Source edition
Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Vol. VI. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1918.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is an oration delivered by Marcus Tullius Cicero before the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar in defense of Quintus Ligarius. Ligarius, who had been active in Africa on the side of Pompey during the civil war, faced prosecution, prompting Cicero to advocate for him directly before Caesar. In the first half of the speech, Cicero sharply exposes the hypocrisy of the accuser, Tubero, pointing out that Tubero himself had also fought in the opposing camp against Caesar, and argues that Ligarius's actions were the result of the tragic fate of civil war rather than a crime. In the latter half, Cicero declares that this is not a conventional legal trial but an emotional appeal to the ruler's clemency. Highlighting the grief of Ligarius's family and supporters, Cicero extols clemency (clementia) as the supreme virtue that elevates humans to the divine, concluding with an earnest plea for Caesar's pardon.