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Pro Marco Caelio is perhaps Cicero's best-loved speech and has long been regarded as one of the best surviving examples of Roman oratory. Speaking in defence of the young aristocrat Marcus Caelius Rufus on charges of political violence, Cicero scores his points with wit but also with searing invective directed at a supporter of the prosecution, Clodia Metelli, whom he represents as seeking vengeance as a lover spurned by his client. This new edition and detailed commentary offers advanced undergraduates and graduate students, as well as scholars, a detailed analysis of Cicero's rhetorical strategies and stylistic refinements and presents a systematic account of the background and significance of the speech, including in-depth explanations of Roman court proceedings.
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C A M B R I D G E G R E E K A N D L AT I N C L A S S I C S G E P. E . E Regius Professor Emeritus of Greek, University of Cambridge P H Senior Research Fellow, Trinity College, and Honorary Professor of Latin, University of Cambridge R H Regius Professor of Greek, University of Cambridge E . J. K Kennedy Professor Emeritus of Latin, University of Cambridge S . P. O Kennedy Professor of Latin, University of Cambridge C I C E RO PRO MARCO CAELIO A N D R E W R . DYC K Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of California, Los Angeles Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, S˜ao Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge , UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/ Cambridge University Press This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by the MPG Books Group A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library - - - - Hardback - - - - Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. To Janis CONTENTS Preface Abbreviations Map The Roman world in bc Map Rome in the late Republic Chronological table page ix x xii–xiii xiv xv Introduction The charge and the court Procedure in the quaestiones perpetuae The crime and its background The date of the trial The defendant The prosecution team The prosecution strategy The defense team The general defense strategy Cicero’s approach Clodia’s rˆole The outcome and sequel Language and style Periodic style, rhythm Relation of the delivered and published speeches The published speech and its afterlife The text Sigla M. TVLLI CICERONIS ORATIO PRO MARCO CAELIO Commentary Works cited Index of Latin words Index of Greek words General index vii PREFACE R. G. Austin’s commentary on Pro Caelio introduced several successive generations of anglophone students to the speech and is fondly remembered by many, even those who simultaneously recognize its flaws. Austin deployed his formidable learning on what modern students tend to regard as Cicero’s most attractive speech, and he di