I come now again to you, O Caelius, in your turn; and I take upon myself the
authority and strictness of a father; but I doubt which father's character I
shall select to assume. Shall I not the part of some one of
Caecilius's1 fathers,
harsh and vehement? “
“For now, in truth, at length my bosom glows,
My heart with passion rages;”
” or that other father?— “
“Oh thou unhappy, worthless son.”
” Those are very hard-hearted fathers; “
“What shall I say, what wishes dare I form,
When your base actions frustrate all my prayers;”
” Such a father as that would say things which you would find it
difficult to bear. He would say, “Why did you betake yourself to
the neighbourhood of a harlot? Why did you not shun her notorious
blandishments? Why did you form a connection with a woman who was nothing to
you? Squander your money, throw it away; I give you leave. If you come to
want, it is you yourself who will suffer for it. I shall be satisfied if I
am able to spend pleasantly the small portion of my life that remains to
me.”
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1 Caecilius, one of the old Roman comic writers, from one of whose plays these lines are taken.
M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge, B. A. London. George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 1891.
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