e 643: Caesar was accustomed to come to North Italy (Gallia
Cisalpina) for the winter to Ravenna or Luca, and there he could be
communicated with and exercise great influence.]

[Footnote 644: That is, he would go to his province of Cilicia on the
strength of his nomination or allotment by the senate. There was some
doubt as to the question whether such allotment did not give _imperium_
even without a _lex curiata_. Besides, the consul had already
_imperium_, and he might consider it to be uninterrupted if he left Rome
immediately. However, as there was always an interval between the end of
the consulship and the quitting Rome _paludatus_, the _lex curiata_ had
generally been considered necessary (Caes. _B. C._ i. 6). After B.C. 52
the _lex Pompeia_ enacted a five years' interval, when, of course, a law
would be necessary.]

CL (Q FR III, 3)

TO HIS BROTHER QUINTUS (IN GAUL)

ROME (OCTOBER)

[Sidenote: B.C. 54, AET. 52]

The writing of an amanuensis must shew you the amount of my engagements.
I assure you that no day passes without my appearing for the defence of
some one. Accordingly, all composition or reflexion I reserve for the
hour of my walk. So stands my business: matters at home, however, are
everything I could wish. Our boys are well, diligent in their studies,
and affectionate to me and each other. The decoration of both of our
houses is still in hand: but your rural works at Arcanum and Laterium
are now completed. For the rest, as to the water and the road, I went
into the case thoroughly, in a certain letter of mine, without omitting
anything. But, in truth, the anxiety which is now giving me great
uneasiness and pain is that for a period of fifty days I have heard
nothing from you or from Caesar--nothing has found its way from those
parts, either in the shape of a letter, or even of a rumour. Moreover,
both the sea and land out there make me uneasy, and I never cease
imagining, as one does when one's affections are deeply involved, all
that I least desire. Wherefore I do not, indeed, for the present ask you
to write me an account of yourself and your doings, for that you never
omit doing when possible, but I wish you to know this--that I have
scarcely ever been so anxious for anything as at the moment of writing I
am for a letter from you. Now for what is going on in politics. One day
after another for the _comitia_ is struck out by notices of bad omens,
to the great satisfaction of all the l