Letter coll=F:book=10:letter=12 Letter XCVI: ad familiares 10.12
Rome, April 11,43 B.C.
L. Munatius Plancus was in 44 B.C.
made governor of northern Gaul, with an army of four or five legions. Immediately after Antony's attack upon Cicero in Sept., 44 B.C.
, the long correspondence (Fam. 1O. 1-24, excepting the 8th letter) between Cicero and Plancus begins, in which Cicero exhorts Plancus to remain true to the cause of the senate. His efforts seemed to have accomplished their purpose, as the senate had just received a letter from Plancus (Fam. 10.8), avowing his fidelity. The letter before us was written upon the arrival of this document, and in response to a letter from Plancus (Fam. 10.7), requesting Cicero's assistance in securing a complimentary decree from the senate.
[sect. 1]
tantum [gap in text] praesidi : in response to Fam. 10.7.2 quod spero, si me fortuna non fefellerit, me consecuturum, ut maximo praesidio rei publicae nos fuisse et nunc sentiant homines et in posterum memoria teneant.
ita te [gap in text] complectar [gap in text] ut [gap in text] adfert: cf. ita te [gap in text] videam ut [gap in text] fecisti, Ep. XXVII.1. In a similar way after moriar, peream, ne vivam the clause of condition stands in the indicative. Cf. Att. 16.13 A.1 ne sim salvus, si aliter scribo ac sentio (Bckel).
tuas [gap in text] in senatu [gap in text] recitatas: i.e. Fam. 10.8; cf. introd. note.
quadam, very; strengthening the force of the adj.
tuarum litterarum: i.e. Fam. 10.4 and 7.
Furnio: the legate of Plancus. For the statement, cf. Fam. 10.6.1; 10.10.1.
exploratum satis habebat : cf. Intr. 84d.
