The ancient Romans were prolific letter-writers, and none more so than Marcus Tullius Cicero.

That we have the amount of personal correspondence preserved by Cicero’s scribe and faithful servant, Tiro, and discovered by Francesco Petrarch in 1345, is something we must treasure.

It is estimated about 900 of Cicero’s personal letters have survived. The relevance of this personal correspondence is how close we can get to almost reliving the life of a noble 2000 years before our time. They allow us deep insight into Cicero’s thinking and give us a glimpse of his personality. While most of them were written to political colleagues addressing matters of state, there were a few more intimate ones to his family and to Tiro, who he regarded almost like family.

The letter I present here is one written to his wife, Terentia, and daughter, Tullia. It addresses whether they ought to stay in Rome now that civil war was inevitable.

Some background to the time of his writing:

[Civil war had begun as a result of political tensions between the two giant figures of Julius Caesar and Magnus Pompeius (Pompey), both in a personal struggle to assume dominance in Rome. Caesar had spent the previous ten years fighting in Gaul and had gained many provinces, but under Senatorial rules, he was not able to enter Rome to run for the Consulship if he first did not relinquish these and give up his right to a triumph. He demanded to be able to seek the consulship in absentia, but the Senate refused. Negotiations between the two were intractable. Civil war was inevitable.]


LETTER 145 (XIV.14)
CICERO TO TERENTIA AND TULLIA
‘From Tullius to Terentia, and from her father to Tullia, his two dear hearts, and from Marcus to his best of mothers and darling sister best greetings.
If you are well, we are well.
The decision as to what you should do is now yours, not mine only. If Caesar is going to come back to Rome in civilized fashion, you can safely stay at home for the present. But if in his madness he is going to give the city over to plunder, I am afraid that even Dolabella’s protection may not be enough for us. I also have the fear that we may soon be cut off, so that when and if you want to leave you may not be able.
There remains the question, on which you yourselves will be the best judges, whether other ladies in your position are staying in Rome. If they are not, you should consider whether you can do so without discredit. As things now stand, provided that we can hold this area, you can stay very nicely with me or at my little properties in the country.

There is also the danger of a food shortage in Rome in the near future.

I should like you to discuss these points with Pomponius and Camillus and any others you think proper, and, in fine, to keep stout hearts. Labienus has improved the situation, and Piso too helps by leaving Rome and branding his son-in-law as a criminal.

My dearest hearts, write to me as often as you can to tell me how you are and what is going on in Rome. Quintus senior and junior and Rufus send you their greetings.

Good-bye.

23 January, from Minturnae.’

This letter, as is the case with the majority of the letters, are much more than well wishes. We glean a great deal from the political situation at the time, along with the looming economic and societal shift — food shortages; preparations for staying or going; concern for protection should the worst happen.

Do you not hear a familiar ring?

Their personal lives were intimately bound up in the political machinations of the time. But are ours any different?

These letters are like gold to anyone who cares to understand how the past determines the future.

We need to pay heed to history more, because we have others coming up after us, and we owe it to them to arm ourselves with the knowledge and lessons we have in our possession right now.

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