Author(s): Cicero

Current Affairs

As the Roman Republic lurched to its close, amid corruption, ruthless power struggles and gross inequality, Cicero produced some of the most stirring and eloquent speeches ever written. Whether he is quashing the Catiline conspiracy, defending the poet Archais or railing against Mark Anthony in the Philippics - The magnificent speeches in defense of liberty that cost him his life - cicero vividly evokes for us the cut and thrust of the Roman assembly, Senate and court rooms. This excellent modern translation also enables readers to understand why Cicero was for centuries a major influence on prose writers and political thinkers of ever kind.

This text presents a selection of the political speeches of Cicero, including: "On the Command of Cnaeus Pompeius", "Against Lucius Sergius Catilina", "In Defence of the Poet Aulus Licinius Archias", and "In Defence of Marcus Caelius Rufus".