CCLXIV (F III, ii)
TO APPIUS CLAUDIUS PULCHER (AT
ROME)
CILICIA, JUNE
M. CICERO to Appius Pulcher, (as I hope)
censor. Being in camp on the river Pyramus, 1 I
received two letters from you at the same time,
forwarded by Q. Servilius from Tarsus. One of them
was dated 5th of April, the other, which seemed to
me the more recent, was not dated. I will
therefore answer the former first, in which you
tell me about your acquittal on the charge of
lèse majesté. I had, indeed,
been long ago informed of this by letters,
messages, and in fine by common rumour, for
nothing could be more notorious—not
because anyone had expected a different result,
but because, as a rule, no report about men of
illustrious reputation gets out
without making a stir—yet your letter
increased the satisfaction I felt in the news, not
only because it spoke in clear terms and with
greater fullness than the talk of the common
people, but also because I felt more really like
congratulating you when I heard your own story
from yourself. Accordingly, I embraced you in
imagination, since you were not here, and, kissing
the actual letter, I also congratulated myself.
For compliments paid by the whole people, the
senate, and the jurors to ability, energy, and
virtue (perhaps I flatter myself in imagining
myself possessed of these) I look upon as paid to
myself also. Nor is it the splendid result of your
trial so much as the perverted intelligence of
your enemies that excites my wonder. "Bribery or
maiestas," you will say, "what does it matter
which?" Nothing substantially: for the former you
have never touched, and the latter you have
promoted rather than injured. But the fact is that
maiestas (in spite of Sulla) is of such a vague
nature as to permit of the safe denunciation of
anyone: while bribery is a word of such definite
meaning that either the accusation or the defence
must be discreditable. 2 For how can there
be any doubt as to whether bribery has been
employed or not? Now, who ever suspected your
successive elections? How unlucky that I wasn't
there! What roars of laughter I would have caused!
But as to the trial for malestas, there were two
things that gave me very great pleasure in your
letter: one was your saying that you were defended
by the Republic itself—for even if good
and gallant citizens were as plentiful as
possible, it still ought to preserve men like you;
while in the actual state of affairs it is more
bound than ever to do so, when there
is such a dearth of such men in every office and
every age, that a state so bereaved ought to
welcome guardians like you with open arms: the
other is your wonderfully high praise of the good
faith and good feeling of Pompey and Brutus. I am
delighted at their honourable conduct and cordial
kindness, both because they are your relations and
my very dear friends, and also because one of them
is the first of men of every age and country,
while the other has long been the first of our
younger men, and will soon, I hope, be first of
all the citizens. As to having the witnesses who
took bribes punished with ignominy by their
several states, unless something has already been
done by the agency of Flaccus, it shall be done by
mine on my return journey through Asia. Now I come to your second letter. You
send me a sketch-plan, so to speak, of the state
of things affecting us both, and of the whole
condition of politics: in this I am much relieved
by the sagacity of your letter. For I perceive
that the dangers ahead are at once less formidable
than I feared, and the safeguards greater, if; as
you say, all the real strength of the state has
devoted itself to Pompey as its leader: and I
perceived at the same time that your spirit was
alert and keen in the defence of the Republic, and
I experienced a wonderful pleasure from the energy
which made you determine, in spite of very
pressing engagements, that the state of the
Republic should be known to me by your means.
Certainly: keep the books on the augural science
for the time when we take a holiday together; for
when I wrote dunning you for the performance of
your promise, I thought of you as being outside
the walls and enjoying the most complete leisure.
As it is, however, instead of your augural books,
I shall expect all your speeches complete. Decimus
Tullius, to whom you gave a message for me, has
not yet been to see me, nor have I at present any
of your friends with me; only my own, who,
however, are all yours. I don't understand what
you mean by my "somewhat angry letter." I have
written to you twice, clearing myself carefully,
and only gently finding fault with you for having
been too ready to believe things about me. This is
a kind of expostulation which seems to me proper
for a friend; but if you don't like it, I won't
employ it again. But if, as you say,
the letter was ill expressed, be sure it was not
mine. For as Aristarchus denies any verse he
doesn't like to be Homer's, so pray do you (excuse
the joke) consider nothing that is ill expressed
to be mine. Farewell, and in your censorship, if
you are now censor, as I hope you are, think often
of your ancestor. 3
CILICIA, JUNE
