CCCLXV (A IX, 11 a)
TO CAESAR (IN APULIA)
FORMIAE, 19-20 MARCH
ON reading your letter, handed to me by our
friend Furnius, in which you ask me to come to the
city walls, I was not so much surprised at your
wishing "to avail yourself of my advice and
position," but what you meant by speaking of my
"influence and assistance" I did ask myself. My
thoughts, however, were so far dominated by my
hope, that I was induced to think that you wished
to consult for the tranquillity, peace, and
harmony of our fellow citizens: and
for a policy of that kind I regarded both my
natural disposition and my public character as
sufficiently well adapted. If this is the case,
and if you are at all anxious to preserve our
common friend Pompey, and to reconcile him to
yourself and the Republic, you will assuredly find
no one better calculated than myself for
supporting such measures. For, as soon as
opportunity offered, I pleaded for peace both to
him and the senate; nor since the commencement of
hostilities have I taken any part whatever in the
war; and I have held the opinion that by that war
you are being wronged, in that men who were
hostile to and jealous of you were striving to
prevent your enjoying an office granted you by the
favour of the Roman people. 1 But as at that period I was not only
personally a supporter of your rights, but also
advised everybody else to assist you, so at the
present moment I am strongly moved by
consideration for the position of Pompey. It is
now a good number of years ago since I picked out
you two as the special objects of my political
devotion, and—as you still are of my
warm personal affection. Wherefore I ask you, or
rather entreat you, and appeal to you with every
form of prayer, that in the midst of your very
great preoccupations you would yet spare some part
of your time to reflect how by your kindness I may
be enabled to do what goodness and gratitude, and,
in point of fact, natural affection demand, by
remembering the extreme obligation under which I
stand. If these considerations only affected
myself, I should yet have hoped to secure your
assent; but, in my opinion, it concerns both your
own honour and the public interest that I-a friend
to peace and to you both-should, as far as you are
concerned, be maintained in a position best
calculated to promote harmony between you and
among our fellow citizens. Though I have thanked you before in regard to
Lentulus, 2
for saving the man who saved me, yet
after reading a letter from him, in which he
speaks with the utmost gratitude of your generous
treatment and kindness to him, I felt that the
safety you gave him was given to me also: and if
you perceive my gratitude in his case, pray take
means to allow me to shew the same in the case of
Pompey.
FORMIAE, 19-20 MARCH
