Letter coll=F:book=11:letter=12 Letter XCIX: ad familiares 11.12
Rome, about May 13, 43 B.C.
For the movements of D. Brutus after Antony's defeat near Mutina, cf. Ep. XCVIII. introd. note.
[sect. 1]
tres [gap in text] epistulas: sc. Fam. 11.9, 10, and 11, written April 29, May 5, and May 6 respectively.
Flacco Volumnio, T. Vibi, Graecei: little more is known of these men than we gather from this letter.
Lupus : probably P. Rutilius Lupus, who was praetor in 49 B.C.
, and was probably at this time the legate of D. Brutus, in whose letters he is frequently mentioned.
litteris : apparently in a plural sense here, as several times in Cicero, e.g. accipio excusationem tuam, qua usus es, cur saepius ad me litteras uno exemplo (of the same tenor) dedisses, Fam. 4.4.1; raras tuas quidem--fortasse enim non perferuntur, sed suaves accipio litteras, Fam. 2.13.1. Cf. also Ep. XI.1. In strict usage litterae has always the singular meaning, unless the distributive adjective is added to it, as binas a te accepi litteras, Fam. 4.14.1. Cicero himself called attention to this fact; cf. Servius ad Verg. Aen. 8.168: Cicero per epistulam culpat filium, dicens male eum dixisse direxi litteras duas, cum litterae, quotiens epistulam significant, numeri tantum pluralis sint.
oratione, words; cf. Epp. XXXII. 4; XCII. 5.
inflammatum: cf. Fam. 11.10.3 revertor nunc ad Antonium, qui ex fuga cum parvulam manum peditum haberet inermium, ergastula solvendo omneque genus hominum abripiendo satis magnum numerum videtur effecisse; hoc accessit manus Ventidi; and Fam. 11.11.1. Contains the news that Antony is advancing to meet Lepidus, and has sent proposals of alliance to Pollio and to Plancus.
inermis: from an archaic nominative inermus. Cicero uses both forms; cf. e.g. inermem, Fam. 12.10.3.