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Cicero Part 4/4: Murder Most Foul

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We looked last time at Cicero's feud with Clodius.

In an attempt to deal with the problem of massive electoral corruption, Pompey introduced a law that consuls and praetors should not take up provincial governorships until five years after their consulship or praetorship. The idea behind this was that by making candidates wait before they could hope to recoup their outlay on electoral bribery, corruption in the hope of a lucrative posting would become less financially attractive. In the meantime, however, there was a shortage of people qualified to serve as governors. As Cicero had not taken up a governorship after his praetorship or consulship, he was obliged to accept one now, and he was allotted the province of Cilicia, on what is now the southern coast of Turkey (50-51).

There was a real danger of an invasion from Parthia after the defeat of Crassus in 53, but this did not transpire. Cicero made a good and fair governor, refusing to accept 'presents' from local rulers and putting down some bands of outlaws, but his heart was back in Rome.

As soon as he possibly could he returned to Rome (49), to find it on the verge of the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey. Cicero's support was wooed by Caesar, but Cicero thought Caesar had put himself in the wrong by invading Italy. On the other hand, Cicero did not have much confidence in Pompey, who he thought had made a major error in abandoning Italy for Greece. After dithering for some time, he crossed to Greece to join Pompey. Once there he was unable to make himself useful, and after Pompey's defeat at the battle of Pharsalus (48), Cicero withdrew his support from those who were determined to continue the struggle and returned to Italy to await Julius Caesar's return (47).

He spent the following years composing philosophical dialogues in Latin, coining new Latin words where necessary to translate Greek philosophical terms. He also planned a history of Rome, but did not carry it out. He divorced his wife because of her lack of support during the war, and her extravagance, which had only worsened his already tricky financial position at this time. Not long after the divorce, he married Publilia, who was his ward and very rich. The marriage did not last long, however: Cicero divorced her soon afterwards because she was insufficiently grief-stricken by the death in childbirth of Tullia, Cicero's much loved daughter from his first marriage. It was in an attempt to come to terms with Tullia's death that Cicero wrote a work called "Consolation", which has not survived.

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