Meorum periculorum rationes utilitas rei publicae vincat. Zur Historizität der vierten Catilinaria
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Gunther Martin
Abstract
This paper proposes a reading of Cicero’s Fourth Catilinarian as a consistent and historically realistic attempt at urging the senate to punish the conspirators. Cicero struggles against the senators’ inclination to postpone a decision out of fear of the consequences which a severe sentence might have. The speech does not show signs of substantial revision or even contamination of several addresses Cicero made at different stages of the meeting on 5 December 63; nor may the extended passages in which Cicero talks about himself be read as subsequent additions in the light of Clodius’ assaults. They rather fit into the exhortative strategy of the speech, forming part of the refutation of any grounds which would allow for a delay of the decision. The extended space they take up is to be explained as a strategy that prevents further discussion of dangers by an argumentum a maiore.
© by Akademie Verlag, Bern, Germany
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- Zum Text von Cic. Q. Rosc. 4, 11–12
- Choice Word and Measured Phrase in Caesar, Fragment 1 (Courtney)
- A Hyperbolic Statement: Propertius IV. 1. 38
- Quoque in Ovid, Met. 6, 27
- Zum Autor der Schrift ,Über die Kriegsführung gegen die Parther‘
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Articles in the same Issue
- Pindar und der „Protz“ Xenophon (fr. 122 M.). Von der Positionierung im politischen und im literarischen Feld
- “As I thought that the speakers most likely might have spoken”. Thukydides Hist. 1. 22. 1 on Composing Speeches
- Beobachtungen zu den Thukydidesscholien III. 3. Kodikologische Nachlese
- Theatres for Hire
- L’eccidio degli uomini a Lemno. Il modello delle Argonautiche di Apollonio Rodio e la sua rifunzionalizzazione in Quinto Smirneo Posthomerica 9, 338–352
- Meorum periculorum rationes utilitas rei publicae vincat. Zur Historizität der vierten Catilinaria
- Pyrrha oder Der versteckte Achilles. Ein horazisches Motiv im Licht sequenzieller Lektüre
- Seneca’s Presence in Pliny’s Epistle 1. 12
- Aristotle on Anaxagoras in Relation to Empedocles in Metaphysics A
- Aristophanes in Chariton again (Plu. 1127)
- Zum Text von Cic. Q. Rosc. 4, 11–12
- Choice Word and Measured Phrase in Caesar, Fragment 1 (Courtney)
- A Hyperbolic Statement: Propertius IV. 1. 38
- Quoque in Ovid, Met. 6, 27
- Zum Autor der Schrift ,Über die Kriegsführung gegen die Parther‘
- Marcellinus Comes über das Ende des Kaisertums im Westen des Römischen Reiches. Eine quellenkritische Petitesse
