have lost a thing unparalleled in the world—and you must needs suffer from so severe a wound, lest the fact of having no sense of sorrow should be a greater misfortune than sorrow itself but that you should do so in moderation is advantageous to others, necessary for yourself. I would have written at greater length, had not even this been already too much. We are expecting you and your army, without which-even if everything else succeeds to our wishes-we seem likely to be scarcely as free as we could desire. On the whole political situation I will write at greater length, and perhaps with more certainty, in the letter which I think of handing to our friend Vetus.1 DCCCXCVIII (F XI, 25) TO DECIMUS BRUTUS (AT CULARO?) ROME, 10 JUNE As I was waiting day after day for a letter from you, our friend Lupus suddenly gave me notice to write to you if I wanted to say anything. But I, though I had nothing to say-for I knew the gazette was being sent to you, and I was also told that the chatter of a letter with nothing in it was disagreeable to you-have aimed at brevity, following your teaching. Be it known to you then that our every hope rests on you and your colleague. As to M. Brutus we have as yet nothing certain : but I never stop calling on him in my confidential correspondence to come and take his share in the war in which we are all engaged. Would to heaven he were already here! We should have less reason to fear the danger within the city, which is really serious. But what am I doing? I am not imitating your laconic style; I am already beginning a second page of paper. Victory and health to you! 18 June. 1 See pp. 205, 313. DCCCXCIX (F XII, 9) TO C. CASSIUS LONGINUS (IN SYRIA) THE brevity of your letter makes me the briefer in mine, DCCCC (F XI, 15) TO DECIMUS BRUTUS (AT CULARO?) ROME (JUNE) THOUGH your letter was most gratifying to me, yet it was still more gratifying that in the midst of your great stress of business you commissioned your colleague Plancus to write and make your excuses to me; which he did with due care. 1 M. Brutus and C. Cassius having been prætors in B.C. 44 would naturally be candidates for the consulship in B.C. 42, and, if elected, be consuls in B.C. 41. But to me nothing can be more touching than your politeness and careful attention. Your junction with your colleague and your harmonious relations announced in your joint despatch1 were gladly welcomed by the senate and Roman people. For the rest, go on, my dear Brutus, and henceforth vie, not with others, but with yourself. I need write no more, especially to you, whose teaching I follow in being brief. I anxiously await a letter from you, and above all such a one as I hope and pray for.2 DCCCCI (F X, 22) TO L. MUNATIUS PLANCUS (AT CULARO) ROME (END OF JUNE) IN you and your colleague is our every hope, with the blessing of heaven. With the cordial union existing between you, which was manifested in your joint despatch,' both the senate and the whole body of citizens were delighted. You mention in your letter to me the subject of the land commission. If the senate had been consulted on the matter I should have supported whoever made the proposal most complimentary to you-and that person would have certainly been myself. But when, owing to the slowness with which opinions were expressed, and the delay thus caused to business, the motions brought before the senate did not reach a settlement, it seemed best to myself and your brother Plancus to avail ourselves of the senatorial decree, as to which you will have learnt from your brother's letter who it was that prevented its being drawn up exactly in accordance with our wishes. But if you find anything wanting in that decree or in other things, still assure yourself that the affection for you among all loyalists is so great, that no kind of position can be imagined, however splendid, which is not at your disposal. I am exceedingly anxious to hear from you, and to hear such news as I most desire. 1 See p. 303. 2 That is, announcing victory. 3 See p. 290. DCCCCII (F X, 26) TO GAIUS FURNIUS (IN THE CAMP OF ROME (END OF JUNE) AFTER reading your letter in which you state that Narbonensis must be abandoned or a dangerous battle fought, the former course seemed to me the more formidable, which I am glad to hear has been avoided. You mention the cordial union of Plancus and Decimus Brutus: in that I place my strongest hope of victory. As to the loyalty of the Gauls, we shall some day learn, as you say, by whose exertions that has been roused. But, believe me, we already know it. Therefore, most delightful as your letter was, I felt a little vexed at the end of it. For you say that if the elections are fixed for August you will hurry home: if they are already over you will come still sooner, "that you may not any longer play the fool and risk your life as well." Oh, my dear Furnius, how completely you fail to grasp your position, though so readily understanding other people's! Do you really suppose that you are now a candidate, or do you contemplate hurrying home to the elections; or, if they are over, to live at your own house that—as you say—"you may not be the biggest fool alive and in danger as well"? I don't think these are your real sentiments; for I know your keenness for glory. But if you do really think as you write, I don't blame you more than I do my own opinion of you. Can it be that an untimely haste for an office of the most trivial and commonplace kind-if you get it in the same way as most people do— will withdraw you from the pursuit of such glorious deeds, for which all the world is rightly and sincerely praising you to the skies? The question, good heavens! is whether you become prætor at this election or the next, not whether you are to serve the Republic so as to be thought worthy above all men of every kind of honour! Is it that you are ignorant of the height to which you have climbed, or that you think it worthless? If you are ignorant, I forgive you: the fault is ours. But if you are not, is any prætorship more attractive in your eyes than duty for which few, or than glory for which all, strive? On this point I and Calvisius-a man of very sound judgment and most devoted to you-daily find fault with you. As to the comitia-as you are depending on them-we are doing our best, thinking it for many reasons to be for the benefit of the Republic, to put them off till January. So then victory and health to you! DCCCCIII (BRUT. I, 13) M. IUNIUS BRUTUS TO CICERO (AT ROME) MACEDONIA, I JULY THE fear which others entertain makes me nervous about M. Lepidus. If he has wrenched himself from us—which I hope it will turn out that people have suspected about him hurriedly and without good grounds-I beg and beseech you, Cicero, appealing to our close friendship and your kindness to me, to forget that my sister's children are the sons of Lepidus, and to consider that I have succeeded to the place of their father. If I can induce you to do that, there is certainly nothing that you will hesitate to undertake for them. Some people live on one sort of terms with their relations, others on another, but I cannot do enough for my sister's children to satisfy my affection or duty. What consideration is there, moreover, which either the loyalists can shew me-if I am but worthy of some consideration from them—or what can I promise my mother and sister and these children, if Brutus being their uncle has no weight with you and the senate against the fact of Lepidus being their father? I am neither able for anxiety and vexation to write at great length to you, nor ought I to do so. For in a matter of so much importance and so vitally affecting me, if I need words in order to move your interest and confirm your resolution, there is no hope that you will do what I wish or what you |