Most honorable Senators, I find myself before you speaking about a subject that, though undoubtedly important to the safety of Rome, should have been dealt with long ago by our all too incompetent consuls, Marc Antony and Dolabella. While we sat in this Senate House idiotically debating whether to give the tyrannical and sexually depraved, not to mention dead, Caesar his expensive and unnecessary public games, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus marauded around the Forum and beyond Rome’s borders with his dangerously loyal legion. In the age of our ancestors, such behavior and threatening activities would be considered of the utmost precedence and would have been discussed before any other matter in the Senate. However, sadly, it is obvious that the noble age of our ancestors is long gone. Instead, we Senators sit by idly and watch as one consul seeks nothing more than his own political gain and glory and the other quietly and cowardly plays the part of a puppet, in order that he might receive gold tainted with dishonor. But I am tired of wasting my pen on these corrupt lowlives. Instead, let us turn our attention to the matter of Lepidus.
Declaring Lepidus a public enemy should have been a much simpler matter than it was. Aulus Hirtius and other Senators so faint of heart suggested that we send scouts to find the criminal and then ask him politely to lay down his army and return to Rome peacefully. What kind of sissies are we? Do we not know our own law? It should not have been a matter of asking at that point, Senators. Lepidus had already violated Roman law by stealing the body of Caesar from Calpurnia’s home and seizing the Forum in order to carry out his funeral. He seized the Forum! And yet you wanted to ask him to come home and play nice? Why do you think he left Rome with his legion? For a peaceful vacation? No Roman leaves the city with his troops, telling no one of his whereabouts, unless he has a despicable and violent plan to carry out. Thankfully, enough of us were dedicated to Rome that Lepidus was still declared a public enemy of the state. But in the future, let us not forget the time we wasted listening to cowards and instead let us enforce the Roman law to its fullest extent!
After declaring Marcus Aemilius Lepidus a public enemy, we voted on raising a legion to protect Rome if he should, which he undoubtedly will, march on the city. I wholeheartedly agree with this decision, and believe that the levying of troops should be carried out with as much haste as possible. Lepidus could lay arms on Rome any day now, and we do not want another man to seize the city and chain us with his tyranny, when we have just been freed of the dictator Caesar. However, I realized after the meeting, that technically we only voted for Dolabella to gather legions. I believe this is an irresponsible move. It is clear to everyone in the Senate that Dolabella is being bribed by Marc Antony to support everything he suggests. Marc Antony has already made it quite obvious that he cares not for Rome’s safety, but only for his own advancement. Thus, placing his puppet in charge of the troops is dangerous and may lead to Rome having two advancing legions on her hands. I suggested and again expound that Vorrenus head the troop-levying as he is a third-party in the split Senate and he adheres to traditional Republican ideals. With him as general of the Senate’s legion, we could all sleep easier at night, knowing that the man in charge of our troops aims solely to protect the Roman Republic.
Now, Senators, act with haste! Place Vorrenus in charge, and gather these troops as quickly as possible! While we wait, Lepidus’ anger boils ever more fervently. Let us not allow the ineptitude and greed of our consuls deter us from protecting Rome. I want to be proud to be a Roman citizen once again, as I was when I arrived here from Verona, carrying the noble values of Cato close to my heart. We have seen how those values were thrown to the wayside when Caesar ruled solely in Rome. We cannot allow Lepidus, or Antony for that matter, to lay low the Republic once more and reduce us all to pawns!
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