This
topic is something which I have always wanted to write about since there are 3
lawyers in my family, my dad, my sister and, lastly, I. Thus, the topic is
something we can easily relate to, offers us a extraordinary glimpse into this
profoundly interesting and alluring profession since ages past, how legal
techniques and prowess changed and developed over times, as well as providing
us with a remarkable account of a life and ambition of an ancient lawyer of
humble origin who then made his way to become a consul of the Roman Republic!
In this, it can be seen that law and politics are indeed intricately
entwined.
Marcus
Tullius Cicero was born in 106 BC. A philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator,
theorist, consul and constitutionalist, he came from a wealthy equestrian
family and was considered one of Rome’s greatest orators and prose stylists,
who had enormous influence on the Latin language and the European languages up
to the 19th century. His hometown is a hill town of Arpinum, 100 km
southeast of Rome. His father is a member of the equestrian order who had good
connections in Rome. However, he was a semi-invalid and could not enter public
life as a result. Cicero’s surname comes from the Latin, cicer, meaning
chickpea since his ancestors prospered through the cultivation and sale of
chickpea. This is in accordance with the practice of the time where famous
families often adopted down-to-earth surnames such as Fabius, Lentulus, and
Piso. Being born in 106 BC and lived up till 43 BC, he has witnessed throughout
his life the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Roman Republic, the event
of which he had been one of the key and significant participants.
 |
| The Roman Law Court where Cicero would have argued his famous cases |
Cicero’s
political career was filled with remarkable feats. At that time, political
offices were effectively controlled by a few wealthy aristocratic families (the
optimates), who selfishly manipulated the regime to satiate their own greed and
jealously guarded their privileges against any would-be upstart. Cicero’s family
was not one of these wealthy aristocratic families, having descended from a
mere provincial town. Thus, he was never really accepted by the optimates,
being a novus homo or a new man he was, whose family member had never
before held a public office. Nonetheless, Cicero’s political
ambition was great. At a very young age he chose Achilles’ motto as his motto: to
always be the best and overtop the rest. Lacking the advantages of a proper
ancestry, there were essentially only two career options open to him: military
and law. Cicero was no soldier, Gawky and skinny, with a long thin neck as he
was. He hated war, and served in the military only very briefly as a young man.
Therefore, he naturally opted for law.
 |
| Cornelius Sulla |
At the
time of his birth, Rome was experiencing civil unrest and war between Sulla
(later Dictator) and Marius (uncle of the famous Julius Caesar). Sulla’s
victory in the first of a series of civil wars led to a revolutionary
transformation that seriously undermined libertas (liberty), the
fundamental value of the Roman Republic. At the same time, Sulla’s reforms
greatly strengthened the position of the equestrian class, enhancing its
political power. Cicero was thus a beneficiary of Sulla’s new regime. This and
his loyalty to the Republic ensured he would enjoy the support and confidence
of the people as well as Italian middle classes.
To
prepare for his legal career, he studied jurisprudence, rhetoric and philosophy.
Sent to the capital as a boy in the nineties, his aptitude for rhetoric was
such that the fathers of his fellow students would come to his school just to
hear his speech. After several years of extensive preparation, he began taking
part on legal cases. This legal career could lead to political success for several
reasons. First, a lawyer would attain a high level of skill in oratory, which
is crucial in politics. Second, he would gain popularity and attention from
high-profile cases. Third, a successful lawyer would have built up a network of
connections over the years which is crucial at the time when success in
politics depended on the shifting networks of friendships and commitments. In
this Cicero succeeded remarkably, attaining each of the main offices at the
earliest age at which he was legally allowed to run for them until he finally
became consul in 63 BC.
 |
| Gaius Marius |
Personality-wise,
Cicero was regarded as a man of vanity, which was normal at that time when
modesty was never regarded as a virtue. He was also a deeply sensitive man,
often torn between a consciousness of his own great talents and fear that his snobbery
might work against him. In fact, his talents were so evident that they were
spotted early by an influential figure by the name of Marcus Antonius, whose
power of oratory had elevated him to the positions of both consul and censor. An
extreme conservative, he often spoke aggressively against Marius and was
subsequently murdered in 87 BC. Cicero has always regarded Antonius as a role
model that had instilled in him a further passion for the Republic’s ancient
order. It was not at all surprising that the collapse of the Republic a few
decades later would cause him immeasurable grief.
However,
Cicero’s story does not end here. Please keep an eye for the next blog when we
delve deeper into Cicero’s private life, family, friendship, personal ambition,
conspiracy and ultimately the fall of the Roman Republic…
Continue in the next blog
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น