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and so I undoubtedly was; I was afraid that that would come to pass, which actually did happen,—am now on the contrary afraid of nothing, and there is no contingency for which I am not prepared. While some degree of precaution seemed practicable, it pained me to see that precaution neglected; as it is, however, amid this universal ruin, when a policy of prudence can do no good, it seems that the one course left to us is to bear whatever happens with self-restraint, especially since death is the end of all things, and my conscience tells me that as long as I had the chance I took steps to protect the dignity, and when that was lost, that I was eager to maintain the safety, of the Republic.
2 I have written thus, not because I want to talk about myself, but so that you, who have always been so closely associated with me both in conviction and aspiration, may indulge in the same reflections. For it is no small consolation when you recollect that, even if affairs have turned out badly, you at any rate were incontrovertibly right in your opinions. And I do pray that the day will come when we may enjoy some form or other of stable government, and compare notes together on the anxious days we passed through, when we were suspected of timidity, because we declared that that would happen which actually took place.
3 As regards your own affairs, I emphatically assure you that, apart from the ruin of the Republic as a whole, you have nothing to fear; while as regards myself, I beg of you to think this of me—that to the best of my ability, I shall always be at hand to promote your own welfare and that of your children with the utmost possible zeal.