CDXXX (A XI, 17)
TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)
BRUNDISIUM, 14 JUNE
I am giving this letter to another man's
letter-carriers, who are in a hurry to start;
that, and the fact that I am about to send my own,
accounts for its brevity. My daughter Tullia
reached me on the 12th of June, and expatiated at
great length on your attention and kindness to
her, and gave me three letters. I, however, have
not got the pleasure from her own virtue,
gentleness, and affection which I ought to get
from a matchless daughter, but have even been
overwhelmed with extraordinary sorrow, to think
that a character like hers should be involved in
circumstances of such distress, 1 and that that
should occur from no fault of hers, but from my
own consummate folly. Accordingly, I am not
expecting from you now either consolation, which I
see you desire to offer, or advice, which is
impossible of adoption; and I understand on many
occasions from your previous, as well as from your
last letters, that you have tried everything
practicable. I am thinking
of sending my son with Sallustius 2 to Caesar. As for Tullia, I see no
motive for keeping her with me any longer in such
a sad state of mutual sorrow. Accordingly, I am
going to send her back to her mother as Soon as
she will herself consent to go. In return for the
letter which you wrote in the consolatory style,
pray consider that I have made the only answer
which you will yourself understand to
have been possible. 3 You say
that Oppius has had some talk with you: what he
said does not at all disagree with my suspicion
about it. But I have no doubt that it would be
impossible to persuade that party 4 that their proceedings could have my
approval, whatever language I were to hold.
However, I will be as moderate as I can. Although
what it should matter to me that I incur their
odium I don't understand. I perceive that you are
prevented by a good reason from coming to see us,
and that is a matter of great regret to me. There
is no news of Caesar having left Alexandria; but
all agree that no one has come from there either
since the 15th of March, and that he has written
no letters since the 13th of December. This shews
you that there was nothing genuine about that
letter of the 9th of February 5 —which
would have been quite unimportant, even if it had
been genuine. I am informed that L. Terentius has
left Africa and come to Paestum. What his mission
is, or how he got out of the country, or what is
going on in Africa, I should like to know. For he
is said to have been passed out by means of
Nasidius. What it all means pray write me word if
you discover it. I will do as you say about the
ten sestertia. Good-bye. 14 June.
BRUNDISIUM, 14 JUNE
