Iter illud Brundisium, de quo dubitabam, sublatum videtur. Legiones enim adventare dicuntur. Haec autem navigatio habet quasdam suspiciones periculi. Itaque constituebam uti ὁμοπλοίᾳ. Paratiorem enim offendi Brutum, quam audiebam. Nam et ipse et Domitius bona plane habet dicrota, suntque navigia praeterea luculenta Sesti, Buciliani, ceterorum.
told us that Philo, a freedman of Pompey, and Hilarus, one of his own, had come from Sextus with a letter for the consuls, "or whatever they call them." He read us a copy to see what we thought of it. There were a few odd expressions, but in other respects it was sufficiently dignified and not aggressive. We only thought it better to make an addition of "Praetors, Tribunes of the People, and Senate" to the simple address to the "Consuls," for fear they should not publish a letter sent to them. They say that Sextus has been at Carthage with only one legion, and that he received the news about Caesar on the very day that he took the town of Barea. After the capture there were great rejoicings and a change of sentiment, and people flocked to him from every side, but he returned to the six legions he had left in lower Spain. He has written to Libo himself saying it is all nothing to him if he cannot get home. The upshot of his demands is, that all the armies everywhere should be disbanded. That is all about Sextus.
I have been making enquiries in every direction about the Buthrotians, and discover nothing. Some say the land-grabbers were cut to pieces, others that Plancus pocketed the money and fled, leaving them in the lurch. So I don't see how I can find out what there is in it, unless I get a letter at once.
The route to Brundisium, about which I was hesitating, seems to be out of the question. They say the troops are arriving there. But the voyage from here has some suspicion of danger, so I have made up my mind to sail in company with Brutus. I found him better prepared than I had heard he was. For both he and Domitius have quite good two-banked galleys, and there are also some good ships belonging
384Nam Cassi classem, quae plane bella est, non numero ultra fretum. Illud est mihi submolestum, quod parum Brutus properare videtur. Primum confectorum ludorum nuntios exspectat; deinde, quantum intellego, tarde est navigaturus consistens in locis pluribus. Tamen arbitror esse commodius tarde navigare quam omnino non navigare; et, si, cum processerimus, exploratiora videbuntur, etesiis utemur.
V
CICERO ATTICO SAL.
Scr. in Puteolano VII Id. Quint. a. 710
Tuas iam litteras Brutus exspectabat. Cui quidem ego non novum attuleram de Tereo Acci. Ille Brutum putabat. Sed tamen rumoris nescio quid adflaverat commissione Graecorum frequentiam non fuisse; quod quidem me minime fefellit; scis enim, quid ego de Graecis ludis existimem.
Nunc audi, quod pluris est quam omnia. Quintus fuit mecum dies complures, et, si ego cuperem, ille vel plures fuisset; sed, quam diu fuit, incredibile est, quam me in omni genere delectarit, in eoque maxime, in quo minime satis faciebat. Sic enim commutatus est totus et scriptis meis quibusdam, quae in manibus habebam, et adsiduitate orationis et praeceptis, ut tali animo in rem publicam, quali nos volumus, futurus sit. Hoc cum mihi non modo confirmasset, sed
to Sestus, Bucilianus, and others. For I don't count on Cassius' fleet, which is quite a fine one, beyond the straits of Sicily. There is one point that annoys me a little, Brutus seems in no hurry. First he is waiting for news of the completion of his games; then, so far as I can understand, he is going to sail slowly, stopping at several places. Still I think it will be better to sail slowly than not to sail at all; and if, when we have got some distance, things seem clearer, we shall take advantage of the Etesian winds.