CCXLIX (A V, 21)
TO ATTICUS (IN EPIRUS)
LAODICEA, 13 FEBRUARY
I am very glad to hear of your safe arrival in
Epirus, and that, as you say, you had a pleasant
voyage. I am a little annoyed at your not being in
Rome at a crisis of great importance to me, but I
console myself with the one reflexion, that you
are having a pleasant winter there and are
enjoying your rest. 1 Gaius
Cassius, brother of your friend Quintus Cassius,
had sent a despatch—of which you ask me
the meaning—written in a more modest
strain than the later one in which he says that he
had made an end of the Parthian war. It is true
that the Parthians had retired from Antioch before
the arrival of Bibulus, but it was from no success
of our arms. At this present moment they are, as a
matter of fact, wintering in Cyrrhestica, 2
and a most serious war is impending. For the son
of the Parthian king Orodes is within the Roman
province, and Deiotarus, to whose son the daughter
of Ariovasdes is betrothed—so he ought
to know—has no doubt of the king himself
intending to cross the Euphrates in full force at
the beginning of summer. Besides, on the day on
which Cassius's victorious despatch was read in
the senate (dated the 7th of October) one was read
from me also, announcing an alarm of war. My
friend Axius says that my despatch made a great
impression, that his was not credited. That of
Bibulus had not yet been received, which I am
quite sure will be thoroughly alarmist. The result
of this, I fear, will be that, as Pompey is not
allowed to be sent anywhere for fear of a
revolution, and no attention is paid by the senate
to Caesar's demands, while this knot
remains to be untied, the senate will not think
that I ought to quit my province till a successor
has arrived, and that in such troublous times
legates should not be left in charge of two such
important provinces. In view of this I tremble
lest my tenure should be prolonged, without even a
tribune being able to stop it, and all the more so
that you are not in town to interpose, as you
might have done in many cases by your advice, your
personal influence and activity. But you will say
I am piling up anxiety for myself with my own
hands. I can't help it: I wish that it may be so.
But everything causes me alarm. Though your letter
that you wrote at Buthrotum in your sickness had a
charming finale. "As I see and hope, there will be
nothing to delay your departure from your
province." I should have preferred that you had
confined yourself to "as I see": there was no need
to add "and hope." Again,
I have received a letter written just after the
triumph of Lentulus, which came with great
celerity by the hands of the postmen of the
publicani. In this you reiterate the same
"bitter-sweet," first saying that there will be no
delay of my return, and then adding, "If anything
goes wrong you will come to me." Your doubts
torture me: at the same time you may see which of
your letters I have received. For the one which
you say yourself that you delivered to the
centurion Hermon's servant I have not received.
You have often mentioned having given a letter to
Laenius's servants. That one Laenius did deliver
to me at last, on my arrival at Laodicea, the 11th
of February, dated the 21st of September. I will,
at once by what I say to him, and by deeds
hereafter, give Laenius reason to be satisfied
with your recommendation. That letter had much
news that was stale, one thing that was
new—about the panthers from Cibyra. I am
much obliged to you for telling M. Octavius that
you didn't think I would do it. But pray
henceforth, in any case of doubt, give a direct
negative. The fact is that, supported by a
spontaneous resolution of my own, and also, by
Hercules, from the inspiration of your influence,
I have surpassed everybody (and you will find this
to be the case) in preserving clean hands, no less
than in justice, courtesy, and mildness. Don't.
imagine that anything has ever surprised people more than the fact that not a
farthing of expense has been caused to the
province during my governorship, either for my
public establishment or for any individual on my
staff, except L Tullius. He,' who in other
respects is clean-handed enough, did take
something on the road in virtue of the Julian law
not as others do at every hamlet, but once only
and for the day's journey. 3 He is the only one who has done so: and he
forces me to make an exception when I say that not
a farthing of expense has been caused. No one
except him has taken anything. This blot I owe to
our friend Q. Titinius. 4
At the end of the summer
campaign I put my brother Quintus in charge of the
winter quarters and of Cilicia. I have sent your
friend Tiberius's son-in-law Quintus Volusius
—not only a safe man, but also
wonderfully disinterested—to Cyprus,
with orders to stay some few days there, to
prevent the few Roman citizens who are in business
there from saying that they have no means of legal
redress: for it is illegal for Cyprians to be
cited in courts out of the island. 5 I
myself started for Asia from Tarsus on the 5th of
January, accompanied by an admiration, which, by
heaven, it is difficult to describe, from the
cities in Cilicia, and specially from the people
of Tarsus. As soon, however, as I had crossed the
Taurus I found our dioceses in Asia on the tiptoe
of expectation: for in the six months of my
administration Asia had not received a single
letter of injunction from me, nor had had a single
official to entertain. Now before my time that
particular period had been each year a source of
gain, by. the richer states paying large sums of
money to be exempted from furnishing the soldiers
with winter quarters. The Cyprians used to pay 200
Attic talents, from which island—I am
not speaking in hyperbole, but the simple
truth—not a single farthing is exacted
under my administration. For these benefits, which
they regard with speechless astonishment, I allow
no honours, except verbal ones, to be decreed to
me: statues, temples, marble chariots I forbid;
nor am I a nuisance to the states in
any other respect—though I may be to you
by thus blowing my own trumpet. But, an you love
me, put up with it! It was you who wished me to
act thus. My progress through Asia was of such a
nature that even the famine, which prevailed in my
part of Asia at the time—the most
distressing thing there is—has been in a
manner a welcome event. Wherever I went, without
using force, legal compulsion, or strong language,
I induced both the Greeks and Roman citizens, who
had cornered the wheat, to promise large
quantities to the communities. On the 13th of
February—the day I am despatching this
letter—I have arranged to hold a court
at Laodicea for the district of Cibyra and Apamea:
from the 15th of March at the same place for the
districts of Synnada, Pamphylia (when I will look
out for a horn for Phemius), Lycaonia, Isauria.
After the 15th of May I start for Cilicia, with
the view of spending June there—I hope
without trouble from the Parthians. July, if all
goes as I wish, will be needed for my return
journey through the province. I entered the
province at Laodicea in the consulship of
Sulpicius and Marcellus on the 31st of July. I am
due to leave it on the 30th of July. I shall first
of all press my brother Quintus to allow himself
to be left in charge, which will be very much
against the wishes of us both. But that is the
only respectable arrangement possible, especially
as I cannot even now keep the excellent Pomptinus:
for Postumius hurries him back to Rome, and
perhaps Postumia 6 also. Now you know my plans. Next, let me enlighten
you about Brutus. Your friend Brutus has among his
intimates certain creditors of the people of
Salamis in Cyprus, M. Scaptius and P. Matinius,
whom he has recommended to me with more than
common earnestness. I have not made the
acquaintance of Matinius: Scaptius came to the
camp to see me. I promised for the sake of Brutus
to see that the Salaminians paid him the money. He
thanked me, and asked for a
prefecture. I said that I never granted one to a
man engaged in business, a rule of which I have
already informed you. When Cn. Pompeius asked me
he accepted the propriety of this rule—I
need not mention Torquatus when he asked for your
friend M. Laenius, and many others. But (I said)
if he wanted to be a praefectus on account of the
bond, I would see to his recovering the money. He
thanked me and went away. Our friend Appius had
granted certain squadrons of cavalry to this
Scaptius to coerce the Salaminians, and had also
given him rank as praefectus. He was harrying the
Salaminians. I ordered the cavalry squadrons to
quit Cyprus. Scaptius felt aggrieved. In short, to
keep faith with him I commanded the Salaminians,
when they came to see me at Tarsus and Scaptius
with them, to pay the money. They had a great deal
to say about the bond, a great deal about the
wrongs inflicted upon them by Scaptius. I declined
to hear it. I urged them, I even asked them as a
favour, in consideration of my good services to
their state, to settle the business: finally I
said that I would use compulsion. The men not only
did not refuse, but even said that they would be
paying out of my pocket: for that, since I had
declined the money they had been accustomed to pay
the praetor, they would in a sense be paying out
of my pocket, and indeed the debt to Scaptius
amounted to considerably less than the praetorian
contribution. I warmly commended them: "All
right," said Scaptius, "but let us reckon the
total." Then there arose this question: One of the
clauses in my customary edict was a declaration
that I would not recognize more than twelve per
cent. interest, besides the yearly addition to the
capital of interest accrued, 7 whereas he demanded in virtue of the deed
forty-eight per cent. "What do you mean?" said I.
"Can I go against my own edict?" He then produced
a decree of the senate made in the consulship of
Lentulus and Philippus. "The governor of Cilicia
shall recognize that bond in giving judgment."
8 I was at
first horrified, for it meant the ruin of the
town. I find there are two decrees of the senate
in the same year about this bond. When the
Salaminians wished to raise money at Rome to pay
off a debt, they were prevented from doing so by
the Gabinian law. 9 Then it was that
Brutus's friends, relying on his influence,
offered to advance the money if they were secured
by a senatorial decree. A decree is passed by
Brutus's influence "That the Salaminians and those
who lent the money should be indemnified." They
paid the money. Afterwards it occurred to the
lenders that this senatorial decree would not
secure them, because the Gabinian law forbade a
legal decision being based on the bond. So the
other senatorial decree ("that this bond be
recognized in giving judgment") is passed: not
giving that particular bond more legal validity
than others, but the same. 10 When I had expounded this view,
Scaptius took me aside and said that he had
nothing to say against it, but that those men were
under the impression that their debt was 200
talents, and he was willing to accept that sum,
whereas it really amounted to somewhat less; he
begs me to induce them to agree on the 200. "Very
well," said I. I summon them without the presence
of Scaptius. "What do you say," said I, "how much
is your debt?" They answered, "One hundred and
six." I refer back to Scaptius. He exclaimed
loudly. "What is the use of this?" said I. "Check
each other's additions." They sit down, they make
their calculations: they agree to a penny. They
declare themselves willing to pay: and beg him to
accept the money. Scaptius again takes me aside:
asks me to leave the matter as it is, undecided. I
gave in to the fellow's shameless request. When
the Greeks grumbled, and demanded that they might
deposit the money in a temple, 11 I did not assent.
Everybody in court, exclaimed that Scaptius was
the greatest knave in the world for mot being
content with twelve per cent. plus the compound
interest: others said that he was the greatest
fool. In my opinion he was more knave than fool.
For either he was content with twelve per cent. on
a good security, or he hoped for forty-eight per
cent. with a bad one. 12 That is my case; and
if Brutus is not satisfied with it, I cannot see
why I should regard him as a friend: I am sure
that his uncle at any rate will accept it,
especially as a senatorial decree has just been
passed—I think since you left
town—in the matter of money-lenders,
that twelve per cent. simple interest was to be
the rate. What a wide difference this implies you
will certainly be able to reckon, if I know your
fingers. And in this regard, by the way, L.
Lucceius, son of Marcus, writes me a ,grumbling
letter asserting that—thanks to the
senate—there is the utmost danger of
these decrees leading to a general repudiation. He
recalls what mischief C. Iulius 13 once did by slightly
enlarging the time for payment: "public credit
never received such a blow."—But to
return to the matter in hand: turn over my case in
your mind as against Brutus, if it may be called a
case, against which nothing can be decently urged:
especially as I have left it and its merits
undecided. Now for family
matters. As to our "home secret," I am of your
opinion—Postumia's son : 14 since Pontidia is playing fast and loose.
But I could have wished you had been there. Don't
expect anything from my brother Quintus for some
months; for Taurus is impassable before June,
owing to the snow. I am backing up Thermus, as you
ask me to do, by a great number of letters. As for
P. Valerius, Deiotarus says that he has nothing,
and is being supported by himself.
As soon as you know whether there is to be an
intercalation at Rome or not, please write me word
definitely on what day the mysteries are to take
place. 15 I am a little less eager for your letters
than if you were at Rome; but yet, after all, I am
eager for them.
LAODICEA, 13 FEBRUARY
