r anything new at all;
and, since Nepos[197] is leaving Rome, who is to have the augurship--the
one bait by which those personages could catch me! You see what a high
price I put on myself! Why do I talk about such things, which I am eager
to throw aside, and to devote myself heart and soul to philosophy. That,
I tell you, is my intention. I could wish I had done so from the first.
Now, however, that I have found by experience the hollowness of what I
thought so splendid, I am thinking of doing business exclusively with
the Muses. In spite of that, please give me in your next some more
definite information about Curtius and who is intended to fill his
place, and what is doing about P. Clodius, and, in fact, take your time
and tell me everything as you promise; and pray write me word what day
you think of leaving Rome, in order that I may tell you where I am
likely to be: and send me a letter at once on the subjects of which I
have written to you. I look forward much to hearing from you.

[Footnote 193: The triumvirs. The mission to Egypt was in the affairs of
Ptolemy Auletes (father of Cleopatra), who was this year declared a
"friend and ally." He soon got expelled by his subjects.]

[Footnote 194: _Il._ vi. 442; xxii. 100. Cicero's frequent expression
for popular opinion, or the opinion of those he respects--his Mrs.
Grundy.]

[Footnote 195: Theophanes, a philosopher of Mitylene, a close friend of
Pompey's, in whose house he frequently resided. He took charge of
Pompey's wife and children in B.C. 48-47.]

[Footnote 196: Q. Arrius, an orator and friend of Caesar's, by whose help
he had hoped for the consulship. See p. 49.]

[Footnote 197: Q. Caecilius Metellus Nepos (consul B.C. 57). His brother,
the consul of B.C. 60, had just died and made a vacancy in the college
of augurs.]

XXXII (A II, 6)

TO ATTICUS (AT ROME)

ANTIUM (APRIL)

[Sidenote: B.C. 59, AET. 47]

As to my promise to you in a former letter that there should be some
product of this country excursion, I cannot confirm it to any great
extent: for I have become so attached to idleness that I cannot be torn
from its arms. Accordingly, I either enjoy myself with books, of which I
have a delightful stock at Antium, or I just count the waves--for the
rough weather prevents my shrimping! From writing my mind positively
recoils. For the geographical treatise, upon which I had settled, is a
serious undertaking: so severely is Eratosthenes, whom