The Second Philippic Against Mark Antony
Composed in late 44 BCE following the assassination of Julius Caesar, Cicero's scathing rhetorical masterpiece denounced Mark Antony's bid for absolute power over the Roman Republic.
Full Transcript
To what destiny of mine, O conscript fathers, shall I attribute it that no one for these twenty years has been an enemy to the republic who has not at the same time declared war against me?
What cause, Mark Antony, have you given for attacking me? Have I injured you in word or deed? You have sought to overwhelm me with your drunken insolence, but I do not fear your bluster.
Remember how you offered a royal crown to Caesar at the Lupercalia! You placed it on his head while the Roman people groaned in agony at your servility. You wished to be a slave; we wished to be free.
I defended the Republic when I was young; I will not desert it now that I am old. I despised the swords of Catiline; I will not dread yours. Nay, I would willingly offer my body, if the liberty of the state could be secured by my death!
Defining Key Excerpts
"I defended the Republic when I was young; I will not desert it now that I am old."
"I would willingly offer my body, if the liberty of the state could be secured by my death."
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