Orations: Philippics 1-6

by Marcus Tullius Cicero, John T. Ramsey (Editor), Gesine Manuwald (Editor)

Cicero (Marcus Tullius, 106-43 BCE), Roman advocate, orator, politician, poet, and philosopher, about whom we know more than we do of any other Roman, lived through the stirring era that saw the rise, dictatorship, and death of Julius Caesar in a tottering republic. In Cicero's political speeches and in his correspondence we see the excitement, tension and intrigue of politics and the part he played in the turmoil of the time. Of about 106 speeches, 58 survive (a few incompletely), 29 of which are addressed to the Roman people or Senate, the rest to jurors. In the fourteenth century Petrarch and other Italian humanists discovered manuscripts containing more than 900 letters, of which more than 800 were written by Cicero, and nearly 100 by others to him. This correspondence affords a revelation of the man, all the more striking because most of the letters were not intended for publication. Six works on rhetorical subjects survive intact and another in fragments. Seven major...

Genres: Classics, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, Politics

321 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Born 3 January 106 BC, Arpinum, Italy
Died 7 December 43 BC (aged 63), Formia, Italy

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

Alternate profiles:
Cicéron
Marco Tullio Cicerone
Cicerone

Note: All editions should have Marcus Tullius Cicero as primary author. Editions with another name on the cover should have that name added as secondary author.

Reviews

[Max C W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diss Track from Classical Antiquity 😤

[Kerem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cicero'nun hitabet sanatina yaptigi buyuk bir katki olarak goruyprum bu kitabi. Tabii ki o zamanin gunceli icin yazildigi icin bazen dipnotlari okumaktan kayboluyorsunuz ve kitap bu yuzden kimi zaman zor okunur oluyor, ama arguman yeteneginin guzelligi yine de insani etkiliyor, hele hele gunumuzun dunyada standartlasmis bayagi politik argumanlarini dusundukce....

[Koeneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fact that you can read the orations within the senate and outside to the “populus” is amazing. Cicero is well known for his oratorical skills and these Philippics show it. The fact that we, in the future, know where these speeches are leading to is especially interesting.

Very much excited to read the second book (7-14)

[John Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant following Cicero's last fight to organise resistance to Antony when you know the outcome. He knew the risks to himself. One wonders how much he did trust Gaius Caesar who would after all be another Caesarian, like Antony, aiming for the end of the republic.

[Zachary Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Other nations can endure slavery, Liberty is the inalienable possession of the Roman people.”

[Philip G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very hard to understand if you don't have any pre knowledge of Marcus Antonius as well as others.

[AB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too much of a fan of Philippics 2, but the rest were great to read.

[mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk man all i remember from this is he called mark antony a prostitute so he gets points for that

[Jeremy Egerer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cicero's stand for the Republic against Marcus Antonius -- absolutely brilliant, but if you're going to read it, please read the Yonge Translation, not the above version. You can get the Yonge translation for free, and it's extremely well-written.

[Colin Williams]

Cicero is every bit as good, and a quite a bit more readable, than I had been led to believe. I carried it to church with me and the guy behind me quoted his Catiline prosecution in Latin.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice new translation of Cicero's orations against Mark Antony who after the death of Caesar tried to seize the government. While Cicero labored to rally Rome to the cause of restoring the Republic.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for the second Philippic, points deduction for never actually bothering to deliver the speech in the Senate.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aliae nationes servitutem pati possunt, populi Romani est propria libertas.