Amid the corruption and power struggles accompanying the collapse of the Roman Republic, Cicero (106-43 BC) produced some of the most stirring speeches in history. A statesman and lawyer, he was one of the few outsiders to penetrate the aristocratic circles that controlled the Roman state, and became renowned for his speaking to the Assembly, Senate and courtrooms. Whether fighting corruption, quashing the Catiline conspiracy, defending the poet Archias or railing against Mark Antony in the Philippics--the magnificent arguments in defense of liberty that led to his banishment and death. Michael Grant's translation captures the force and elegance of the original prose, while his introduction outlines Cicero's life and places the works in context.
