Quod Lucceio 12 scribis de nostram gloriam commendaturum, et ædificium 13 nostrum quod crebro invisis, gratum.

Quintus frater ad me scripsit, se, quoniam Ciceronem14 suavissimum tecum haberes, ad te nonis Maii venturum.

Ego me de Cumano movi ante diem v Kal. Maias. Eo die Neapoli apud L. Pætumn 15. Ante diem IV Kal. Maias iens in Pompeianum, bene mane hæc scripsi.

The cause of the King of Commagene pleaded by Cicero in the Senate. Cicero's and Cæsar's correspondence.

MARCUS Q. FRATRI, S.

GAUDEO tibi jucundas esse meas literas: nec tamen habuissem scribendi nunc quidem ullum argumentum, nisi tuas accepissem. Nam prid. Id. quum Appius senatum infrequentem coëgisset, tantum fuit frigus, ut populi convicio coactus sit nos dimittere. De Com

2

mageno rege3, quod rem totam discusseram, mirifice

'The Consul.

2 That is, the crowd who stood around the Senate House compelled the consul to dismiss the senate.

3 Antiochus, the last of the Seleucidæ, had a small territory assigned him by Pompey and Lucullus, on the Eu

phrates.

4 Antiochus had made application to the senate, to be allowed to wear the prætexta; an honour frequently granted to the petty kings under Roman sway. Cicero opposed the proposal.

5

mihi et per se, et per Pomponium blanditur Appius Videt enim, hoc genere dicendi si utar in ceteris, Febru arium sterilem futurum: eumque lusi jocose satis; neque solum illud extorsi oppidulum, quod erat, positum in Euphrate: sed præterea togam sum ejus prætextam' quam erat adeptus Cæsare consule, magno hominum risu cavillatus. "Quod nos vult, inquam, renovare honores eosdem, quo minus togam prætextam quotannis interpolet, decernendum mihi censeo". Vos autem, homines nobiles, qui Busrenum 10 prætextatum non ferebatis, Commagenum feretis?" Genus vides, et locum jocandi. Multa dixi in ignobilem regem: quibus totus"1 est explosus. Quo genere commotus (ut dixi) Appius, totum me amplexatur. Nihil est enim facilius, quam reliqua discutere. Sed non faciam, ut illum offendam, ne imploret fidem Jovis Hospitalis "2, Graios omnes convocet, per quos mecum in gratiam rediit.

Theopompo 13 satisfaciemus. De Cæsare fugerat me

5 Appius wished to gain over Cicero to his views in favour of this monarch ;-for he, probably, expected the usual compliment from his royal client, if he succeeded in procuring him the soughtfor privilege. Sterilis, in the next sentence, means "barren of perquisites."

6 Antiochus wished, moreover, to have a small town (Zeugma) added to his territory.

7 The robe worn by certain magistrates at Rome,-the common toga, with a purple hem. The tribunes and pontifices did not wear it.

8As to his wish, said I, that we renew in his favour the same privileges, so that he need not be patching up every year his prætexta ;this, I think, we need come to no resolution upon." Antio

chus had had the right granted him some years before, but he wished it confirmed by the senate; awaiting which confirmation, Cicero says, playfully, that he continued patching his old toga.

9 The usual form of words used by a senator, when he objected to a measure.

10 Some other petty chieftain, who had desired the above-mentioned privilege. 11"Owing to which, he was fairly made a laughing-stock to the whole senate." is the adjective for the adverb.

Totus

12 Jupiter the upholder of the usages of hospitality.The Greeks here mentioned were probably some at Rome who interceded for Antiochus with Cicero.

13 A Greek friend of Quin

tus.

15

ad te scribere. Video enim, quas tu literas exspectâris. Sed ille scripsit ad Balbum, fasciculum illum epistolarum, in quo fuerat et mea, et Balbi, totum sibi aquâ madidum redditum esse : ut ne illud quidem sciat, meam fuisse aliquam epistolam. Sed ex Balbi epistolâ pauca verba intellexerat, ad quæ rescripsit his verbis: "De Cicerone 14 video te quiddam scripsisse; quod ego non intellexi: quantum autem conjecturâ consequebar, id erat hujusmodi, ut magis optandum, quam sperandum15 putarem." Itaque postea misi ad Cæsarem eodem illo exemplo literas. Jocum autem illius de suâ egestate 16 ne sis aspernatus. Ad quem ego rescripsi, nihil esse, quod posthac arcæ nostræ fiduciâ conturbaret": lusique in eo genere et familiariter, et cum dignitate. Amor autem ejus erga nos perfertur omnium nuntiis singularis. Et literæ quidem ad id, quod exspectas, fere cum tuo reditu jungentur 18; reliqua singulorum dierum scribemus ad te, si modo tabellarios tu præbebis. Quanquam ejusmodi frigus impendebat, ut summum periculum esset, ne Appio suæ ædes urerentur 19. Vale.

14 Viz. Quintus.

15 Namely, that Quintus would proceed to Cæsar, to give him his assistance in his military operations.

16 Cæsar had not money, but plenty of influence and interest.

17 That he should involve himself through dependence on my money-chest."-Con

turbare, like decoquere, is, in this sense, neuter; meaning, "to become involved, or bankrupt."

18 You shall receive a letter at about the time of your departure."

19 The consul, during this cold weather, was obliged to keep his stoves hot at his numerously-attended levees.

XXIII.

(Ad Q. FR. II. 13.)

Scr. Romæ, postridie Idus Febr. 699.

Cicero gives an account of the proceedings that took place in the Senate on the Ides of February. His ideas on Callisthenes and Philistus, two Greek historians.

MARCUS Q. FRATRI, S.

RISI nivem atram': teque hilari animo esse, et prompto ad jocandum, valde me juvat. De Pompeio assentior tibi, vel tu potius mihi. Nam, ut scis, jampridem istum canto Cæsarem. Mihi crede, in sinu est3: neque ego discingor. Cognosce nunc idus1. Decimus erat Cœlio

dies. Domitius ad numerum judices non habuit. Vereor ne homo teter, et ferus, Pola Servius' ad accusationem veniat. Nam noster Coelius valde oppugnatur a gente Clodiâ. Certi nihil est adhuc; sed veremur. Eodem igitur die Tyriis est senatus datus frequens ; frequentes contra Syriaci publicani. Vehementer vex

8

money. Cicero defended him the subsequent month, in an oration still extant.

6 The Prætor, before whom the trial was to take place. There was not a sufficient number of jurymen present. See Adams.

7 A creature of Clodius, employed as the accuser of Colius, who was Cicero's friend. The prænomen is here put before the nomen.

8 The Tyrians, of the province of Syria, had sent to the senate, to complain of the tax-gatherers.

9 These were the farmers of the public revenues; generally, persons of considerable rank.

atus Gabinius; exagitati tamen a Domitio publicani, quod eum essent cum equis prosecuti. L. noster Lamia "paullo ferocius, quum Domitius dixisset:

13

Ves

trâ culpâ hæc acciderunt, equites Romani; dissolute enim judicatis"; "Nos judicamus, vos laudatis," inquit. Actum est eo die nihil. Nox diremit 12. Comitialibus diebus 13, qui Quirinalia sequuntur, Appius interpretatur non impediri se Lege Pupiâ 11, quo minus habeat senatum, et quod Gabiniâ 15 sanctum sit, etiam cogi ex kal. Febr. usque ad Kal. Mart. legatis senatum quotidie dare. Ita putantur detrudi 16 comitia in mensem Martium. Sed tamen his comitialibus tribuni plebis" de Gabinio se acturos esse dicunt. Omnia colligo, ut novi scribam aliquid ad te. Sed, ut vides, res ipsa me deficit. Itaque ad Callisthenem, et ad Philistum 18; in quibus te video volutatum. Callisthenes quidem, vulgare, et notum negotium; quemadmodum Græci aliquot". Siculus ille, capitalis 20, creber, acutus, brevis, pæne pusillus Thucydides21; sed utros ejus habueris libros (duo enim sunt corpora) an utrosque, nescio. Me magis de Dionysio 22

10 Gabinius had shown a considerable dislike to the publicans.

11 The head of the order of Knights, and intimate with Cicero.

12 Litem, or rem, understood. 13 The Quirinalia were celebrated on the 18th of February; and there were only six dies Comitiales to the end of the month. On these, the senate could not be assembled for business.

14 & 15 The Pupian law for bad the holding of a senate during the whole month of February. The Gabinian allowed it to be assembled, for the purpose of receiving embassies and deputations, both on the dies comitiales and non-comitiales.

16 For the purpose of creat