Letters to Atticus Passage 4

noster autem Publius mihi minitatur, inimicus est. impendet negotium, ad quod tu scilicet advolabis. videor mihi nostrum illum consularem exercitum bonorum omnium, etiam sat bonorum habere firmissimum. Pompeius significat studium erga me non mediocre; idem adfirmat verbum de me illum non esse facturum; in quo non me ille fallit sed ipse fallitur. Cosconio mortuo sum in eius locum invitatus. id erat vocari in locum mortui. nihil me turpius apud homines fuisset neque vero ad istam ipsam ἀσφάλειαν quicquam alienius. sunt enim illi apud bonos invidiosi, ego apud improbos meam retinuissem invidiam, alienam adsumpsissem. Caesar me sibi vult esse legatum.

Our Publius, however, threatens me and is my enemy. A contest is impending, to which you will of course fly. I seem to have that old consular army of all good men, and even of fairly good men, most firmly on my side. Pompey indicates no slight devotion toward me; he also asserts that Publius will not say a word about me. In this Pompey does not deceive me, but deceives himself. After Cosconius died, I was invited to take his place. That was being summoned into a dead man's place. Nothing could have been more disgraceful for me in men's eyes, nor indeed more foreign to that very security. For those men are hated by the good; I would have retained the hatred the wicked bear me and taken upon myself the hatred belonging to others. Caesar wants me to be his legate.

Notre Publius me menace et m’est hostile. Une lutte approche, vers laquelle tu voleras naturellement. Il me semble disposer très solidement de cette armée consulaire de tous les gens de bien, même de ceux qui ne le sont qu’assez. Pompée manifeste à mon égard un zèle considérable et affirme que Publius ne prononcera pas un mot contre moi. En cela, il ne me trompe pas, mais se trompe lui-même. Après la mort de Cosconius, on m’a invité à prendre sa place. C’était être appelé à la place d’un mort. Rien n’aurait été plus honteux pour moi aux yeux des hommes, ni plus contraire précisément à cette ἀσφάλεια. Ces gens sont en effet odieux aux gens de bien; moi, tout en conservant la haine que me portent les méchants, j’aurais pris sur moi celle qu’on leur porte. César veut que je sois son légat.