Letter 365

"Repeat your tale again to me." Our nephew wearing a crown at the Parilia! Was he alone? Though you add Lamia, which astonishes me. But I should like to know what others there were, though I am perfectly sure there were none but knaves. So please explain more in detail. As it happened, when I had sent you a pretty long letter on the 26th, about three hours afterwards I received yours, and a bulky one too. So there is no necessity for me to tell you that I had a good laugh at your witty Vestoriana et de Pherionum more Puteolano risisse me satis nihil est necesse rescribere. Πολιτικώτερα illa videamus. Ita Brutos Cassiumque defendis, quasi eos ego reprehendam; quos satis laudare non possum. Rerum ego vitia collegi, non hominum. Sublato enim tyranno tyrannida manere video. Nam, quae ille facturus non fuit, ea fiunt, ut de Clodio, de quo mihi exploratum est illum non modo non facturum, sed etiam ne passurum quidem fuisse. Sequetur Rufio Vestorianus, Victor numquam scriptus, ceteri, quis non? Cui servire ipsi non potuimus, eius libellis paremus. Nam Liberalibus quis potuit in senatum non venire? Fac id potuisse aliquo modo; num etiam, cum venissemus, libere potuimus sententiam dicere? nonne omni ratione veterani, qui armati aderant, cum praesidii nos nihil haberemus, defendendi fuerunt? Illam sessionem Capitolinam mihi non placuisse tu testis es. Quid ergo? ista culpa Brutorum? Minime illorum quidem, sed aliorum brutorum, qui se cautos ac sapientes putant; quibus satis fuit laetari, non nullis etiam gratulari, nullis permanere. Sed praeterita omittamus; istos omni cura praesidioque tueamur et, quem ad modum tu praecipis, contenti Idibus Martiis simus; quae quidem nostris amicis divinis viris aditum ad caelum dederunt, libertatem populo Romano non remarks about the sect of Vestorius and the Puteolian custom of the Pheriones. Let us consider the more political part. You defend Brutus and Cassius as though you thought I blamed them, though I cannot find praise enough for them. It is the weak points of the situation, not of the persons that I put together. For though the tyrant is dead, I see the tyranny persists. For things that he would not have done are being done now, as, for example, the recalling of Clodius—a thing I am sure he had no intention of doing and would not even have allowed to be done. Vestorius' enemy Rufio will follow, and Victor, whose name was never in Caesar's notes, and the rest; every one in fact. We could not be Caesar's slaves, but we bow down to his note-books. For who dared absent himself from the Senate on the Liberalia? Suppose it had been possible somehow: even when we did come, could we speak our mind freely? Had we not to take precious good care of the veterans, who were there under arms, since we had no support ourselves. You can bear witness that that sitting still on the Capitol was not approved by me. Well, was that the fault of Brutus and the rest? Not a bit of it: it was the fault of the other brute beasts, who think themselves cautious and canny. They thought it enough to rejoice, some of them to go so far as to congratulate, none to stand their ground. But let us put the past behind us: let us guard our heroes with all our care and protection: and, as you say, let us be content with the Ides of March. That day gave our friends, who are more than men, an entrance to heaven, but it did not give freedom to dederunt. Recordare tua. Nonne meministi clamare te omnia perisse, si ille funere elatus esset? Sapienter id quidem. Itaque, ex eo quae manarint, vides. Quae scribis K. luniis Antonium de provinciis relaturum, ut et ipse Gallias habeat, et utrisque dies prorogetur, licebitne decerni libere? Si licuerit, libertatem esse recuperatam laetabor; si non licuerit, quid mihi attulerit ista domini mutatio praeter laetitiam, quam oculis cepi iusto interitu tyranni? Rapinas scribis ad Opis fieri; quas nos quoque tum videbamus. Ne nos et liberati ab egregiis viris nec liberi sumus. Ita laus illorum est, culpa nostra. Et hortaris me, ut historias scribam, ut colligam tanta eorum scelera, a quibus etiam nunc obsidemur! Poterone eos ipsos non laudare, qui te obsignatorem adhibuerunt? Nec mehercule me raudusculum movet, sed homines benevolos, qualescumque sunt, grave est insequi contumelia. Sed de omnibus meis consiliis, ut scribis, existimo exploratius nos ad K. Iunias statuere posse. Ad quas adero, et omni ope atque opera enitar adiuvante me scilicet auctoritate tua et gratia et summa aequitate causae, ut de Buthrotiis senatus consultum, quale scribis, fiat. Quod me cogitare iubes, cogitabo equidem, etsi tibi dederam superiore epistula cogitandum. Tu autem quasi iam recuperata re publica vicinis tuis Massiliensibus sua reddis. Haec armis, the Roman people. Recall your words. Don't you remember how you exclaimed that all was lost if Caesar had a public funeral? And very wise it was. So you see what has come of the funeral. You say Antony is going to bring a proposal before the Senate on the 1st of June about the allotment of provinces, that he should have Gaul and that both his own and his colleague's tenure should be prolonged. Will the House be allowed to vote freely? If so, I shall rejoice that liberty has been regained; if not, what has this change of masters brought me except the joy of feasting my eyes on the just death of a tyrant? You say there is plundering at the Temple of Ops: I saw it then with my own eyes. Yea, we have been set free by heroes and are not free after all. So theirs is the praise and ours the blame. And you advise me to write history, to collect all the crimes of those who even now have us under their thumb. Shall I be able to resist praising men who have called you in as a witness? I give you my word it is not the petty gain that influences me, but it goes against the grain to heap contumely on the heads of benevolent persons whatever their character. But, as you say, I think we can make up our minds with more certainty about all my plans by the 1st of June. I shall be present then, and of course with the assistance of your authority and popularity, and the absolute justice of your case, I shall strive with all my might to obtain the senatorial decree that you mention about the people of Buthrotum. What you bid me consider, I will consider, though it is what I asked you to consider in a former letter. But here you are wanting to get back their rights for your neighbours the Massilians, as though we had recovered the republic. Perhaps they might be restored by arms—but how strong our quae quam firma habeamus, ignoro, restitui fortasse possunt, auctoritate non possunt. Epistula brevis, quae postea a te scripta est, sane mihi fuit iucunda de Bruti ad Antonium et de eiusdem ad te litteris. Posse videntur esse meliora, quam adhuc fuerunt. Sed nobis, ubi simus et quo iam nunc nos conferamus, providendum est.

occupationibus est factum meis et subita tua profectione ne tecum coram de hac re agerem. quam ob causam vereor ne absentia mea levior sit apud te. quod si bonitas tua responderit iudicio meo quod semper habui de te, gaudebo. [2] a Caesare petii ut Sex. Clodium restitueret; impetravi. erat mihi in animo etiam tum sic uti beneficio eius si tu concessisses. quo magis laboro ut tua voluntate id per me facere nunc <liceat>. quod si duriorem te eius miserae et adflictae fortunae praebes, non contendam ego adversus te, quamquam videor debere tueri commentarium Caesaris. sed me hercule, si humaniter et sapienter et amabiliter in me cogitare vis, facilem profecto te praebebis et voles P. Clodium, in optima spe puerum repositum, existimare non te insectatum esse, cum potueris, amicos paternos. [3] patere, obsecro, te pro re publica videri gessisse simultatem cum patre eius, non contempsisse hanc familiam. honestius enim et libentius deponimus inimicitias rei publicae nomine susceptas quam contumaciae. me deinde sine ad hanc opinionem iam nunc dirigere puerum et tenero animo eius persuadere non esse tradendas posteris inimicitias. quamquam tuam fortunam, Cicero, ab omni periculo abesse certum habeo, tamen arbitror malle te quietam senectutem et honorificam potius agere quam sollicitam. postremo meo iure te hoc beneficium rogo; nihil enim non tua causa feci. quod si non impetro, per me Clodio daturus non sum, ut intellegas quanti apud me auctoritas tua sit atque eo te placabiliorem praebeas.