Let youth crave honor

My fellow senators, we again find ourselves at a loss. The senate has been denied another great mind and once again it is our own foolish words and actions that have caused this absence. Will we quarrel and fight amongst ourselves until none remain? Gaius Julius Caesar may be young but he has proven himself in the few years that he has walked the soils of the earth. In some, greatness is only found after many years of study, thought, and time, and yet with others greatness is placed within them and can be seen in youth. Surely Caesar recognized this in not only the men he kept company with during his lifetime but also in the one he chose as his heir.
We have only talked of how Gaius Julius Caesars leaving has offended us and our need of his legions. Let us now consider his motives in leaving. He was set to a task and perhaps it is only his wish to accomplish something great and honorable and leave us to our petty words and squabbling. We no doubt have great need of him and the men under his command but we did not let it be known until he was gone. How could he have known that we would have ever given him a task? He might have been forced to sit in silence so instead he chose action. Give him a more honorable path. Let him see that he is needed and respected by the senate and by Rome. I believe that if we send a message to him and express to him our desire for him to come and protect our city he will surely heed our call. He will see the wisdom in our words when we tell him that we need a safeguard against Lepidus and surely he will comprehend that above all else Caesar would have wished for him to ensure the safety of Rome.
However, we cannot simply leave it at that. We must also address what is to become of him once this matter is over otherwise I fear he will choose to continue his campaign in devotion to Caesar. If it is his wish, I believe that we should grant him permission to continue on the way that Caesar set him and continue his campaign once the issue of Lepidus is in check and Rome is no longer in such immediate damage. What man, nay what Roman, would shrink away from the prospect of fulfilling the wishes of such a great man as Caesar, his namesake, and at the same time protecting the citizens of Rome from danger? By providing him with these assurances I believe that he will put aside youthful rashness and will come to our aide.
I am still unsure of what actions we should take against Lepidus. We have heard no word from him and this is surely a disturbing omen. Still, we cannot send one of our legions against his many. While we await word on further support from the cousin of Brutus let us again send messengers to him to glean what we can of his intentions. I believe some would be uneasy at sending Gaius Julius Caesar out to battle Lepidus in fear that they would join against us. If Gaius heeds our call home then perhaps he will grant us the use of a legion under someone elses command or rather allow someone to lead along side him. However, I do not believe that he has such malice against Rome in his heart for it would be a terrible insult to the memory of Caesar. I believe that he may prove to be extremely efficient and ruthless against Lepidus, if he shows himself to be a traitor of Rome, in an attempt to cleanse his name, bring honor to his family, and firmly establish himself in history as a great general. Youth often has the need to prove itself and Rome has need of a military man. Let us hope that our two paths are able to align for the betterment of our people.