your account, than he poly could in favour of any other man; it is not interested folicitations fo zach, as thofe which proceed entirely from friendship and gratitude, that preFail with Cæfar. Your warrant, however, is not yet actually signed. For there are certain malevolent fpirits (who fed to talk as if they were not fecretly peafed that this civil war broke out, and wo reprefent you as the principal fomenter of it) that would be exceedingly fended if they knew you had obtained your pardon. It was thought advifable, therefore, to manage this affair with gra caution and fecrecy; nor by any means at prefent to fuffer our fuccefs to be publicly known. It foon however wil: and I doubt not that every thing be ripe for that purpose, before this letter fhall reach your hands. For Pan, whofe word may be depended upon, has promifed me in the ftrongest terms, that he will in a very few days procure your warrant. In the mean time, I thought proper to fend you this previous account of the profperous ftate of your Fairs. For I find by talking with your wie Epulia, and by the tender tears of your daughter Ampia, that you are more pirited than your letters intimate and they are apprehenfive that your uneafiels will be increafed by their abfence. In order, therefore, to compofe this anxiof your mind, I thought it incumbent on me thus to anticipate a piece of good news, which most affuredly will be verined. You are fenfible that in my former letters I have rather employed uch arguments of confolation as were proper to affect a man of your philofopascal magnanimity, than encouraged you to entertain any other certain hopes than thofe of being restored with the republic, when thefe flames fhould fubfide. And here let me remind you of your letters to me, in which you have always dicovered the most heroic determination to meet with firmness and fortitude whatever it might be your fate to fuffer. I by no means furprifed to find that you were animated with thefe manly fentiments, when I reflected that was ployments of the commonwealth at a time when our lives and liberties were in the utmost danger*; and that you entered into the prefent war, not merely with the pleafing profpect of victory, but with a mind prepared to bear the reverfe with a wife and philofophical refignation. In fine, as you are employed in recording. the deeds of illuftrious heroes; it particularly concerns you to copy out in your own conduct that magnanimity which you are celebrating in others. But this is talking in a style more fuitable to your late circumstances than to your present. Let me only then exhort you to come prepared to endure thofe calamities which you must fuffer here in common with every citizen of Rome: calamities, for which if I had discovered any remedy, I fhould most certainly impart it to you. The only refuge from them is in those philofophical ftudies, in which we have both of us ever been converfant: and thefe, though in more profperous days they were only our amusement, must now prove likewife our ftrongeft fupport.But to end as I began; let me defire you to be well perfuaded, that all things are completely fettled concerning your full pardon and restoration. Farewel, LETTER CXIV. To Titus Furfanius ↑, Proconful. [A. U. 707.] IT is impoffible to be more intimately united with any man, than I have ever been with Aulus Cæcina. I lived in great familiarity with his illuftrious father: and the early prefages I obferved in the fon, of the most exalted probity and eloquence, won my affections to him from his youth. We were attached to each other, not only by the mutual exchange of many friendly offices, but by the fame common taftes and ftudies: infomuch that there is no man for whom I Ampius was tribune in the confulate of Cice ro, when the confpiracy of Catiline was difcovered: and was prætor in the year 695, when Clodius, who at the fame time was tribune, raifed fo much disturbance by his feditious laws; particularly by that which occafioned Cicero's banishment. Pigh. Annal. ii. 363. had you been converfant in the affairs of the world from your earliest youth; that you had exercised some of the most important em cily for the following year; in which port he is He was appointed by Cæfar proconful of Sifaid to have conducted himself with great clemency and moderation. Quartier F 4 ever ever entertained a more tender regard. After this I need only add, that I am under the ftrongest obligations, as you fee, to protect both his perfon and his fortunes, to the utmost of my power. As I know, by many inftances, the fentiments you entertain both of the calamities of the republic and of thofe who fuffer for its fake; I am fure your own inclinations will lead you to affift Cæcina. I will only intreat you, therefore, to fuffer my recommendation to increafe that favourable difpofition, in proportion to the efteem which I am fenfible you bear me. And be well perfuaded, that you cannot give me a more fenfible proof of your friendship. Farewel. To Servius Sulpicius. [A. U. 707.] YOUR very polite and obliging letter may Ac ing to favour Atticus for his own; and, in the next place, defire your acceptance of my acknowledgments for thofe which you have already fo generously promifed him. And be affured, whatever good offices you fhall render to Atticus, in regard to his affairs in Epirus *, or upon any other occafion, will be fo many obligations conferred upon myself. Farewel. LETTER CXVI. THE moment I received your letter We have no news from Spain: all that we know with certainty is, that young # Epirus was contiguous to Greece, and annexed to the government of that province. It is now called Janna, and is under the dominion of the Turks. A confiderable part of Atticus's etate lay in this country. Nepes in Vit. At. 14. + Cicero mentions a perfon of this name in a a former letter, who appears to have been his Pra fetus Fabrum, or what might be called, perhaps, in modern language, the commander of his train of artillery, when he was governor of Cilicia. It is probable, therefore, as Manutius conjectures, that he is the fame perfon to whom this letter is addrelled. Manutius very juftly obferves, that this could not be a law which Caefar had actually pafled, but one which he intended, perhaps, to enact when he fhould return from Spain; for if it had been actually promulgated, Cicero could have had no occafion to apply to Balbus for his intelligence. The office of præco feems to have been much in the nature of a cryer in our courts of juftice; but not altogether fo low in repute. A decurio was, in a corporate city, the fame as a fenator of Rome: that is, a member of the public council of the community. This is a fneer upon Cæfar, who had introduced perfone of the loweft rank and character into the Roman fenate. Pompey Pomer has drawn together a very confiderable army. This we learn from a beer of Paciecus to Cæfar; a copy of Cafar himself has tranfmitted to in which it is affirmed that Pompey the head of eleven legions +. Mefin a letter he lately wrote to Quintus Saas, informs him that his brother Pans Curtius has been executed by the command of Pompey, in the prefence of his whole army. This man had entered, teens, into a confpiracy with fome Spaniards, by which it was agreed, in cafe Pompey fhould march into a certain age for provifion, to feize upon his perfon and deliver him into the hands of Cziar. In relation to the fecurity in which you and engaged for Pompey; you may depead upon it, as foon as Galba, who is atly bound with you, returns hither, I all not fail to confult with him about fures for fettling that affair. He feemed, I remember, to imagine that it might be adjusted and you know he is a man who fpares no pains where his cey is concerned. It gives me much pleasure to find that fo highly approve of my Orator I. Whatever fkill I have in the art, I have played it all in that treatise: and if the commendations you beftow upon it are ot too partial, I cannot but fet fome vaupon my judgment. To speak truth, I am willing to reft all my reputation of this kind, upon the merit of that performance. I hope my little favourite, rfon, already difcovers fome relish fr writings of this fort: and although he yet too young to enter far into these dies, yet it will be no difadvantage to to begin thus early to form his tafte compofitions of this nature. I have been detained at Rome on account of my daughter Tullia's lying-in. He was a native of Spain, and a perfon of e note in that province. Cæfar entrusted him very confiderable command in the expedigainst the fons of Pompey. Hirt. de Bell. The number of horfe and foot in a Roman a varied in different periods of the republic. la its lowest computation it appears to have anted to 3000 foot and 200 horfe; and in its 4t to have rifen to 6000 of the former, and 4 of the latter. Refin. Antiq. Rem. 964. This elegant and judicious piece is infcribed Bus, and was written in answer to a question be hat often propofed to Cicero, concerning the back and moft perfect species of eloquence. But though the is now, I hope, out of all danger, yet I ftill wait here in expectation of my first payment from the agents of Dolabella § and to tell you the truth, I am not fo fond of changing the fcene as formerly. The amufement I found in my country-houses, together with the fweets of retirement, were wont heretofore to draw me frequently out of Rome. But the fituation of my present house is altogether as pleasant as that of any of my villas. I am indeed as much retired here as if I lived in the most unfrequented defert; and carry on my studies without the least interruption. I believe, therefore, that I have a better chance of a vifit from you in Rome, than you have of feeing me in the country. I would recommend Hefiod to the agreeable little Lepta, as an author which he ought to retain by heart: and particularly let him always have in his mouth thofe noble lines, High on a rugged rock, &c. You [A. U. 708.] I SHOULD not fend you to fhort a letter, if your courier had not called for it juft as he was fetting out. But I have ftill another reafon; for I have nothing to write to you in the way of pleasantry; and ferious affairs are topics in which it is not altogether fafe to engage. will therefore wonder perhaps that I fhould be in any humour to be jocose: and indeed it is no very eafy matter. However, it is the only expedient left to divert our uneafy thoughts. But where then, you will probably afk, is our philofophy? Why yours, my friend, is in the kitchen, I fuppofe; and as to mine, it is much too troublefome a guest to gain admittance. The fact is, I am heartily afhamed of being a flave; and therefore, that I may not hear the severe reproaches of Plato, I endeavour to turn my attention another way. This feems to intimate that there had been a divorce between Dolabella and Tullia; as it was ufual, in cafes of that kind, for the hufband to return the portion he had received from his wife, at three annual payments. This is a raillery upon the tenets of Caffius, who held the doctrines of the Epicurean fcct. We |