Marcus Tullius Cicero→Lucius Munatius Plancus|c. 43 BC|Cicero|From Rome|To Gaul|AI-assisted
I received two copies of your letter, and that fact itself showed me your carefulness: I understood that you were anxious that a letter I was waiting for so eagerly should reach me. It gave me two kinds of pleasure, and I find it hard to decide which I should value more: your affection for me, or your spirit toward the republic.
Love of country is, in my judgment, the greatest thing of all; yet personal affection and unity of purpose have a sweeter place in the heart. So your recollection of our fathers' friendship, of the affection you have shown me since childhood, and of everything connected with that bond gave me the keenest pleasure. Then your declaration of the views you hold, and mean to maintain, toward the republic delighted me even more because it came on top of what you had already said.
And so, my dear Plancus, I do not merely urge you. I beg you, just as I did in the letter to which you answered with such kindness, to throw your whole soul and every impulse of your heart into the cause of the republic. Nothing can bring you a higher reward or greater glory; nothing a human being can do is more splendid than to deserve well of the republic.
I say this because, so far, your remarkable kindness and wisdom let me speak frankly, your most brilliant achievements seem to have been accomplished with fortune's help. You could not have achieved them without your own merit, but much of the credit is commonly assigned to fortune and the circumstances of the time. In a crisis as grave as this one, however, whatever help you give the republic will be entirely and distinctively your own.
You can scarcely believe how intensely all citizens, except the rebel party, hate Antony. Great hopes are placed in you and in your army, and great expectations too. In heaven's name, do not let the opportunity for such popularity and glory slip away. I advise you as a father might advise a son. I am as eager for your honor as for my own. I exhort you with the passion inspired by my country's cause and by my knowledge of your loyal friendship.
DCCCVII (Fam. X, 5) TO L. MUNATIUS PLANCUS (IN TRANSALPINE GAUL) ROME (DECEMBER) I have received a letter from you in duplicate, which in itself shows me how careful you are: for I understood that you were anxious that a letter which I most ardently desired should reach my hands. From this letter I received a double satisfaction, such that it is difficult for me to decide by any comparison, whether to regard your affection for me or your loyalty to the Republic as the more valuable. As a general truth affection for one's country is, in my judgment at least, the greatest thing of all; but personal love and sympathy find certainly a softer place in our heart. Therefore your recalling the friendship of our fathers and the affection which you have bestowed on me from your childhood, and all the other circumstances accompanying that feeling, gave me the keenest pleasure. Again, the revelation of the sentiments which you entertain towards the Republic and intend to maintain was most delightful to me, and my joy was all the greater because it came in addition to what you had said before. Accordingly, my dear Plancus , I do not merely exhort you — I go so far as actually to entreat you — as I did in the letter to which you have made such an exceedingly kind answer — to throw yourself with all your soul and with every impulse of your heart into the cause of the Republic. There is nothing that can bring you higher reward or greater glory, nor is there anything that a human being can do more splendid or brilliant than to deserve well of the Republic. I say this because as yet — for your consummate kindness and wisdom permit me to speak my sentiments with candour — you seem to have accomplished the most splendid achievements with the support of fortune; and though you could not have done so without personal merit, yet to a great extent those achievements are commonly put down to fortune and the circumstances of the time. But in a crisis of such supreme difficulty as the present, whatever help you give to the Republic will be wholly and peculiarly your own. You could scarcely believe how all citizens, except the rebel party, detest Antony . High hopes are placed on you and your army-great expectations. In heaven's name, do not let slip the opportunity for gaining such popularity and glory! I counsel you as a father might a son: I am as eager for your honour as for my own: I exhort you with the fervour inspired by my country's cause and the knowledge of your devoted friendship.
V. Scr. Romae ante Non. Martias a.u.c. 711. CICERO PLANCO SAL.
Binas a te accepi litteras eodem exemplo, quod ipsum argumento mihi fuit diligentiae tuae, intellexi enim te laborare, ut ad me mihi exspectatissimae litterae perferrentur. Ex quibus cepi fructum duplicem mihique in comparatione difficilem ad iudicandum, amoremne erga me tuum an animum in rem publicam pluris aestimandum putarem. Est omnino patriae caritas meo quidem iudicio maxima, sed amor voluntatisque coniunctio plus certe habet suavitatis. Itaque commemoratio tua paternae necessitudinis benevolentiaeque eius, quam erga me a pueritia contulisses, ceterarumque rerum, quae ad eam sententiam pertinebant, incredibilem mihi laetitiam attulerat. Rursus declaratio animi tui, quem haberes de re publica quemque habiturus esses, mihi erat iucundissima, eoque maior erat haec laetitia, quod ad illa superiora accedebat. Itaque te non hortor solum, mi Plance, sed plane etiam oro, quod feci iis litteris, quibus tu humanissime respondisti, ut tota mente omnique animi impetu in rem publicam incumbas: nihil est, quod tibi maiori fructui gloriaeque esse possit, nec quidquam ex omnibus rebus humanis est praeclarius aut praestantius quam de re publica bene mereri. Adhuc enim—patitur tua summa humanitas et sapientia me, quod sentiam, libere dicere—fortuna suffragante videris res maximas consecutus, quod quamquam sine virtute non potuisses, tamen ex maxima parte ea, quae es adeptus, fortunae temporibusque tribuuntur: his temporibus difficillimis rei publicae quidquid subveneris, id erit totum et proprium tuum. Incredibile est omnium civium latronibus exceptis odium in Antonium, magna spes in te et in tuo exercitu, magna exspectatio, cuius, per deos! gratiae gloriaeque cave tempus amittas. Sic moneo ut filium, sic suadeo ut mihi, sic hortor ut et pro patria et amicissimum.
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I received two copies of your letter, and that fact itself showed me your carefulness: I understood that you were anxious that a letter I was waiting for so eagerly should reach me. It gave me two kinds of pleasure, and I find it hard to decide which I should value more: your affection for me, or your spirit toward the republic.
Love of country is, in my judgment, the greatest thing of all; yet personal affection and unity of purpose have a sweeter place in the heart. So your recollection of our fathers' friendship, of the affection you have shown me since childhood, and of everything connected with that bond gave me the keenest pleasure. Then your declaration of the views you hold, and mean to maintain, toward the republic delighted me even more because it came on top of what you had already said.
And so, my dear Plancus, I do not merely urge you. I beg you, just as I did in the letter to which you answered with such kindness, to throw your whole soul and every impulse of your heart into the cause of the republic. Nothing can bring you a higher reward or greater glory; nothing a human being can do is more splendid than to deserve well of the republic.
I say this because, so far, your remarkable kindness and wisdom let me speak frankly, your most brilliant achievements seem to have been accomplished with fortune's help. You could not have achieved them without your own merit, but much of the credit is commonly assigned to fortune and the circumstances of the time. In a crisis as grave as this one, however, whatever help you give the republic will be entirely and distinctively your own.
You can scarcely believe how intensely all citizens, except the rebel party, hate Antony. Great hopes are placed in you and in your army, and great expectations too. In heaven's name, do not let the opportunity for such popularity and glory slip away. I advise you as a father might advise a son. I am as eager for your honor as for my own. I exhort you with the passion inspired by my country's cause and by my knowledge of your loyal friendship.
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
V. Scr. Romae ante Non. Martias a.u.c. 711. CICERO PLANCO SAL.
Binas a te accepi litteras eodem exemplo, quod ipsum argumento mihi fuit diligentiae tuae, intellexi enim te laborare, ut ad me mihi exspectatissimae litterae perferrentur. Ex quibus cepi fructum duplicem mihique in comparatione difficilem ad iudicandum, amoremne erga me tuum an animum in rem publicam pluris aestimandum putarem. Est omnino patriae caritas meo quidem iudicio maxima, sed amor voluntatisque coniunctio plus certe habet suavitatis. Itaque commemoratio tua paternae necessitudinis benevolentiaeque eius, quam erga me a pueritia contulisses, ceterarumque rerum, quae ad eam sententiam pertinebant, incredibilem mihi laetitiam attulerat. Rursus declaratio animi tui, quem haberes de re publica quemque habiturus esses, mihi erat iucundissima, eoque maior erat haec laetitia, quod ad illa superiora accedebat. Itaque te non hortor solum, mi Plance, sed plane etiam oro, quod feci iis litteris, quibus tu humanissime respondisti, ut tota mente omnique animi impetu in rem publicam incumbas: nihil est, quod tibi maiori fructui gloriaeque esse possit, nec quidquam ex omnibus rebus humanis est praeclarius aut praestantius quam de re publica bene mereri. Adhuc enim—patitur tua summa humanitas et sapientia me, quod sentiam, libere dicere—fortuna suffragante videris res maximas consecutus, quod quamquam sine virtute non potuisses, tamen ex maxima parte ea, quae es adeptus, fortunae temporibusque tribuuntur: his temporibus difficillimis rei publicae quidquid subveneris, id erit totum et proprium tuum. Incredibile est omnium civium latronibus exceptis odium in Antonium, magna spes in te et in tuo exercitu, magna exspectatio, cuius, per deos! gratiae gloriaeque cave tempus amittas. Sic moneo ut filium, sic suadeo ut mihi, sic hortor ut et pro patria et amicissimum.