Marcus Tullius Cicero→Gaius Cassius Longinus|c. 43 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Syria|AI-assisted
Decimus Brutus to his friends Brutus and Cassius, greetings.
Learn in what condition we are: yesterday evening Hirtius was at my house; he showed what Antony's disposition was, the worst, of course, and most faithless; for he said that he himself could neither grant me a province nor consider that any one of us was safe in the city: so inflamed were the feelings of the soldiers and of the common people. I think you both perceive that each of these claims is false, and that what is true is the thing Hirtius was indicating, namely that he fears that, if we had even moderate support for our standing, no role would be left to that faction in the public affairs. Since I was caught up in these difficulties, it seemed best to me that I should request a free legation [an honorary commission permitting absence from the city] for myself and for the rest of our number, so that some honorable pretext for setting out might be sought. He promised that he would obtain this, yet I am not confident he will obtain it: so great is the men's arrogance and their persecution of us; and, even if they grant what we ask, nevertheless I think it will come about a little later that we are judged enemies, or that we are forbidden water and fire [outlawed by sentence of exile]. "What then," you say, "is your plan?" We must give way to fortune: I judge that we must withdraw from Italy, and migrate to Rhodes or somewhere in the world. If a better turn of events comes, we shall return to Rome; if a middling one, we shall live in exile; if the worst, we shall resort to the last resources. Perhaps at this point it will occur to one of you to ask why we should wait for the latest moment rather than attempt something now. Because, apart from Sextus Pompeius and Caecilius Bassus, we have no place where we may make a stand, and they seem to me likely to be stronger once this news about Caesar has been brought; we shall reach them in good time, when we have learned how much they are worth. On behalf of Cassius and of you, if you wish me to undertake anything, I will undertake it; for Hirtius demands that I do this. I ask you to write back to me as soon as possible—for I do not doubt that Hirtius will inform me about these matters before the fourth hour—: write back to what place we can come together, where you wish me to come. After my latest conversation with Hirtius it seemed best to me to request that it be permitted to us to be at Rome under a public guard: which I do not think they will grant us; for we shall stir up great resentment against them. Nevertheless I thought nothing ought to be left unrequested that I should determine to be fair.
I. Scr. mense Aprili a.u.c. 710. D. BRUTUS BRUTO SUO ET CASSIO SAL.
Quo in statu simus, cognoscite: heri vesperi apud me Hirtius fuit; qua mente esset Antonius, demonstravit, pessima scilicet et infidelissima; nam se neque mihi provinciam dare posse aiebat neque arbitrari tuto in urbe esse quemquam nostrum: adeo esse militum concitatos animos et plebis; quod utrumque esse falsum puto vos animadvertere atque illud esse verum, quod Hirtius demonstrabat, timere eum, ne, si mediocre auxilium dignitatis nostrae habuissemus, nullae partes his in re publica relinquerentur. Cum in his angustiis versarer, placitum est mihi, ut postularem legationem liberam mihi reliquisque nostris, ut aliqua causa proficiscendi honesta quaereretur. Hoc se impetraturum pollicitus est, nec tamen impetraturum confido: tanta est hominum insolentia et nostri insectatio; ac, si dederint, quod petimus, tamen paullo post futurum puto ut hostes iudicemur aut aqua et igni nobis interdicatur. "Quid ergo est," inquis, "tui consili?" Dandus est locus fortunae: cedendum ex Italia, migrandum Rhodum aut aliquo terrarum arbitror. Si melior casus fuerit, revertemur Romam; si mediocris, in exsilio vivemus; si pessimus, ad novissima auxilia descendemus. Succurret fortasse hoc loco alicui vestrum, cur novissimum tempus exspectemus potius, quam nunc aliquid moliamur. Quia, ubi consistamus, non habemus praeter Sex. Pompeium et Bassum Caecilium, qui mihi videntur hoc nuntio de Caesare allato firmiores futuri; satis tempore ad eos accedemus, ubi, quid valeant, scierimus. Pro Cassio et te, si quid me velitis recipere, recipiam; postulat enim hoc Hirtius ut faciam. Rogo vos quam primum mihi rescribatis—nam non dubito, quin de his rebus ante horam quartam Hirtius certiorem me sit facturus—: quem in locum convenire possimus, quo me velitis venire, rescribite. Post novissimum Hirtii sermonem placitum est mihi postulare, ut liceret nobis Romae esse publico praesidio: quod illos nobis concessuros non puto; magnam enim invidiam iis faciemus. Nihil tamen non postulandum putavi, quod aequum esse statuerem.
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Decimus Brutus to his friends Brutus and Cassius, greetings.
Learn in what condition we are: yesterday evening Hirtius was at my house; he showed what Antony's disposition was, the worst, of course, and most faithless; for he said that he himself could neither grant me a province nor consider that any one of us was safe in the city: so inflamed were the feelings of the soldiers and of the common people. I think you both perceive that each of these claims is false, and that what is true is the thing Hirtius was indicating, namely that he fears that, if we had even moderate support for our standing, no role would be left to that faction in the public affairs. Since I was caught up in these difficulties, it seemed best to me that I should request a free legation [an honorary commission permitting absence from the city] for myself and for the rest of our number, so that some honorable pretext for setting out might be sought. He promised that he would obtain this, yet I am not confident he will obtain it: so great is the men's arrogance and their persecution of us; and, even if they grant what we ask, nevertheless I think it will come about a little later that we are judged enemies, or that we are forbidden water and fire [outlawed by sentence of exile]. "What then," you say, "is your plan?" We must give way to fortune: I judge that we must withdraw from Italy, and migrate to Rhodes or somewhere in the world. If a better turn of events comes, we shall return to Rome; if a middling one, we shall live in exile; if the worst, we shall resort to the last resources. Perhaps at this point it will occur to one of you to ask why we should wait for the latest moment rather than attempt something now. Because, apart from Sextus Pompeius and Caecilius Bassus, we have no place where we may make a stand, and they seem to me likely to be stronger once this news about Caesar has been brought; we shall reach them in good time, when we have learned how much they are worth. On behalf of Cassius and of you, if you wish me to undertake anything, I will undertake it; for Hirtius demands that I do this. I ask you to write back to me as soon as possible—for I do not doubt that Hirtius will inform me about these matters before the fourth hour—: write back to what place we can come together, where you wish me to come. After my latest conversation with Hirtius it seemed best to me to request that it be permitted to us to be at Rome under a public guard: which I do not think they will grant us; for we shall stir up great resentment against them. Nevertheless I thought nothing ought to be left unrequested that I should determine to be fair.
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
I. Scr. mense Aprili a.u.c. 710. D. BRUTUS BRUTO SUO ET CASSIO SAL.
Quo in statu simus, cognoscite: heri vesperi apud me Hirtius fuit; qua mente esset Antonius, demonstravit, pessima scilicet et infidelissima; nam se neque mihi provinciam dare posse aiebat neque arbitrari tuto in urbe esse quemquam nostrum: adeo esse militum concitatos animos et plebis; quod utrumque esse falsum puto vos animadvertere atque illud esse verum, quod Hirtius demonstrabat, timere eum, ne, si mediocre auxilium dignitatis nostrae habuissemus, nullae partes his in re publica relinquerentur. Cum in his angustiis versarer, placitum est mihi, ut postularem legationem liberam mihi reliquisque nostris, ut aliqua causa proficiscendi honesta quaereretur. Hoc se impetraturum pollicitus est, nec tamen impetraturum confido: tanta est hominum insolentia et nostri insectatio; ac, si dederint, quod petimus, tamen paullo post futurum puto ut hostes iudicemur aut aqua et igni nobis interdicatur. "Quid ergo est," inquis, "tui consili?" Dandus est locus fortunae: cedendum ex Italia, migrandum Rhodum aut aliquo terrarum arbitror. Si melior casus fuerit, revertemur Romam; si mediocris, in exsilio vivemus; si pessimus, ad novissima auxilia descendemus. Succurret fortasse hoc loco alicui vestrum, cur novissimum tempus exspectemus potius, quam nunc aliquid moliamur. Quia, ubi consistamus, non habemus praeter Sex. Pompeium et Bassum Caecilium, qui mihi videntur hoc nuntio de Caesare allato firmiores futuri; satis tempore ad eos accedemus, ubi, quid valeant, scierimus. Pro Cassio et te, si quid me velitis recipere, recipiam; postulat enim hoc Hirtius ut faciam. Rogo vos quam primum mihi rescribatis—nam non dubito, quin de his rebus ante horam quartam Hirtius certiorem me sit facturus—: quem in locum convenire possimus, quo me velitis venire, rescribite. Post novissimum Hirtii sermonem placitum est mihi postulare, ut liceret nobis Romae esse publico praesidio: quod illos nobis concessuros non puto; magnam enim invidiam iis faciemus. Nihil tamen non postulandum putavi, quod aequum esse statuerem.