Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 28

Cicero Letters to Atticus, Vol. 2 of 3 28

XIIb

 

CN. MAGNUS PROCOS. S. D. L. DOMITIO PROCOS.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Luceriae III aut prid. Id. Febr. a. 705_]

 

Valde miror te ad me nihil scribere et potius ab aliis quam a te de re

publica me certiorem fieri. Nos disiecta manu pares adversario esse

non possumus; contractis nostris copiis spero nos et rei publicae et

communi saluti prodesse posse. Quam ob rem, cum constituisses, ut

Vibullius mihi scripserat, a. d. V Id. Febr. Corfinio proficisci cum

exercitu et ad me venire, miror, quid causae fuerit, quare consilium

mutaris. Nam illa causa, quam mihi Vibullius scribit, levis est, te

propterea moratum esse, quod audieris Caesarem Firmo progressum in

Castrum Truentinum venisse. Quanto enim magis appropinquare adversarius

coepit, eo tibi celerius agendum erat, ut te mecum coniungeres,

priusquam Caesar aut tuum iter impedire aut me abs te excludere posset.

 

Quam ob rem etiam atque etiam te rogo et hortor, id quod non destiti

superioribus litteris a te petere, ut primo quoque die Luceriam ad me

venires, antequam copiae, quas instituit Caesar contrahere, in unum

locum coactae vos a nobis distrahant. Sed, si erunt, qui te impediant,

ut villas suas servent, aequum est me a te impetrare, ut cohortes, quae

ex Piceno et Camerino venerunt, quae fortunas suas reliquerunt, ad me

missum facias.

 

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Page 155

 

 

 

 

XIIb

 

GREETINGS FROM CN. MAGNUS PROCONSUL TO L. DOMITIUS PROCONSUL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Luceria, Feb. 11 or 12_, B.C. _49_]

 

I am greatly astonished that you send me no letters, and that I am kept

informed of the political situation by others rather than yourself.

With divided forces we cannot hope to cope with the enemy: united, I

trust we may do something for the safety of our country. Wherefore,

as you had arranged, according to Vibullius' letter, to start with

your army from Corfinium on the 9th of February and to come to me, I

wonder what reason there has been for your change of plan. The reason

mentioned by Vibullius is trivial, namely that you were delayed on

hearing that Caesar had left Firmum and arrived at Castrum Truentinum.

For the nearer our enemy begins to approach, the quicker you ought to

have joined forces with me, before Caesar could obstruct your march or

cut me off from you.

 

Wherefore again and again I entreat and exhort you--as I did in my

previous letter--to come to Luceria on the first possible day, before

the forces which Caesar has begun to collect can concentrate and divide

us. But, if people try to keep you back to protect their country seats,

I must ask you to dispatch to me the cohorts, which have come from

Picenum and Camerinum abandoning their own interests.

 

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XIIc

 

CN. MAGNUS PROCOS. S. D. L. DOMITIO PROCOS.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Luceriae XIV K. Mart. a. 705_]

 

Litteras abs te M. Calenius ad me attulit a d. XIIII Kal. Martias; in

quibus litteris scribis tibi in animo esse observare Caesarem, et, si

secundum mare ad me ire coepisset, confestim in Samnium ad me venturum,

sin autem ille circum istaec loca commoraretur, te ei, si propius

accessisset, resistere velle.

 

Te animo magno et forti istam rem agere existimo, sed diligentius

nobis est videndum, ne distracti pares esse adversario non possimus,

cum ille magnas copias habeat et maiores brevi habiturus sit. Non enim

pro tua prudentia debes illud solum animadvertere, quot in praesentia

cohortes contra te habeat Caesar, sed quantas brevi tempore equitum

et peditum copias contracturus sit. Cui rei testimonio sunt litterae,

quas Bussenius ad me misit; in quibus scribit, id quod ab aliis quoque

mihi scribitur, praesidia Curionem, quae in Umbria et Tuscis erant,

contrahere et ad Caesarem iter facere. Quae si copiae in unum locum

fuerint coactae, ut pars exercitus ad Albam mittatur, pars ad te

accedat, ut non pugnet, sed locis suis repugnet, haerebis, neque solus

cum ista copia tantam multitudinem sustinere poteris, ut frumentatum

eas.

 

Quam ob rem te magno opere hortor, ut quam primum cum omnibus copiis

hoc venias. Consules constituerunt idem facere. Ego M. Tuscilio ad te

 

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Page 157

 

 

 

 

XIIc

 

CN. MAGNUS PROCONSUL SENDS GREETING TO L. DOMITIUS PROCONSUL.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Luceria, Feb. 16_, B.C. _49_]

 

M. Calenius has brought me a letter from you dated the 16th of

February, in which you express the intention of watching Caesar and

hurrying to join me in Samnium, if he shall begin to march against me

along the coast: but, if he linger in your neighbourhood, you say you

wish to oppose his nearer advance.

 

To my mind your policy is ambitious and brave, but we must take great

care that, if divided, we may not be outmatched by the enemy, since

Caesar has numerous troops and in a short time will have more. A man

of your judgement ought to bear in mind not only the size of Caesar's

present array against you but the number of infantry and cavalry that

he will soon collect. Evidence of that contingency is in the letter

which Bussenius dispatched to me, and it agrees with the missives from

others in stating that Curio is concentrating the garrisons which were

in Umbria and Etruria and marching to join Caesar. With these forces

combined, though one division may be sent to Alba, and another advance

on you, and though Caesar may refrain from the offensive and be content

to defend his position, still you will be in a fix, nor will you be

able with your following to make sufficient head against such numbers

to allow of your sending out foraging parties.

 

Therefore I beg you earnestly to come here on the first opportunity

with all your forces. The consuls have decided to do the same. I have

instructed

 

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Page 158

 

mandata dedi providendum esse, ne duae legiones sine Picentinis

cohortibus in conspectum Caesaris committerentur. Quam ob rem nolito

commoveri, si audieris me regredi, si forte Caesar ad me veniet;

cavendum enim puto esse, ne implicatus haeream. Nam neque castra

propter anni tempus et militum animos facere possum, neque ex omnibus

oppidis contrahere copias expedit, ne receptum amittam. Itaque non

amplius xiiii cohortes Luceriam coegi. Consules praesidia omnia

deducturi sunt aut in Siciliam ituri. Nam aut exercitum firmum habere

oportet, quo confidamus perrumpere nos posse, aut regiones eius modi

obtinere, e quibus repugnemus; id quod neutrum nobis hoc tempore

contigit, quod et magnam partem Italiae Caesar occupavit, et nos non

habemus exercitum tam amplum neque tam magnum quam ille. Itaque nobis

providendum est, ut summam rei publicae rationem habeamus. Etiam

atque etiam te hortor, ut cum omni copia quam primum ad me venias.

Possumus etiam nunc rem publicam erigere, si communi consilio negotium

administrabimus; si distrahemur, infirmi erimus. Mihi hoc constitutum

est.

 

His litteris scriptis Sicca abs te mihi litteras et mandata attulit.

Quod me hortare, ut istuc veniam, id me facere non arbitror posse, quod

non magno opere his legionibus confido.

 

 

 

 

XIId

 

CN. MAGNUS PROCOS. S. D. L. DOMITIO PROCOS.

 

 

[Sidenote: _Scr. Luceriae XIII K. Mart. 705_]

 

Litterae mihi a te redditae sunt a. d. XIII Kal. Martias, in quibus

scribis Caesarem apud Corfinium

 

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Page 159

 

M. Tuscilius to tell you that we must beware lest the two legions

without the cohorts from Picenum come within sight of Caesar.

Accordingly do not be disturbed if you hear of my retreat in the face

of Caesar's possible advance, for I consider that I must take every

step to avoid being trapped. The season of the year and the spirit of

my troops prevents me from making a camp; nor is it wise to collect the

garrisons from all the towns, lest room for retreat be lost. So I have

not mustered more than fourteen cohorts at Luceria. The consuls will

bring in all their garrisons to me or start for Sicily. We must either

have an army strong enough to allow of our breaking through the enemy's

lines, or get and hold localities we can defend. At the present moment

we have neither of those advantages: a large part of Italy is held by

Caesar, and our army is neither so well equipped nor so large as his.

We must therefore take care to look to the main issue. Again and again

I beg you to come to me as soon as possible with all your forces. Even

now the constitution may be restored, if we take common counsel in our

action. Division means weakness: of that I am positive. After I had written my letter Sicca brought me a dispatch and message from you. I fear I cannot comply with your request for assistance, because I do not put much trust in these legions.