“An eloquent man, my child, an eloquent man,
and a patriot”, was Augustus Caesar’s remark to his grandson, on Marcus
Tullius Cicero. And after I have finished this book, I couldn’t but agree with
him. Cicero is not just a great—or the greatest—orator in the universe, but he
is also a true statesman. Cicero is not as famous as Julius Caesar or Pompey
the Great, but what he did, he has done for the sake of his beloved Republic,
for the country; while Caesar and Pompey did their greatness merely for
satisfying their own ambition. Thanks to Anthony Everitt through this
biography, we can learn much about Cicero; both his contribution to Rome and
his personal life.
Everitt has
interestingly started this biography by relating the famous Ides of March—the
brutal murder of Julius Caesar. After Caesar died, Brutus—the conspirator
leader—shouted Cicero’s name and congratulated him for the Republic’s freedom
form tyranny. Caesar’s murder became, later on, a culmination point for Cicero
to return to Rome’s political arena after his first fall. Soon after this
opening chapter, Everitt began by describing how Rome was already in crisis
when Cicero was born; and what had caused it. This is the first simple analysis
I have read about how the biggest empire in the world was on the verge of ruin.
Its fault
governance systems must be the one to blame; these are several examples of its
ineffectiveness:
- Republic of Rome was a state without institution; they had neither police force, nor public persecution office. These services were run by the current elected senators, which enabled them to lead the services to their own advantages. In short, they had no independent institution that could issue fair judgment for the state.
- The Senate, who should be the advisory committee for the Consuls, was a lifetime membership (permanent); while the Consuls (the officeholders) were not. So, the Senate was in fact the ruling instrument of the Republic.
- The complex bureaucracy was another obstacle, especially in the widespread use of veto (Consuls and Praetors could veto their colleagues or their junior’s proposals), and in too many checks and balances of a proposal. In order to restrain one’s power, Rome has created this complex bureaucracy. However, it also led to equal and individual political competition, where one could use his power to overthrow the other. In the end, they used it not for Rome’s but their own sake.
So, when
Cicero was born in a countryside near Arpinum on January 3, 106 BC, the Roman
Republic was already in the start of crisis. He was an intelligent child right
from the beginning, and as a youngster preferred to lead intellectual than
physical (military) achievements. Cicero persistently sought literary pursuits
until his end of life, and he soon found that he has been born a distinguished
orator. Cicero was very good in character’s assassination; his humours were
often sharp and witty. Cicero was appointed Consul at 63 BC, and during his
office he thwarted a conspiracy by Catilina, not with military force, but with
the force of words. He was called “Father of His Country” for this, and it was
his biggest achievement.
What I
admire from Cicero—and made him distinguished from other famous Roman
statesmen—is that he always works sincerely and consistently for the Republic.
He is neither greedy nor ambitious; and his only weakness is his exaggerated
boastfulness. But, I am ready to defend him by arguing that, born without
traces of great ancestors, Cicero did not have any marks of family’s glory
which was very important at that time. So, it makes sense that he pointed out
his achievement over and over again, because it was a family pride. Moreover,
Cicero reached the highest office (Consul) and became one of the most
respectable Roman statesmen without money or aristocracy background. His
success came merely from his own merit; his literary background and his oratory
skill were on one side, while his integrity and his consistent loyalty to the Republic
were on the other.
Because of
his persistency in advocating Rome, he made quite a lot of opponents. The first
sign of the Republic’s collapse was the rise of Julius Caesar—perhaps the most
ambitious man in Rome. He has formed the first triumvirate:
Caesar-Pompey-Crassus. Cicero has also been invited to join this power sharing,
but he—loyal as he was to the Republic—reluctantly rejected. Later on he was
banished from Rome, thanks to Clodius, and to the triumvirate who had let it
pass. Cicero was desperate; during the exile he had a setback, and even suffered
from mental breakdown. It is ironic that a man from outside Rome should have
loved the city more than anyone else.
Cicero was
finally recalled to Rome; and the city welcomed him almost like a Triumph. It
was only a sign that Cicero was distinguished as an individual. He did not
belong to any office, but as a personal, Cicero still had great influence. So when
the established Rome was in the threat of being ruled by a dictator (either
Pompey or Caesar), the Senate needed Cicero for his independence of mind. In
the end, we all know what the outcome was. Nevertheless, Cicero has put his
efforts to prevent it; later on he even betrayed his own principle in order to
compromise with the enemy, although with a huge burden in his heart. But the
Republic was finally collapsed. If only there were more conservative men in the
Senate, Cicero must have had a bigger chance to succeed. But unfortunately, most
of them have been slaughtered in the era of Sulla and Marius’ reign. Or if
there were still some of them (like Brutus and Cassius), they were working
without no method, no plan, and no thought.
It’s so pity
that Cicero must fight alone for the existence of the Republic, because his
enemies only thought about their own interests. Although Cicero did not succeed
in maintaining the Republic, for me Cicero is still Roman’s hero; one of its
best leaders. Cicero was good in administration, and so, was able to govern
well. He was a great philosopher too, and the early Catholic Church even regarded
him as a virtuous pagan. His thoughts about Republic were later used by American Founding Fathers.
Thanks to
Anthony Everitt who has brought Cicero to us. This biography is quite an easy
reading, and you would feel like reading a Roman historical tale instead of a
biography. Moreover, I like how Everitt put a thorough analysis of Roman’s fault
lines, in order to get a better understanding of the collapse of one of
greatest empires in the universe.
A very thorough
and entertaining work of history, four stars for Cicero!
~~~~~~~~~
I read Random House
paperback edition
This book is counted
as:
2nd book for History Reading Challenge 2014
