§2.5.1quae litterae tuo nomine recitatae sint id. April. in senatu eodemque tempore Antoni credo ad te scripsisse tuos; quorum ego nemini concedo.
I believe your family has written to you about the letter read in the senate in your name on the Ides of April, and at the same time about that of Antonius; in my devotion to you, I yield to none of them.
sed nihil necesse erat eadem omnis, illud necesse me ad te scribere quid sentirem tota de constitutione huius belli et quo iudicio essem quaque sententia.
But there was no necessity for everyone to write the same things; rather, it was necessary for me to write to you what I felt about the whole constitution of this war, and what my judgment and opinion were.
voluntas mea, Brute, de summa re publica semper eadem fuit quae tua, ratio quibusdam in rebus (non enim omnibus) paulo fortasse vehementior.
My will, Brutus, concerning the safety of the state, has always been the same as yours, though my method in certain matters (for not in all) has perhaps been a little more vehement.
scis mihi semper placuisse non rege solum sed regno liberari rem publicam; tu lenius immortali omnino cum tua laude; sed quid melius fuerit magno dolore sensimus, magno periculo sentimus.
You know that it has always pleased me that the republic should be delivered not from a king alone, but from kingly rule; you acted more gently, entirely to your immortal praise; but which was better, we have felt with great grief, and are still feeling with great danger.
recenti illo tempore tu omnia ad pacem quae oratione confici non poterat, ego omnia ad libertatem quae sine pace nulla est.
In that recent period, you directed everything toward a peace which could not be accomplished by words, while I directed everything toward a liberty which is nothing without peace.
pacem ipsam bello atque armis effici posse arbitrabar.
I thought that peace itself could be achieved by war and arms.
studia non deerant arma poscentium; quorum repressimus impetum ardoremque restinximus.
There was no lack of zeal among those demanding arms; whose onset we checked and whose ardor we extinguished.
§2.5.2itaque res in eum locum venerat ut, nisi Caesari Octaviano deus quidam illam mentem dedisset, in potestatem perditissimi hominis et turpissimi M. Antoni veniendum fuerit, quocum vides hoc tempore ipso quod sit quantumque certamen.
Therefore, matters had come to such a pass that, unless some god had given that mind to Caesar Octavian, we must have come under the power of that most desperate and foul man, Marcus Antonius, with whom you see at this very time what and how great a contest there is.
id profecto nullum esset, nisi tum conservatus esset Antonius.
This indeed would not exist at all, if Antonius had not been spared then.
sed haec omitto; res enim a te gesta memorabilis et paene caelestis repellit omnis reprehensiones, quippe quae ne laude quidem satis idonea adfici possit.
But I pass over these things; for your memorable and almost heavenly deed repels all censures, since indeed it cannot be visited with even sufficient praise.
exstitisti nuper vultu severo; exercitum, copias, legiones idoneas per te brevi tempore comparasti.
You appeared lately with a stern countenance; you prepared a suitable army, forces, and legions by yourself in a short time.
di immortales! qui ille nuntius, quae illae litterae, quae laetitia senatus, quae alacritas civitatis erat! nihil umquam vidi tam omnium consensione laudatum.
Immortal gods! What news that was, what a letter, what joy of the senate, what alacrity of the state! I have never seen anything praised by such consensus of all.
erat exspectatio reliquiarum Antoni, quem equitatu legionibusque magna ex parte spoliaras.
There was expectation concerning the remnants of Antonius, whom you had despoiled of a great part of his cavalry and legions.
ea quoque habuit exitum optabilem.
That also had a desirable issue.
nam tuac litterae quae recitatae in senatu sunt et imperatoris et militum virtutem et industriam tuorum, in quibus Ciceronis mei, declarant.
For your letter which was read in the senate declares both the virtue of the general and the soldiers, and the industry of your officers, among whom is my Cicero.
quod si tuis placuisset de his litteris referri et nisi in tempus turbuientissimum post discessum Pansae consulis incidissent, honos quoque iustus et debitus dis immortalibus decretus esset.
If your friends had pleased that a motion be made concerning this letter, and if it had not fallen upon a most turbulent time after the departure of the consul Pansa, a just and due honor would have been decreed to the immortal gods.
§2.5.3ecce tibi Idib. April. advolat mane Celer Pilius, qui vir, di boni, quam gravis, quam constans, quam bonarum in re publica partium! hic epistulas adfert duas, unam tuo nomine, alteram Antoni;
Behold, on the Ides of April, Celer Pilius flies to us in the morning—what a man, good gods, how grave, how constant, how well-affected to the republic!
dat Servilio tribuno plebis, ille Cornuto.
He brings two letters, one in your name, the other of Antonius; he gives them to Servilius, the tribune of the plebs, and he to Cornutus.
recitantur in senatu.
They are read in the senate.
ANTONIVS PROCOS.
Magna admiratio, ut si esset recitatum
DOLABELLA IMPERATOR
; a quo quidem venerant tabellarii, sed nemo Pili similis qui proferre litteras auderet aut magistratibus reddere.
ANTONIVS PROCOS. Great was the astonishment, as if it had been read DOLABELLA IMPERATOR; from whom indeed messengers had come, but no one like Pilius who dared to produce the letter or deliver it to the magistrates.
tuae recitantur breves illae quidem sed in Antonium admodum lenes.
Yours are read—short indeed, but very gentle toward Antonius.
vehementer admiratus senatus.
The senate was vehemently astonished.
mihi autem non erat explicatum quid agerem.
But it was not clear to me what I should do.
falsas dicerem? quid si tu eas adprobasses?
Should I say they were false? What if you had approved them?
§2.5.4confirmarem? non erat dignitatis tuae.
Should I confirm them? It was not of your dignity.
itaque ille dies silentio.
Therefore that day was passed in silence.
postridie autem cum sermo increbruisset, Piliusque oculos vehementius hominum offendisset, natum omnino est principium a me.
But on the next day, when the talk had grown common, and Pilius had offended the eyes of men more vehemently, the beginning of the debate arose entirely from me.
de proconsule Antonio multa.
Many things were said about the proconsul Antonius.
Sestius causae non defuit post me, cum quanto suum filium, quanto meum in periculo futurum diceret, si contra proconsulem arma tulissent.
Sestius did not fail the cause after me, saying with how great danger both his son and mine would be, if they had borne arms against a proconsul.
Nosti hominem; causae non defuit.
You know the man; he did not fail the cause.
dixerunt etiam alii.
Others also spoke.
Labeo vero noster nec signum tuum in epistula nec diem adpositum nec te scripsisse ad tuos, ut soleres.
But our Labeo pointed out that there was neither your seal on the letter, nor any date affixed, nor that you had written to your family, as you were accustomed to do.
hoc cogere volebat falsas litteras esse et, si quaeris, probabat.
By this he wished to prove that the letter was false, and, if you ask, he was convincing.
§2.5.5nunc tuum est consilium, Brute, de toto genere belli.
Now, Brutus, the decision is yours concerning the whole kind of war.
video te lenitate delectari et eum putare fructum esse maximum praeclare quidem, sed aliis rebus, aliis temporibus locus esse solet debetque clementiae.
I see that you are delighted with leniency, and think that to be the greatest fruit—gloriously indeed, but there is wont to be, and ought to be, a place for clemency in other matters, at other times.
nunc quid agitur, Brute? templis deorum immortalium imminet hominum egentium et perditorum spes, nec quicquam aliud decernitur hoc bello nisi utrum simus necne.
What is at stake now, Brutus? The hope of needy and desperate men threatens the temples of the immortal gods, nor is anything else decided in this war but whether we are to exist or not.
cui parcimus aut quid agimus? hic ergo consulimus quibus victoribus vestigium nostrum nullum relinquetur? nam quid interest inter Dolabellam et quemvis Antoniorum trium? quorum si cui parcimus, duri fuimus in Dolabella.
Whom do we spare, or what are we doing? Are we therefore consulting the interests of those by whom, if they are victorious, no trace of us will be left? For what is the difference between Dolabella and any one of the three Antoniuses? If we spare any of them, we have been harsh toward Dolabella.
haec ut ita sentiret senatus populusque Romanus, etsi res ipsa cogebat, tamen maxima ex parte nostro consilio atque auctoritate perfectum est.
That the senate and the Roman people should think thus, although the matter itself compelled it, yet was achieved in the greatest part by our counsel and authority.
tu si hanc rationem non probas, tuam sententiam defendam, non relinquam meam.
If you do not approve this method, I will defend your opinion, but I will not abandon mine.
neque dissolutum a te quicquam homines exspectant nec crudele.
Men expect nothing from you that is either lax or cruel.
huius rei moderatio facilis est. ut in duces vehemens sis. in milites liberalis.
The moderation of this matter is easy: that you be vehement toward the leaders, and liberal toward the soldiers.
§2.5.6Ciceronem meum, mi Brute, velim quam plurimum tecum habeas.
I would have you keep my Cicero, my Brutus, with you as much as possible.
virtutis disciplinam meliorem reperiet nullam quam contemplationem atque imitationem tui.
He will find no better training of virtue than the contemplation and imitation of you.
XVIII Kalend. Maias.
April 14th.