Caesar,
Many thanks for the message. And yes I will gladly stand for consul - but under the condition that you reverse that dreadful law that forces ex-consul and praetors to go to the provinces within 5 years. I will not stand for it - I have left Italy often enough, I have done my bit.

I have also instructed the horrea to release grain to the NEW recipients next week - in my name as part of my campaign for consul. I have also instructed the aerarium Saturni to release my money from the campaign. Unless I have heard otherwise, the triumph will be held in November - I will start organising now.

And before you put a horse's head in my bed - there are rumours galore in the city about the defeat of the Roman army in the East - it will get a lot worse before it gets better. Unless we give them a festival to look forward to we will have rioting in the city and worse.

I also need from you the current list of your magistrates in the provinces. My list is a bit out of date and Appius Claudius Pulcher, the censor has asked questions concerning YOUR declaration of assets. A full disclosure might be helpful - the guy is fairly angry. I might not have liked his son - but the father is nothing if not a stickler for the rules.

I am also looking in the lex provincia issue - this may take sometime as I will need to find a way of keeping all the jobs occupied.

Your plans for the forum are a dream - but you do realise that your will have to change the position of the senate house to make everything fit. Do you want me to organise the necessary propituary sacrifices?

I will report on the constitutionality of your other edicts by and by. I understand the need for reforms we have talked about that. But some of your edict have knock on effects on everybody else which is not going to make them popular or workable. I have them unchallenged for the moment, but they need revisiting.

Oh and BTW I have nominated Pompey as a further candidate for the consulate - any objections?

Best wishes Marcus.

PS: Marcus junior is currently in Gaul with you and my brother. He is a good boy, but a fiend to everything alcoholic - so keep him out of harms way as far as this is possible for a Roman in arms and teach him something useful (I am reliably informed that he is au fait with the birds and the bees, so tell him to keep away from the senator's daughters etc....)