Two letters by Brutus and Cassius to Mark Antony: different people, different times, different styles
-
Gualtiero Calboli
Abstract
Between end of May and beginning of August 44 M. Junius Brutus, praetor urbanus, and C. Cassius Longinus, praetor peregrinus, sent two letters to M. Antony who was consul. These letters were different in content and style but also the two senders were different. If we take into account the facts of this time we see that the situation in Rome changed and M. Antony gave up his previous position (assumed 17 March 44), which was oriented towards the concordia, for a new position directed towards the vengeance for Caesar’s murder. This depended upon the intervention of Octavian who took the hereditary name of C. Iulius Caesar and gave himself as aim Caesar’s vengeance, an aim M. Antony had to assume in order to remain head of the Caesarian party. Brutus’ and Cassius’ attitudes were different: Brutus tried to save the concordia, Cassius to defend with weapons the Liberators’ position; Brutus was formed in Stoic culture, Cassius was rather inspired by old Roman tradition. Such a different position appears in the first part of this paper. Therefore the first letter, where Brutus and Cassius invite M. Antony to save the concordia, seems to be inspired by Brutus and the second letter, a kind of ultimatum to M. Antony, rather inspired by Cassius. More interesting is that also the style of the first letter is closer to Brutus’ than Cassius’ style, while the second letter is more connected with Cassius’ language as it appears from Brutus’ and Cassius’ letters we read in Cicero’s correspondence. It seems therefore that the first letter, where the Liberators tried to save the Concordia, was written mostly by Brutus, the second one, the ultimatum letter, by Cassius. The style confirms this hypothesis.
Acknowledgements
This paper was reviewed by Donna Shalef. She gave me many suggestions, corrections, and improvements. I am very indebted to her.
References
Alföldi, Andreas. 1985. Caesar in 44 v. Chr., Bd.1: Studien zu Caesar Monarchie und ihren Wurzel. Bonn: Habelt.Search in Google Scholar
Andresen, Georg-Friedrich Hofmann.1895. Ausgewählte Briefe von M. Tullius Cicero, 2. Band. 3. Aufl. Berlin: Weidmann.Search in Google Scholar
Bengtson, Hermann. 1970. Zur Geschichte des Brutus. Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philos.-hist. Kl. 1970, 1, Verl. der Bay. Ak. der Wiss. München: C. H. Beck.Search in Google Scholar
Boissier, Gaston. 1921. Cicéron et ses amis, Étude sur la société romaine du temps de César. Paris: Hachette.Search in Google Scholar
Bonner, Stanley Frederick. 1969. Roman Declamation in the Late Republic and Early Empire, Reissued. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.Search in Google Scholar
Botermann, Helga. 1968. Die Soldaten und die römische Politik in der Zeit von Caesars Tod zur Begründung des Zweiten Triumvirats. München: C. H. Beck.Search in Google Scholar
Brunt, Peter A. 1971. Italian Manpower 225 b.c. - a.d.14. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Search in Google Scholar
Calboli, Gualtiero. 1986. Nota di Aggiornamento a: E. Norden. La Prosa d’Arte Antica, 969–1185. Roma: Salerno Editrice.Search in Google Scholar
Calboli, Gualtiero. 1993. Cornifici Rhetorica ad C. Herennium, Introduzione, Testo Critico, Commento, a cura di Calboli, G. (ed.), 2nd edn. Bologna: Pàtron.Search in Google Scholar
Calboli, Gualtiero. 1997. The Asiatic style of Antony: Some considerations. In B. Czapla, Th. Lehmann & S. Liell (eds.), “Vir Bonus Dicendi Peritus”, Festschrift für Alfons Weische, 13–26. Wiesbaden: Reichert.Search in Google Scholar
Calboli, Gualtiero. 2000. The S.C. de Cn.Pisone patre: Asianism and juridical language. In L. Montefusco (ed.), Papers on rhetoric III, 1–26. Bologna: CLUEB.Search in Google Scholar
Calboli, Gualtiero. 2002. Aper’s oratory in the Dialogus de oratoribus. In Lucia Calboli Montefusco (ed.), Papers on rhetoric IV, 1–23. Roma: Herder.Search in Google Scholar
Calboli, Gualtiero. 2012. Die Modi des griechischen und lateinischen Verbums (1966–2010). Lustrum 54. 7–207.10.13109/9783666802102.7Search in Google Scholar
Canfora, Luciano. 1999. Giulio Cesare, Il dittatore democratico. Bari: Laterza.Search in Google Scholar
Cugusi, Paulus. 1979. Epistolographi Latini Minores, Aetatem Ciceronianam et Augusteam Amplectens, Voll. 1: Testimonia et Fragmenta – 2: Commentarium Criticum. Torino: Paravia.Search in Google Scholar
Dettenhofer, Maria H. 1992. Perdita Iuventus, Zwischen den Generationen von Caesar und Augustus. München: C. H. Beck.Search in Google Scholar
Gelzer, Matthias. 1918. “M. Iunius Brutus”, 53, Paulys Realencyclopädie, 19. Halbband, coll, 973–1020. Stuttgart: Druckmüller.Search in Google Scholar
Girardet, Klaus Martin. 1993. Die Rechtsstellung der Caesarattentäter, Brutus and Cassius in den Jahren 44–42 v.Chr. Chiron 23. 207–232.Search in Google Scholar
Gotter, Ulrich. 1996. Der Diktator ist tot! Politik in Rom zwischen den Iden des März und der Begründung des Zweiten Triumvirats (Historia Einzelschriften 110). Stuttgart: F. Steiner.Search in Google Scholar
Gruen, Erich S. 1974. The last generation of the Roman Republic. Berkeley: University of California Press.10.1525/9780520342033Search in Google Scholar
Güngerich, Rudolf. 1980. Kommentar zum Dialogus des Tacitus. Aus dem Nachlaß herausgegeben von Heinz Heubner. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.Search in Google Scholar
Hofmann, Johann Baptist & Anton Szantyr. 1972. Lateinische Syntax und Stilistik. Verbesserter Nachdruck der 1965 erschienenen ersten Auflage. München: C. B. Beck.Search in Google Scholar
Kienast, Dietmar. 1982. Augustus, Prinzeps und Monarch. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.Search in Google Scholar
Kratzer, Angelika. 2004. Interpreting focus: Presupposed or expressive meanings? A comment on Geurts and van der Sandt. Theoretical Linguistics 30. 123–136.10.1515/thli.2004.002Search in Google Scholar
Kühner, Raphael & Carl Stegmann. 1955. Ausführliche Grammatik der lateinischen Sprache. Satzlehre, 3. Aufl., durchgesehen von A. Thierfelder. Leverkusen: Gottschalk.Search in Google Scholar
Kumaniecki, Kazimierz. 1972. Cicerone, e la crisi della repubblica romana. Roma: Centro di Studi Ciceroniani.Search in Google Scholar
Lakoff, Robin Tolmach. 1968. Abstract syntax and Latin complementation. Cambridge, MA & London: The M.I.T. Press.Search in Google Scholar
Lintott, Andrew. 2008. Cicero as evidence, a historian’s companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216444.001.0001Search in Google Scholar
Manuwald, Gesine. 2007. Cicero, Philippics 3–9, Vol. 1 (Introduction, text and translation)−Vol. 2 (Commentary). Berlin & New York: Walter de Gruyter.10.1515/9783110920475Search in Google Scholar
Matijević, Krešimir. 2006. Marcus Antonius, Consul – Proconsul – Staatsfeind, Die Politik der Jahre 44 und 43 v.Chr (Osnabrücker Forschungen zu Altertum und Antike-Rezeption 11). Rahden, Westf.: Verlag Marie Leidorf.Search in Google Scholar
Meier, Christian. 1977 [1966]. Res Publica Amissa: Eine Studie zu Verfassung und Geschichte der späten römischen Republik, 3. Aufl. Wiesbaden: Suhrkamp.Search in Google Scholar
Monteleone, Ciro. 2003: La «Terza Filippica» di Cicerone, Retorica e regolamento del Senato, legalità e rapporti di forza. Fasano, Br.: Schena Ed.Search in Google Scholar
Mommsen, Theodor. 1887. Römisches Staatsrecht II, 1. Leipzig: S. Hirzel.Search in Google Scholar
Ortmann, Ursula. 1988. Cicero, Brutus und Octavian − Republikaner und Caesarianer, Ihr gegenseitiges Verhältnis im Krisenjahr 44/43 v.Chr. Bonn: Halbelt.Search in Google Scholar
Osgood, Josiah. 2008. Caesar’s legacy, civil war and the emergence of the Roman Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar
Rawson, Elisabeth. 1986. Cassius and Brutus: The memory of the liberators. In I. S. Moxon, J. D. Smart & A. J. Woodman (eds.), Past perspectives, studies in Greek and Roman historical writing, 101–119. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar
Richard, Jean-Claude. 1982. Praetor Collega Consulis est: Contribution à l’histoire de la préture. Revue de Philologie 56. 19–31.Search in Google Scholar
Schmitthenner, Walter. 1973. Oktavian und das Testament Caesars: eine Untersuchung zu den politischen Anfängen des Augustus, 2. Erweiterte Aufl. München: C. H. Beck.Search in Google Scholar
Schwaiger, Ulrike. 1979. Untersuchungen zu Ciceros Briefwechsel mit Marcus Junius Brutus. Innsbruck: University of Innsbruck dissertation (Maschinenschrift).Search in Google Scholar
Shackleton Bailey, David Roy. 1977. Cicero: Epistulae ad Familiares, Volume II. D. R. Shackleton Bailey (ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar
Stark, Rudolf. 1966 [1957]. Ciceros Staatsdefinition. In Richard Klein (ed.), Das Staatsdenken der Römer, 332–347. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.Search in Google Scholar
Stark, Rudolf. 1967 [1937]. Res Publica. In Hans Oppermann (ed.), Römische Wertbegriffe, 42–119. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.Search in Google Scholar
Syme, Ronald. 1956. The Roman revolution, reprint. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Search in Google Scholar
Toher, Mark. 2004. Octavian’s arrival in Rome, 44 b.c. Classical Quarterly N.S. 54. 174–184.10.1093/cq/54.1.174Search in Google Scholar
Tyrrell, Robert Yelverton & Louis Clause Purser. 1915. The correspondence of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a revision of the text, a commentary, 2nd edn. Dublin & London: Hodges, Figgis, & Co. & Longmans, Green, & Co.Search in Google Scholar
Väänänen, Veikko. 1967. Introduction au latin vulgaire, 2nd edn. Paris: Klincksieck.Search in Google Scholar
Wesenberg, Gerhard. 1954. praetor, v., Paulys Realencyclopädie, 22,2, coll. 1581–1605. Stuttgart: Druckenmüller.Search in Google Scholar
Willcock, Malcolm M. 1995. Cicero, The letters of January to April 43 BC, edited with an introduction, translation & commentary by M. M. Willcock. Warmister, England: Aris & Phillips.Search in Google Scholar
Woerther, Frédérique. 2013. Apollodore de Pergame, Théodore de Gadara. Fragments et témoignages. Paris: Les Belles Lettres.Search in Google Scholar
Woodman, Anthony J. 1983. Velleius Paterculus: The Caesarian and Augustan narrative, edited with a commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar
©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Latin free-choice pronouns in relation to one another (and to other indefinites)
- The argument/satellite distinction and absolute verbal use in Latin stative verbs
- Two letters by Brutus and Cassius to Mark Antony: different people, different times, different styles
- Some observations on ille and ipse in the Mulomedicina Chironis
- Appositive construction or noun phrase? On the status of postnominal adjectives in Latin and Ancient Greek
- Book Review
- Adams, J. N.: Social Variation and the Latin Language
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Latin free-choice pronouns in relation to one another (and to other indefinites)
- The argument/satellite distinction and absolute verbal use in Latin stative verbs
- Two letters by Brutus and Cassius to Mark Antony: different people, different times, different styles
- Some observations on ille and ipse in the Mulomedicina Chironis
- Appositive construction or noun phrase? On the status of postnominal adjectives in Latin and Ancient Greek
- Book Review
- Adams, J. N.: Social Variation and the Latin Language
