Nicholson,

The Nicholson article examines the various avenues in which a Roman nobleman may send a letter, and the dangers in concealing confidentiality. Cicero is an extremely easy study because so much of his correspondence survives. As many of my colleagues point out, Republican Rome did not have a postal system as we know it today. It was not until Augustus that any resemblance to one might have been formed. Cicero had many ways that he could send a letter. Depending on his needs he could send his correspondence with a slave, a friend, or other less reliable individuals. All had their advantages and disadvantages; slaves could be expensive, friends happening to travel to a letters destination could understandably be a rare occurrence, and publicani and other messengers might be less reliable. This brings Nicholson to the other longer study of the different methods that Cicero could employ in maintaining the integrity of his correspondence. He could use wax seals, the double sending of the same letter, the use of Greek, code, or the omission of proper names. Many of these methods reveal to me why so many of Cicero's letters at times are so vague, and may appear meaningless. Nicholson also highlights some of the more comical aspects of Cicero's character in pointing out that he would sometimes attempt to intercept a letter that he felt was written prematurely out of anger, or that he might write Atticus no more than a few words. The latter quirk reminds me of my mother in law (bless her heart) who will call daily just to see how things are going... yikes! Finally, Nicholson reminds us how these letters were still in danger of being intercepted long after they had reached their destination. Romans had not discovered paper shredders yet, and they hoarded them so that they would be preserved for college students to toil over 2000 plus years later; "Cicero's anxiety over the confidentiality of his correspondence extended into the future, and toward the end of his life he began to betray a concern to leave an edited and sanitized corpus of letters for posterity" (Nicholson, 62). Cicero of course lived in a turbulent time in Roman history. The forces that were in motion were bigger than he ever realized and he died because of it. Nonetheless, these dangers were ever present. One could conclude, why might Cicero be so concerned with maintaining such a steady stressful supply of correspondence always on the ready; Nicholson reminds us, "in times of crisis, frequent correspondence with friends was vital to Cicero's successful political negotiations and peace of mind" (34).

Letter 74

This is an incredibly interesting article written to Cassius. In its brevity Cicero laments his standing with Marc Antony, "consero servimus" (2.10). Caesar had recently been assassinated and Antony made sure to fill the void. The trouble was that he accused Cicero of being the ringleader behind the deeds of Brutus and Cassius; "vestri enim pulcherrimi facti ille furiousus me principem dicit fuisse" (1.4). Though he clearly is angered by Marc Antony he as well seems to be slightly put off by the insinuation that he was behind their actions. Though he acknowldeges the "pulcherrimi facti," he as well says to Cassius that it his responsibility that Antony still remains to stir trouble; "utinam quidem fuissem [principem]!" (1.5). This letter sheds even more light on the degenerate matters in Rome. As well Cicero shares his hopes with us that Cassius' actions might indeed save the Republic. Alas, he was wrong in his hopes but right about Antony.

Asa A. Cabbage