Page:Cicero And The Fall Of The Roman Republic.djvu/473

43 B.C.] government, and he was still supported by the Senate. On the last day of June Lepidus was declared an enemy by a unanimous vote. The news from the East was uniformly good. Cicero did all that man could do to avert the impending ruin. He adopted every suggestion in favour of the soldiers who still remained loyal. He procured supplies of money for Decimus Brutus, who was in sore need, and summoned Cornificius from Africa and Marcus Brutus and Cassius from the East, to bring their forces to bear on the critical point in northern Italy. The last letter of Cicero which is preserved to us is one addressed to Cassius very early in July, and only one later than this (that of Plancus on July 27th) remains from a correspondent of Cicero. Thus the light of contemporary evidence which we have enjoyed so long, fails us, and for the remaining months we have nothing to guide us but the untrustworthy accounts of later authors. We know, however, that Cornificius, Marcus Brutus, and Cassius never arrived, and the fate of Italy was left to be determined by the armies of the West.

Meanwhile the policy of Octavian was being rapidly revealed. As early as the 17th of June, Cicero had written to Decimus "Of Marcus Brutus we have no certain news; I never cease urging him in private letters to come, as you have suggested, and