Letters to Atticus Passage 1

itane vero? hoc meus et tuus Brutus egit ut Lanuvi esset, ut Trebonius itineribus deviis proficisceretur in provinciam, ut omnia facta, scripta, dicta, promissa, cogitata Caesaris plus valerent quam si ipse viveret? meministine me clamare illo ipso primo Capitolino die debere senatum in Capitolium a praetoribus vocari? di immortales, quae tum opera effici potuerunt laetantibus omnibus bonis, etiam sat bonis, fractis latronibus! Liberalia tu accusas. quid fieri tum potuit? iam pridem perieramus. meministine te clamare causam perisse si funere elatus esset? at ille etiam in foro combustus laudatusque miserabiliter servique et egentes in tecta nostra cum facibus immissi. quae deinde? ut audeant dicere, tune contra Caesaris nutum? haec et talia ferre non possum. itaque γῆν πρὸ γῆσ cogito; tua tamen ὑπηνέμιοσ .

Is it really so? Was this what my Brutus and yours accomplished: that he should remain at Lanuvium, Trebonius should travel by circuitous roads to his province, and every act, writing, statement, promise, and intention of Caesar should possess greater force than if Caesar himself were alive? Do you remember how, on that first day on the Capitol, I cried out that the praetors ought to summon the Senate to the Capitol? Immortal gods, what could have been accomplished then, when every loyal citizen, even every tolerably loyal one, was rejoicing and the bandits were broken! You blame the Liberalia. What could have been done then? We had already been ruined long before. Do you remember crying out that the cause was lost if Caesar received a public funeral? Yet he was even burned in the Forum and lamentably eulogized, while slaves and paupers were sent with torches against our houses. What followed? They now dare to say, "Would you oppose Caesar's will?" I cannot endure this and similar things. I am therefore thinking of land in exchange for land. Your counsel, however, is mere wind.

Vraiment? Voilà donc ce qu’ont accompli mon Brutus et le tien: Brutus demeure à Lanuvium, Trebonius part pour sa province par des chemins détournés, et tous les actes, écrits, propos, engagements et projets de César ont plus de force que s’il vivait encore? Te souviens-tu que, dès le premier jour au Capitole, je criais que les préteurs devaient convoquer le Sénat au Capitole? Dieux immortels, tout ce qu’on aurait alors pu accomplir, tandis que se réjouissaient tous les honnêtes gens, et même les gens à peu près honnêtes, et que les brigands étaient abattus! Tu accuses les Libérales. Que pouvait-on faire alors? Depuis longtemps déjà nous étions perdus. Te souviens-tu que tu proclamais notre cause perdue si son corps recevait des funérailles? Et pourtant on l’a même brûlé au Forum, on a prononcé sur lui un éloge propre à susciter la pitié, et esclaves et indigents ont été lancés contre nos maisons avec des torches. Et ensuite? Ils osent dire: «Toi, t’opposer à la volonté de César?» Je ne peux supporter ces choses ni d’autres semblables. Aussi je pense à aller γῆν πρὸ γῆς, d’une terre à une autre; mais ton avis n’est encore qu’ὑπηνέμιος, comme un œuf sans germe.