LETTER IT. H Brvius to Ckero, greeting. I HAVE been earnestly expecting your letter, which you wrote after you received the news of the state of our affairs, and of the death of Trebouius,^ for I ha^vo no doubt that you fully esplftin your viewa to me, By a most shameful atrocity, we have lost a most excellent citizen, and have been expelled from the poasession of the province, which it ia ea^ to recover; nor will it be less disgraceful or iniquitous that it should not ba recovered, if it be possible. Antony^ is as yet with us; but, I assure you, I am hoth moved by the entreaties of the man, and I am afraid that the madness of some parties may fall upon him. I am altogether in perplexity. But if I knew what you thought best, I should be free from amiety, ' This waa tha Erst blood shed by either party after the death of Cfflaar. TraboniuB hi^d been Hs&igned the provmco of Aein Minor, and had taken pousession of it; but DoUbelta. proceeded through Asia Minor, to ta)<e poaseaeion of Syria, where CneaiuB was already io aram. Treboaiua did not dare opanlj to defy him; but the gates of the dif- ferent cities were cloaed asuaat him. He attacked Smyrna, in which Treboniua himself waa, acalad thewallH by night, seized him in hia bed, and beheaded him; wbtle the soldiera mutilated the body, and tearing dawn the head from Dolabella'a tribune, kioked it about the atreeta, till the featurea could no longer bo recogniaed- This occurred about the end of February 711 i.n.c.
' Caiua Antony, who wns a prifloncr.
BBTJTDa TO CrCEHO.
for I Bboiild feel sure that that really was the best. Ab BOon as poBsible, therefore, make me acquainted nith your Cpinions.
Our friend Casfiius has Syria, and the Syrian legiona; having been invited spontaneouBly by Murcus and MartiuB, and by the troops themselves, I have written to my sister Tertia, and to my mother, not to apread any account of this moat admirable and fortunate exploit of Cassiua, till they knew your opinion, and till you thought it desirable to do bo.
I have read your two speeches; of ■which you spoke one on the 1st of January, and the other was in reply to Calenus, on the subject of my letters. Yon now doubtless expect me to prwse them; I know not whether the merit of courage or of abihty displayed in them be the greater. I now grant that they may be called Philippics, as you wrote, jestingly, in one of your letters. We are in need of two things, my dear Cicero; money, and reiuforcetneuts; one of which may bo hastened hy you, I mean that some portion of the troops front Italy may be sent to us, either secretly, and in spite of Pansa, or else by an open motion in the senate; the other thing, money, which is still more necessary, not more for mj troops than those of the other commanders, « • On this account I am the more concerned that we have lost Aaa; which I hear is oppressed to such a degree hy Dolabella, that the murder of Trebonius no longer appears his most barbarous action. Yetus Antistius, however, has aided me with money.
Your son Cicero endears himself to me so greatly by his industry, patience, diligence, and magnanimity, — in short, by the performance of every kind of duty, that he seems never for a moment to forget whose son he is. Though, therefore, I cannot make you love him more than you do, since he is already most dear to you; at least allow so much weight to my opinion, as to feel sure that be will not have to appropriate any of your glory, in order to arrive at hononrs eimilar to those of his father.
Dyrrhachium, the let of ApriL^ ' Theae letters are diffetently arrBnged in different editions. I hnvs fallowed the BJTBneemBQt oC Middieton ns most consiatent with tba historical order of tha ei^enta alluded to; tut the lettora of Brutua sra _ gust Bn Bpiirious aa those attributed to Cioero. It mny aave trouble I I I I LETTER III. Cicero to Bntta», greeting. Tou have been able to leai-u the admirable disposition of Plaacua for the good of the commonwealth, and the number of his legions and auxiliary troops, and, in short, of his wliole force, from his letters, of which I suppoBO that a copy has been sent to you. I imagine too, that from the letters of jonr own friends, you have arrived at a complete ^mderBtand^' ing of the levity and inconsiatenoy of your friend Lepidi to ^TO the arraDgament; of the different odttione,'— tLat adopted Mtddlston, ftiid the ordinoiy aiTangemtint, which. dividGa thcde Letti into two booki: — I Lucius Clodius..
Plancianimiim..
li. t.
Quffllitarai...Teteris Antiatii, LII.
vni..
A. A V. Calendas.
QiiBDtil wa lietUii LuoinB Bibulua..
xir..
Noli aipactare..
Soiiptd Bt obaigima ScribiJ) raiJu...I. ir.
Etaidatn^..
De Miirco Lepido.
xvin..
LIS.
HuUasadhuo..
xxir..
Lie.
Cum Btepe te..
XSIIL.
XXIV..
There ia also one given iu the orditiojy editions tis a fragment a seponte letter; but printed by Middleton as the end of Letter IL and one begioniiig " Quod egere,' ' which Middleton oonaidere a portion of Letter IV., but whiuh I have followed the ordinary edition in giving ■BB Bcparateletter, and which will be found 03 Letter IV. Letter X£1T. ' Kiddleton himnelf gives up as a forger;.
ciCEno TO Bunnja, (ffho, nest to hia own brother, hatea his relfttjons above all people,) tuid his invariably hostile feelings towards the com- tnw^th. My expectation disquiets me, the fulfilment of is wholly reduced to an extfemely critical state; for all j>es depend on the deliveiy of Brutus, foe -whom I was kite of great alarm. ± present, I have suffloient difficulty here, with that mad- man Servihus, with whom I have borne longer than my dignity &irly allowed; but I did boor witli him for the sake of the republic, that I might not give the profligate portion of the citizens a man, not indeed of great wisdom, but of noble birth, to whom they might flock as a leader— which, DBvertheleaa, they do. But I did not think it right that he should be alienated from the republic. However, 1 have done with enduring bim now, for ho had begun to show such inao- leacei, that be looked upon no one as irtte. In the case of Plancns, he burst forth with incredible indignation, and con- tended with mc in such a spirit for two days, and was so completely beaten by me, that I hope that be will be moi-e modest.hereafter. And while this very contest was going on, at the time when the debate was proceeding with the great^t vehemence, on the 9th of April, a letter waa dohvered to me in the senate, &om our friend Lentulus, with an account of CossiuB and his legions, and Syria; and as Boon as I had read it aloud, Serviliiis lost heart, oa well as many others, for there arc several other pei-sons of high rank who are thoroughly disaffected: but Serviliua was esceedingly indignant that assent was expressed to my opinion about Plancus, He ia a great monster in regard to the & wealth, but * » • I I LETTER IV. Cieei-o to BrutKS, greeting. As to your remark that you are in need of two necessary things, reinforcements and money, it is veiy diSicult to know what advice to give you; for no means occur to my recol- lection, which I consider that you can use, except those which the senate has voted, giving you the power of borrowing money from the different cities. But about the reinforcet ment, I do not see what ctin be from being able to afford you any portion of his aiToy, or of hia new levies, that ho is sven greatly annoyed at so many volunteers going to you; in my opinion, because he thinks that for those affairs about whieh there is now a contention in Italy, no forces can be too great; but na many people snapect, beoauao he has nodeairefor you to become too strong, I, however, have no suspicion of this kind.
With regard to what you say, that you have written to your sister Tertia, bidding her not to make public the things which have been done by Caasius, till I approved of it, I see that you were afraid of what there was good reason to fear, namely, that the disposition of Ciesar's party (as parties have Btill distinctive appellations) would be greatly excited by the intelligence. But, before we received your letters, the affair ■was known and spread abroad; and, besides, your couriers had brought letters to many of your friends. The fact was therefore not to be suppressed, since, indeed, it could not he done; and if it could have been done, we should have thought it a matter not to be published, rather than wholly concealed. With respect to my Cicero, if there really is as much in him as you say in your letter, I am as glad as I ought to be; and if, because you love hito, you make his merits so much the greater, I still rejoice extremely on that very account, that he is beloved by you.
Apiil i2th.
Apiil i2th.
LETTER V. Cmwo to Brutus, greeting. After I had given Scaptius letters for you on the morning of the 11th of April, the same day I received one from you in the eveniug, dated on the 1st of April, frtim Dyrrhachiuni; and, therefore, when on the next day I was informed by Scaptius that the men to whom he had given the lettei'S the day before had not started, but were going to set off imme- diately, I scratched these few hues to you in the midst of the coniusion of my taoming levee. About Cassius I am delighted, and congratulate the republic on hia success; I congra- M myself too, for having delivered my opinion in spite o£^ A ClOERO TO BRUInS.
lould puiv ^1 nred with ^| the opporition and anger of Pansa, that Caaaiiis ehould Bue Dolabellft actively as aa enemy; and I declared great boldness that he was already carrying on that war with- out waiting for any decree of the senate from us, I also said' about you what I thought at that time ought to he said. Tfate Bpsech of mine will be seat to you, ainco I see that you leased with my Philippics.
my adTJce that you aak respecting Caius Antoniu^ : that you ought to keep him prisoner till we know the flt of the aShii's of Bnitua.' From the letters which you fasTe sent me, Bolabella secma to be oppressing Asia, and conducting himself most shamefully in that province; but you have written to several people that " Dolabclla haa been shut out by the Rhodians." Now, if he baa been to Khodes, it aeems to me that he must have!eft Asia; and if that be the case, I think that you ought to atay there; but if he has once got possession of the place, then, believe me, you ought not, but should, as I think, pursue him into Asia. Tou seem, to be likely to do nothing better at the present Cicero to Snilics, greeting.
I OONCLITDE that your relations, to none of whom do I yield in attachment to you, have informed you what letter was read publicly in the senate on the 13th of April in your name, and at the same time in that of Antony, But it was not necessary that we should all write about the same things; what was necessary for me to write to you was, what I thought of the entire conduct of this war, and what my dehberate opinion and sentiments were. My feeling, my dear Brutus, with respect to the republic in general, haa always been the same as your own; my plan of action in some points, not indeed in all, may perhaps have been a little more vigorous. You know that my opinion has always been, that the republic ahould be delivered not only from the tyrant, but from the tyranny. You adopted more gentle notions, ' Dccimus Brutus, CICERO TO BROTHS.
CICERO TO BROTHS.
certainly, to your owa immortal honour; but wbich of the two plana was the better, we have felt witli great grie^ and BtUl feel, to our great danger. Ou that recent occasion you referred everything to the object of ensuring peace, which could aot he managed by mere speeches; I directed all my ainffi to BBOure hberty, which indeed can have no existence without pence; and peace itself I thought coidd be best est^ blished by war and arms. I Zeal was not wanting to those who cried for arms, but wt J repressed their impetuosity, and checked their ardour, Ib. conseqneuce, our afiblra ftil into such a state, that if some god had not inspired Coisar Octavianus with the feelings which animated him, wo must have fiiUen into the power of that most abandoned and infamous man, Mark Antony, with whom you see how great and perilous a contest there is; and there would have beun none, if Antony bad not been spared on that occoflion.'
But I forbear to speak of those matters; for the exploit then performed by you,' an exploit ever memorable, and almost divine, precludes all blame; and, indeed, it cannot bo extolled with oJl the praise that it dcsei'VES.
Ton have lately appeared of a gniTa countenance. You havo collected by yourself in a short time, an army, and troops, and a silfficient number of legions. 0 ye immortal gods, what an announcement was that, what a letter I how great was the joy of the senate! how extreme the alacrity of the whole city! I never saw anything extolled with such unani- mity. There had been some expectation about the remains of Antony's force, whom you had deprived of his oavaJry and of the chief part of his legions; but it came to such an end as wa could have wished; for your letter, which was read in the senate, shows the wisdom of the general, the valour of the soldiers, the industry of your friendSj and among them of my Cicero, Had it seemed advisable to your Mends that a motion should be made respecting your letter, and had it not arrived at a most turbulent time, after the departure of Paosa the consul, proper and deserved honours woidd have beea decreed to the immortal gods ou the occasion.
Behold, on the 13th of April, early in the morning, y rapid courier, Pilus, arrives. What a man I 0 ye gods, ' CSOmO TO BBITTUB.
99 gi^re! how steady! ho\t well affected to the republic! He brin^ two letters, one in your name, and one in that of Antony. He delivera them to Serviliua the tribune of the people, Serviliua gives them to Coruutua; they are read in the senate: " Antony the prooonsuL" There was great asto- niahment, just as if any one had read " Dolabella the emperor:" from whom, indeed, couriera had ai-rived, but no one like Pilus, bold enough to produce the lettei-s, or deliver them to the magistrates.
Tonf Jotter was read; it was short, indeed, but very mild towards Antony. The senate admired it greatly; to me it was not r^uite clear what I ought to do. Should I pronounce it forged^ But what if you owned it J Should I pronounce it genuine 1 That was not for your honour.' The day, there- ftire, waa suffered to pass in silence.
But the nest day, when conversation on the matter had become geneml, and when Pilus had given a great deal of apparent offence, a commencement waa fairly made on my jart. I said a good deal about the '■ proconsul Antony." SextiuB was not wanting to the cause; and afterwards he Bpoke to rae, observing in how much danger he thought his son and mine would be, if they bad taken up arms against a proconaul. Yon know the man; he did full justice to the aj^ument. Others spoke too; and our friend Laheo remarked that your seal was not affixed to the letter, or the date added, and ihat you had not written to your relations, as you used to do. By this he wished to prove that the letter ivaa fonged; and, if you wish to know more, did prove it.
How, my dear Brutus, you Lave to decide upon the whole plan of the war. I see that you are pleased with lenity, and Hunk, it of the greatest advantage. It is very honourable, but it is in a diflorent situation of affairs, and at other seaaona, that there is room for clemency. At present, my dear Bmtns, what is the state of afiairs J The hopes of the needy and profligate point to the destruction of the temples of the immortal gods; nor, indeed, is anything else to be determined by this war, but whether we are to exist, or not.
Who is it tijat we are sparing, and what are we doing?
' For if Antony had Tjean a. legal proeonBul, it muBt bavB baen not <mSj diihonoui-ablo, but criminsl in Bnitus, to act agalmit him as na •nemy. — Middleten.
BRDTUB TO CICEKO.
Are we thinking of the safety of those, by whom, if they should be victorious, not a trace of -us will be left) For what differ- ence is there between Dolabella and any one of tho tliree Antonios J If we spare any one of them, we ehall have been too lutrah with Dolabello. Although the state of affairs themselves cotnpellod tho senato and people of Borne to embrace such opinions as these, still it was only brought about in a veiy great degree by my prudence and authority.
If you do not approve this course, I will defend the opinion which you may express, but shall not abandon my own. Men expect from you nothing oareless on the one hand, or cruel on the other. Moderation in this matter is easy, by being strict to the leaders, but liberal to the common soldiers.
I wish, my dear Brutus, that you would have my Cicero with you as much as possible. He will iind no better sohool of virtue than the contemplation and imitation of you.
16th of April.
Srutiit to Cieero, greeting.
SnOH are the feelings of Vetus Antistius towards tho com- monwealth, that I do not doubt that he would have proved himself a most atrenuons defender of tlie comnion liberty in reference to Ctesar and Antony, if he could have found an opportunity; for he who, when he encountered Dolabella in Achaia, furnished with infantry and cavalry, preferred to run any risk from the treachery of n, bandit ready for everything, raUier than seem either to have been compelled to give, or to have given willingly, any money to that most profligate and infamous person, has of bis own accord promised ua, and actually given, above sixteen thousand pounds^ out of his own funds; and, what is much more v^uable still, he has oflered us himself, and united himself to us.
I have endeavoured to persuade him to remain as general in the camp, and to aid in the defence of the republic; but he considered that he ought to depart, since he had disbanded his army; but he promised to return to ua immediately, , acceptiug an appointment as lieiiteuant, unless the consuls should proceed to hold eomitia"fcr the eleetion of prtetorB. For I earnestly recommended. l«mj as he was so well affected to the commonwealth, not to pos^one offering himself as a ' candidate. His conduct ought io-he acceptahle to all, at least such as look npon this as thgmrmy of the republic; and so much the more pleoeing to you, aiyou defend our liberty with greater courage and glory, and a? foa will gain a greater accession of dignity, if that result for:^ch we hope shall attend our counsels.
Moreover, mj dear Cicero, I beg of you^ most particularly, and as a friend may, to look favourably <in Tetus, and to eiert yourself to add to his honours; since," afthough nothing can turn him aside from the po-th which lie hjta chosen, yet he may be excited by your praises and kindnes^.to adhere more vigorously and tenaciously to his reaolutiop-j and this ^^jnlLTrery much oblige me. • ".', ^^^ LETTER VIII.
^^^ LETTER VIII.
' Cicero to Brutus, greeting. -..
1 HAVE recommended many persona to yon, and I must continue to recommend; for every Tirtuoua man and good fdtizen is guided chiefly by your judgment, and all men of courage are eager to exert their efforts and spirit in your service; nor is there any one who does not think that my interest and influence have great weight with yoiL But I recommend to you Caius Na^nnius, a native of the municipal town of Suessa, in such a way that I cannot recommend any one with more sincerity. For in the Cretan war, he com- naanded the eighth century of the Priiicipes nnder Metellus, and, since that time, be has been occupied in his own family affeira. At present, being influenced both by the state rf the republic and by your pre-eminent dignity, he would be glad to obtain some post by your means.
I recommend to you, my dear Bmtua, a brave man, a pru- dent man, and, if that be anything to the purpose, a wealthy man. It will give me great pleasure if you treat him in such a manner that he may thank me for your favour to hini.
CIOEHO 'TO I LEITER IS.
1 letter, matters va»^ Cicero t^.ShUus, greeting.
At the time that I vaa writing this letter, lOBed to have bewj Veduoed to the last extremity; finr jnelanchoiy lottere ft&d^ws arrived about our friend Bmtua. They did not indeed tery macb disturb mo, for I could by no means distrust tbe.armies and generals whom we have; yet I did not a%Tts_ -with the majority, for I had not a bad opinion of the fidehty of the consuls, which was strongly Bospected. l-Soaifed in some particulars more prudence and promptness; &nd if they had exerted those qualities, we should haVo already reestabliishcd the republic For yo.u a^ not ignorant how great is the importanoo of Beaai>U|it^ene3s in public afliiirB, and what a difiereoce it make?; Whether the same thing bo determined, undertaken^ or doner, It littlo sooner or a little later. If everything that waff. voted with reaolution in this tumult, had either b done isn the day on whioh I dehvered ray opinion, acd postponed from day to day, or i^ fi-om the time when things wtre engaged to be done, they had not been atill delayed and procrastinated, we should now have no war at alL 1, my dear Brutua, hpve done everything for the republic that a man is bound to do, who has beeu placed io the rank in which I have been, by the deliberate judgment of the senate and people; not merely those thiuga, ivhich indeed are all that are to be required of a man, good faith, vigilance, and attachment to my country; for those are duties whidi every man ought to practiao; but, by him who delivetB his opinion on a&irs of a state among the chief men of it, I think that prudence ought also to be eshihitedj nor, when I have taken so much upon myaelf as to assume the helm of the state, do I think myself leas liable to reproof if I have given any unprofitable advice to the senate, than I should be if I bad given any that is treacherous.
I am aware that a carefiil account ia sent to you of what has been done, and what is going forward. But there is also something on my part of which I wish you to be informed, — (liamely, that my mind is fixed on (he war, and that I atteod.
ai 1 aiieoa « ITDS. 103 to no other object, imleaa perchance the adTfentage of the republic calls me to Bomething else; and the chief part of my thoughts are directed towards Cftssius and yourself. Pre- pare yoToraelf, therefore, my dear Brutus, to understand, that if af&iis turn out well at this crisis, it is by you that the republic must be improved; or, if any miacarriHge takes place, it is by you that the republic must be restored.
LETTER X. Cicei-o to Briitm Om affairs seemed to be iu a better position; for I know fbr a certaiuty that au account has been sent to you of what has taken place. The consuls have proved to be just such men as I often described them to you; but the natural inclination of young Crasar for virtue'ia marvellous, I trust that wheu he is in the fuU possession of honours and influence, we may be able to guide and restrain him with as much case Bfi we have controlled him hitherto. No doubt that will bo a more difficult task, but still wo do not deapnir, for the young man feels altogether persuaded, chiefly by me, that it is through iua means that we have been saved; and, doubt- leas, if he had not kept Antony away from the city, all would haTe been lost.
Sut three or four days before this most fortunate event, the whole city, uoder the influence of some alarm, were running off with tbcir wives and children to you; but having by the 20th of April recovered their spirita, they were de- siroua rather that you should come hither, than that they should go to you. On that day, indeed, I reaped the greatest reward of aU my great labours and long ausiety, if indeed t^ere is any rewud iu solid and true glory; for a coucouise of as numerous a multitude as our cilj can contain flocked to my house; by whom I was conducted aa far as the Capitol, and then, with the utmost acclamations- and applause, placed in tlie rostrum. There is no vanity in me, nor ought there to be any; but yet the unanimity, the avowed gratitude, and the Dongratulationa of all ranks of men excite me, because it is glorious for mo to be popular from having secured the irel£ire of the people. But I would rather that you should I OICEKO TO BBDTUS.
hear of these tbings from others; and I would wish yc to keep me informed, with the utmost care, of all your afiain* and plans, and to bewai-e lest your eosinefis of dealing with people may Eeem to resemble indifference. The senate feels, aod the Roman people feel, that no enemies were ever more worthy of the last extremity of punishment, than thosa citizens who in this war have taken up arms against their country; on whom I cry for vengeauoe, and whom I attack, with every vote that I give, while all honest men approve f£, my conduct.
How you ought to judge of this matter, is a question for your own prudence. My opinion is, that the cause of the thi'ee hrothers is one and the same. We have lost two con- enls, honest men, indeed, Ijut honest men merely. Hirtiu^ it is true, died in the hour o( victory, after he had defeated the enemy, a few days before, in a great battle; for Pansa had retired from the field, after receiving some wounds imder which he could not support himself. Brutus ' is pursuing the remains of the enemy, and so is Csasar. All those who have adhered to the party of Mark Antony have been de- clared public enemies; and accordingly most men interpret that decree of the senate as affecting those whom you have in your hands, whether captured, or having surrendered. I myself iodeed, advanced nothing more severe when I waa giving judgment on Cains Antonius by name, ns I had settled ^^^ jny opinion, that the senate ought to learn his case from yon, ^^L, 22d of April LETTER SI. Cicero to Brviui, greeting. Os the 22d of April, when opinions were given in th( senate about the propriety of pursuing with war those who had been declared euemiea, Servllius included Ventidiua in the number, and added, that Cassius ought to pursue Dola^ heUa, Hariug espressed my agreement with him, I proposed further, that you also, if you thought it desirable, and for tl advantage of the state, should pursue Dolabella with yoi 1 Docimns Bratua.
a \ ciOBHO TO BRtrrna.
y; but that, if you oould not do so with any benefit to the state, or if you did nut conceive that it would be fair the public advantage, you should keep your army where it ia. The senate aoxid do nothing more honourable, thau to leave it wholly to you to decide upon what appeared to you most beneficial for the commonwealth.
My own opinion, indeed, is, that if Dolabella has any force, if he has a camp, or any ground on which to make a stand, it will be becoming your character and your dignity to pur- Gue him.
Of the farces of our friend Casaius we knew nothing, for no letters have come &om him, nor was any news brought upon which we could rdy as certain. But of how much importance it is that Dolabella should be crushed, you are cerKunly aware, not only that he may receive the punishment due to his atrocities, but that there may be ao place to which the leaders of tlie rebels may betake themselves iu their flight from Mutioo. And that this was my opinico. even before, you may call to mind from my former letters; although at that time tbero was a haven of refuge in your camp, and a resource for safety in your army; for which reason, now that we are delivered from oiu" dangers, as I trust that we are, we ought the more to devote ourselves to the destruction of Dolabella.^ However, you will give a still more diligent considerutiou to these matters, and come to a wise determination respecting them. You will give us in- formation, if you please, how you decide, and what you are doing.
I am very anxious to have my Cicero elected into your college,' and I certainly think that, in the comitia for the election of priests, a re^rd for the wishes of the absent mem- bera may be had; for such a thing has been done before; ainoe Caius Marius, when he was iu Cappadocia, was made angur by the Domition law*, nor has any law prohibited suoh a thing fi™m being done in future.
Moreover, in the Julian law, which is the most recent law on the subject of appointments to the priesthood, there is a clause in these words, " Who is present as a candidate, or to whom regard shall be had," which clearly shows that regard , or minor priaiita, in which thore were —See Letter SIV. Middlclan.
k may be had to a person, even though ho is not present. On this subject I have written to him to follow your advice, as in everything else. You must also determine what is to be done with respect to Domitius aud to our friend Cato. But, though it may be lawful for regard to be had to a. person in his ahaence, yet everytbing ia easier to those who are ou the spot. If you decide, however, that you must go into Asia, there will he no possibility of bringing our fi'ienda hither for the comitia.