18 April 44 BCE: To Atticus (at Rome) from Cicero (at Puteoli)
Caesar is dead, but his tyranny lives on! And Cicero is a terrible landlord
I have learnt much about the state of the Republic from your letters, which indeed I received all bundled together in one go from Vestorius’ freedman. But I will respond to the things you ask about in brief.
Firstly, I am very pleased with Cluvius’ properties.1 But as for what you ask about why I have sent for Chrysippus—two of my shops have fallen down, and the rest are developing cracks, and so not even the tenants, but even the mice have moved away. Others would call this a calamity, but I don’t even call it an inconvenience. Oh Socrates and the Socratics! I will never be able to thank you enough. Immortal gods, these things are less than nothing to me. But planned building works have begun, and indeed Vestorius is advising and in charge, so that this loss may become profitable.
There is a great multitude of people here, and I hear that it will increase. Indeed, it includes the two consul-designates, as it were.2 Good gods! The tyranny lives on—although the tyrant is dead! We rejoice that he has been killed—while we defend his acts! And so, Marcus Curtius reproaches us severely, until one feels too ashamed to live, and he he is not wrong to do this. For it would have been better to die a thousand times than to suffer these things—which seem to me will continue for a long time.
Balbus is also here, and I see him a lot. He has received letters from Vetus, dated to the last day of the year, stating that when he was besieging Caecilius and about to capture him, Pacorus the Parthian arrived with a great number of troops; and so Caecilius was snatched away from him, and many of his own men were lost. He blames Volcatius for this. Thus it seems to me that a war there is imminent. But Dolabella and Nicias will see to it.3
Balbus also has better things to say about Gaul. He has had a letter dated 21 days ago, saying that when the Germans and the peoples there heard about the matter of Caesar, they sent envoys to Aurelius, who has been placed in command by Hirtius, to say that they would do whatever was ordered. In short, everything is peaceful—at odds with what Bald-head told me.
Read Ad Atticum 14.9 in Latin here | Check the glossary here
Property left to Cicero in Cluvius’ will.
The consuls-designate for 43 BCE were Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius.
Dolabella had been allotted the province of Syria to govern after his consulship, and so would be the one to deal with the war. Nicias of Cos was a grammarian who had accompanied Cicero during his governorship in Cilicia, and was a friend of Dolabella.