Remetente desconhecido → Marcus Tullius Cicero
Tradução moderna em inglês
I would be ashamed of the inconsistency of my letters, if these things did not depend on the fickleness of others. I did everything I could so that, with Lepidus joined to me, I might resist the traitors with less anxiety on your part in defending the republic. I agreed to everything he asked and volunteered more besides, and I wrote to you two days ago that I was confident of finding Lepidus well-disposed and of conducting the war by joint counsel. I trusted his personal letters, the assurances of Laterensis who was then with me and begged me to be reconciled with Lepidus and to trust him. It was not permitted to hope well of him for long. This at least I have taken care of and shall continue to take care of: that the supreme interest of the republic not be betrayed by my credulity. When I had crossed the Isara in one day after building a bridge, applying speed commensurate with the greatness of the occasion, because he himself had asked by letter that I hasten to come, his orderly met me with letters in which he announced that I should not come, that he could settle the business by himself, and that in the meantime I should wait at the Isara. I shall reveal my rash plan to you: I had decided to go anyway, thinking he wished to avoid sharing the glory. I thought I could neither detract from the praise of a hungry man nor fail to be in nearby positions so that, if things went badly, I could come to his aid quickly. I, not a bad man, was suspecting this; but Laterensis, a most upright man, sends me a letter in his own hand, in which, despairing of himself, of the army, and of Lepidus's loyalty, and complaining that he has been abandoned, he openly warns me to take care lest I be deceived; his own obligation, he says, has been discharged, and the republic should not be abandoned by me. I sent a copy of his letter to Titius; all the originals, both those I trusted and those I thought should not be trusted, I shall give to Laevus Cispius to deliver, as he was present at all these events. In addition, when Lepidus addressed the troops, his soldiers, worthless in themselves and corrupted by their officers -- the Canidii, the Rufreni, and the rest, whom you shall know when the need arises -- shouted out that they were good men and wanted peace, and would fight no one, after two singular consuls had been lost, so many citizens had fallen for their country, and all the enemies had been declared public enemies and their property confiscated; and Lepidus had neither punished nor corrected this. To go there and expose my most loyal army, my great auxiliary forces, the leading men of Gaul, and the entire province to two combined armies -- I saw this would be the height of madness and recklessness, and that if I were overwhelmed and had betrayed the republic along with myself, I would be denied not only honor but even pity in death. And so I shall return, and I shall not allow such great gifts to be handed to desperate men. I shall keep my army in advantageous positions, protect the province, and even if that army defects, I shall keep everything intact and give my best effort until you send armies here and vindicate the republic here with equal success. No one has been more prepared than I either to fight, if the opportunity arises, or to endure a siege, if necessary, or to die, if chance brings it, on your behalf. Therefore I urge you, my dear Cicero, to take care that an army is sent here as soon as possible and to hurry, before the enemy grows stronger and our men are thrown into confusion. If speed is applied in this, the republic will remain in possession of victory once the criminals are destroyed. Take care of yourself and be fond of me.
Texto latino / grego
XXI. Scr. in castris ad Isaram biduo post ep. XV. PLANCUS CICERONI. Puderet me inconstantiae mearum litterarum, si non haec ex aliena levitate penderent. Omnia feci, qua re Lepido coniuncto ad rem publicam defendundam minore sollicitudine vestra perditis resisterem: omnia ei et petenti recepi et ultro pollicitus sum scripsique tibi biduo ante confidere me bono Lepido esse usurum communique consilio bellum administraturum; credidi chirographis eius, affirmationi praesentis Laterensis, qui tum apud me erat reconcilaremque me Lepido fidemque haberem orabat. Non licuit diutius bene de eo sperare: illud certe cavi et cavebo, ne mea credulitate rei publicae summa fallatur. Cum Isaram flumen uno die ponte effecto exercitum traduxissem pro magnitudine rei celeritatem adhibens, quod petierat per litteras ipse, ut maturarem venire, praesto mihi fuit stator eius cum litteris, quibus, ne venirem, denuntiabat; se posse per se conficere negotium; interea ad Isaram exspectarem. Indicabo temerarium meum consilium tibi: nihilo minus ire decreram existimans eum socium gloriae vitare; putabam posse me nec de laude ieiuni hominis delibare quidquam et subesse tamen propinquis locis, ut, si durius aliquid esset, succurrere celeriter possem. Ego non malus homo hoc suspicabar: at Laterensis, vir sanctissimus, suo chirographo mittit mihi litteras in iisque desperans de se, de exercitu, de Lepidi fide querensque se destitutum [in quibus] aperte denuntiat, videam, ne fallar; suam fidem solutam esse; rei publicae ne desim. Exemplar eius chirographi Titio misi: ipsa chirographa omnia, et quibus credidi, et ea, quibus fidem non habendam putavi, Laevo Cispio dabo perferenda, qui omnibus iis interfuit rebus. Accessit eo, ut milites eius, cum Lepidus concionaretur, improbi per se, corrupti etiam per eos, qui praesunt, Canidios Rufrenosque et ceteros, quos, cum opus erit, scietis, conclamarent, viri boni, pacem se velle neque esse cum ullis pugnaturos duobus iam consulibus singularibus amissis, tot civibus pro patria occisis, hostibus denique omnibus iudicatis bonisque publicatis; neque hoc aut vindicarat Lepidus aut sanarat. Huc me venire et duobus exercitibus coniunctis obiicere exercitum fidelissimum, auxilia maxima, principes Galliae, provinciam cunctam summae dementiae et temeritatis esse vidi, mihique, si ita oppressus essem remque publicam mecum prodidissem, mortuo non modo honorem, sed misericordiam quoque defuturam: itaque rediturus sum nec tanta munera perditis hominibus dari posse sinam. Exercitum locis habeam opportunis, provinciam tuear, etiamsi ille exercitus descierit, omniaque integra servem, dabo operam, quoad exercitus huc summittatis parique felicitate rem publicam hic vindicetis; nec depugnare, si occasio tulerit, nec obsideri, si necesse fuerit, nec mori, si casus inciderit, pro vobis paratior fuit quisquam. Quare hortor te, mi Cicero, exercitum huc traiiciendum quam primum cures et matures, priusquam hostes magis corroborentur et nostri perturbentur: in quo si celeritas erit adhibita, res publica in possessione victoriae deletis sceleratis permanebit. Fac valeas meque diligas.