Chapter VI #3
By the start of the second week of December, we were encamped at Arretium, about five days’ march from Mutina, where Antony was besieging Decimus.
And it was here that Octavius finally received a letter from Cicero, inviting him to a secret meeting in Volsini, midway between Arretium and Rome, in a villa belonging to his old friend Atticus.
Octavius and I travelled in a pair of chariots with a small escort. He told no one of our mission, not even Salvidienus. It was a few days before Saturnalia. We had to wrap ourselves in thick clothes and wear gauntlets. The ground was hard and cold.
The villa lay just outside the town, on the edge of Lake Volsini. It was large and ancient, at the end of a drive. At first glance it appeared deserted. I suspected a trap. We drew our swords.
Inside, a fire had just been laid. A steward appeared.
With him was a young woman, barely more than a girl, elegantly dressed, who introduced herself as Caecilia Attica.
She said she was the daughter of Atticus, who had sent her to open the property and make sure we were well looked after.
I had never heard of Atticus. Octavius said he was a rich businessman who liked to be friends with everyone.
She took our cloaks and brought us food and drink, and afterwards melted away.
Her perfume lingered after her. It had been a long time since I had seen anyone other than soldiers.
We settled down to wait, and soon afterwards heard the noise of a carriage and horses clattering into the courtyard, and Cicero came in with his inevitable silent secretary.
Despite the presence of the secretary, no record of the meeting was made, at Octavius’s request. But it settled the fate of the Republic, and I remember it well enough.
First we reviewed the military situation.
We had four legions. Antony had four. The Senate in theory controlled eleven, but they were stationed in Further Gaul, which as Octavius pointed out was a long way away, on the other side of the Alps.
Besides, they were needed to hold down the province, and there was no guarantee that their commanders, Lepidus and Plancus, would even obey the Senate.
– These days it is every man for himself.
Cicero, at his most unctuous, congratulated Octavius on summing up the situation with admirable clarity.
– I have made the arduous journey from Rome because we have a common enemy in Mark Antony.
He aims to be a tyrant and he must be stopped now, before it is too late.
The Senate knows that. But the only forces that can defeat him are divided.
To put the matter bluntly, the Senate has legitimacy but no legions.
You have legions but no legitimacy. Somewhere in that mixture must be the makings of an alliance.
– Are you empowered to negotiate on behalf of the Senate?
– Not officially. Nobody knows I am here.
But they will listen to what I say. Surely we can both agree we have a short-term mutual interest in stopping Antony from destroying Decimus and taking control of Nearer Gaul?
I am making you a serious offer, at some personal risk to myself.
It will not be easy. There are plenty in the Senate who will say they did not get rid of one Caesar to make an alliance with another.
Up until that point, I had remained silent, but now I could not stop myself.
– Our soldiers are Caesar’s veterans! They want revenge for his death!
And now you tell us we must go to the rescue of a man who conspired to kill him – indeed, who was the very one who persuaded him to go to the Senate on the morning of the murder, where the assassins were waiting.
This sounds to me like a trap. You will use us and then discard us.
– If that is the feeling of you both, I am wasting my time.
Cicero began to rise from his chair, but Octavius leaned across the table and pressed down on his shoulder.
– Excuse my friend. He is a better soldier than he is a politician. I have no problem with rescuing Decimus if that is the price of an alliance. My sole objective is to defeat Antony, and it will be better to do it in conjunction with the Senate.
Angry and humiliated, I lapsed into silence and took no further part in the negotiations.
It was agreed that Cicero would propose a motion at the next meeting of the Senate that Octavius should be given the legal authority to wage war against Antony.
If the motion passed, Octavius would place his legions under the command of the consuls elect, Hirtius and Pansa.
What would happen after Antony was defeated was not discussed.
Cicero seemed satisfied with the outcome, as well he might have been, having gained an army at minimal cost. He summoned the steward and asked him to bring his master’s best wine.
Caecilia carried in a silver jug and goblets.
When she had gone, Cicero proposed a flowery toast to liberty and the restoration of the Republic.
We left immediately afterwards. As we crossed the courtyard towards our chariots, I apologised to Octavius for my outburst, and confessed that in the end I could not bring myself to drink the toast but had only pretended to do so.
– No need to apologise, Agrippa. I did exactly the same.