Lucius Munatius Plancus→Marcus Tullius Cicero|c. 43 BC|Cicero|From Gaul|To Rome|AI-assisted
By Hercules, my dear Cicero, I shall never regret facing the greatest dangers for my country, provided that, if anything happens to me, I am clear of the charge of recklessness. I would admit that I had slipped through lack of judgment if I had ever truly trusted Lepidus. Credulity is an error rather than a crime, and it steals most easily into the minds of the best men. But that was not the fault by which I was nearly deceived. I knew Lepidus very well.
What, then, forced me into this danger? A sense of honor, which is especially dangerous in war. If I had not moved into the same theater, I was afraid some of my detractors would think that I was both too stubbornly hostile to Lepidus and, by my waiting policy, actually prolonging the war. So I brought my forces almost within sight of Lepidus and Antony, and I took up a position with forty miles between us. My plan was to be able either to advance quickly or to withdraw safely.
In choosing the ground I added two safeguards: I kept a river in front of me, so that any crossing would slow the enemy, and I kept the Vocontii close at hand, since their territory gave me a reliable line of retreat. Lepidus, having given up hope that I would come to him, though he was trying hard to bring that about, joined Antony on May 29. On that same day they moved camp toward me. I was told the news when they were twenty miles away.
By the favor of the gods I managed both to withdraw quickly and to make the withdrawal look nothing like flight. Not one soldier, horseman, or piece of baggage was lost or intercepted by those frenzied outlaws. So on June 4 I brought all my forces across the Isara and broke down the bridges I had built, so that the men would have time to recover themselves while I meanwhile joined my colleague, whom I expected within three days of writing this letter.
I will always acknowledge our friend Laterensis' loyalty and his exceptional devotion to the republic. But his excessive indulgence toward Lepidus certainly made him less sharp in seeing these dangers. When he realized that he had been drawn into a trap, he tried to turn against himself the hands which he would more justly have armed for Lepidus' destruction. He was interrupted in the attempt, and he is still alive; people say he will live, but I do not have firm information about that.
I escaped from those traitors to their great pain. They were rushing at me with the same madness they were directing against their country, and their anger had been sharpened by recent events: because I had not stopped urging Lepidus to end the war; because I had rejected the conferences; because I had forbidden envoys sent to me under Lepidus' guarantee to come into my sight; and because I had intercepted Gaius Catius Vestinus, a military tribune sent by Antony to Lepidus with a letter. In all this I take this pleasure at least: the more they tried to get at me, the more pain their failure caused them.
You, my dear Cicero, must keep doing what you have done so far: support those of us who are standing in the battle line, and do it with vigilance and force. Let Caesar [Octavian] come with the strongest troops he has; or, if something prevents him from coming himself, let his army be sent. His own safety is at serious risk. Every ruined man who was ever likely to gather in a camp against his country has now gathered there. Why, for the safety of the city itself, should we not use every resource we possess?
If you at Rome do not fail us, then as far as I am concerned I shall more than satisfy every duty I owe the republic. As for you, my dear Cicero, by Hercules I love you more every day, and your services to me daily sharpen my anxiety not to lose any part of your affection or your good opinion. I hope I may soon be able, by showing in person the loyal devotion of my own services, to make your kindnesses even more gratifying to you.
June 6, at Cularo, in the territory of the Allobroges.
DCCCXC (Fam. X, 23) L. MUNATIUS PLANCUS TO CICERO (AT ROME) CULARO, 6 JUNE NEVER by heaven! my dear Cicero , shall I repent of encountering the greatest dangers for my country, provided that, if anything happen to me, I escape the reproach of rashness. I confess that I should have made a slip from imprudence, if I had ever believed at the bottom of my heart in Lepidus . For credulity is an error rather than a crime, and indeed the honester the man the more easily does it find its way into his mind. But it was not by this defect that I was all but taken in: for I knew Lepidus thoroughly. What was it, then? It was over-scrupulousness — the most dangerous thing in war — that compelled me to incur this risk. For, if I had stopped there, I was afraid of being thought by some of my detractors both to have been too obstinate in my quarrel with Lentulus , and to be actually fostering the war by my waiting policy. Accordingly, I brought up my forces almost to within sight of Lepidus and Antony , and leaving a space between us of forty miles I took up a position with the design of being able either to approach them with speed or to retire in safety. In selecting my ground I secured two advantages, a river in my front, which would delay an enemy in crossing it, and the Vocontii close at hand, through whose territory my road would be kept open without fear of treachery. Lepidus , having given up hope of my arrival, which he was very anxious to secure, effected a junction with Antony on the 29th of May, and on the same day they advanced against me. When they were twenty miles off I got news of this. By the blessing of heaven I managed to retire with speed without this movement having any appearance of a flight: without a single soldier or horseman or particle of baggage being lost or being intercepted by those hot-headed outlaws. Accordingly, on the 4th of June I got my whole force across the Isara and broke the bridge which I had constructed, that my men might have time to pull themselves together, and that I might meanwhile effect a junction with my colleague, whom I am expecting in three days from the date of this letter. I will always acknowledge the fidelity and eminent loyalty to the Republic of my friend Laterensis. But certainly his excessive consideration for Lepidus made him somewhat less acute in his view of these dangers. It is true that when he saw that he had been duped, he tried to lay the hands upon himself which he would have done better to have armed against Lepidus . In this attempt, however, he was interrupted, and is still alive, and is said to be likely to live: but of this after all I have no certain information. It was a great chagrin to those parricides that I escaped from their clutches: for they were coming inspired by the same madness against me as against their country. Their temper also had been embittered by recent events-because I had not ceased lashing Lepidus , urging him to put an end to the war; because I rejected the idea of conferences; because I had forbidden legates sent to me under the guarantee of Lepidus to come into my presence; because I had captured Gaius Catius Vestinus , a military tribune, sent by Antony to him with, a despatch, and had treated him as an enemy. And in all this I have at least this satisfaction, that at any rate the more eager they were to get me the more annoyance has their failure caused them. It is your part, my dear Cicero , to, continue as before using all your vigilance and energy in reinforcing us who are at the actual seat of war. Let Caesar come with the best troops he has, or, if any circumstance prevents him from coming himself, let his army be sent. For it is a question of considerable peril for himself. All the ruffian element that was at any time likely to join the camp against their country has now combined. In defence, then, of the city's bare existence, why should we not employ all the resources at our disposal? But if you at Rome don't fail me, certainly, as far as I am concerned, I shall in all respects do my whole duty and something more to the Republic. For you, my dear Cicero , I love you more every day of my life, and every day your services sharpen my anxiety not to forfeit any of your affection or good opinion. I pray that I may be permitted by a personal display of my devotion and duty to make your kindnesses a subject of greater gratification to yourself. 6 June, Cularo , in the country of the Allobroges .
XXIII. Scr. Cularone in finibus Allobrogum VIII. Idus Iun. a.u.c. 711. PLANCUS CICERONI.
Numquam mehercules, mi Cicero, me poenitebit maxima pericula pro patria subire, dum, si quid acciderit mihi, a reprehensione temeritatis absim. Confiterer imprudentia me lapsum, si umquam Lepido ex animo credidissem; credulitas enim error est magis quam culpa, et quidem in optimi cuiusque mentem facillime irrepit; sed ego non hoc vitio paene sum deceptus, Lepidum enim pulchre noram. Quid ergo est? pudor me, qui in bello maxime est periculosus, hunc casum coegit subire; nam, nisi uno loco essem, verebar, ne cui obtrectatorum viderer et nimium pertinaciter Lepido offensus et mea patientia etiam alere bellum. Itaque copias prope in conspectum Lepidi Antoniique adduxi quadragintaque milium passuum spatio relicto consedi eo consilio, ut vel celeriter accedere vel salutariter recipere me possem. Adiunxi haec in loco eligendo, flumen oppositum ut haberem, in quo mora transitus esset, Vocontii sub manu ut essent, per quorum loca fideliter mihi pateret iter. Lepidus desperato adventu meo, quem non mediocriter captabat, se cum Antonio coniunxit a. d. IIII. Kal. Iunias, eodemque die ad me castra moverunt; viginti milia passuum cum abessent, res mihi nuntiata est. Dedi operam deum benignitate, ut et celeriter me reciperem et hic discessus nihil fugare simile haberet: non miles ullus, non eques, non quidquam impedimentorum amitteretur aut ab illis ferventibus latronibus interciperetur. Itaque pridie Nonas Iunias omnes copias Isaram traieci pontesque, quos feceram, interrupi, ut et spatium colligendi se homines haberent et ego me interea cum collega coniungerem, quem triduo, cum has dabam litteras, exspectabam. Laterensis nostri et fidem et animum singularem in rem publicam semper fatebor; sed certe nimia eius indulgentia in Lepidum ad haec pericula perspicienda fecit eum minus sagacem; qui quidem cum in fraudem se deductum videret, manus, quas iustius in Lepidi perniciem armasset, sibi afferre conatus est, in quo casu tamen interpellatus et adhuc vivit et dicitur victurus, sed tamen de hoc parum mihi certum est. Magno cum dolore parricidarum elapsus sum iis; veniebant enim eodem furore in me, quo in patriam, incitati, iracundias autem harum rerum recentes habebant: quod Lepidum castigare non destiteram, ut exstingueret bellum, quod colloquia facta improbabam, quod legatos fide Lepidi missos ad me in conspectum venire vetueram, quod C. Catium Vestinum, tribunum mill., missum ab Antonio ad eum cum litteris exceperam: in quo hanc capio voluptatem, quod certe, quo magis me petiverunt, tanto maiorem iis frustratio dolorem attulit. Tu, mi Cicero, quod adhuc fecisti, idem praesta, ut vigilanter nervoseque nos, qui stamus in acie, subornes. Veniat Caesar cum copiis, quas habet firmissimas, aut, si ipsum aliqua res impedit, exercitus mittatur; cuius ipsius magnum periculum agitur: quidquid aliquando futurum fuit in castris perditorum contra patriam, hoc omne iam convenit; pro urbis vero salute cur non omnibus facultatibus, quas habemus, utamur? Quod si vos istic non defueritis, profecto, quod ad me attinet, omnibus rebus abunde rei publicae satisfaciam. Te quidem, mi Cicero, in dies mehercules habeo cariorem sollicitudinesque meas quotidie magis tua merita exacuunt, ne quid aut ex amore aut ex iudicio tuo perdam. Opto, ut mihi liceat iam praesenti pietate meorum officiorum tua beneficia tibi facere iucundiora. VIII. Idus Iun. Cularone, ex finibus Allobrogum.
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By Hercules, my dear Cicero, I shall never regret facing the greatest dangers for my country, provided that, if anything happens to me, I am clear of the charge of recklessness. I would admit that I had slipped through lack of judgment if I had ever truly trusted Lepidus. Credulity is an error rather than a crime, and it steals most easily into the minds of the best men. But that was not the fault by which I was nearly deceived. I knew Lepidus very well.
What, then, forced me into this danger? A sense of honor, which is especially dangerous in war. If I had not moved into the same theater, I was afraid some of my detractors would think that I was both too stubbornly hostile to Lepidus and, by my waiting policy, actually prolonging the war. So I brought my forces almost within sight of Lepidus and Antony, and I took up a position with forty miles between us. My plan was to be able either to advance quickly or to withdraw safely.
In choosing the ground I added two safeguards: I kept a river in front of me, so that any crossing would slow the enemy, and I kept the Vocontii close at hand, since their territory gave me a reliable line of retreat. Lepidus, having given up hope that I would come to him, though he was trying hard to bring that about, joined Antony on May 29. On that same day they moved camp toward me. I was told the news when they were twenty miles away.
By the favor of the gods I managed both to withdraw quickly and to make the withdrawal look nothing like flight. Not one soldier, horseman, or piece of baggage was lost or intercepted by those frenzied outlaws. So on June 4 I brought all my forces across the Isara and broke down the bridges I had built, so that the men would have time to recover themselves while I meanwhile joined my colleague, whom I expected within three days of writing this letter.
I will always acknowledge our friend Laterensis' loyalty and his exceptional devotion to the republic. But his excessive indulgence toward Lepidus certainly made him less sharp in seeing these dangers. When he realized that he had been drawn into a trap, he tried to turn against himself the hands which he would more justly have armed for Lepidus' destruction. He was interrupted in the attempt, and he is still alive; people say he will live, but I do not have firm information about that.
I escaped from those traitors to their great pain. They were rushing at me with the same madness they were directing against their country, and their anger had been sharpened by recent events: because I had not stopped urging Lepidus to end the war; because I had rejected the conferences; because I had forbidden envoys sent to me under Lepidus' guarantee to come into my sight; and because I had intercepted Gaius Catius Vestinus, a military tribune sent by Antony to Lepidus with a letter. In all this I take this pleasure at least: the more they tried to get at me, the more pain their failure caused them.
You, my dear Cicero, must keep doing what you have done so far: support those of us who are standing in the battle line, and do it with vigilance and force. Let Caesar [Octavian] come with the strongest troops he has; or, if something prevents him from coming himself, let his army be sent. His own safety is at serious risk. Every ruined man who was ever likely to gather in a camp against his country has now gathered there. Why, for the safety of the city itself, should we not use every resource we possess?
If you at Rome do not fail us, then as far as I am concerned I shall more than satisfy every duty I owe the republic. As for you, my dear Cicero, by Hercules I love you more every day, and your services to me daily sharpen my anxiety not to lose any part of your affection or your good opinion. I hope I may soon be able, by showing in person the loyal devotion of my own services, to make your kindnesses even more gratifying to you.
June 6, at Cularo, in the territory of the Allobroges.
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
XXIII. Scr. Cularone in finibus Allobrogum VIII. Idus Iun. a.u.c. 711. PLANCUS CICERONI.
Numquam mehercules, mi Cicero, me poenitebit maxima pericula pro patria subire, dum, si quid acciderit mihi, a reprehensione temeritatis absim. Confiterer imprudentia me lapsum, si umquam Lepido ex animo credidissem; credulitas enim error est magis quam culpa, et quidem in optimi cuiusque mentem facillime irrepit; sed ego non hoc vitio paene sum deceptus, Lepidum enim pulchre noram. Quid ergo est? pudor me, qui in bello maxime est periculosus, hunc casum coegit subire; nam, nisi uno loco essem, verebar, ne cui obtrectatorum viderer et nimium pertinaciter Lepido offensus et mea patientia etiam alere bellum. Itaque copias prope in conspectum Lepidi Antoniique adduxi quadragintaque milium passuum spatio relicto consedi eo consilio, ut vel celeriter accedere vel salutariter recipere me possem. Adiunxi haec in loco eligendo, flumen oppositum ut haberem, in quo mora transitus esset, Vocontii sub manu ut essent, per quorum loca fideliter mihi pateret iter. Lepidus desperato adventu meo, quem non mediocriter captabat, se cum Antonio coniunxit a. d. IIII. Kal. Iunias, eodemque die ad me castra moverunt; viginti milia passuum cum abessent, res mihi nuntiata est. Dedi operam deum benignitate, ut et celeriter me reciperem et hic discessus nihil fugare simile haberet: non miles ullus, non eques, non quidquam impedimentorum amitteretur aut ab illis ferventibus latronibus interciperetur. Itaque pridie Nonas Iunias omnes copias Isaram traieci pontesque, quos feceram, interrupi, ut et spatium colligendi se homines haberent et ego me interea cum collega coniungerem, quem triduo, cum has dabam litteras, exspectabam. Laterensis nostri et fidem et animum singularem in rem publicam semper fatebor; sed certe nimia eius indulgentia in Lepidum ad haec pericula perspicienda fecit eum minus sagacem; qui quidem cum in fraudem se deductum videret, manus, quas iustius in Lepidi perniciem armasset, sibi afferre conatus est, in quo casu tamen interpellatus et adhuc vivit et dicitur victurus, sed tamen de hoc parum mihi certum est. Magno cum dolore parricidarum elapsus sum iis; veniebant enim eodem furore in me, quo in patriam, incitati, iracundias autem harum rerum recentes habebant: quod Lepidum castigare non destiteram, ut exstingueret bellum, quod colloquia facta improbabam, quod legatos fide Lepidi missos ad me in conspectum venire vetueram, quod C. Catium Vestinum, tribunum mill., missum ab Antonio ad eum cum litteris exceperam: in quo hanc capio voluptatem, quod certe, quo magis me petiverunt, tanto maiorem iis frustratio dolorem attulit. Tu, mi Cicero, quod adhuc fecisti, idem praesta, ut vigilanter nervoseque nos, qui stamus in acie, subornes. Veniat Caesar cum copiis, quas habet firmissimas, aut, si ipsum aliqua res impedit, exercitus mittatur; cuius ipsius magnum periculum agitur: quidquid aliquando futurum fuit in castris perditorum contra patriam, hoc omne iam convenit; pro urbis vero salute cur non omnibus facultatibus, quas habemus, utamur? Quod si vos istic non defueritis, profecto, quod ad me attinet, omnibus rebus abunde rei publicae satisfaciam. Te quidem, mi Cicero, in dies mehercules habeo cariorem sollicitudinesque meas quotidie magis tua merita exacuunt, ne quid aut ex amore aut ex iudicio tuo perdam. Opto, ut mihi liceat iam praesenti pietate meorum officiorum tua beneficia tibi facere iucundiora. VIII. Idus Iun. Cularone, ex finibus Allobrogum.