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The Fourteen Philippic Orations Tr. by J.r. King
The Fourteen Philippic Orations Tr by Jr King Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1878 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: INTBODUCTION THE FIRST ORATION. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, on the Ides of March, 44 B. c., Marcus Antonius, his colleague in the consulship, at first made overtures of friendship to the conspirators, and it was agreed on the one hand that no notice should be taken of his death; on the other, that all his measures should be ratified. On the day of his funeral, however, Antonius excited the people against the assassins, by dwelling in his funeral oration on the prowess of Caesar and his generosity towards his fellow-citizens ; and popular indignation rose to such a pitch, that the chief conspirators were obliged to flee from Rome. Antonius, being left master of the position, was at first very moderate in his policy; but gradually he developed plans of avarice and self-aggrandisement, which he promoted to a great extent by forgeries, professing to emanate from Caesar's papers ; while he secured his personal safety by establishing a body-guard, and won the favour of the veterans by a new assignment of lands. The first serious check to his schemes was given by Gaius Octavius, the future emperor Augustus, the great - nephew and adopted son of Julius Csesar. On hearing of the dictator's death, he hastened to Italy, and at Brtmdisium was warmly welcomed by the veterans, to whom he announced himself as Gaius Julius Csesar Octavianus, thus claiming his adoption by his uncle. After a favourable interview with Cicero, who had left the city shortly after the conspirators, he went to Rome about the beginning of May, and there ingratiated himself with the leading senators, as the direct opponent o...« less