Thus loaded with the genuine honours of respect and gratitude, Atticus returned to enjoy the society of his early friends, who were now leading characters in the state. His school-fellow L. Torquatus was that year consul : Hortensius, his intimate friend, made a great figure as a public orator ; as did also M. T. Cicero. It was difficult to say which of these two loved him most ; and it is mentioned as a singular in stance of his delicate management, that though they frequently met in his company, these rival orators never gave vent to that acrimony of speech, which was natural to two angry competitors for public ap plause. His connection with Cicero was, if possible, rendered still more intimate by the marriage of Q. Cicero, the brother of the orator, with Pomponia the sister of Atticus. Of this match, which was brought about by Cicero, frequent mention is made in the let ters of that orator to Atticus. These, consisting of sixteen books, are still extant ; and for sprightliness of wit, accuracy of political information, and expres sions of ardent and genuine friendship, they may be safely opposed to any epistolary collection in exist s ence.
The paternal inheritance of Atticus was ample, though not splendid. But .on the death of his uncle Q. Cmcilins, his fortune received a considerable ac cession. This old man was of a remarkably peevish disposition, insomuch that few could bear his humour; but Atticus so won upon him by his dutiful atten tions, that he adopted him as his son, and left him an inheritance of 10,000,000 sesterces, or near R100,000 sterling. The unsettled state of affairs at home, and his long relegation .at Athens, prevented him from marrying till considerably advanced in life. His wife's name was Pilia ; but who she was, or what were her connections, no author has mentioned. By this mar riage he had a daughter Pomponia, who was married to Agrippa the favourite of Augustus: and his grand daughter again by this marriage was betrothed by command of Augustus, almost as soon as she was born, to Tiberius, who was afterwards emperor. No thing can be more decisive of the high consideration in which Atticus was held, and of his extensive though secret influence in the state, than this alliance into which he was pressed with the family of the Caesars.
In his political life Atticus pursued a line of con duct which would not have been tolerated by the law of Solon ; for in all the disturbances which took place at Rome during that eventful period, he so ma matters, that he was seldom implicated on either side. ' His friendship for Cicero, it is true, induced him to violate this principle of neutrality to a certain extent ; and he had no hesitation to declare himself openly against such a character as Catiline. But, in general, such was his attachment to peace and repose, that even in his boyish days, nothing could prevail upon him to enlist under the banners of faction. This firm adherence to professed principle could not well be displeasing to either party ; for though he should happen, as lie sometimes did, to give private assistance to one, yet this was ascribed by the other to private friendship, and not to his approbation of political conduct. • Hence it happened that Atticus was al ways courted by the two hostile factions at the same time. Thus, while he relieved the wants of the ex iled Marius, he was at that very time caressed by Sylla. Though he furnished some of his private friends with money, who were devoted to Pompey's cause, yet Caesar was so little displeased at this, that he applauded the neutrality of Attithis : and, after his victory at Pharsalia, while that conqueror made large demands on the rich citizens for money, he not only never molested Atticus, but, on his account, pardoned his nephew, who had carried arms against him.
Atticus was always a powerful advocate for mode ration and humanity during that sanguinary period ; and to this circumstance, no less than to his strict neutrality, we are to ascribe his wonderful success in preserving the good opinion of all parties. It was his constant maxim to alleviate, as much as in him lay, by his influence mid money, the misfortunes of the to whatever cause they were attached. Thus, though his strict intimacy with Cicero render ed him naturally favourable to the interest of Brutus, in opposition to Antony ; yet, when Antony's affairs seemed utterly irretrievable, and his friends went over to the other side, titticus interposed his good offices, and restrained Cicero and his coadjutors not only from committing any violence on the person of Antony-, but from persecuting his remaining adherents ; whom he liberally supplied with whatever they required, out of his own pocket. Such, however, was the depra vity of heart which influenced the proceedings of the triumvirate, that these services were not sufficient to prevent the name of Atticus from being inserted in the list of the proscribed. The fury of Antony ra ged to such a degree against Cicero, that he had re solved to extirpate from the face of the earth the ora tor and all his, friends without a single exception. But the tyrant was prevailed upon to relent in favour of Atticus, who had retired into concealment : he wrote to him a letter with his own hand, inviting him to return, and sent a guard to escort him through the horrors of the night. It is a singular fact, that after Antony and Augustus quarrelled, Atticus continued to be their common friend : he frequently received letters from Antony, detailing his plans and opera tions in the East ; while at the same time he main tained a daily correspondence with Augustus, who consulted him on the most important questions. The refined policy by which he conducted himself in this delicate predicament, almost justifies the eulogium of his panegyrist, when he says, that the history of At ticus has taught the world, " That man is fortunate or unfortunate, according to his own conduct." The same prudence and forbearance which prevent ed Atticus from taking any active part in the civil commotion of his time, prevented him also from availing himself of many opportunities of obtaining public offices. The honour and emolument attached to these, he considered as completely counterbalanced by the cares and dangers from which they are insepa rable in troublesome times. On more than one occa sion, he might have obtained a province : but this he declined as incompatible with that rule of political quiet which he had adopted. To this indolence he was also probably inclined from the maxims of the Epicurean philosophy, to which he professed an at tachment. As pleasure, that is, virtuous enjoyment, together with the absence of pain and care, consti tuted the sole object of his desire, he would be dis posed not to interfere in the angry contentions of the world ; but rather, like the gods of Epicurus, to ob serve them in dignified repose, at a distance. It is difficult to determine whether this political neutrality be altogether consistent with the interest which a good man ought to take in the welfare of his coun try. But the truth is, that the Roman empire at that time had extended itself over so many kingdoms and provinces, that the proper idea of country was in a m• FART I.