Letter 367

"Repeat that same tale to me." Our Quintus wearing a garland at the Parilia [a Roman spring festival]? Was he the only one? You add Lamia, which astonishes me, but I want to know who the others were. I am quite sure none of them were honest men. Explain this more fully. By chance, after I had sent you a rather long letter on April 26, about three hours later I received yours, and a substantial one it was. I need not write back how thoroughly I laughed at your witty jokes about the sect of Vestorius and the Puteolian custom of the Pheriones. Let us turn to the more political matters. You defend Brutus and Cassius as if I were blaming them. I cannot praise them enough. I am listing the faults in the situation, not in the men. The tyrant has been removed, but I see the tyranny remaining. Things he would not have done are now being done, such as the business about Clodius; I am certain he not only would not have done it, but would not even have allowed it. Next will come Vestorius' Rufio, then Victor, who was never named in Caesar's papers, then everyone. We could not be slaves to Caesar himself, yet we obey his notebooks. Who could have stayed away from the Senate on the Liberalia [March 17]? Suppose somehow that it had been possible. Even after we came, could we speak freely? Were we not forced in every way to protect the veterans who were present under arms, while we had no protection of our own? You are my witness that I did not approve of that sitting on the Capitol. Was that the fault of the Brutuses? Not at all. It was the fault of those other dull men who think themselves cautious and wise. They were content to rejoice, some even to congratulate, but none to hold their ground. Let us put the past aside. Let us guard those men with every care and protection, and, as you advise, let us be content with the Ides of March. That day gave our friends, those godlike men, a path to heaven, but it did not give freedom to the Roman people. Recall your own words. Do you not remember crying out that everything was lost if Caesar were carried out in a public funeral? You were right. You see what has flowed from it. You write that Antony will bring a proposal before the Senate on June 1 about the provinces, so that he gets the Gauls and both consuls have their term extended. Will it be possible to vote freely? If it is, I shall rejoice that liberty has been recovered. If not, what has this change of masters brought me except the joy I took with my eyes in the just death of the tyrant? You say there is plundering at the Temple of Ops; we saw it even then. We have been freed by remarkable men, and yet we are not free. The praise is theirs, the blame ours. You urge me to write history, to gather up the great crimes of the men who still keep us under siege. Could I avoid praising the very men who used you as a witness to their seals? It is not the small profit that moves me, by heaven; but it is hard to pursue with insult men who have shown goodwill, whatever else they may be. As you write, I think we can decide all my plans with more certainty by June 1. I shall be there then, and with all my strength and effort, aided of course by your authority, influence, and the complete justice of the case, I shall try to obtain the senatorial decree about the people of Buthrotum that you describe. What you tell me to think over, I will think over, though in my last letter I had given it to you to think over. You, however, are restoring rights to your neighbors at Massilia as if the republic had already been recovered. Perhaps such things can be restored by arms, though I do not know how firm ours are; by influence they cannot. Your shorter later letter, about Brutus' letter to Antony and his letter to you, gave me real pleasure. Things seem capable of becoming better than they have been so far. But we must look ahead to where we are and where we should now go.

"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 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 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 arms are I do not know—by influence they certainly cannot. The short letter you wrote after the other, about Brutus' letter to Antony and also his to you, delighted me much. It looks as though things might be better than they have been at present. But we must look carefully into our present position and our immediate movements.

'Iteradum eadem ista mihi.' coronatus Quintus noster parilibus! [parilibus.] solusne? etsi addis Lamiam quod demiror equidem, sed scire cupio qui fuerint alii; quamquam satis scio nisi improbum neminem. explanabis igitur hoc diligentius. ego autem casu cum dedissem ad te litteras vi Kal. satis multis verbis, tribus fere horis post accepi tuas et magni quidem ponderis. itaque ioca tua plena facetiarum de haeresi Vestoriana et de Pherionum more Puteolano risisse me satis nihil est necesse rescribere. Politikw/tera illa videamus. [2] ita Brutos Cassiumque defendis quasi eos ego reprehendam; quos satis laudare non possum. rerum ego vitia conlegi, 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 praesidi 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 sapientis putant; quibus satis fuit laetari, non nullis etiam gratulari, nullis permanere. [3] 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 dederunt. recordare tua. nonne meministi clamare te omnia perisse si ille funere elatus esset? sapienter id quidem. itaque ex eo quae manarint vides. [4] quae scribis K. Iuniis Antonium de provinciis relaturum, ut et ipse Gallias habeat et utrisque dies prorogetur, licebitne decerni libere? si licuerit, libertatem esse reciperatam laetabor; si non licuerit, quid mihi attulerit ista domini mutatio praeter laetitiam quam oculis cepi iusto interitu tyranni? [5] 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 conligam tanta eorum scelera a quibus etiam nunc obsidemur! poterone eos ipsos non laudare qui te obsignatorem adhibuerint? nec me hercule me raudusculum movet, sed homines benevolos, qualescumque sunt, grave est insequi contumelia. [6] 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 reciperata re publica vicinis tuis Massiliensibus sua reddis. haec armis, quae quam firma habeamus ignoro, restitui fortasse possunt, auctoritate non possunt. [7] 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.