Source edition
Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Vol. IV. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1909.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a defense speech delivered by the Roman orator and statesman Cicero on behalf of Rabirius Postumus, a wealthy equestrian merchant. The defendant, Postumus, had fallen into financial ruin after lending vast sums of money to the King of Egypt and was subsequently prosecuted in connection with the extortion trial of the provincial governor Gabinius. Cicero argues that Postumus's loans were entirely legal and asserts that the law on recovering extorted funds does not apply to the equestrian order. He defends Postumus's actions in Egypt, including taking a financial office and wearing Greek attire, as desperate and unavoidable measures to recover his seized assets. Finally, Cicero highlights Julius Caesar's ongoing support for Postumus and recalls how Postumus once aided him during his own exile, passionately pleading with the jurors for an acquittal to save his client from total ruin.