This is the story of a defense speech that Marcus Tullius Cicero, the preeminent Roman orator & politician of the Roman Republic gave in April, 56 BCE, on the feast-day (holiday) of the Magna Mater. He was defending his pupil and friend Marcus Caelius Rufus on a variety of serious charges of political riot, murder and theft.
But, lest that sound like dry academic stuff, let me assure you: it's not.
The "Pro Caelio" is a famous example of Cicero's legendary rhetoric but also of his capacity for sarcasm, comedy and mockery to undermine his enemies and secure the freedom of his friends. It's full of high-flown rhetoric and low-balling scandal mongering with some theatrical puppetry thrown in.
The chief target of Cicero's rhetoric is a beautiful, wealthy schemer: the young widow of a recent Consul, Clodia Metelli. She is also the sister of the nastiest political gangster in contemporary Rome: the former Tribune Clodius, who had recently sent Cicero into exile for a year on a trumped-up charge.
Clodia and her brother cooked-up this prosecution on charges of political riot and assassination, attempted theft from her and an attempt on her life. It's plausible that Caelius — an ambitious hot-head — had done some stupid things. But there's little doubt the charges were also intended to damage Cicero. So he decides to skewer Clodia's credibility in order to get Caelius off the hook.
He manages this so expertly, thoroughly and mercilessly that, in the end, we can't help feeling some sympathy for Clodia who also, it turns out, is probably the Lesbia of Catullus' love-sick lyrics.
You can download the PDF here
