"Cicero’s Greatest Speeches: How They Influenced" Topic

…Roman Law & Politics

"Born in 106 BCE in the town of Arpinum, over 100km from Rome, Cicero began his career as an outsider to the Roman political elite. Although the distinctions between classes in Rome had shifted by the late Republic, many prominent figures that dominated the political landscape still came from powerful and established patrician families. Instead, Cicero was a novus homo, or new man, the first in his family to enter the senate and later serve as consul. Cicero's rising status in the capital began with his appearances in the city's law courts, with his earliest published speech coming in 81 BCE at age 26.

Cicero's most famous work as a lawyer came in 70 BCE in a case in which Cicero prosecuted Roman magistrate Gaius Verres. The charges related to allegations of corruption while Verres was the governor of Sicily. After Cicero had made his first speech, largely addressing Verres' attempts to delay the trial, Verres left Rome in voluntary exile on the advice of his lawyer Hortensius. Cicero, in characteristic fashion, published his prosecution throughout the capital, including his second speech, which had not been heard in court. Cicero's success in this trial helped build his reputation as one of Rome's pre-eminent orators, an invaluable skill for a political career in the capital. Read below for more information on the speeches that defined Cicero's political career as the pre-eminent orator of the late Roman Republic…"

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Armand

Sister St Joseph didn't appreciate it when I tried to vamp his first Catiline thingie as "Catiline, how much longer ya gonna us all off?"

I re-translated Cicero's Pro C. Rabirio Perduellonis years ago; hence my screen name.

(smile)

Armand