Orations |
Translator: C. D. Yonge
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| 451 |
Possumne igitur satis videri cautus , satis providus , si me huic itineri tam infesto tamque periculoso commisero ? Gloriam in morte debent ei qui in re publica versantur , non culpae reprehensionem et stultitiae vituperationem relinquere . Quis bonus non luget mortem Treboni ? quis non dolet interitum talis et civis et viri ? At sunt qui dicant dure illi quidem , sed tamen dicunt : minus dolendum quod ab homine impuro nefarioque non caverit . Etenim qui multorum custodem se profiteatur , eum sapientes sui primum capitis aiunt custodem esse oportere . Cum saeptus sis legibus et iudiciorum metu , non sunt omnia timenda neque ad omnis insidias praesidia quaerenda . Quis enim audeat luci , quis in militari via , quis bene comitatum , quis inlustrem aggredi ? Haec neque hoc tempore neque in me valent .
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Can I, then, appear as cautious and as prudent as I ought to be if I commit myself to a journey so full of enemies and dangers to me? Those men who are concerned in the government of the republic ought at their death to leave behind them glory, and not reproaches for their fault, or grounds for blaming their folly. What good man is there who does not mourn for the death of Trebonius? Who is there who does not grieve for the loss of such a citizen and such a man? But there are men who say (hastily indeed, but still they do say so), that he deserves to be grieved for less because he did not take precautions against a desperately wicked man. In truth, a man who professes to be himself a defender of many men, wise men say, ought in the first place to show himself able to protect his own life. I say, that when one is fenced round by the laws and by the fear of justice, a man is not bound to be afraid of everything, or to take precautions against all imaginable designs; for who would dare to attack a man in daylight, on a military road, or a man who was well attended, or an illustrious man? |
| 452 |
Non modo enim poenam non extimescet qui mihi vim attulerit sed etiam gloriam sperabit a latronum gregibus et praemia .
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But these considerations have no bearing on the present time, nor in my case; for not only would a man who offered violence to me have no fear of punishment, but he would even hope to obtain glory and rewards from those bands of robbers, |
| 453 |
Haec ego in urbe provideo : facilis est circumspectus unde exeam , quo progrediar , quid ad dexteram , quid ad sinistram sit . Num idem in Appennini tramitibus facere potero ? in quibus etiam si non erunt insidiae , quae facillime esse poterunt , animus tamen erit sollicitus , ut nihil possit de officiis legationis attendere . Sed effugi insidias , perrupi Appenninum : nempe in Antoni congressum conloquiumque veniendum est . Quinam locus capietur ? Si extra castra , ceteri viderint : ego me vix tuto futurum puto . Novi hominis furorem , novi effrenatam violentiam . Cuius acerbitas morum immanitasque naturae ne vino quidem permixta temperari solet , hic ira dementiaque inflammatus adhibito fratre Lucio , taeterrima belua , numquam profecto a me sacrilegas manus atque impias abstinebit . Memini conloquia et cum acerrimis hostibus et cum gravissime dissidentibus civibus . Cn . Pompeius , Sexti filius , consul me praesente , cum essem tiro in eius exercitu , cum P . Vettio Scatone , duce Marsorum , inter bina castra conlocutus est : quo quidem die memini Sex . Pompeium , fratrem consulis , ad conloquium ipsum Roma venire , doctum virum atque sapientem . Quem cum Scato salutasset , ‘Quem te appellem ?’ inquit . At ille ‘Voluntate hospitem , necessitate hostem .’ Erat in illo conloquio aequitas ; nullus timor , nulla suberat suspicio ; mediocre etiam odium . Non enim ut eriperent nobis socii civitatem , sed ut in eam reciperentur petebant . Sulla cum Scipione inter Cales et Teanum , cum alter nobilitatis florem , alter belli socios adhibuisset , de auctoritate senatus , de suffragiis populi , de iure civitatis leges inter se et condiciones contulerunt . Non tenuit omnino conloquium illud fidem : a vi tamen periculoque afuit .
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These dangers. I can guard against in the city; it is easy for me to look around and see where I am going out from, whither I am going, what there is on my right hand, and on my left. Shall I be able to do the same on the roads of the Apennines? in which, even if there should be no ambush, as there easily may be, still my mind will be kept in such a state of anxiety as not to be able to attend to the duties of an embassy. But suppose I have escaped all plots against me, and have passed over the Apennines; still I have to encounter a meeting and conference with Antonius. What place am I to select? If it is outside the camp, the rest may look to themselves,—I think that death would come upon me instantly. I know the frenzy of the man; I know his unbridled violence. The ferocity of his manners and the savageness of his nature is not usually softened even by wine. Then, inflamed by anger and insanity, with his brother Lucius, that foulest of beasts, at his side, he will never keep his sacrilegious and impious hands from me. I can recollect conferences with most bitter enemies, and with citizens in a state of the most bitter disagreement. Cnaeus Pompeius, the son of Sextus, being consul, in my presence, when I was serving my first campaign in his army, had a conference with Publius Vettius Scato, the general of the Marsians, between the camps. And I recollect that Sextus Pompeius, the brother of the consul, a very learned and wise man, came thither from Rome to the conference. And when Scato had saluted him, “What,” said he, “am I to call you?”—“Call me,” said he, “one who is by inclination a friend, by necessity an enemy.” That conference was conducted with fairness: there was no fear, no suspicion, even their mutual hatred was not great, for the allies were not seeking to take our city from us, but to be themselves admitted to share the privileges of it. Sulla and Scipio, one attended by the flower of the nobility, the other by the allies, had a conference between Cales and Teanum, respecting the authority of the senate, the suffrages of the people, and the privileges of citizenship; and agreed upon conditions and stipulations. Good faith was not strictly observed at that conference; but still there was no violence used, and no danger incurred. |
| 454 |
Possumusne igitur in Antoni latrocinio aeque esse tuti ? Non possumus ; aut , si ceteri possunt , me posse diffido . Quod si non extra castra congrediemur , quae ad conloquium castra sumentur ? In nostra ille numquam veniet ; multo minus nos in illius . Reliquum est ut et accipiantur et remittantur postulata per litteras . Ergo erimus in castris , meaque ad omnia postulata una sententia ; quam cum hic vobis audientibus dixero , isse , redisse me putatote : legationem confecero . Omnia ad senatum mea sententia reiciam , quaecumque postulabit Antonius . Neque enim licet aliter neque permissum est nobis ab hoc ordine , ut bellis confectis decem legatis permitti solet more maiorum , neque ulla omnino a senatu mandata accepimus . Quae cum agam in consilio non nullis , ut arbitror , repugnantibus , nonne metuendum est ne imperita militum multitudo per me pacem distineri putet ?
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But can we be equally safe among Antonius's piratical crew? We can not; or, even if the rest can, I do not believe that I can. What will be the case if we are not to confer out of the camp? What camp is to be chosen for the conference? He will never come into our camp;—much less will we go to his. It follows, then, that all demands must be received and sent to and fro by means of letters. We then shall be in our respective camps. On all his demands I shall have but one opinion; and when I have stated it here, in your hearing, you may think that I have gone, and that I have come back again.—I shall have finished my embassy. As far as my sentiments can prevail, I shall refer every demand which Antonius makes to the senate. For, indeed, we have no power to do otherwise; nor have we received any commission from this assembly, such as, when a war is terminated, is usually, in accordance with the precedents of your ancestors, entrusted to the ambassadors. Nor, in fact, have we received any particular commission from the senate at all. And, as I shall pursue this line of conduct in the council, where some, as I imagine, will oppose it, have I not reason to fear that the ignorant mob may think that peace is delayed by my means? |
| 455 |
Facite hoc meum consilium legiones novas non improbare ; nam Martiam et quartam nihil cogitantis praeter dignitatem et decus comprobaturas esse certo scio : quid ? veteranos non veremur —nam timeri se ne ipsi quidem volunt —quonam modo accipiant severitatem meam ? Multa enim falsa de me audierunt ; multa ad eos improbi detulerunt , quorum commoda , ut vos optimi testes estis , semper ego sententia , auctoritate , oratione firmavi : sed credunt improbis , credunt turbulentis , credunt suis . Sunt autem fortes illi quidem , sed propter memoriam rerum quas gesserunt pro populi Romani libertate et salute rei publicae nimis feroces et ad suam vim omnia nostra consilia revocantes .
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Suppose now that the new legions do not disapprove of my resolution. For I am quite sure that the Martial legion and the fourth legion will not approve of any thing which is contrary to dignity and honor. What then? have we no regard for the opinion of the veterans? For even they themselves do not wish to be feared by us.—Still, how will they receive my severity? For they have heard many false statements concerning me; wicked men have circulated among them many calumnies against me. Their advantage indeed, as you all are most perfect witnesses of, I have always promoted by my opinion, by my authority, and by my language. But they believe wicked men, they believe seditious men, they believe their own party. They are, indeed, brave men; but by reason of their exploits which they have performed in the cause of the freedom of the Roman people and of the safety of the republic, they are too ferocious and too much inclined to bring all our counsels under the sway of their own violence. |
| 456 |
Horum ego cogitationem non vereor ; impetum pertimesco . Haec quoque tanta pericula si effugero , satisne tutum reditum putatis fore ? Cum enim et vestram auctoritatem meo more defendero et meam fidem rei publicae constantiamque praestitero , tum erunt mihi non ei solum qui me oderunt sed illi etiam qui invident extimescendi . Custodiatur igitur vita rei publicae mea , quoad vel dignitas vel natura patietur , patriae reservetur , mors aut necessitatem habeat fati aut , si ante oppetenda est , oppetatur cum gloria . Haec cum ita sint , etsi hanc legationem res publica , ut levissime dicam , non desiderat , tamen si tuto licebit ire , proficiscar . Omnino , patres conscripti , totum huiusce rei consilium non periculo meo , sed utilitate rei publicae metiar . De qua mihi quoniam liberum est spatium , multum etiam atque etiam considerandum puto idque potissimum faciendum quod maxime interesse rei publicae iudicaro .
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Their deliberate reflection I am not afraid of, but I confess I dread their impetuosity. If I escape all these great dangers too, do you think my return will be completely safe? For when I have, according to my usual custom, defended your authority, and have proved my good faith toward the republic, and my firmness; then I shall have to fear, not those men alone who hate me, but those also who envy me. Let my life then be preserved for the republic, let it be kept for the service of my country as long as my dignity or nature will permit; and let death either be the necessity of fate, or, if it must be encountered earlier, let it be encountered with glory. This being the case, although the republic has no need (to say the least of it) of this embassy, still if it be possible for me to go on it in safety, I am willing to go. Altogether, O conscript fathers, I shall regulate the whole of my conduct in this affair, not by any consideration of my own danger, but by the advantage of the republic. And, as I have plenty of time, I think that it behooves me to deliberate upon that over and over again, and to adopt that line of conduct which I shall judge to be most beneficial to the republic. |
| 457 |
IN M . ANTONIVM ORATIO PHILIPPICA TERTIA DECIMA A principio huius belli , patres conscripti , quod cum impiis civibus consceleratisque suscepimus , timui ne condicio insidiosa pacis libertatis recuperandae studia restingueret . Dulce enim etiam nomen est pacis , res vero ipsa cum iucunda tum salutaris . Nam nec privatos focos nec publicas leges videtur nec libertatis iura cara habere quem discordiae , quem caedes civium , quem bellum civile delectat , eumque ex numero hominum eiciendum , ex finibus humanae naturae exterminandum puto . Itaque sive Sulla sive Marius sive uterque sive Octavius sive Cinna sive iterum Sulla sive alter Marius et Carbo sive qui alius civile bellum optavit , eum detestabilem civem rei publicae natum iudico .
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THE THIRTEENTH ORATION OF M. T. CICERO AGAINST MARCUS ANTONIUS. CALLED ALSO THE THIRTEENTH PHILIPPIC. From the first beginning, O conscript fathers, of this war which we have undertaken against those impious and wicked citizens, I have been afraid lest the insidious proposals of peace might damp our zeal for the recovery of our liberty. For the name of peace is sweet; and the thing itself not only pleasant but salutary. For a man seems to have no affection either for the private hearths of the citizens, nor for the public laws, nor for the rights of freedom, who is delighted with discord and the slaughter of his fellow-citizens, and with civil war; and such a man I think ought to be erased from the catalogue of men, and exterminated from all human society. Therefore, if Sulla, or Marius, or both of them, or Octavius, or Cinna, or Sulla for the second time, or the other Marius and Carbo, or if any one else has ever wished for civil war, I think that man a citizen born for the detestation of the republic. |
| 458 |
Nam quid ego de proximo dicam cuius acta defendimus , auctorem ipsum iure caesum fatemur ? Nihil igitur hoc cive , nihil hoc homine taetrius , si aut civis aut homo habendus est , qui civile bellum concupiscit . Sed hoc primum videndum est , patres conscripti , cum omnibusne pax esse possit an sit aliquod bellum inexpiabile , in quo pactio pacis lex sit servitutis . Pacem cum Scipione Sulla sive faciebat sive simulabat , non erat desperandum , si convenisset , fore aliquem tolerabilem statum civitatis . Cinna si concordiam cum Octavio confirmare voluisset , hominum in re publica sanitas remanere potuisset . Proximo bello si aliquid de summa gravitate Pompeius , multum de cupiditate Caesar remisisset , et pacem stabilem et aliquam rem publicam nobis habere licuisset .
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For why should I speak of the last man who stirred up such a war; a man whose acts, indeed, we defend, while we admit that the author of them was deservedly slain? Nothing, then, is more infamous than such a citizen or such a man; if indeed he deserves to he considered either a citizen or a man, who is desirous of civil war. But the first thing that we have to consider, O conscript fathers, is whether peace can exist with all men, or whether there be any war incapable of reconciliation, in which any agreement of peace is only a covenant of slavery. Whether Sulla was making peace with Scipio, or whether he was only pretending to do so, there was no reason to despair, if an agreement had been come to, that the city might have been in a tolerable state. If Cinna had been willing to agree with Octavius, the safety of the citizens might still have had an existence in the republic. In the last war, if Pompeius had relaxed somewhat of his dignified firmness, and Caesar a good deal of his ambition, we might have had both a lasting peace, and some considerable remainder of the republic. |
| 459 |
Hoc vero quid est ? cum Antoniis pax potest esse ? cum Censorino , Ventidio , Trebellio , Bestia , Nucula , Munatio , Lentone , Saxa ? Exempli causa paucos nominavi : genus infinitum immanitatemque ipsi cernitis reliquorum . Addite illa naufragia Caesaris amicorum , Barbas Cassios , Barbatios , Polliones ; addite Antoni conlusores et sodalis , Eutrapelum , Melam , Pontium , Caelium , Crassicium , Tironem , Mustelam , Petusium : comitatum relinquo , duces nomino . Huc accedunt Alaudae ceterique veterani , seminarium iudicum decuriae tertiae , qui suis rebus exhaustis , beneficiis Caesaris devoratis , fortunas nostras concupiverunt .
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But what is the state of things now? Is it possible for there to be peace with Antonius? with Censorinus, and Ventidius, and Trebellius, and Bestia, and Nucula, and Munatius, and Lento, and Saxa? I have just mentioned a few names as a specimen; you yourselves see the countless numbers and savage nature of the rest of the host,. Add, besides the wrecks of Caesar's party, the Barbae Cassii, the Barbatii, the Pollios; add the companions and fellow-gamblers of Antonius, Eutrapelus, and Mela, and Caelius, and Pontius, and Crassicius, and Tiro, and Mustela, and Petissius; I say nothing of the main body, I am only naming the leaders. To these are added the legionaries of the Alauda and the rest of the veterans, the seminary of the judges of the third decury; who, having exhausted their own estates, and squandered all the fruits of Caesar's kindness, have now set their hearts on our fortunes. |
| 460 |
O fidam dexteram Antoni qua ille plurimos civis trucidavit , o ratum religiosumque foedus quod cum Antoniis fecerimus ! Hoc si Marcus violare conabitur , Luci eum sanctitas a scelere revocabit . Illis locus si in hac urbe fuerit , ipsi urbi locus non erit . Ora vobis eorum ponite ante oculos et maxime Antoniorum ; incessum , aspectum , voltum , spiritum , latera tegentis alios , alios praegredientis amicos . Quem vini anhelitum , quas contumelias fore censetis minasque verborum ! Nisi forte eos pax ipsa leniet maximeque , cum in hunc ordinem venerint , salutabunt benigne , comiter appellabunt unum quemque nostrum .
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Oh that trustworthy right hand of Antonius, with which he has murdered many citizens! Oh that regularly ratified and solemn treaty which we made with the Antonii! Surely if Marcus shall attempt to violate it, the conscientious piety of Lucius will call him back from such wickedness. If there is any room allowed these men in this city, there will be no room for the city itself. Place before your eyes, O conscript fathers, the countenances of those men, and especially the countenances of the Antonii. Mark their gait, their look, their face, their arrogance; mark those friends of theirs who walk by their side, who follow them, who precede them. What breath reeking of wine, what insolence, what threatening language do you not think there will be there? Unless, indeed, the mere fact of peace is to soften, them, and unless you expect that, especially when they come into this assembly, they will salute every one of us kindly, and address us courteously. |
| 461 |
Non recordamini , per deos immortalis ! quas in eos sententias dixeritis ? Acta M . Antoni rescidistis ; leges refixistis ; per vim et contra auspicia latas decrevistis ; totius Italiae dilectus excitavistis ; conlegam et scelerum socium omnium hostem iudicavistis . Cum hoc quae pax potest esse ? Hostis si esset externus , id ipsum vix talibus factis , sed posset aliquo modo . Maria , montes , regionum magnitudines interessent ; odisses eum quem non videres . Hi in oculis haerebunt et , cum licebit , in faucibus ; quibus enim saeptis tam immanis beluas continebimus ? At incertus exitus belli . Est omnino fortium virorum , quales vos esse debetis , virtutem praestare —tantum enim possunt — fortunae culpam non extimescere .
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Do you not recollect, in the name of the immortal gods! what resolutions you have given utterance to against those men? You have repealed the acts of Marcus Antonius; you have taken down his laws; you have voted that they were carried by violence, and with a disregard of the auspices; you have called out the levies throughout all Italy; you have pronounced that colleague and ally of all wickedness a public enemy. What peace can there be with this man? Even if he were a foreign enemy, still, after such actions as have taken place, it would be scarcely possible, by any means whatever, to have peace. Though seas and mountains, and vast regions lay between you, still you would hate such a man without seeing him. But these men will stick to your eyes, and when they can, to your very throats; for what fences will be strong enough for us to restrain savage beasts?—Oh, but the result of war is uncertain. It is at all events in the power of brave men, such as you ought to be, to display your valour (for certainly brave men can do that), and not to fear the caprice of fortune. |
| 462 |
Sed quoniam ab hoc ordine non fortitudo solum verum etiam sapientia postulatur —quamquam vix videntur haec posse seiungi , seiungamus tamen —fortitudo dimicare iubet , iustum odium incendit , ad confligendum impellit , vocat ad periculum : quid sapientia ? Cautioribus utitur consiliis , in posterum providet , est omni ratione tectior . Quid igitur censet ? parendum est enim atque id optimum iudicandum quod sit sapientissime constitutum . Si hoc praecipit ne quid vita existimem antiquius , ne decernam capitis periculo , fugiam omne discrimen , quaeram ex ea : ‘Etiamne , si erit , cum id fecero , serviendum ?’ Si adnuerit , ne ego sapientiam istam , quamvis sit erudita , non audiam . Sin responderit : ‘Tu vero ita vitam corpusque servato , ita fortunas , ita rem familiarem , ut haec libertate posteriora ducas itaque his uti velis , si libera re publica possis , nec pro his libertatem , sed pro libertate haec proicias tamquam pignora iniuriae ,’ tum sapientiae vocem audire videar eique uti deo paream .
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But since it is not only courage but wisdom also which is expected from this order (although these qualities appear scarcely possible to be separated, still let us separate them here), courage bids us fight, inflames our just hatred, urges us to the conflict, summons us to danger. What says wisdom? She uses more cautious counsels, she is provident for the future, she is in every respect more on the defensive. What then does she think? for we must obey her, and we are bound to consider that the best thing which is arranged in the most prudent manner. If she enjoins me to think nothing of more consequence than my life, not to fight at the risk of my life, but to avoid all danger, I will then ask her whether I am also to become a slave when I have obeyed all these injunction? If she says, yes; I for one will not listen to that Wisdom, however learned she may be; but if the answer is, Preserve your life and your safety, Preserve your fortune, “Preserve your estate, still, however, considering all these things of less value than liberty; therefore enjoy these things if you can do so consistently with the freedom of the republic, and do not abandon liberty for them, but sacrifice them for liberty, as proofs of the injury you have sustained;”—then I shall think that I really am listening to the voice of Wisdom, and I will obey her as a god. |
| 463 |
Itaque si receptis illis esse possumus liberi , vincamus odium pacemque patiamur ; sin otium incolumibus eis esse nullum potest , laetemur decertandi oblatam esse fortunam . Aut enim interfectis illis fruemur victrice re publica aut oppressi —quod omen avertat Iuppiter !—si non spiritu , at virtutis laude vivemus .
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Therefore, if when we have received those men we can still be free, let us subdue our hatred to them, and endure peace; but if there can be no tranquillity while those men are in safety, then let us rejoice that an opportunity of fighting them is put in our power. For so, either (these men being conquered) we shall enjoy the republic victorious, or, if we be defeated, (but may Jupiter avert that disaster), we shall live, if not with an actual breath, at all events in the renown of our valor. |
| 464 |
At enim nos M . Lepidus , imperator iterum , pontifex maximus , optime proximo civili bello de re publica meritus , ad pacem adhortatur . Nullius apud me , patres conscripti , auctoritas maior est quam M . Lepidi vel propter ipsius virtutem vel propter familiae dignitatem . Accedunt eodem multa privata magna eius in me merita , mea quaedam officia in illum . Maximum vero eius beneficium numero quod hoc animo in rem publicam est , quae mihi vita mea semper fuit carior . Nam cum Magnum Pompeium , clarissimum adulescentem , praestantissimi viri filium , auctoritate adduxit ad pacem remque publicam sine armis maximo civilis belli periculo liberavit , tum me eius beneficio plus quam pro virili parte obligatum puto . Itaque et honores ei decrevi quos potui amplissimos , in quibus mihi vos estis adsensi , nec umquam de illo et sperare optime et loqui destiti . Magnis et multis pignoribus M . Lepidum res publica inligatum tenet . Summa nobilitas est , omnes honores , amplissimum sacerdotium , plurima urbis ornamenta , ipsius , fratris maiorumque monumenta ; probatissima uxor , optatissimi liberi , res familiaris cum ampla tum casta a cruore civili . Nemo ab eo civis violatus , multi eius beneficio et misericordia liberati . Talis igitur vir et civis opinione labi potest , voluntate a re publica dissidere nullo pacto potest . Pacem volt M .
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But Marcus Lepidus, having been a second time styled Imperator, Pontifex Maximus, a man who deserved excellently well of the republic in the last civil war, exhorts us to peace. No one, O conscript fathers, has greater weight with me than Marcus Lepidus, both on account of his personal virtues, and by reason of the dignity of his family. There are also private reasons which influence me, such as great services he has done me, and some kindnesses which I have done him. But the greatest of his services I consider to be his being of such a disposition as he is toward the republic, which has at all times been dearer to me than my life. For when by his influence he inclined Magnus Pompeius, a most admirable young man, the son of one of the greatest of men, to peace, and without arms released the republic from imminent danger of civil war, by so doing he laid me under as great obligations as it was in the power of any man to do. Therefore I proposed to decree to him the most ample honors that were in my power, in which you agreed with me; nor have I ceased both to think and speak in the highest terms of him. The republic has Marcus Lepidus bound to it by many pledges. He is a man of the highest rank, of the greatest honors; he has the most honorable priesthood, and has received numberless distinctions in the city. There are monuments of himself, and of his brother, and of his ancestors; he has a most excellent wife, children such as any man might desire, an ample family estate, untainted with the blood of his fellow-citizens. No citizen has been injured by him; many have been delivered from misery by his kindness and pity. Such a man and such a citizen may indeed err in his opinion, but it is quite impossible for him in inclination to be unfriendly to the republic. |
| 465 |
Lepidus . Praeclare , si talem potest efficere qualem nuper effecit , qua pace Cn . Pompei filium res publica aspiciet suoque sinu complexuque recipiet , neque solum illum , sed cum illo se ipsam sibi restitutam putabit . Haec causa fuit cur decerneretis statuam in rostris cum inscriptione praeclara , cur absenti triumphum . Quamquam enim magnas res bellicas gesserat et triumpho dignas , non erat tamen ei tribuendum quod nec L . Aemilio nec Aemiliano Scipioni nec superiori Africano nec Mario nec Pompeio , qui maiora bella gesserunt , sed quod silentio bellum civile confecerat , cum primum licuit , honores in eum maximos contulistis .
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Marcus Lepidus is desirous of peace. He does well especially if he can make such a peace as he made lately, owing to which the republic will behold the son of Cnaeus Pompeius, and will receive him in her bosom and embrace; and will think, that not he alone, but that she also is restored to herself with him. This was the reason why you decreed to him a statue in the rostra with an honorable inscription, and why you voted him a triumph in his absence. For although he had performed great exploits in war, and such as well deserved a triumph, still for that he might not have had that given to him which was not given to Lucius Aemilius, nor to Aemilianus Scipio, nor to the former Africanus, nor to Marius, nor to Pompeius, who had the conduct of greater wars than he had, but because he had put an end to a civil war in perfect silence, the first moment that it was in his power, on that account you conferred on him the greatest honors. |
| 466 |
Existimasne igitur , M . Lepide , qualem Pompeium res publica habitura sit civem , talis futuros in re publica Antonios ? In altero pudor , gravitas , moderatio , integritas ; in illis —et cum hos compello , praetereo animo ex grege latrocini neminem —libidines , scelera , ad omne facinus immanis audacia . Deinde vos obsecro , patres conscripti , quis hoc vestrum non videt quod Fortuna ipsa quae dicitur caeca vidit ? Salvis enim actis Caesaris quae concordiae causa defendimus Pompeio sua domus patebit , eamque non minoris quam emit Antonius redimet ; redimet , inquam , Cn . Pompei domum filius . O rem acerbam ! Sed haec satis diu multumque defleta sunt . Decrevistis tantam pecuniam Pompeio quantam ex bonis patriis in praedae dissipatione inimicus victor redegisset .
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Do you think, then, O Marcus Lepidus, that the Antonii will be to the republic such citizens as she will find Pompeius? In the one there is modesty gravity, moderation, integrity; in them (and when I speak of them I do not mean to omit one of that band of pirates) there is lust and wickedness and savage audacity capable of every crime I entreat of you, O conscript fathers which of you fails to see this which Fortune herself, who is called blind, sees? For, saving the acts of Caesar, which we maintain for the sake of harmony, his own house will be open to Pompeius and he will redeem it for the same sum for which Antonius bought it. Yes, I say the son of Cnaeus Pompeius will buy back his house. O melancholy circumstance! But these things have been already lamented long and bitterly enough. You have voted a sum of money to Cnaeus Pompeius, equal to that which his conquering enemy had appropriated to himself of his father's property in the distribution of his booty. |
| 467 |
Sed hanc mihi dispensationem pro paterna necessitudine et coniunctione deposco : redimet hortos , aedis , urbana quaedam quae possidet Antonius . Nam argentum , vestem , supellectilem , vinum amittet aequo animo , quae ille helluo dissipavit . Albanum , Formianum a Dolabella recuperabit ; etiam ab Antonio Tusculanum ; eique qui nunc Mutinam oppugnant , D . Brutum obsident , de Falerno Anseres depellantur . Sunt alii plures fortasse , sed mea memoria dilabuntur . Ego etiam eos dico qui hostium numero non sunt Pompeianas possessiones quanti emerint filio reddituros .
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But I claim permission to manage this distribution myself, as due to my connection and intimacy with his father. He will buy back the villas, the houses, and some of the estates in the city which Antonius is in possession of. For, as for the silver plate, the garments, the furniture, and the wine which that glutton has made away with, those things he will lose without forfeiting his equanimity. The Alban and Firmian villas he will recover from Dolabella; the Tusculan villa he will also recover from Antonius. And these Ansers who are joining in the attack on Mutina and in the blockade of Decimus Brutus will be driven from his Falernian villa. There are many others, perhaps, who will be made to disgorge their plunder, but their names escape my memory. I say, too, that those men who are not in the number of our enemies, will be made to restore the possessions of Pompeius to his son for the price at which they bought them. |
| 468 |
Satis inconsiderati fuit , ne dicam audacis , rem ullam ex illis attingere ; retinere vero quis poterit clarissimo domino restituto ? An is non reddet qui domini patrimonium circumplexus quasi thesaurum draco , Pompei servus , libertus Caesaris , agri Lucani possessiones occupavit ? Atque illud septiens miliens quod adulescenti , patres conscripti , spopondistis , ita discribetur ut videatur a vobis Cn . Pompei filius in patrimonio suo conlocatus . Haec senatus : reliqua populus Romanus in ea familia quam vidit amplissimam persequetur , in primis paternum auguratus locum , in quem ego eum , ut quod a patre accepi filio reddam , mea nominatione cooptabo . Vtrum igitur augurem Iuppiter OptimusMaximus cuius interpretes internuntiique constituti sumus , utrum populus Romanus libentius sanciet , Pompeiumne an Antonium ? Mihi quidem numine deorum immortalium videtur hoc fortuna voluisse ut actis Caesaris firmis ac ratis Cn . Pompei filius posset et dignitatem et fortunas patrias recuperare .
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It was the act of a sufficiently rash man, not to say an audacious one, to touch a single particle of that property; but who will have the face to endeavor to retain it, when its most illustrious owner is restored to his country? Will not that man restore his plunder, who, enfolding the patrimony of his master in his embrace, clinging to the treasure like a dragon, the slave of Pompeius, the freedman of Caesar, has seized upon his estates in the Lucanian district? And as for those seven hundred millions of sesterces which you, O conscript fathers, promised to the young man, they will be recovered in such a manner that the son of Cnaeus Pompeius will appear to have been established by you in his patrimony. This is what the senate must do; the Roman people will do the rest with respect to that family which was at one time one of the most honorable it ever saw. In the first place, it will invest him with his father's honor as an augur, for which rank I will nominate him and promote his election, in order that I may restore to the son what I received from the father. Which of these men will the Roman people most willingly sanction as the augur of the all powerful and all great Jupiter, whose interpreters and messengers we have been appointed,—Pompeius or Antonius? It seems indeed, to me, that Fortune has managed this by the divine aid of the immortal gods, that, leaving the acts of Caesar firmly ratified, the son of Cnaeus Pompeius might still be able to recover the dignities and fortunes of his father. |