On Caesar's Memory

If it pleases the senate and the Roman people, I bring before you the tragic fact that our great leader Gaius Julius Caesar has been brutally assassinated in the Theater of Pompeii by those he believed to be his friends. A great man, stabbed in the back by cowards who pretended to support him and his actions all the while plotting his demise. Gaius Julius Caesar was a great man, an accomplished general, the protector of the people, and the conqueror of Gaul. Rome is grieving for her beloved leader and we must give him the funeral he deserves. To disregard the love Rome’s people bear for Caesar would be a great mistake. The people will want to see a state funeral for their beloved leader. If we treat Caesar’s corpse as that of a traitor’s it will weaken the senate in the view of the people. The senate voted to make Caesar dictator for life and Cicero made many speeches extolling the many virtues of Caesar. To suddenly change our position could cause riots in the streets of Rome. It shows weakness for the senate to be divided in this matter, and will cause the people to doubt our power to keep order, there will be anarchy in the streets. If the people are deprived of the funeral they believe Caesar deserves they might decide to repeat their actions of Publius Clodius Pulcher’s funeral. The senate cannot afford another incident of that magnitude, and we cannot afford to rebuild another burnt forum.
We must honor Caesar’s memory and his decrees as a show of strength in this time of turmoil. Until we solidify the power in the government we are vulnerable to riot and civil war. The first step to this end is to show a unified front to the plebs and give Caesar his state funeral. We must keep order at this time to make the transition from one leader to another as smooth as possible. Whether we decide to reinstate the republic or to elect another dictator at this time before we can make that decision we have to be united behind treating Caesar as a fallen hero. He is a hero not only for what he has done for Rome as dictator, but what he did for Rome as a consul, as a governor, as a general, and as the conqueror of Gaul.
We must not condone this heinous crime of slaying our rightful leader on hallowed ground by denying Caesar’s family and friends a funeral but condemn his assassins by giving Caesar his proper funeral. We cannot allow the people of Rome to believe that the slaying of our senate appointed ruler will be tolerated. By giving him an elaborate state funeral we state for the entire world to see that these assassins were alone in their actions and will be condemned for their actions. Let us not cringe like cowards, afraid of more actions by these heretics and throw a great man’s body in the yellow Tiber. Let us be proud of our great leader and have his passing remembered by a great affair worthy of his memory.