Murder Trials

by Cicero, Marcus Tullius; Grant, Michael; Grant, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780140442885
• ISBN10: 014044288X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1975-09-30
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

Cicero's speeches "In Defence of Sextus Roscius of Amerina," "In Defence of Aulus Cluentius Habitus," "In Defence of Gaius Rabirius," "Note on the Speeches in Defence of Caelius and Milo," and "In Defence of King Deiotarus" provide insight into Roman life, law, and history.

Author Biography

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), Roman orator and statesman, was born at Arpinum of a wealthy local family. He was taken to Rome for his education with the idea of a public career and by the year 70 he had established himself as the leading barrister in Rome. In the meantime his political career was well under way and he was elected praetor for the year 66. One of the most permanent features of his political life was his attachment to Pompeii. As a politician, his greatest failing was his consistent refusal to compromise; as a statesman his ideals were more honorable and unselfish than those of his contemporaries. Cicero was the greatest of the roman orators, posessing a wide range of technique and an excpetional command of the Latin tongue. He followed the common practice of publishing his speeches, but he also produced a large number of works on the theory and practice of rhetoric, on religion, and on moral and political philosophy. He played a leading part in the development of the Latin hexameter. Perhaps the most interesting of all his works is the collection fo 900 remarkably informative letters, published posthumously. These not only contain a first-hand account of social and political life in the upper classes at Rome, but also reflect the changing personal feelings of an emotional and sensitive man.

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(16)
In Defence of Sextus Roscius of America	23	(88)
The Innocence of Sextus Roscius	31	(42)
The Guilt of Magnus and Capito	73	(21)
Chrysogonus: the Criminal behind the Scenes	94	(17)
In Defence of Aulus Cluentius Habitus	111	(144)
The Trial and Crimes of Oppianicus	121	(53)
Previous Verdicts Quoted Against Cluentius	174	(40)
The Innocence of Cluentius	214	(41)
In Defence of Gaius Rabirius	255	(36)
Note on the Speeches in Defence of Caelius and Milo	291	(6)
In Defence of King Deiotarus	297	(36)
Appendix A: List of Terms	333	(6)
Appendix B: Genealogical Tables	339	(7)
Appendix C: Table of Dates	346	(1)
Appendix D: Further Reading	347	(2)
Maps	349	(8)
Index	357