LETTER I ar wHa written in tha year 694 A.C.C., in tho 'coasitUhip of AfnniuB and Metollus, b; Cicero to bis brother QuintuB, who iv*s commanding in Asia, to inform him that hja pariod of command yna extended for a. third year; a year fraught with Buch im- portant eTcuts to the republic, that we laara ^m Horace that FciUio begsn his history of the civil vaiB from tjiis date.' The consuls UiemselTea were men of no vary grest importance; they were both creatures of Pompey, who had assisted them to obtain the offloa by the most open coTTUption: but ho was mistaken in reclconitig on the adherence of Metellos, whom he bttd offended by diToreing hii! aister Mucia; while Afranius was a man of no character, and of Teiy moderate abilities; so weak, according to Cicero, as to be ignoraot of the value of the oo^sulsbip wliich be had bought.' With such men for ita nilera, the city speedily became a aoeiie of univnul dissBOBion. Pampey, who lad Just celebrated faia triumph o'ne Hithridatea with nnprecedented magniGcenoe, was inatigatiDg Flavins, one of the tribunes, to bring forward an agrarian law similar to that of Rullos, for a division of Innda in Italy, — partly consisting of Bome of the imblio domains, and partly of eatotes to be bought ' Motum ex Metello conaule civicum BeUique eausaa, et vitia, et modos, Ludumqua FortimEB, gravasque Priucipum amicitias^ et arma Nondum expiatis uncta cruoribua; PericulosiB plenum opus alesj I with the Bpoila of thewarin which he hod been so victorioiiB, — cmong I the Teterans of his nnn;, nod the poorer elassea in Italy. The senate opposed thin measure violently, but Cicero, though he hul reaiflted the former proposition, was now inclined to support this, — taking care, iudeed, to preaerre the vested interests of ths poBseiieDts^ and thinking that when this was provided for, the bill would supply n meoiu for relieving the dty of some of its most dangerous iobabitantB, and at the ame time peopling parts of Italy which were hitherto little better than a desert' No doubt he was partly influenced by his desire to obtain the protection of Pompey in the dtruggle which he faresaw for himself with Clodiua, who was now Beekiug to be adopted into a plebeian family, in order to be elected a tribune of the people, so as to attack Cioero with greater power of injuring tim^ — tbr the great C^tulua died at this time, and Cicero complains to Atticua, that hie death had left him. without an ally in the daugerfi which threatened him, aud without a companiau in his course of dofoudiug and upholding the itjtereatB of tho nobles.^ About the beginning of this year also, news arrived from Gaul of com- motions in Uiat province, which, waa always in great danger from the frequent im^oads of the Helretii, from whom au invasion on a larger Bcalo was now apprehended. The senate decreed that the consuls Hhould undertake the defence of the Cisalpine and Transalpine pro- vinces, and sent men of consular rank to diOeront districts to levy armias; but Pampey and Cicero remained at Rome, being, as he tells Atticua, retained by the express command of the senate, as pledges of the safety of the republic,' In the meantime Ceeaar, who had been serring in Spain as proprKtor,' wrote letters to the senate to demand a triumph; but wislung aUo to obtain the conaolEhip for the succeeding year, he relinquished the idea of the triumph, (which would have prevented Imn from entering the city till after its celebration,) in order to canvass the citizens for the more substantial honour. PercelTing, on hie arrival in Itome, the true posture of affairs, — the power which CrossaH posaeased, de- riTsd from his character and riches; the authority with which his military renown, and hia position as tho actnowledged leader of the ariatporatic party, invested Fompey; and hia own need of such coadjutors for the project, which he hod already begun to conceive, of finally making hLmself master of the republic, — he re- conciled Pompey and Crafisus, who had previously been on no very friendly terms; and then formed that intimate connexion with them both, which is known in history aa the first triumvirate; the thi'es chiefs coming to an agreement to prevent raeaaurea of any kind hfling adopted in the republic without the united consent of them bIL Creear obtained the consulship, but the satiate gave him Bibulus for his colleague, and made a further attempt to prevent any great increase to his power or popularity, by Msigning to the new consuls ' Qui constitutl diligenter et santinam nobis eihaurior; ct Italiie Bolitudinem frequentari posse arhitrabar. — Ep. sd Att. L IB.
TO ms BKOTHEB QUINTUS.
Thia wben Cioem addressed tluB flrat latter Marcus lo Itis brother Quintm, greeting. L 1- Ai-THOL'GH I had no doubt that niany r common report too, witJi its in-variable r.ipidity, would out- Btrip thia letter; anil that, before its arriTal, yon would hear from others that a third j-ear baa been added to the period during which I have to regret your absence, and you are to continue your labours; still I thought that direct informa- tion of this trouble ought to be conveyed to you from me aJso. For in my former letters, — and that not once only, Ijut repeatedly, even after the matter was despaired of by othoi-s, — i still gave you hope of an early removal; not merely tliat I might gratify you as long as possible witli tlio pleasing expec- tation, but also because such great eiiertions were made both by the preBtore and by myself, that I would not give up all hope that the matter might be managed.
2. But now, since it has so turned out, that the pnetora have not been able to do any good by their influence, nor I by my own zeal, it is estremely difficult to avoid feeling great vesatioii; but still it is not fit that our spirits, whiuii have beou tried in managing and supporting matters of the greatest moment, should be unished and rendered powerless by a petty annoyance. And fiinca men are naturally most concemed at misfortuneB which have been incurred by their own fault, there is something in this business that must he borne with more vexation by me than by you. For it hap- poied through my fault, and through acting in opposition to what you had represented to me, both when setting out and afterwards by letter, that a successor was not appointed the year before. lu that matter, while 1 was consulting the nfety of the allies, while 1 was resisting the impudence of some commercial people, and while I was desirous that my reputation should be advanced by your merit, I acted unwisely; especially as I have given occasion titat that second year of your command may draw on a third after it.
3. Since, then, 1 confess that the fault is mine, it will be the task of your wisdom and kindness to take core and mani^e fliat this naatter, too incautiously conMclcrcd by me, may lifl I CICEItO S LETTERS 1 by your own diligence. And if you arouse yourself with freah energy to cultivate a good reputation in every reapeet, ao as to rival, not others, but yourself; if you direct all the &oultieH of your mind, idl your care and thoughts, to the pre-eminent object of obtaining praise in all things,- — taka my word for it, that one year added to your labour will bring happiness for many years to ua, and glory to our posterity.
4. I therefore entreat you above ^ things not to diminish or lower your spirit, nor to allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the afEiir, as by a wave of the sea; but, on the other hand, to bear yourself erect to resist, and evea of your own accord to meet" difficulties. For you do not manage a department of the public of such a nature that for- tune has the rule in it, but oae in which method and dili- gence have the greatest influence. If indeed 1 saw that y( period of command was prolonged while you were engnj^ in any great and perilous war, I should feel misgivings la my mind, because I should know at the same time that the power of fortune over us was also prolonged, 5. But at present, that part of the commonwealth is com- mitted to you, in which fortune has no share, or only an ex- ceedingly insignificant one, and which appears to me to depend wholly on your own virtue and moderation of dispo- sition. We apprehend, I think, no insidiouj attacks of enemies, no struggle in the field, no revolt of our allies, no want of pay or provisions, no mutiny in the army; accidents which have very often happened to men of the greatest pru- dence: so that, as the most skilful pilots cannot overcome the violence of a storm, they in like manner have been unable to subdue the violent hostility of fortune. To your lot has fidlen the most complete peace, the most entire tranquillity, though in such a way that it may even ^ overwhelm a sleeping pilot, or even delight a wakeful one.
6. For that province of yours consists in the first place of that class of allies which is the most civilized of all the human race; and secoodly, of that class of citizens who either, be- cause they are farmers of the revenue,^ are bound to us by ' VeL Ernesti eoniJemns this word, and Matttiffl haa ejected it ' The fanoera of the public revenue were generally of the equestrian order, to which Cicero liuiwelf belongGd; and in hia public character and Hpeechss he had always taken core to mnintain the conneiiou, by Hciijug every opportunity of eitolling and dsfeading them.
TO HIS BROTHIUt QUIKTCB.
ties of the closest connesion, or who, because they manage their dealings so as to become wealthy, think that they pos- sess their fortunes in safety through the beneficial effects of my conBUIship.
II, 7. But, you will urge, between these very men them- selves there are grave disputes; many injuries arise, and great contests follow; as if 1 supposed that you also do not sustain a couaiderable weight of business. I am aware that your affairs are of very great importance, and require consummate prudence; but remember that I cousider this aSur depeuds more upon pradenec than upon fortune; for what difiieulty b there in testrainiug those over whom you have authority, if you also restrain yourself) This may be a great and arduous task for others, as it is indeed most arduous, but it baa always been a very easy one for you; and in truth so it ought to be, mnce your natui-al disposition is such that, Bveu without instruction, it would appear that it might have been excellently regulated, and sueh on education has been bestowed upon it as might exalt even the moat vicious nature. While you yourself resist the temptations of money and of pleasure, and of every sort of desire, aa you do resist them, there will be, I suppose, danger leat you may not be able to check the worthless trader, or the somewhat too covetous farmer. The Greeks,^ indeed, will look upon you, while you live in Euch a manner, as some [hero revived] from the old traditions of their annals, or even aa some divine being descended from heaven into the province.
8. And 1 write this now, not that you may act thus, [for that you do,] but that you may rejoioo in acting and having acted thus. For it is a glorious thing for you to have lived three^ years in Asia, invested with the highest military, au- thority, in such a manner that no statue, iio picture, no vase,* ' Cioero calla them Grse^ bocauEo all the const of Asm Minor woa colonized hy Greeks, and the language had gi'Sduallj come to prorojl tisronghout the whole peninsula.
* Tha text has triennium; Kmesti and others would read iii'enniuni, to BUit the eooimencemeut of the letter; t. chunge raiidered □eceasuy, indeed, by the verb fasitt.
' How irreBistible such temptationa were to Eoman goremora in general, may be seen in Cicero's orations against Verres; who wns pro- fs fordiBplB3ingi,*> \ no preBent of robes or slaves, no allurement of pei-sonal beauty, 110 opportunity of extorting money, (of all wliitih. forms of corruption that province ie most prolific,) has been able to turn you aside from perfect integrity and moderation.
9. And what can be found so admirable, or so thoroughly desirable, us that that virtue, that moderation of mind, that well-regulated abstinence, should not lie hid and be buried in darkness, but should be displayed in the hght of Asia, and before the eyes of a most splendid province, and cele- brated iu the hearing of every nation and people on the earth 1 That men should not he alarmed at your progresses, or eihansted hy your expenses, or agitated at your arrival among them; but that, wherever you come, there should be both publicly and privately the greatest jjosslble joy, while every city looks upon itself as entertjiining a protector, not a tyrant, and every family foels that it receives a guest, and not a plunderer 1 III. 10. But in all these matters experience itself has already, doubtless, taught you, that it is by no means enough for you to have these virtues yourself, but that you must also take diligent care, in this guardianship of the province, that you may appear to be anawerable, not for yourself only, but for ail the officers under your government, to the allies, to your fellow- citizens, and to the commonwealth. Aithoiigh indeed you have lieutenants of such a character that they will of themselves have regard to their own dignity; among whom Tuliero is the first in honour and dignity aud age, — a man who, I imagine, especiaUy as he is a writer of history, can find many in the annals of his own family whom he may bo both inclined and able to imitate; and Alienus is completely one of us, not only in his general disposition and benevolence, hut also in his imitation of our habits of life. For why need I speak of GratidiusJ a man whom I know for certain to be BO iinxious about his own character, that out of his brotherly love fur us, he is anxious also about ours.
11. Tou have a qutestor, indeed, not chosen by your own judgment, but the one whom the lot assigned you. It is necessary that he should be moderate in his own inclinations, and obedient to your regulations and precepts. If by chance any one of these men be somewhat sordid, you may bear with him Bi) far as ho merely neglects, of himself, those rules by ^ BnOTHER QUDTtUS.
-whicb you yontsdf are bound; but not so far that be Bhould ftbnBe, for his own private gain, that power which you con- ceded to him for the support of his dignity: for I indeed of opinion, especialiy as the habits to which I allude have had such a tendency to excessive lenity and to a courting of popularity, that you should look too closely into every bit of meanness, and get rid of every one guilty of it; but I think that you should trust just so much to each na there ib trustworthineas ia each. And of these men, those whom the npubhc itself has assigned to you as supporters and assistants in the discharge of the public business, you will confine to those limits which I have already laid down.
IV. 13. But as to those wliom you have selected to have about you as your domestic companions, or your ueLiiseary attendants, and who arc generally termed a sort of court of the pnetor, not only their actions, but even their whole language, must bo answered for by us. But you have such people about you as you can easily lovo if they act rightly, and with the greatest ease restrain, if they show too little i^ard for your character; by whom, when you were inex- perienced, your owa ingenuous disposition seems likely to have been deceived; for the more virtuous any oue is himself, the more unwillingly does he suspect others of being wicked; but now this third year of office should display the same integrity aa those preceding, with even more caution and diligence.
13. Let your ears he such aa are thought to hear openly ■what they do hear, and not such aa those into which anything may be whispered falsely and hypocritically for the sake of gain. Let your signet ring faa not like a piece of furniture, bnt as it were another self; not the agent of another person's will, but the witness of your own. Let your sei^eant' be kept in that station in which our ancestors wished him to be; who bestowed the place not aa a lucrative appointment, but bh one of labour and duty, and not readily to any but their own fi^edmen, to whom they gave tbeir orders, indeed, in a man- ner not very difFereat from that in which they gave them to ' The Latin is acccninu, wliich was the name of a jiublio officer attacding on aeTBral of the Roman mBgiBtrfttes. He imciently preraded the uonaiU who had not the faaEWB; a ciiatom which, hiLviiig been long cUsused, waa restored b; Ca^ear the verj next year. Varro de- rives this title froTa acdeOj becauaa they auumumed the people to tho uaeabUea.
I I their slaves. Let your lietor be the officer, not of his own lenity, but of yours; and let your fascea and azea give him greater insigiiia of dignity than power. Lastly, let it be known to the whole province, that the safety, the families, the fame, and the fortuaea of all those over, whom you. act 83 governor, are objects of the dearest interest to you. Moreover, let the opinion prevail, that you will be dis- pleased, not only with those who have accepted any bribe, but with those also who have given one, if you discover the fact. Nor indeed will aay one offer a bribe, when it is once clearly ascertained, that nothing ia ever obtained from you by the infliienoe of those who pretend to have great weight with you.
14. Not, indeed, that this advice of mine to you is meant to have Bucb aii effect as to make you too harsh or suspicious towards your officers; for if there he among them any oae who during two years has never fallen under any- suspicion of avarice, (as I hear that both Cicsius aud Cheerippus and Labeo Imve not, aud because 1 know them, I believe it;) there is nothing that I should not think might be moat judiciously and properly committed to them, and to whoever else is of the same character; but if there be any one in whom you have detected anything, or ia whom you haTe noticed anything uniavourable, trust him with nothing; do not put any part of your own character in his power.
V. 15. But in the province itself, if yon have met with any one who has entered closely into friendship with you, and who was previously unknown to us, take great caro how fai" you ought to trust such a oae; not but that there may he many honest men among the provincials; but though we may entertain this hope, it ia hazardous to judge that it is so; for the natural character of each individual is concealed under numerous wrappings of disguise, and shrouded, as it were, under veils; the forehead, the eyes, the whole counte- nance are often false, and the language most frequently of alL On which account, how are you to find out, among that class of men, persons who, influenced by desire for mouey, can yet do without all those things from which we cannot Bepamte ourselves, and who will love you, a foreigner, with all their heart, and not pretend to do ao merely for tiieir o advantage! To me indeed this seems a consideration TO HIB BBOTBEB QUINTUS.
iportancQ, eepccinlly if those Teiy Eome people scarcely ever profess a regard for any private individual, but do eo at all times for every governor; therefore, if of this class you have by chance met with any one really more attached to yourself than to the opportunity, (for this may have been possible,) gladly count that maa in the list of your friends; but if you do not discover Buch a. disposition, there ia no sort of men more carefully to bo guarded against in respect to intimacy; because they are acquainted with every avenue of corruption, and do everything for the sake of money, aud have no notion of regard for the character of a man with whom they are not going to live permanently.
16. And even among the Greeks themselves, intimacies must be formed with strict eare, excepting [those with] a very few men, snch aa may he worthy of ancient Greece; so deceitful, indeed, are the greater number of them, and fickle, and through long slavery inured to excessive flattery; the whole body of whom I admit ought to be treated with libo- raJity, and all the niost deserriug of them admitted to hos- pitality and iriendship; hut an excessive intimacy with them is not sufficiently to be trusted, for they do not dare to oppose our inclinations, and are envious, not only of oiu" people, but also of their own countrymen.
VI. 17. If I then desire to be so cautious and diligent in mattCTB of that sort, in which I am afraid lest I may appear even somewhat over-rigid; of what opinion do you conceive me to be with respect to atavesi whom indeed we ought to rule strictly everywhere, and moat eBpecially in the provinces. With respect to this clasa of persons, many rules may bo given, but this is the shortest of ail, and one which may the moat easily be kept in memory, that they are to behave themselves in your Asiatic progreseea, as they would if you were travelling along the Appiaa road,'^ and that they are not to think that it makes any difference whether they arrive at Tralles or at Formite, But if among your slaves there should be any one of exemplary fidelity, let Inm be employed in your domestic and private afiiiirs; hut aa to matters which relate to the duties of your command, or to any of the affairs of the ' The Via Appia, or Appian roiid, was made by Appiua CTaudiua Cbbcob na ceoaor, about 412 A.O.e., from Roma to CapaiL At a later period it was coutiaued from Capua to BruuduBiiua.
k 3/f& rBTTEBS immonwealth, let him have no concern with any of them: many things which may without impropriety be ^trusted to faithfiil slaves, hut which, for the sake of aToid- ing talk and censure, must not be entrusted to them.
16. But thia letter of mine, I know not bow, has run into a process of laying down precepts, though such was not at first my intention. For why sliould I give precepts to one,.
whom, particularly in hnsiness of this kind, I know to ba not at ull inferior in prudence to myself, and in practice even superior? But still if my authority were added to enforce itte line of conduct which you wore already pursuing, I Jnght that such line of conduct would be more agreeable yon. Let these then be your foundations for dignity of iara^;ter; first of all, your own personal integrity and mode- Ition; neit, self-respect in all those who are about you; 1, also, an extremely cautious and most diligent selection forming intimacies, both with meu of the province, and ith Greeks; and the maintenance of a steady and consistent icipline in your househoid.
19. As these observances are honourable in our private id daily habits, they must of necessity appear almost divine immand, amid manners so depraved, and in province which is suoh a. school of corruption. Such a and such a discipline can maintatu that severity in deciding and determining on measures, which you have dis- " lyed in things Scorn which, to my groat joy, we experience enmity; unless perchance you fancy that I am moved e complaints of I know not what fellow called Paconius, tn pei-son who is not even a. Greek, but ratlier a Mysian or Phrygian, or by those of Tuscenius, a raving fellow, foul in Lis language, out of whose moat impure jaws you wrested the prey of his most disgraceful covetousnesa witli couBummate VIl. 20. These and other regulations, fiall of strictness, lich you have appointed in that province, we could not lily maintain without the moat complete integrity. Let '"there be the most rigorous severity, therefore, in administer- iDg the law, provided that it be never varied froni favour, but observed with uniformity. But still it is of little benefit that the law be administered witb uniformity and oare by youraelf, unless the same rule of conduct be also observed by those to whom you entrust any ehare of the eame duty. And to me, indeed, there appears to be no great variety of the govenuneiit of Asia, but it aeems to be all Bapported, for the most part, by the eipoaition of the law; in which, above all other things, the very Hystem of knowledgo for the r^ulation of a province lies. But consistency must bo observed, and a dignified gravity, which can resist, not only all influence, but even suspicion.