Letter 17: Cicero writes to Brutus from Rome to Macedonia in 11 July 43 BC.
Marcus Tullius Cicero→Marcus Junius Brutus|c. 43 BC|Marcus Tullius Cicero and Marcus Junius Brutus|From Rome|To Macedonia|AI-assisted
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Imported from the public-domain Shuckburgh translation on ToposText, paired with The Latin Library Latin. The local ref preserves Latin Library a-letter distinctions where ToposText repeats a traditional label.
[The fourteenth day before the Kalends of Quintilis, from the camp. Written at Rome on the fifth day before the Ides of Quintilis, in the year 711 (43 BC).]
Cicero to Brutus, greetings.
A brief letter from you—brief, I say; no, rather none at all. In times like these Brutus sends me three little lines? You would have done better to write nothing. And yet you complain of receiving none from me! Which of your people ever came to you without a letter from me? And which of my letters carried no weight? If they have not been delivered to you, I doubt that even your own household letters have reached you. You write that you will give Cicero [Cicero's son, also Marcus, then serving with Brutus in the East] a longer letter. That is well enough, but this one too ought to have been fuller. As for me, when you wrote to me about Cicero's departure from you, I at once thrust out my letter-carriers with a letter to Cicero telling him that, even if he had come to Italy, he should return to you; for nothing would be more agreeable to me, nothing more honorable to him. And yet I had written to him several times that, by my own most strenuous efforts, the election of the priestly colleges had been put off to the following year—a thing I labored to achieve both for Cicero's sake and for that of Domitius, Cato, Lentulus, and the Bibuli; which I had also written to you. But evidently, when you sent me that paltry little letter of yours, you did not yet know of it.
[2] Therefore with all my zeal I press you, my dear Brutus, not to let my Cicero go, but to bring him home with you—a thing which, if you have regard for the Republic for which you were destined, you must do now, this very moment. For war has been rekindled, and no small one, through the crime of Lepidus. Caesar's army, moreover, which was excellent, not only is of no use but even compels your army to be called for urgently. If that army [Caesar's] reaches Italy, there will be no citizen—no one, that is, who may rightly be called a citizen—who does not betake himself to your camp. And yet we have Brutus [Decimus Brutus] splendidly joined with Plancus; but you are not unaware how uncertain are the minds of men tainted by faction, and how uncertain the outcomes of battles. Indeed, even if we win, as I hope, the situation will still require great direction from your counsel and your authority. Come to our aid, then, in the name of the gods, and as soon as possible, and convince yourself that you were of no greater service to your fatherland on the Ides of March, on which you drove off slavery from your fellow citizens, than you will be if you come in good time. The fifth day before the Ides of Quintilis.
§ Brut.1.14 CMVIII (Brut. I, 14) TO M. IUNIUS BRUTUS (IN MACEDONIA) ROME, II JULY: YOURS was a very short letter. “Short” do I say? Rather it was not a letter at all. Brutus write to me in three lines at such a crisis as this? I would rather have written nothing at all. And you talk of not hearing from me! Which of your men ever came to you without a letter from me? And what epistle of mine had not something of weight in it? And if they have not reached you, I think that your family letters cannot have done So either. You say that you will give a longer letter to my son. So far, so good: but even this one ought to have had more matter in it. Now upon your writing to me about my son's quitting you, I immediately bustled my letter-carriers off with a letter to my son telling him that, even if he came to Italy, he should return to you: for nothing could be more gratifying to me and nothing more honourable to him. However, I had several times written to tell him that the election to the sacred colleges had by great exertions on my part been put off to another year. This I had taken pains to do for the sake of my son, and also for that of Domitius, Cato, Lentulus, and the Bibuli — as I wrote to tell you. But of course when you sent me that stingy little note this was not yet known to you. Wherefore I urge you, my dear Brutus, with all my might not to send my son from your side, and to bring him home with you in person, which if you have any regard for the Republic, for which you were born, you ought to do at once. For the war has revived — and a very serious one — owing to the crime of Lepidus: while Caesar 's army, which was in an excellent state, is not only of no service, but even makes it necessary for your army to be summoned. If that once reaches Italy there will not be a single citizen, deserving to be called such, who will not find his way to your camp. It is true that Decimus Brutus has effected a splendid junction with Plancus, yet you are not ignorant how uncertain are men's feelings when infected with party spirit, how uncertain the results of battles. Nay, even if we conquer, as I hope, nevertheless the public service will require a great deal of guidance from your wisdom and your influence. Come to our help, therefore, in God's name, and that as soon as possible: and assure yourself that you did not do better service to your country by the Ides of March, on which you shook the yoke of slavery from your fellow citizens, than you will do if you now arrive in good time. 11 July.
[XIV] Kal. Quintilibus ex castris. Scr. Romae v Id. Quint, a. 711 (43).
CICERO BRVTO SAL.
breves litterae tuae—breves dico, immo nullae. tribusne versiculis his temporibus Brutus ad me? nihil scripsisses potius. et requiris meas! quis umquam ad te tuorum sine meis venit? quae autem epistula non pondus habuit? quae si ad te perlatae non sunt, ne domesticas quidem tuas perlatas arbitror. Ciceroni scribis te longiorem daturum epistulam. recte id quidem, sed haec quoque debuit esse plenior. ego autem, cum ad me de Ciceronis abs te discessu scripsisses, statim extrusi tabellarios litterasque ad Ciceronem ut, etiam si in Italiam venisset, ad te rediret; nihil enim mihi iucundius, nihil illi honestius. quamquam aliquotiens ei scripseram sacerdotum comitia mea summa contentione in alterum annum esse reiecta— quod ego cum Ciceronis causa elaboravi tum Domiti, Catonis, Lentuli, Bibulorum; quod ad te etiam scripseram—; sed videlicet, cum illam pusillam epistulam tuam ad me dabas, nondum erat tibi id notum. [2] qua re omni studio a te, mi Brute, contendo ut Ciceronem meum ne dimittas tecumque deducas; quod ipsum, si rem publicam cui susceptus es respicis, tibi iam iamque faciendum est. renatum enim bellum est idque non parvum scelere Lepidi. exercitus autem Caesaris, qui erat optimus, non modo nihil prodest sed etiam cogit exercitum tuum flagitari. qui si Italiam attigerit, erit civis nemo quem quidem civem appellari fas sit, qui se non in tua castra conferat. etsi Brutum praeclare cum Planco coniunctum habemus; sed non ignoras quam sint incerti et animi hominum infecti partibus et exitus proeliorum. quin etiam si, ut spero, vicerimus, tamen magnam gubernationem tui consili tuaeque auctoritatis res desiderabit. subveni igitur, per deos, idque quam primum tibique persuade non te Idibus Martiis quibus servitutem a tuis civibus depulisti plus profuisse patriae quam si mature veneris profuturum. v Idus Quintiles.
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[The fourteenth day before the Kalends of Quintilis, from the camp. Written at Rome on the fifth day before the Ides of Quintilis, in the year 711 (43 BC).]
Cicero to Brutus, greetings.
A brief letter from you—brief, I say; no, rather none at all. In times like these Brutus sends me three little lines? You would have done better to write nothing. And yet you complain of receiving none from me! Which of your people ever came to you without a letter from me? And which of my letters carried no weight? If they have not been delivered to you, I doubt that even your own household letters have reached you. You write that you will give Cicero [Cicero's son, also Marcus, then serving with Brutus in the East] a longer letter. That is well enough, but this one too ought to have been fuller. As for me, when you wrote to me about Cicero's departure from you, I at once thrust out my letter-carriers with a letter to Cicero telling him that, even if he had come to Italy, he should return to you; for nothing would be more agreeable to me, nothing more honorable to him. And yet I had written to him several times that, by my own most strenuous efforts, the election of the priestly colleges had been put off to the following year—a thing I labored to achieve both for Cicero's sake and for that of Domitius, Cato, Lentulus, and the Bibuli; which I had also written to you. But evidently, when you sent me that paltry little letter of yours, you did not yet know of it.
[2] Therefore with all my zeal I press you, my dear Brutus, not to let my Cicero go, but to bring him home with you—a thing which, if you have regard for the Republic for which you were destined, you must do now, this very moment. For war has been rekindled, and no small one, through the crime of Lepidus. Caesar's army, moreover, which was excellent, not only is of no use but even compels your army to be called for urgently. If that army [Caesar's] reaches Italy, there will be no citizen—no one, that is, who may rightly be called a citizen—who does not betake himself to your camp. And yet we have Brutus [Decimus Brutus] splendidly joined with Plancus; but you are not unaware how uncertain are the minds of men tainted by faction, and how uncertain the outcomes of battles. Indeed, even if we win, as I hope, the situation will still require great direction from your counsel and your authority. Come to our aid, then, in the name of the gods, and as soon as possible, and convince yourself that you were of no greater service to your fatherland on the Ides of March, on which you drove off slavery from your fellow citizens, than you will be if you come in good time. The fifth day before the Ides of Quintilis.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
[XIV] Kal. Quintilibus ex castris. Scr. Romae v Id. Quint, a. 711 (43). CICERO BRVTO SAL.
breves litterae tuae—breves dico, immo nullae. tribusne versiculis his temporibus Brutus ad me? nihil scripsisses potius. et requiris meas! quis umquam ad te tuorum sine meis venit? quae autem epistula non pondus habuit? quae si ad te perlatae non sunt, ne domesticas quidem tuas perlatas arbitror. Ciceroni scribis te longiorem daturum epistulam. recte id quidem, sed haec quoque debuit esse plenior. ego autem, cum ad me de Ciceronis abs te discessu scripsisses, statim extrusi tabellarios litterasque ad Ciceronem ut, etiam si in Italiam venisset, ad te rediret; nihil enim mihi iucundius, nihil illi honestius. quamquam aliquotiens ei scripseram sacerdotum comitia mea summa contentione in alterum annum esse reiecta— quod ego cum Ciceronis causa elaboravi tum Domiti, Catonis, Lentuli, Bibulorum; quod ad te etiam scripseram—; sed videlicet, cum illam pusillam epistulam tuam ad me dabas, nondum erat tibi id notum. [2] qua re omni studio a te, mi Brute, contendo ut Ciceronem meum ne dimittas tecumque deducas; quod ipsum, si rem publicam cui susceptus es respicis, tibi iam iamque faciendum est. renatum enim bellum est idque non parvum scelere Lepidi. exercitus autem Caesaris, qui erat optimus, non modo nihil prodest sed etiam cogit exercitum tuum flagitari. qui si Italiam attigerit, erit civis nemo quem quidem civem appellari fas sit, qui se non in tua castra conferat. etsi Brutum praeclare cum Planco coniunctum habemus; sed non ignoras quam sint incerti et animi hominum infecti partibus et exitus proeliorum. quin etiam si, ut spero, vicerimus, tamen magnam gubernationem tui consili tuaeque auctoritatis res desiderabit. subveni igitur, per deos, idque quam primum tibique persuade non te Idibus Martiis quibus servitutem a tuis civibus depulisti plus profuisse patriae quam si mature veneris profuturum. v Idus Quintiles.