Letters to Atticus Passage 1

Tarsum venimus Nonis Iuniis. ibi me multa moverunt, magnum in Syria bellum, magna in Cilicia latrocinia, mihi difficilis ratio administrandi, quod paucos dies habebam reliquos annui muneris, illud autem difficillimum, relinquendus erat ex senatus consulto qui praeesset. nihil minus probari poterat quam quaestor Mescinius. nam de Coelio nihil audiebamus. rectissimum videbatur fratrem cum imperio relinquere; in quo multa molesta, discessus noster, belli periculum, militum improbitas, sescenta praeterea. o rem totam odiosam! sed haec fortuna viderit, quoniam consilio non multum uti licet.

We reached Tarsus on June 5. Many things troubled me there: the great war in Syria, widespread brigandage in Cilicia, and the difficulty of administering my command because only a few days of my year's service remained. The most difficult point was that, under the Senate's decree, someone had to be left in command. No choice could be less acceptable than the quaestor Mescinius, for we had heard nothing about Coelius. The most proper course appeared to be to leave my brother invested with command. But that involved many painful things: our separation, the danger of war, the soldiers' misconduct, and six hundred other matters. What a thoroughly hateful business! But let Fortune see to these things, since there is little opportunity to use judgment.

Nous sommes arrivés à Tarse aux nones de juin. Beaucoup de choses m’y ont troublé: une grande guerre en Syrie, un brigandage considérable en Cilicie, la difficulté d’administrer puisque peu de jours restaient à mon année de charge, et surtout cette extrême difficulté: conformément au sénatus-consulte, je devais laisser quelqu’un au commandement. Rien ne pouvait être moins acceptable que le questeur Mescinius. Quant à Coelius, nous n’avions aucune nouvelle. La solution la plus droite paraissait être de laisser mon frère investi de l’imperium. Mais elle comportait mille désagréments: notre séparation, le danger de la guerre, la perversité des soldats, et six cents autres choses. Quelle affaire entièrement odieuse! Mais que la fortune y veille, puisqu’il ne nous est guère permis d’user de notre jugement.