In Defence of Marcus Caelius
By Marcus Tullius Cicero
Review by Luke (Classics)
In defence of Marcus Caelius (Pro Caelio) is the flagship speech of the inventor of the diss track, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Seriously 鈥� go look up his Philippics if you don鈥檛 believe me. 14 speeches of insulting Mark Antony. That鈥檚 dedication.
Pro Caelio sees Cicero defending the son of his friend from accusations of murder, conspiracy to murder, and civil unrest, and has Cicero adopting the age-old tactic of ignoring the accusations and attacking the witness 鈥� in this case, an older woman named Clodia. Capitalising on the trial鈥檚 clash with what would have been a public holiday, Cicero wins over the jury by entertaining them, partially with comedic jabs at the Clodia and partially by doing impressions of various famous citizens, including ones who were still alive, well, and present at the trial. It includes such phrases as: 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying she did it, but if there were someone legally distinct from her but identical in every other way, she鈥檇 be guilty鈥� (paraphrased), 鈥淪he鈥檚 the sort of woman who鈥檇 kill her kids to get back at her husband鈥� (paraphrased, barely), and 鈥淪he spends many a night getting 鈥榗omfy鈥� with her husband; my mistake 鈥� I meant to say brother鈥� (not even paraphrased). Pro Caelio is a masterclass in style, misdirection, and oratory. Read it in Latin if you like, but you’ll still be getting the full experience if you choose to read it in translation.
The speech is available in parallel translation from Loeb Classics .
In defence of Marcus Caelius by聽Marcus Tullius Cicero is included in聽Defence Speeches聽DH Berry (Translator)
ISBN-10: 0199537909
ISBN-13: 978-0199537907
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