Lettres à Atticus Passage 4

quod quaeris quid sit quo te arcessam, ac simul impeditum te negotiis esse significas neque recusas quin, non modo si opus sit sed etiam si velim, accurras, nihil sane est necesse, verum tamen videbare mihi tempora peregrinationis commodius posse discribere. nimis abes diu, praesertim cum sis in propinquis locis, neque nos te fruimur et tu nobis cares. ac nunc quidem otium est, sed, si paulo plus furor Pulchelli progredi posset, valde ego te istim excitarem. verum praeclare Metellus impedit et impediet. quid quaeris? est consul φιλόπατρισ et, ut semper iudicavi, natura bonus.

You ask why I am summoning you, while also indicating that you are entangled in business, and yet do not refuse to hurry here, not only if there is need but even if I merely wish it. There is really no necessity. Still, it seemed to me that you could have arranged the periods of your travels more conveniently. You have been away too long, especially since you are in nearby places; neither do we enjoy your company nor do you enjoy ours. At present, indeed, all is quiet, but if Pulchellus' madness could advance a little further, I should urgently summon you from where you are. Metellus, however, is blocking him splendidly and will continue to do so. What more need I say? He is a patriotic consul and, as I have always judged, good by nature.

Tu demandes pourquoi je te fais venir, tout en m’indiquant que tes affaires te retiennent, et tu ne refuses pas d’accourir, non seulement si cela est nécessaire, mais même si je le désire. À vrai dire, il n’y a aucune nécessité. Il me semblait pourtant que tu pouvais répartir plus commodément les périodes de ton voyage. Tu es absent depuis trop longtemps, surtout puisque tu te trouves dans des régions voisines: nous sommes privés de toi, et toi de nous. Pour le moment, il est vrai, tout est calme; mais si la folie de Pulchellus pouvait progresser un peu, je te ferais vivement partir de là-bas. Métellus lui oppose toutefois, et lui opposera encore, un magnifique obstacle. Que veux-tu? C’est un consul φιλόπατρις et, comme je l’ai toujours jugé, naturellement bon.