4 mind, a unweari rentia, the occ fo faith a wom.. That f father, the ang derly was I be fent tho LETTER VI. To Publius Lentulus, Proconful. [A. U. 697.] AULUS Trebonius, who is an old and intimate friend of mine, has fome important affairs in your province, which require immediate dispatch. His own illarious character, together with the recommendations of myself and others, have, upon former occafions of this kind, obtained for him the indulgence of your predeceffors. He is ftrongly perfuaded, fherefore, from that affection and thofe mutual good offices which fubfift between you and me, that this letter will not prove a lefs effectual folicitor in his behalf and let me earnestly entreat you not to difappoint him in this his expectation. Accordingly I recommend his fervants, his freed-men, his agents, and in fhort, his concerns of every kind, to your patronage: but particularly I beg you would confirm the decree which Titus Ampius* paffed in his favour. In one word, I hope you will take all opportunities of convincing bim, that you do not confider this recommendation as a matter of common and unmeaning form. Farewel. LETTER VII. To the fame. tion to you. In the latter inftance indeed the attack is by no means fo extenfive or fo dangerous as that which was made upon me; nevertheless there is in general a ftrong fimilitude between the two cafes : and you must pardon me, if I cannot fear upon your account what you never thought reasonable to be apprehenfive of on mine. But whatever may be the event, convince the world that you are influenced by those principles for which I have admired you from your earliest youth: and believe me, my friend, the malice of your enemies will only ferve to render your character fo much the more illuftrious. In the mean time, do me the juftice to hope from my affection whatever the warmest friendship can effect; and be affured, I fhall not disappoint your expectations. Farewel. [A. U. 697.] You will receive a full account from Pollio, of all that has been tranfacted in your affair, as he was not only prefent, but a principal manager. Believe me, I am much concerned at the unfavourable pect of this bufinefs. However, it afSords me a very fenfible confolation, that there is ftrong reafon to hope, the prudence of your friends will be able to elude the force of thofe iniquitous fchemes which have been projected to your prejudice. Even time itself will probably contribute to this end: as it often wears out the malevolence of thofe who either profeffedly, or in a difguifed inanner, mean one ill. I am yet farther confirmed in thefe pleafing hopes, whenever I reflect upon the faction that was formerly railed against myfelf: of which I fee a very lively image in the prefent oppofi The predeceffor of Lentulus in this government. Pigb. Ann. U. C. 696. LETTER VIII. [A. U. 697.] I HAVE frequently had it in my intentions to talk with you upon the subject of this letter; but a certain awkward modefty has always reftrained me from propofing in perfon, what I can with lefs fcruple requeft at this diftance: for a letter, you know, fpares the confufion of a blush. I will own then, that I have a very frong, and, I truft, a very pardonable paffion, of being celebrated in your writings and though you have more than once given me affurance of your inwill excufe my impatience of feeing your tending me that honour, yet I hope you defign executed. I had always, indeed, conceived an high expectation of your performances in this kind; but the fpecimen I have lately feen of them is fo far fuperior to all I had figured in my imagination, that it has fired me with the most tinguished in your glorious annals. It is ardent defire of being immediately dif my ambition, I confefs, not only to live for ever in the praises of future ages, but to have the prefent fatisfaction, likewife, of feeing myself ftand approved in the friend. I am fenfible, at the fame time, authoritative records of my ingenious that your thoughts are already deeply endefign. But as I perceive you have algaged in the profecution of your original moit completed your account of the Ita lic and Marian civil wars, and remember you propofed to carry on the remainder of our history in a regular feries; I cannot forbear recommending it to your confideration, whether it would be best to weave the relation of Catiline's confpiracy into the general texture of your performance, or caft it into a diftinct work. It is certain, feveral of the Greek hitorians will jultify you in this latter method. Thus Caliithenes wrote a narrative of the hege of Troy, as both Timæus and Polybius did of the Pyrrhic and Numantine wars, in fo many detached pieces from their larger hiftories. As to the honour that will arife to me, it will be much the fame, I must own, upon whichever fcheme you may determine to proceed: but I fhall receive fo much the earlier gratification of my wifhes, if, instead of waiting till you regularly advance to that period of our annals, you fhould enter upon it by this method of anticipation, Befides, by keeping your mind attentive to one principal fcene and character, you will treat your fubje&t, I am perfuaded, fo much the more in detail, as well as embellish it with higher graces. I muit acknowledge it is not extremely modeft, thus to impofe a tak upon you which your occupations may well juítify you in refufing; and then add a farther requeft, that you would honour my actions with your applaufe; an honour, after all, which you may not think, perhaps, they greatly deferve. However, when a man has once tranfgreffed the bounds of decency, it is in vain to recede; and his wifeft way is to push on boldly in the fame confident courfe, to the end of his purpofe. I will venture then, earnestly to intreat you, not to confine yourself to the ftrict laws of hiftory, but to give a greater latitude to your encomiums, than, poffibly, you may think my actions can claim. I remember, indeed, you declare in one of your very elegant prefaces, that you are as inflexible to all the pleas of affection, as Xenophon reprefents Hercules to have been to thofe of pleafure. Let me hope, The story to which Cicero here alludes, is this; Hercules when he was yet a youth, as Prodicus relates the fable, retired into a place of undisturbed folitude in order to determine with himself what courfe of life he fhould purfue. Whilft he was in the midst of his contemplations, Pleasure and Virtue appeared to him under the figures of two beautiful women; and each accofted him in her turn. He heard their respective pleas with great attention; but Virtue gained her caufe and entirely won the nevertheless, if friendship fhould too ftrongly recommend my actions to your approbation, you will not reject her generous partiality, but give fomewhat more to affection, than rigorous truth, perhaps, can jully demand. If I fhould prevail upon you to fall in with my propofal, you will find the fulject, I perfuade myfeif, not unworthy of your genius and your eloquence. The entire period from the rife of Catiline's confpiracy to my return from banishment, will furnith, I fhould imagine, a moderatę volume. It will fupply you likewife with a noble occafion of difplaying your judg ment in politics, by laying open the fource of thofe civil diforders, and pointing out their proper remedies, as well as by giving your reafons for approving or condemning the feveral tranfactions which you relate. And fhould you be difpofed to indulge your ufual fpirit of freedom, you will have an opportunity of pointing out, at the fame time, with all the feve rity of your indignation, the treachery and perfidioufnefs of those who laid their ungenerous inares for my deftruction. I will add too, that this period of my life will turnish you with numberlefs incidents, which cannot but draw the reader's attention in a very agreeable manner: as nothing is more amufing to the mind than to contemplate the various viciffitudes of fortune. And though they were far, 'tis true, from being acceptable in experience, they cannot fail of giving me much entertainment in defcription: as there is an inexpreffible fatisfaction in reflecting at one's cafe, on diftreffes we have formerly fufiered. There is fomething likewife in that compaffion which arifes from reading an account of the misfortunes which have attended others, that cafts a most agreeable melancholy upon the mind. Who can perufe the relation of the last moments of Epaminondas at the battle of Mantinea, without finding himself touched with a pleafing commiferation? That glorious chief, you may remember, would not fuffor the dart to be drawn out of his side, till he was informed that his fhield was fafe from the hands of his enemies: and all his concern amidst the anguish of his wound was, to die with glory. What can be more interesting alfo than the account of the flight and death of Themiftacles+! The truth of it is, a mere narrative of general facts affords little more entertamment to the reader, than he might find in perufing one of our public regifers. Whereas in the history of any extraordinary person, our fear and hope, our joy and forrow, our aftonishment and expectation, are each of them engaged by turns. And if the final refult of all fhould be concluded with fome remarkable catastrophe, the mind of the reader is Elled with the highest poffible gratification. For thefe reafons I am the more dearous of perfuading you to feparate my fory from the general thread of your narration, and work it up into a detached performance as indeed it will exhibit a great variety of the most interefting and affecting fcenes. When I tell you it is my ambition to be celebrated by your pen, I am by no means apprehenfive you will fufpect me of flattery. The confcioufnefs of your merit must always incline you to believe, it is envy alone that can be filent in your praife: as on the other fide, you cannot imagine me fo weak as to defire to be transmitted to pofterity by any hand, which could not fecure to itfelf the fame glory it bestowed. When Alexander chofe to have his picture drawn by Apelles, and his statue formed by Lyfippust, it was not in order to ingratiate himself with those distinguished artists: it was from a firm perfuafion, that the works of thefe admired geniufes would do equal credit both to his reputation and their own. The utmost, however, that their art could perform, was to perpe Epaminondas headed the forces of the The bans, in a battle which they fought with the Lacexmonians at Mantinea, a town in Arcadia. The Thebans gained the victory, but loft their invaluable pamander: whofe death was attended with the circumstances which Cicero here mentions. Juftin. vi. 7, 8. + Themiftocles, after having diftinguished himfelf among his countrymen the Athenians by his military virtues, particularly in the wars in which they were engaged with Xerxes, had rendered himif (o popular, that it was thought neceffary to remove him: and accordingly he was obliged to withdraw from Athens. A famous ftatuary: of whom Demetrius, as sited by Quintilian, remarks, that he was more celebrated for taking a ftrong than an agreeable þikcacfe. Quint. Inft. Orat. xii. 19, tuate the perfons only of their celebrated contemporaries: but merit needs not any fuch visible exhibitions to immortalize its fame. Accordingly the Spartan Agefi laus, who would never fuffer any picture or ftatue of him to be taken, is not lefs univerfally known, than those who have been molt fond of having their perfons copied out for pofterity. The fingle trea tife which Xenophon has written in praise of that renowned general, is more to his glory than all the pictures and statues of all the artists in the universe. It would be a much higher fatisfaction to me, therefore, as it would be a far greater honour, to be recorded by your hand than that of any other; not only because your genius would raife and adorn my actions with the fame advantage as Timæus has difplayed those of Timoleon, or Herodotus thofe of Themistocles ; but because of the additional credit I shall receive from the applause of fo illustrious, fo experienced, and fo approved a patriot. By this means I fhall enjoy, not only the fame glorious privilege which, as Alexander obferved when he was at Sigeum, Achilles received from Homer §; but what is ftill more important, the powerful teftimony of a man who is himfelf diftinguished by the noblest and most uncommon virtues. Accordingly, I have been always wonderfully pleafed with the fentiment which Nævius puts into the mouth of Hector, where that hero, speaking of the approbation he had received from his illuftrious father, adds, that it gave him fo much the more fatisfaction, as coming from one who was himself the great object of univerfal applaufe. But fhould want of leifure (for it would be an injuftice to our friendship to suppose it can be want of inclination), fhould your occupations then prevent your compliance with this my request; I may perhaps be obliged to take a method, which, though often condemned, is fupported nevertheless by several confiderable examples: Į The works of Timæus are loft. Alexander, being elected commander in chief of the confederate troops which the Grecians fent against Xerxes, crofled the Hellefpont with his army and landed at Sigeum, a promontory near Troy, where he vifited the tomb of Achilles. Upon this occafion he is faid to have broken out into the following exclamation: "O happy youth! "in having found an Homer to celebrate thy "virtues!" Plut. in vit, Alex. Cic. pro Arch. mean : mean, to be the hiftorian of my own tranfactions. But you are fenfible, there are two inconveniences which attend this fcheme for a man must neceffarily be more referved in fetting forth those parts of his conduct which merit approbation; as he will be inclined entirely to pass over others which may deferve reproach. I must add, likewife, that what a writer fays to his own advantage, always carries with it a lefs degree of force and authority, than when it comes from any other pen. In a word, the world in general is little difpofed to approve any attempt of this kind. On the contrary, one often hears the more modeft method of the poets at the Olympic games, recommended upon fuch occafions, who, after they have crowned the feveral victors, and publicly called over their names, al ways employ fome other perfon to perform the fame office to themfelves, that they may not be the heralds of their own applaufe. This imputation, therefore, I would willingly avoid; as I certainly fhall, if you should comply with my requeft, and take this employment out of my hands. You will be furprifed, perhaps, that I fpend fo much time and pains in foliciting you for this purpofe, after having fo often heard you declare your intentions of giving the world a very accurate hiftory of my administration. But you must remember the natural warmth of my temper, and that I am fired, as I told you in the beginning of my letter, with an impatient defire of feeing this your defign carried into execution. To own the whole truth, I am ambitious of being known to the prefent generation by your writings, and to enjoy in my lifetime a foretalte of that little fhare of glory which I may expect from future ages. If it be not too much trouble, therefore, I fhould be glad you would immediately let me know your refolution. And fhould it prove agreeable to my request, I will draw up fome gencral memoirs of my tranfactions for your ufe: if otherwife, I will take an opportunity of difcourfing farther with you upon this affair in perfon. In the mean time, continue to polith the work you have begun, and to love me as ufuzi*. Farewel. Piiny has made a request to Tacitus, of the fame nature with that which is the fubject of the letter before us. LETTER IX. To Quintus Aacharius t, Proconful. I Recommend the two fons of my very nours with which you LETTER To Fabius Gallus . [A. U. 698.] X. IReceived your letter immediately upon my return from Arpinum, together with one likewife from Avianus, in which he very generously offers to give me credit as long as I fhall require. Now let me defire you to imagine yourfelf in my fituation, and then tell me whether I can, with a good grace, afk him to allow me even the leait time for the payment of this money, much lefs above a year? Indeed, my dear friend, I fhould not have been in this difficulty, if you had not exceeded the limits of my commiffion, both in the particulars and the fum. However, I am not only willing to ratify the agreement you have made for the ftatues you mention, but am likewife much obliged to you. I am fenfible, indeed, that in the zeal of your friendship, Quintus Ancharius was tribune An. Urb. 604: when be diftinguished himfelt by his refolute oppofition to the tactious meafutes of his col league Vatinius. In the year 697 he was chofen prætor; and at the expiration of that office, he fucceeded Pifo in the government of Macedonia: in which province this letter is addrefled to him. Orat. pro Sext. 53. in Pijn. 36. Rofs's remarks on the pyl. of Cic. The fame perfon to whom the 5th letter is written. He feems to have been the proprietor of the ftatues mentioned below. you |