Letters to his brother Quintus/3.7

Tusculum, November 54 BC
At Rome, and especially on the Appian road as far as the temple of Mars, there is a remarkable flood. The promenade of Crassipes has been washed away, pleasure grounds, a great number of shops. There is a great sheet of water right up to the public fish-pond. That doctrine of Homer's is in full play:


 * The days in autumn when in violent flood Zeus pours his waters, wroth at sinful men

&mdash;for it falls in with the acquittal of Gabinius&mdash;


 * Who wrench the law to suit their crooked ends And drive out justice, recking naught of Gods.

But I have made up my mind not to care about such things. When I get back to Rome I will write and tell you my observations, and especially about the dictatorship, and I will also send a letter to Labienus and one to Ligurius. I write this before daybreak by the carved wood lamp-stand, in which I take great delight, because they tell me that you had it made when you were at Samos. Good-bye, dearest and best of brothers.