Letters to Atticus Passage 4

cur igitur inquis remansimus? vel tibi paruimus vel non occurrimus vel hoc fuit rectius. conculcari , inquam, miseram Italiam videbis proxima aestate †qaut utriusque in† mancipiis ex omni genere conlectis, nec tam †iptio† pertimescenda, quae Luceriae multis sermonibus denuntiata esse dicitur, quam †universam† interitus. tantas in confligendo utriusque viris video futuras. habes coniecturam meam. tu autem consolationis fortasse aliquid exspectasti. nihil invenio nihil fieri potest miserius, nihil perditius, nihil foedius.

Why then, you ask, did we remain? Either we obeyed you, or failed to meet the occasion, or this course was more right. You will see wretched Italy trampled next summer †... of both sides in† slaves collected from every class, and not so much †...† to be feared, which is said to have been proclaimed at Luceria in many conversations, as †universal† destruction. So great do I see the forces of both sides becoming when they clash. You have my forecast. You were perhaps expecting some consolation. I find none. Nothing could be more wretched, more ruined, or more disgraceful.

Pourquoi donc, demandes-tu, sommes-nous restés ? Soit nous t’avons obéi, soit nous n’avons pas saisi l’occasion, soit cette conduite était plus droite. Tu verras, dis-je, la malheureuse Italie foulée aux pieds l’été prochain par †les esclaves des deux camps, recrutés dans toutes les classes†. Il faut craindre moins †...†, qui, dit-on, a été annoncé à Lucérie dans de nombreux entretiens, que †la destruction générale†. Je prévois que les forces des deux camps seront immenses lorsqu’elles s’affronteront. Voilà ma conjecture. Mais tu attendais peut-être quelque consolation. Je n’en trouve aucune. Rien ne pourrait être plus misérable, plus désespéré, plus honteux.