Tyranicide and its Rewards

Conscript Fathers, it appears we have a very simple legal question on our hands. There are those who in the Senate who feel a murder has been committed, and those who do not. Now let us examine this proposition. What do we mean when we say Caesar was murdered? Certainly, a man is dead by the hand of his peers. But surely not all killings are unlawful. A man may be put to death for all manner of crimes. Indeed, many a man thought to be good and virtuous has committed heinous crimes. Caesar was a friend to many, yes. A benevolent man to be sure. He made the people happy. But pleasure doled out is NOT the measure of a good ruler. Caesar sought to destroy the state. Whatever his past accomplishments, however amicable his past disposition, Caesar was a tyrant. Is the murder of a tyrant a crime? If we are in our right minds, we must answer no. All crimes against the state merit the punishment of death. Caesar committed the crime; he paid the price. But now there are those among us who not only wish to cast this act as a crime itself, but also wish to have those brave Romans who stood for the Republic tried as common criminals. This sort of talk is not only non-sense; it is treasonous. It smacks of personal revenge. What sort of state do we live in where we will punish virtuous action? The state exists to encourage virtue in the community. What greater virtue is there than to protect the community from those who would impose tyranny upon it? Nay brothers, do not call the tyrant slayer to task. Rather call to task those self-serving ingrates who would betray their fatherland and betray her into the hands of the tyrant.

Sinners or Saints

My fellow senators, I was present when the murder took place, however I do not see it as my right to judge the merits of whether it was right and wrong to take such actions. I am not a god nor do I claim to have the ability to see the future, so I am unable to say whether these events will bring good or ill. I hope, for all of our sakes, that the actions taken where in the best interest of Rome. However, we will never know what would have happened had Gaius Julius Caesar been allowed to remain dictator for life. He may have restored the monarchy, or he may have made a stronger republic. No matter what side you may support, or what you may personally believe we can never know what would have truly happened. I do trust the men involved believed themselves to be doing what was in the best interest of Rome. They perceived a threat to our nation and they acted upon it. I can find no fault with acting to protect your country when you believe it is being threatened, to do anything less would make you a traitor.

For now, I must imagine that the gods would not have allowed such an action had it not been in fated for Julius to die on that day. If Julius was not destined to die on that day surely the gods in their infinite wisdom and ability could have stopped the actions of mere mortals. I would trust the gods’ wisdom well before my own, so I can only take their inaction to be a sign that these events were meant to come to pass. To believe otherwise would be denying your belief in the gods, which I am sure no wise senators, such as yourselves, would do. That being said, the death of Julius must have been the will of the gods. Therefore, these men were only enacting the will of the gods, for which none can fault them. The wrath of the gods is swift and merciless, so I would not be the judge of any man who has the will of the gods behind him, much less a group of men whose actions are supported by the gods.

These men also had the courage to act upon their beliefs. Whether or not these beliefs were misguided, these men were willing to give their lives to protect our great Empire. Men who would make the ultimate sacrifice for their cause are hard to find. Many a man will make bold claims and loud boasts, without ever trying to do anything to prove those claims. However, it takes a man of courage and strength to follow through on those boasts even at cost to himself. These men may not be heroes, but they are certainly patriots.

We must also ask ourselves if they are the ones we should blame for these actions. After all, they would not have acted had Gaius Julius Caesar not been poised to pronounce himself king. And who might have encouraged such actions? Marcus Antonius is just as much at fault for the death of Julius as any of the men involved in his murder. He was eager for Caesar to be proclaimed king. I believe that he did so for his own purposes, not for the glory of Rome. The men involved in Julius’ death would not have acted so quickly if not for Marcus Antonius trying to glorify Caesar and make him king. We should not try to place blame on some and exclude others that are just as responsible for this assassination. If we are to accuse these men of murder, then I say we must also include Marcus Antonius as one of the men responsible.

On the Issue of Brutus and the Conspirators

My fellow Senators, I have always been proud to call myself a Roman citizen and senator and to associate myself with the others who have held this position as well. However I now find myself in shock over the actions of some of my fellow senators towards Julius Caesar. I cannot believe that Senators of Rome would lower themselves to the position of assassin, much less towards the leader and protector of Rome. You “Liberators” claim that you were seeking to overthrow a tyrant, but look at what your actions have caused. Yesterday in the Senate we reduced ourselves to arguing amongst each other instead of working towards restoring peace and stability in Rome. While our actions were regrettable those more recent ones of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus were completely horrific and almost as heinous as those of Brutus and his conspirators. However, I will not let my rage lead to rash actions as I am sure Lepidus allowed his emotions to. You so called “Liberators” wanted to protect Rome from a tyrant, yet your actions have caused panic and fear in all of Rome. Your actions have caused a man to march troops into our great city, not to restore the peace but to gain power and move himself closer to the now vacant position of dictator, which you so desperately wanted to be rid of.

If all of this were not enough we all took oaths to protect Caesar. Have you no pride in your own word? Did that mean nothing to you? Marcus Junius Brutus you speak of Caesar's downfall being declared dictator perpetuus, but was it not the Senate herself who declared this title upon Caesar. If this was so repulsive to you why did you not fight harder to deny him this. You and your conspirators were seeking to undo an action of this body. You claim you want to restore the Republic, but what were you doing but destroying it by acting out against the will of the Senate. Caesar has done nothing but care for the people and senators of Rome, especially you Brutus. He pardoned you after the Civil War, pushed for your election to public office, and helped you gain the power you have today. Yet how did you repay him, by acting as judge and jury, condemning him to death yourself. An action that can be considered tyrannical itself.

While some would call for the assassination or pardon of the assassins of Caesar I will leave the punishment of Brutus and his fellow conspirators to the courts, here they will be granted a fair trial with the opportunity to defend their actions. While this opportunity was not granted to Caesar by his assassins I will not lower myself to the position of the so called “Liberators” by taking matters into my own hands. I choose to act within the law of Rome, granting them the courtesies that they refused to Caesar. Even now as I grieve for Caesar and his accomplishments yet to come, I place my faith in the jury, the courts, and this Senate to give an appropriate punishment to the assassins of Gaius Julius Caesar, protector and father of the people of Rome.

Please Read - Speeches!

I have slightly altered the policy for turning in speeches. Please turn in a hard copy of your speeches if possible. You can give these to me in class or you can put them in my mailbox in the Park Hall Classics lounge. If there is no way to turn in a hard copy, I will accept an email, but please put both your name and your character's name not just in the email but also in the attached file. Also, please do this in a header just like a formal paper. Sometimes I do not know whose paper I am receiving because not all of your email addresses reflect your names. As usual, all papers are due by 5:00 tomorrow.

A Matter for the Courts

Conscript fathers, as has so often happened during this time of turbulence, there has come before the Senate a choice which is really no choice at all. For while some of you may state either from pride, anger, or other strong emotion that the conspirators who took Gaius Julius Caesar’s life must either be killed or venerated, if you allow your reason to overtake your spirit, you must see the only true and worthy course of action. So that we might firmly reestablish order in our state, we must allow the matter of Marcus Junius Brutus and his co-conspirators to be prosecuted in the court system. You may ask what purpose such a move might serve, as the jury will necessarily be overrun by the men you see around you in this room, and, at first glance, it may appear that there would be no difference between the results of a trial and the decision that would be made should we put it to a vote here and now. I would say that you are mistaken, but only history will be able to assess the truth or fallacy of my words. Thus, instead of the results, we must consider the appearance of this august body and the implications it may hold for the stability of the state as a whole.

In our last meeting, Marcus Tullius spoke of Caesar as a man, and in this he spoke the truth. Gaius Julius Caesar was a man, but are there not divisions among men? Do not natural distinctions exist between the virtuous and the vile, the heroic and the base? Are we not required to honor these varying forms of men with appropriate rites and tributes?

Yes, Caesar was a man, but he was also a hero, a triumphant general, and a beloved statesman. Even if you should choose not to honor him as our dictator, are you not still required, if not by the customs of our ancestors then by the very laws of the gods, to mark him for his great works among the barbarians of Gaul, not to mention his many other great services to the state? Indeed, had decisive action not already been taken by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, we would have had no option other than to give Caesar the funeral his accomplishments required.

And if we were obligated to honor Caesar with a funeral befitting to his station and his person, how may we escape the idea that his murderers must be brought to trial? For, if Caesar was a man, and I assure you that he was, regardless of the slanderous and licentious accusations of some of the members of this Senate, then his needless, violent slaughter must be avenged by the state in the same fashion that the murder of any man would be. To do any more, either by sending the conspirators into exile far from Rome or by ordering their outright execution, would be reactionary, and, at the very least, would do little more than brand this body with the same accusations that followed Marcus Tullius after the deaths of the Clodian conspirators. Indeed, we would hardly be able to blame our accusers if they were to refer to our actions as an extension of those taken by Sulla. By the same token, to do any less would insult the memories and mores of our ancestors and disregard the divine mandates that those customs represent.

If you wish to continue this journey to return the state to its former glory as a republic with all speed, as you signaled so clearly in our previous meeting, we must work, not only to reestablish the founding principles of our state such as the rule of two consuls, but also to hold onto those institutions which so often may be thrown by the wayside in turbulent times in favor of more direct action. Honorable senators, in order to maintain the stability of our nation and retain the integrity of the Senate’s image as the advisory body of this republic, we must prosecute these conspirators through the mechanism of a court of law.

With the Forum having been siezed, Caesar has been buried

Only yesterday I was trying to imagine how painful it must have been for Julius Caesar, having been taken by surprise, to feel the knives of his patrons and allies plunging into his back. How much more wretched is it for me that today I know that same feeling all too well. It is sad for me to see my fellow “followers of Caesar” place a higher concern on betraying than burying their own. I see now how my concern for maintaining even an appearance of unity among my fellows will ultimately end. I have seen your true characters. I understand all too well now those sentiments of Caesar that the Republic is hopelessly flawed. I always felt that the Republic needed more men of more action and fewer words. Now that conviction is solidified in my mind.
Therefore, in accordance with the conduct and spirit of Caesar, I have addressed my troops and recounted again to them the injuries that Caesar and I have suffered at the hands of Senatorial squabblers and backstabbers. They feel all too keenly the pain of seeing their two commanding officers stabbed in the back on successive days. So we rose up as a body, being the only true followers of Caesar left in Rome. We took his body from the house of Calpurnia. With the Forum having been seized, we assembled there and gave Caesar the burial he deserved, the burial of a general of the Roman army, which is the backbone of this empire. With a pyre having been erected, he has been burnt, surrounded by his loyal soldiers, the only loyal followers left to him. It is done. You senators now have one less issue to squawk at each other about. I care no more for words. My actions are completed.
I can only hope that you fools will one day learn from your former mistakes. Did you hope, by treating me in the exact same way, to right the situation you put yourselves in by your treatment of Caesar? Is it not the definition of insanity to repeat an action and expect a different result? Did not both he and I offer to lay down their power on one simple condition? Did you not only become more belligerent at such shows of peace? You only made a dictator out of Caesar by prematurely declaring him to be so, and by your shameful actions in response to my moderate words, you have forced me to the only path that my dignitas would allow. But enough of that.
As far as Brutus and the rest of his ilk are concerned to me, their actions are done as well. Would that I could, but it is not in my power to change them. Of course the anger of their crime still burns in my heart, and if they show their face to my army or to me, you can be assured that they will die. They know this all too well. But I can say this one thing in their favor: at least there are a scattered few other men of action left in Rome.
One last word to you all: you have seen how M. Antonius treats his allies and supporters. Do not trust him in anything he says or does, or you too will feel a sharp pain in your back!

Consulship and Burial

Senators, I am sure that there are those few among you who fear that my actions at our assembly overstepped my authority and duty to the republic. On the contrary, as the legitimate ranking member of the senate I felt compelled to assert my position to both uphold the law of Rome and my own respect for Caesar. Caesar’s burial and the good of Rome are my two motivating forces. Allow me to retrace and clarify my actions to explain why Caesar's burial is paramount, why I take issue with Dolabella’s appointment, and why the senate did not run smoothly.

Upon entering the senate I knew that few people planned to support M. A. Lepidus as magister equitem. I also came with the knowledge that those planning to attack Lepidus did so with the intention of postponing Caesar’s burial as long as possible. In order to forestall the inevitable time consuming attacks on M. A. Lepidus I chose to immediately assert my legitimacy. This brought us to the relatively quick choice to either acknowledge our former Magister Equitem or to remove him from his position. Clearly the will of the senate was definitive in this matter and my suspicions that Lepidus lacked support and legitimacy were confirmed. Despite your objection to his previous position I urge you to consider him for a new one. He is a good man and loyal to Rome.

I wished then to move immediately to address the issue closest to my heart, Caesar’s burial. Once we avoided the obvious objections to Lepidus I expected less trouble in discussing Caesar and the right course of action. I consider this not as only an emotional issue, but as a practical consideration as well. We must bury Caesar as a hero publicly and with public funds for two reasons. First, we must soothe the aching hearts of the people and ourselves. Second, we must realize that choosing to grant this funeral upholds the legitimacy of the current composition of the senate. If we do anything less than give Caesar his full honors then we effectively declare his time as dictator illegitimate. The consequence of this is that none of the magisters could continue to rightfully hold position, none of Caesar’s legislations would hold any sway, and many of you as appointees would lose your status in this assembly. This sort of confusion would destroy Rome in her current state of disorganization. The logistical problems in refusing Caesar his due overwhelm any objections based on idealistic wishes or personal grudges.

Unfortunately, my plan to quickly resolve the issues of the Magister Equitem and Caesar’s burial came to a halt at the instigation of Cicero and his cronies. Although I hoped to sate their ongoing lust for disorder with my legitimacy as consul, they attacked me just the same as they would Lepidus. I managed to do nothing but put myself in his place and assume the vindictive invectives designed for him. Their insistence forced the issue of Dolabella’s appointment, and I remind you that Caesar still lies unburied and unseen. Sadly, in my haste to respect Caesar and speed to his burial, I got caught in the webs of politicians.

I am not sure at this point if they fear my seat in the senate, or if they wish to continue forestalling Caesar’s honors, probably both. To these ends they raise the most distasteful Dolabella to affirm him as consul. This is secondary to the affirmation of our entire state and of our fallen hero. I burn to give myself and all the People of Rome a chance to contribute our grief to the body of our great Pater, our Caesar. There is no other way to commit this man to the after life than to use public funds for not just one man, but all of Rome mourns and it is only right that we offer this man who offered us so much a lavish final farewell.

As for Dolabella himself, why would you place such a notorious vagrant beside me as consul? You all must see that a man who lacks the sense to manage his own estate could never hope to manage the senate. He is not only fiscally bankrupt, but morally as well. Such a man will only burden Rome with his avarice as consul. In spite these obvious objections to him, I consider the will of Caesar and your objections to my singular consul ship. So many voices call to appoint him. So many voices, but I can see only one true beneficiary in the masses. How much does Dolabella owe you Cicero? How much does a consul cost these days? How far are you willing to compromise your values just to see your power restored in the senate?

I still can not ignore the voices of so many in Dolabella’s favor, especially the fading voice of Caesar. To preserve one of Caesar’s final decrees as well as the balance and peace in Rome, I am willing to accept Dolabella as coconsul. I insist that nothing good will come of this, but compromise is the key to a safe and restored Rome. All I am willing to do in order to secure Caesar’s rights, and each of our rights as senators and magisters. The senate will meet tomorrow to discuss both the burial of Caesar and the legitimacy of Dolabella, let us value wisdom and expediancy in these matters. May peace reign in Rome.

Marcus Antonius