. The latter alone had made the road very
well where it skirted his own property. Locusta hadn't touched it; but I
will call on him at Rome, and think I shall be able to stir him up, and
at the same time I shall ask M. Taurus, who is now at Rome, and whom I
am told promised to allow you to do so, about making a watercourse
through his property. I much approved of your steward Nicephorius, and I
asked him what orders you had given about that small building at
Laterium, about which you spoke to me. He told me in answer that he had
himself contracted to do the work for sixteen sestertia (about L128),
but that you had afterwards made many additions to the work, but nothing
to the price, and that he had therefore given it up. I quite approve, by
Hercules, of your making the additions you had determined upon; although
the villa as it stands seems to have the air of a philosopher, meant to
rebuke the extravagance of other villas. Yet, after all, that addition
will be pleasing. I praised your landscape gardener: he has so covered
everything with ivy, both the foundation-wall of the villa and the
spaces between the columns of the walk, that, upon my word, those Greek
statues seemed to be engaged in fancy gardening, and to be shewing off
the ivy. Finally, nothing can be cooler or more mossy than the
dressing-room of the bath. That is about all I have to say about country
matters. The gardener, indeed, as well as Philotimus and Cincius are
pressing on the ornamentation of your town house; but I also often look
in upon it myself, as I can do without difficulty. Wherefore don't be at
all anxious about that.

As to your always asking me about your son, of course I "excuse you";
but I must ask you to "excuse" me also, for I don't allow that you love
him more than I do. And oh that he had been with me these last few days
at Arpinum, as he had himself set his heart on being, and as I had no
less done! As to Pomponia, please write and say that, when I go out of
town anywhere, she is to come with me and bring the boy. I'll do wonders
with him, if I get him to myself when I am at leisure: for at Rome there
is no time to breathe. You know I formerly promised to do so for
nothing. What do you expect with such a reward as you promise me? I now
come to your letters which I received in several packets when I was at
Arpinum. For I received three from you in one day, and, indeed, as it
seemed, despatched by you at the same time--one of considerabl