CATO MAIOR

M. TULLI CICERONIS

DE SENECTUTE

I. O Titus, should some aid of mine dispel
The cares that now within thy bosom dwell
And wring thy heart and torture thee with pain,
What then would be the measure of my gain?

For I may fitly address you, Atticus, in these same verses,
With which the one addresses Flamininus

That man of little wealth, but full of loyalty,
Although I know for certain, Titus, that you are not,
Like Flamininus, so troubled night and day,

For I know the moderation of your mind and your sense of equity. I realize that you brought back from Athens not only a cognomen surname/epithet, but also culture and prudence. And yet, I suspect that you are at times more seriously moved by the same matters as I am, the consolation for which is both greater and must be deferred to another time.

Ennius, Annales, book 10, words addressed by an Epirote shepherd to Titus Quinctius Flamininus, who was then (198 B.C.) engaged in war with Philip of Macedon, and here applied by Cicero to his lifelong friend, Titus Pomponius Atticus.
Referring to the existing political situation. See Introduction.