12 April 43 BCE: To Brutus (in Macedonia) from Cicero (at Rome)
Cicero has no useful advice for Brutus
From Cicero to Brutus, greetings.
I gave a letter for you to Scaptius on the morning of April 11th, and the same day received a letter from you, dated to the evening of April 1st, at Dyrrachium.1 And so on the morning of April 12th, since Scaptius has let me know that the men I had given my letter to the previous day have not set out yet and are leaving immediately, I have scrawled down this little something in the middle of my early morning reception.
I am very happy about Cassius, and I congratulate the Republic—as well as myself, for proposing the motion (despite Pansa’s opposition and anger) that Cassius should pursue a war against Dolabella. And in fact, I boldly said that he was already waging that war, without our senatorial decree. At the same time, I also said what I thought needed to be said about you. This speech shall be sent to you, since I see that you enjoy my Philippics.2
You ask me for advice about Antonius;3 I think that he should remain in your custody until we know the fate of Decimus Brutus. From the letter that you sent me, Dolabella seems to be harassing Asia and behaving most shockingly there. But you have written to several people to say that Dolabella has been shut out of Rhodes. If he has gone near Rhodes, it seems to me that he has abandoned Asia. If that is the case, my view is that you should remain where you are; but if he has taken control of the province, then my view is that you should pursue him in Asia. I feel that you can do nothing better at this time.
You write that you need two things, reinforcements and money. It is difficult to give any advice. No resources come to mind that I feel you would be able to use, beyond what the Senate has decreed to you—that you should borrow money from various States. But about the reinforcements, I don’t think anything can be done. For so far from Pansa assigning you any troops from his army or the levy, he is even annoyed that so many men have gone to join you voluntarily, because—as I believe, at least—he thinks no number of troops is enough for the situation currently playing out in Italy. Alternatively, many suspect that he doesn’t want you to be too strong either. I do not share these suspicions, though.
You write that you wrote to your sister Tertia and your mother that they shouldn’t make anything public about what Cassius has been doing until I thought it right. I see that you feared (and rightly so) that the feelings of Caesar’s party, which is still called that even now, would be greatly offended. But before I received your letter, people had heard about it, and it was common knowledge. Even your own letter-carriers had delivered letters to many of your friends. So it wasn’t something that should have been kept back—especially since that would have been impossible!—or, if it were possible, I would have thought that it should have been made public and not kept secret.
About my son, if he has all of the qualities that you write of, then of course I am as delighted as I should be. And if you are exaggerating out of affection for him, then your love for him means that I am more delighted than you can believe.
Latin text of Cic. ad Brut. 2.4 | Glossary | Historia Civilis video overview of 44-43 BCE
The speech was the Eleventh Philippic.
Mark Antony’s brother, Gaius Antonius. Brutus had taken him prisoner after taking control of Macedonia.