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Cicero · Letters to Brutus §1.2.1-1.2.3

Dolabella's Movements and Brutus's Strategy

Passage 2 of 30 · Latin

Summary

Cicero, learning of Dolabella's threatening moves from a newly received letter, praises Brutus's prudence in delaying his army's movement. He also supports the soldiers' severity regarding the mutiny in the fourteenth legion.

§1.2.1scripta et obsignata iam epistula litterae mihi redditae sunt a te plenae rerum novarum, maximeque mirabile Dolabellam quinque cohortis misisse in Chersonesum.
The letter having already been written and sealed, a letter was delivered to me from you full of news, and most wonderful of all, that Dolabella has sent five cohorts into the Chersonese.
adeone copiis abundat ut is qui ex Asia fugere dicebatur Europam appetere conetur? quinque autem cohortibus quidnam se facturum arbitratus est, cum tu †eo† quinque legiones, optimum equitatum, maxima auxilia haberes? quas quidem cohortis spero iam tuas esse, quoniam latro ille tam fuit demens.
Is he so rich in forces that he who was said to be fleeing from Asia should attempt to attack Europe? What on earth did he think he would accomplish with five cohorts, when you had †there† five legions, the finest cavalry, and the greatest auxiliary forces? Indeed, I hope those cohorts are already yours, since that brigand was so mad.
§1.2.2tuum consilium vehementer laudo quod non prius exercitum Apollonia Dyrrhachioque movisti quam de Antoni fuga audisti, Bruti eruptione, populi Romani victoria.
I highly praise your plan in not moving your army from Apollonia and Dyrrhachium until you heard of the flight of Antony, the break-out of Brutus, and the victory of the Roman people.
itaque quod scribis post ea statuisse te ducere exercitum in Chersonesum nec pati sceleratissimo hosti ludibrio esse imperium populi Romani, facis ex tua dignitate et ex re publica.
Therefore, as to what you write, that after these events you determined to lead the army into the Chersonese, and not to permit the empire of the Roman people to be a laughing-stock to a most wicked enemy, you act in accordance with your dignity and the public interest.
§1.2.3quod scribis de seditione quae facta est in legione quarta decima fraude C. Antoni (in bonam partem accipies), magis mihi probatur militum severitas quam tua. ** *
As to what you write concerning the mutiny which occurred in the fourteenth legion through the treachery of C. Antony—you will take it in good part—the severity of the soldiers is more approved by me than yours.

Notes

  1. 1.2.1scripta et obsignata iam epistula — Ablative absolute indicating an action completed prior to the main verb `litterae mihi redditae sunt`. It means 'when the letter had already been written and sealed'.
  2. 1.2.1maximeque mirabile Dolabellam quinque cohortis misisse in Chersonesum — The copula `est` is omitted after the neuter adjective `mirabile`, and the accusative-with-infinitive clause `Dolabellam ... misisse` functions as the subject.
  3. 1.2.2non prius... quam — The correlative structure `non prius ... quam ...` (not before, only when). Here, Cicero praises Brutus's prudent military decision not to move his forces until he received the good news.
  4. 1.2.3magis mihi probatur militum severitas quam tua — The noun `severitas` is understood after `quam tua`. In terms of context, Cicero contrasts the 'severity' of the soldiers (which he approves of) with Brutus's leniency (clementia), which is euphemistically referred to here as 'your [severity]'.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Brutus §1.2.1-1.2.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi059.humanitext-lat1:1.2.1-1.2.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.