I do not think the republic owes more to me than I owe to you. You know that I can be more grateful to you than those twisted men have been fair to me. Yet if this seems like something said merely because of the present crisis, let me put it this way: I would rather have your judgment of me than that of all those men on the other side. You judge me from true and settled feeling. They are kept from doing that by sheer ill will and envy.
Let them stand in the way of honors for me, provided they do not stand in the way of my serving the republic effectively. I will explain, as briefly as I can, how much danger it is in. First, you see what confusion the death of the consuls brings to public business at Rome, and how much ambition an empty office stirs up in men. I think I have written as much as can safely be entrusted to a letter; I know the man to whom I am writing.
I turn now to Antony. When he fled he had only a small band of unarmed infantry, but by opening slave-prisons and grabbing every kind of man he seems to have made up a fairly large force. Ventidius's troops have now been added to him. They made an extremely difficult march across the Apennines, reached Vada, and joined Antony there. Ventidius has a considerable number of veterans and armed soldiers with him.
Antony's plans must be one of these: to make his way to Lepidus, if Lepidus receives him; to hold the Apennines and the Alps and, with the large cavalry force he has, raid whatever districts he enters; or to fall back again into Etruria, because that part of Italy has no army in it. If Caesar had listened to me and crossed the Apennines, I would have driven Antony into such a corner that lack of supplies, not the sword, would have finished him. But Caesar cannot be commanded, and Caesar cannot command his own army. Both facts are disastrous.
Since this is the situation, I do not object, so far as I am concerned, to men interfering with honors for me, as I wrote above. What frightens me is how these problems can be untangled, or, when you untangle them, how new obstacles can be kept out of the way.
I can no longer feed my soldiers. When I undertook the liberation of the republic, I had more than forty million sesterces in cash. So far from having any of my own property free, I have by now burdened all my friends with debt. I am supporting seven legions. You can imagine with what difficulty. Even if I had Varro's treasures, I could not meet the expense.
As soon as I have certain information about Antony, I will let you know. You will keep loving me if you realize that I feel the same toward you.
May 5, from the camp at Dertona.
DCCCL (Fam. XI, 10) DECIMUS BRUTUS TO CICERO (AT ROME) DERTONA, 5 MAY: I DO not think that the Republic owes me more than I owe you. You have good assurance of my being capable of greater gratitude to you than those misguided persons show me: and that if after all my words seem to be dictated by the exigencies of the hour, I prefer your approval to that of all those people on the other side. For your judgment of us proceeds from an independent and sincere feeling: they are debarred from that by malice and jealousy. Let them interpose to prevent my receiving marks of honour, so long as they do not prevent the public service being properly conducted by me. The extreme danger in which that now stands I will explain as briefly as I can. To begin with, you cannot fail to observe what a confusion in city business is caused by the death of the consuls, and how much ambition this vacancy in the office inspires in men. I think I have written as much as can be committed to paper. For I know to whom I am writing. I now return to Antony , who, though when he fled he had only a handful of unarmed infantry, seems, by breaking open slave-barracks and requisitioning every kind of human being, to have made up a very Considerable number. To this has been added the force of Ventidius , which after accomplishing a difficult march across the Apennines has reached Vada and has there affected a junction with Antony . There is a very considerable number of veterans and fully armed soldiers with Ventidius . Antony 's plan of campaign must certainly be either to join Lepidus , if Lepidus will have him; or to keep behind the lines of the Apennines and Alps , and to lay waste the district which he has invaded by sending out parties of cavalry, of which he has large numbers; or to draw back into Etruria , since that part of Italy has no army in it. But if Caesar had listened to me and crossed the Apennines , I should have reduced Antony to such straits, that he would have been ruined by failure of provisions rather than by the sword. But neither can anyone control Caesar , nor can Caesar control his own army-both most disastrous facts. These things being so, I won't hinder anybody, as far as I am concerned, from interposing, as I said before. It alarms me to think how these difficulties are to be removed, and, when they are removed by you, of the fresh hindrances that may intervene. I am already unable to feed and pay my men. When I undertook the task of freeing the Republic I had more than 40,000 sestertia in money. So far from any part of my private property remaining unencumbered, I have by this time loaded all my friends with debt. I am now supporting a force amounting to seven legions, you can imagine with what difficulty. Not if I had all the treasures of Varro , could I stand the expense. As soon as I have any certain information about Antony I will let you know. Pray continue to love me with the assurance that I entertain the same feeling for you. 5 May, in camp, Dertona .
X. Scr. in castris Dertonae III. Non. Maias a.u.c. 711. D. BRUTUS S. D. M. CICERONI.
Non mihi rem publicam plus debere arbitror, quam me tibi. Gratiorem me esse in te posse, quam isti perversi sint in me, exploratum habes; si tamen hoc temporis videatur dici causa, malle me tuum iudicium quam ex altera parte omnium istorum; tu enim a certo sensu et vero iudicas de nobis; quod isti ne faciant, summa malevolentia et livore impediuntur. Interpellent me, quo minus honoratus sim, dum ne interpellent, quo minus res publica a me commode administrari possit; quae quanto sit in periculo, quam potero brevissime exponam. Primum omnium, quantam perturbationem rerum urbanarum afferat obitus consulum quantamque cupiditatem hominibus iniiciat vacuitas, non te fugit: satis me multa scripsisse, quae litteris commendari possint, arbitror; scio enim, cui scribam. Revertor nunc ad Antonium, qui ex fuga cum parvulam manum peditum haberet inermium, ergastula solvendo omneque genus hominum arripiendo satis magnum numerum videtur effecisse; huc accessit manus Ventidii, quae trans Appenninum itinere facto difficillimo ad Vada pervenit atque ibi se cum Antonio coniunxit. Est numerus veteranorum et armatorum satis frequens cum Ventidio. Consilia Antonii haec sint necesse est: aut ad Lepidum ut se conferat, si recipitur, aut Appennino Alpibusque se teneat et decursionibus per equites, quos habet multos, vastet ea loca, in quae incurrerit, aut rursus se in Etruriam referat, quod ea pars Italiae sine exercitu est. Quod si me Caesar audisset atque Appenninum transisset, in tantas angustias Antonium compulissem, ut inopia potius quam ferro conficeretur; sed neque Caesari imperari potest nec Caesar exercitui suo, quod utrumque pessimum est. Cum haec talia sint, quo minus, quod ad me pertinebit, homines interpellent, ut supra scripsi, non impedio; haec quemadmodum explicari possint aut, a te cum explicabuntur, ne impediantur, timeo. Alere iam milites non possum. Cum ad rem publicam liberandam accessi, HS. mihi fuit pecuniae CCCC amplius. Tantum abest, ut meae rei familiaris liberum sit quidquam, ut omnes iam meos amicos aere alieno obstrinxerim. Septem numerum nunc legionum alo; qua difficultate, tu arbitrare: non, si Varronis thesauros haberem, subsistere sumptui possem. Cum primum de Antonio exploratum habuero, faciam te certiorem. Tu me amabis ita, si hoc idem me in te facere senseris. III. Non. Mai. ex castris, Dertona.
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I do not think the republic owes more to me than I owe to you. You know that I can be more grateful to you than those twisted men have been fair to me. Yet if this seems like something said merely because of the present crisis, let me put it this way: I would rather have your judgment of me than that of all those men on the other side. You judge me from true and settled feeling. They are kept from doing that by sheer ill will and envy.
Let them stand in the way of honors for me, provided they do not stand in the way of my serving the republic effectively. I will explain, as briefly as I can, how much danger it is in. First, you see what confusion the death of the consuls brings to public business at Rome, and how much ambition an empty office stirs up in men. I think I have written as much as can safely be entrusted to a letter; I know the man to whom I am writing.
I turn now to Antony. When he fled he had only a small band of unarmed infantry, but by opening slave-prisons and grabbing every kind of man he seems to have made up a fairly large force. Ventidius's troops have now been added to him. They made an extremely difficult march across the Apennines, reached Vada, and joined Antony there. Ventidius has a considerable number of veterans and armed soldiers with him.
Antony's plans must be one of these: to make his way to Lepidus, if Lepidus receives him; to hold the Apennines and the Alps and, with the large cavalry force he has, raid whatever districts he enters; or to fall back again into Etruria, because that part of Italy has no army in it. If Caesar had listened to me and crossed the Apennines, I would have driven Antony into such a corner that lack of supplies, not the sword, would have finished him. But Caesar cannot be commanded, and Caesar cannot command his own army. Both facts are disastrous.
Since this is the situation, I do not object, so far as I am concerned, to men interfering with honors for me, as I wrote above. What frightens me is how these problems can be untangled, or, when you untangle them, how new obstacles can be kept out of the way.
I can no longer feed my soldiers. When I undertook the liberation of the republic, I had more than forty million sesterces in cash. So far from having any of my own property free, I have by now burdened all my friends with debt. I am supporting seven legions. You can imagine with what difficulty. Even if I had Varro's treasures, I could not meet the expense.
As soon as I have certain information about Antony, I will let you know. You will keep loving me if you realize that I feel the same toward you.
May 5, from the camp at Dertona.
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
X. Scr. in castris Dertonae III. Non. Maias a.u.c. 711. D. BRUTUS S. D. M. CICERONI.
Non mihi rem publicam plus debere arbitror, quam me tibi. Gratiorem me esse in te posse, quam isti perversi sint in me, exploratum habes; si tamen hoc temporis videatur dici causa, malle me tuum iudicium quam ex altera parte omnium istorum; tu enim a certo sensu et vero iudicas de nobis; quod isti ne faciant, summa malevolentia et livore impediuntur. Interpellent me, quo minus honoratus sim, dum ne interpellent, quo minus res publica a me commode administrari possit; quae quanto sit in periculo, quam potero brevissime exponam. Primum omnium, quantam perturbationem rerum urbanarum afferat obitus consulum quantamque cupiditatem hominibus iniiciat vacuitas, non te fugit: satis me multa scripsisse, quae litteris commendari possint, arbitror; scio enim, cui scribam. Revertor nunc ad Antonium, qui ex fuga cum parvulam manum peditum haberet inermium, ergastula solvendo omneque genus hominum arripiendo satis magnum numerum videtur effecisse; huc accessit manus Ventidii, quae trans Appenninum itinere facto difficillimo ad Vada pervenit atque ibi se cum Antonio coniunxit. Est numerus veteranorum et armatorum satis frequens cum Ventidio. Consilia Antonii haec sint necesse est: aut ad Lepidum ut se conferat, si recipitur, aut Appennino Alpibusque se teneat et decursionibus per equites, quos habet multos, vastet ea loca, in quae incurrerit, aut rursus se in Etruriam referat, quod ea pars Italiae sine exercitu est. Quod si me Caesar audisset atque Appenninum transisset, in tantas angustias Antonium compulissem, ut inopia potius quam ferro conficeretur; sed neque Caesari imperari potest nec Caesar exercitui suo, quod utrumque pessimum est. Cum haec talia sint, quo minus, quod ad me pertinebit, homines interpellent, ut supra scripsi, non impedio; haec quemadmodum explicari possint aut, a te cum explicabuntur, ne impediantur, timeo. Alere iam milites non possum. Cum ad rem publicam liberandam accessi, HS. mihi fuit pecuniae CCCC amplius. Tantum abest, ut meae rei familiaris liberum sit quidquam, ut omnes iam meos amicos aere alieno obstrinxerim. Septem numerum nunc legionum alo; qua difficultate, tu arbitrare: non, si Varronis thesauros haberem, subsistere sumptui possem. Cum primum de Antonio exploratum habuero, faciam te certiorem. Tu me amabis ita, si hoc idem me in te facere senseris. III. Non. Mai. ex castris, Dertona.