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  • THE FRAGMENTS WHICH REMAIN OF THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO ON BEHALF OF MARCUS TULLIUS.
  • THE FRAGMENTS WHICH REMAIN OF THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO ON BEHALF OF MARCUS FONTEIUS.
  • THE ORATION OF M. T. CICERO IN BEHALF OF AULUS CAECINA.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF THE PROPOSED MANILIAN LAW.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF AULUS CLUENTIUS HABITUS.
  • THE FRAGMENTS OF THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF CAIUS CORNELIUS.
  • THE FRAGMENTS OF THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN HIS WHITE GOWN, AGAINST C. ANTONIUS AND L. CATILINA, HIS COMPETITORS FOR THE CONSULSHIP. DELIVERED IN THE SENATE.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF CAIUS RABIRIUS, ACCUSED OF TREASON.
  • THE ORATION OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF L. MURENA, PROSECUTED FOR BRIBERY.
  • THE ORATION OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF PUBLIUS SULLA.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO FOR AULUS LICINIUS ARCHIAS, THE POET
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF LUCIUS FLACCUS.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO AFTER HIS RETURN. ADDRESSED TO THE SENATE.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO AFTER HIS RETURN. ADDRESSED TO THE PEOPLE.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO AGAINST PUBLIUS CLODIUS AND CAIUS CURIO.
  • THE SPEECH OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF MARCUS AEMILIUS SCAURUS.

    • M. Tullius Cicero, Orations: Three orations on the Agrarian law, the four against Catiline, the orations for Rabirius, Murena, Sylla, Archias, Flaccus, Scaurus, etc. (ed. C. D. Yonge)

    Editions and translations: Latin (ed. Albert Clark) | English (ed. C. D. Yonge)
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    text=Tul.:section=7 text=Tul.:section=21 text=Tul.:section=34 text=Tul. text=Font. text=Font.:section=10 text=Font.:section=21 text=Font. text=Font.:section=44 text=Caec. text=Caec.:section=16 text=Caec.:section=28 text=Caec.:section=41 text=Caec.:section=53 text=Caec.:section=65 text=Caec.:section=77 text=Caec.:section=89 text=Caec.:section=102 text=Man.:section=6 text=Man.:section=18 text=Man.:section=30 text=Man.:section=43 text=Man. text=Man.:section=68 text=Clu.:section=5 text=Clu.:section=18 text=Clu.:section=30 text=Clu.:section=43 text=Clu.:section=54 text=Clu.:section=66 text=Clu.:section=78 text=Clu. text=Clu.:section=98 text=Clu. text=Clu. text=Clu.:section=134 text=Clu.:section=146 text=Clu.:section=158 text=Clu.:section=171 text=Clu.:section=183 text=Clu.:section=196 text=Corn.:speech=1 text=Agr.:speech=1:section=fr3 text=Agr.:speech=1 text=Agr.:speech=1:section=23 text=Agr.:speech=2 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=16 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=27 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=39 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=51 text=Agr.:speech=2 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=75 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=87 text=Agr.:speech=2:section=99 text=Agr.:speech=3:section=6 text=Rab. Perd. text=Rab. Perd. text=Rab. Perd.:section=23 text=Rab. Perd.:section=34 text=Catil.:speech=1:section=5 text=Catil.:speech=1 text=Catil.:speech=1:section=29 text=Catil.:speech=2 text=Catil.:speech=2 text=Catil.:speech=2:section=27 text=Catil.:speech=3:section=7 text=Catil.:speech=3:section=17 text=Catil.:speech=3 text=Catil.:speech=4 text=Catil.:speech=4 text=Mur. text=Mur.:section=9 text=Mur. text=Mur.:section=28 text=Mur.:section=37 text=Mur. text=Mur.:section=57 text=Mur.:section=66 text=Mur.:section=76 text=Mur.:section=86 text=Sul.:section=3 text=Sul. text=Sul. text=Sul.:section=34 text=Sul.:section=44 text=Sul.:section=54 text=Sul.:section=66 text=Sul.:section=77 text=Sul.:section=88 text=Arch. text=Arch.:section=13 text=Arch.:section=24 text=Flac. text=Flac. text=Flac.:section=16 text=Flac.:section=27 text=Flac.:section=37 text=Flac.:section=48 text=Flac.:section=58 text=Flac.:section=69 text=Flac. text=Flac. text=Flac.:section=103 text=Red. Sen.:section=4 text=Red. Sen.:section=15 text=Red. Sen.:section=25 text=Red. Sen.:section=35 text=Red. Pop.:section=3 text=Red. Pop.:section=14 text=Red. Pop. text=Scaur. text=Scaur.:section=8. text=Scaur.:section=13 text=Scaur.:section=29

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    THE ORATION OF M. T. CICERO IN DEFENCE OF L. MURENA, PROSECUTED FOR BRIBERY.

    THE ARGUMENT.

    Lucius Murena was one of the consuls elect; the other being Silanus, the brother-in-law of Cato. Cato, however, instigated Sulpicius, one of the most eminent lawyers in Rome, and a defeated competitor for the consulship, to prosecute Murena for bribery, under the new law passed by Cicero, (mentioned in the argument to the first oration against Catiline,) though he brought no charge against Silanus, who was as guilty as Murena, if there was any guilt at all. Murena had served as lieutenant to Lucullus in the Mithridatic war. Murena was defended by Crassus, Hortensius, and Cicero. We have neither of the speeches of his other advocates; and even the speech of Cicero is not in a perfect state. Murena was unanimously acquitted, partly perhaps from consideration of the argument which Cicero dwelt upon very earnestly, of what great importance it was, at such a perilous time, (for this oration was spoken in the interval between the flight of Catiline to the camp of Manlius, and the final detection and condemnation of the conspirators who remained behind,) to have a consul of tried bravery and military experience. It is remarkable that Sulpicius, the prosecutor, was a most intimate friend of Cicero, who had exerted all his influence to procure his election in this very contest for the consulship; and so also was Cato; nor did the opposition which Cicero made to them in this case cause any interruption to their intimacy, and we shall find, in the Philippics, Cicero exerting himself to procure public funeral honours for Sulpicius.

    I. What I entreated of the immortal gods, O judges, according to the manners and institutions of our ancestors, on that day when, after taking the auspices in the comitia centuriata, 1 I declared Lucius Murena to have been elected consul,--namely, that that fact might turn out gloriously and happily for me and for my office, and for the Roman nation and people,--that same thing do I now pray for from the same immortal gods, that the consulship may be obtained by that same man with safety, and that your inclinations and opinions may agree with the wishes and suffrages of the Roman people, and that that fact may bring to you and to the Roman people peace, tranquillity, ease, and unanimity. And if that solemn prayer of the comitia, consecrated under the auspices of the consul, has as much power and holy influence as the dignity of the republic requires, I pray also that the matter may turn out happily, fortunately, and prosperously to those men to whom the consulship was given when I presided over the election.

    [2] And as this is the case, O judges, and as all the power of the immortal gods is either transferred to, or at all events is shared with you, the same consul recommends him now to your good faith who before recommended him to the immortal gods; so that he being both declared consul and being defended by the voice of the same man, may uphold the kindness of the Roman people to your safety and that of all the citizens. And since in this duty which I have undertaken the zeal of my defence has been found fault with by the accusers, and even the very fact of my having undertaken the cause at all, before I begin to say anything of Lucius Murena, I will say a few words on behalf of myself; not because at this time the defence of my duty seems to me more important than that of his safety, but in order that, when what I have done is approved of by you, I may be able with the greater authority to repel the attacks of his enemies upon his honour, his reputation, and all his fortunes.

    1 The comitia centuriata, or as they were sometimes called majora, were the assembly in which the people gave their votes according to the classification instituted by Servius Tullius; they were held in the Campus Martius without the city, and in reference to their military organization they were summoned by the sound of the horn, not by the voice of the lictor. All magistrates were elected in these comitia.

    There is one comment on or cross reference to this page.

    Cross references from Frank Frost Abbott, Commentary on Selected Letters of Cicero:
    * [Letter LXXX: ad familiares 9.8]

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    The National Endowment for the Humanities provided support for entering this text.

    This text is based on the following book(s):
    M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge, B. A. London. Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden. 1856.
    OCLC: 4709897


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