Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC) was an orator
and statesman of Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin prose
stylist.
[Image:CiceroBust.jpg] Marcus Tullius Cicero at about age 60, from an
ancient marble bust

Cicero was born Arpinum, Italy and died in Rome.

Cicero served as a quaestor in Western Sicily in 75 BC. He first attained
prominence for his successful prosecution in August 70 BC of Gaius Verres,
the former governor of Sicily.

He was elected consul for the year 63 BC -- the first man elected consul who
had no consular ancestors in more than 30 years. During his consulship he
defeated a conspiracy led by Catiline to seize control of the Roman
government. The speeches against Catiline are among his most famous extant works.

In March 58 BC Cicero's enemies succeeded in having him exiled from Italy
for one year on the pretext of having proceeded illegally in his prosecution
of Catiline. He spent the year in exile setting down his speeches on paper.

As the struggle between Pompey and Julius Caesar grew more intense in 50 BC,
Cicero favored Pompey but tried to avoid making Caesar into a permanent
enemy. When Caesar invaded Italy in 49 BC, Cicero fled Rome. Caesar
attempted vainly to convince him to return, and in June of that year Cicero
slipped out of Italy and travelled to Salonika. He returned to Rome,
however, after Caesar's victory.

In a letter to Varro on April 20, 46 BC, Cicero indicated what he saw as his
role under the dictatorship of Caesar: "I advise you to do what I am
advising myself ? avoid being seen, even if we cannot avoid being talked
about... If our voices are no longer heard in the Senate and in the Forum,
let us follow the example of the ancient sages and serve our country through
our writings, concentrating on questions of ethics and constitutional law."

In February 45 BC Cicero's daughter Tullia died. He never entirely recovered
from this shock.

Cicero was taken completely by surprise when Caesar was assassinated on the
Ides of March 44 BC. Cicero and Caesar's subordinate Mark Antony became the
leading men in Rome; Cicero as spokesman for the senate, and Antony as
consul and as executor of Caesar's will. But the two men had never been on
friendly terms. When Octavian, Caesar's heir, arrived in Italy in April,
Cicero formed a plan to play him against Antony. In September he began
attacking Antony in a series of speeches he called the Philippics.

Cicero described his position in a letter to Cassius, one of Caesar's
assassins, that same September: "I am pleased that you like my motion in the
Senate and the speech accompanying it... Antony is a madman, corrupt and
much worse than Caesar - whom you declared the worst of evil men when you
killed him. Antony wants to start a bloodbath..."

Cicero's plan to drive out Octavian and Antony failed, however. The next
year the two reconciled and, together with Lepidus, formed an official
five-year autocratic pact - the Second Triumvirate, modelled on the First
Triumvirate that united Caesar and Pompey with the lesser man Crassus as a
balancing factor.

The three men soon worked out an agreement to purge their personal enemies.
Though Octavian was inclined to defend his ally Cicero, he yielded to
Antony's wish to have him killed. Cicero was assassinated on 7 December 43
BC; his hands and head were displayed on the rostra in the Roman forum by
order of Mark Antony.