Marcus Tullius Cicero delivered his speech in 63 B.C. in defence of Lucius Licinius Murena, who was charged with election fraud (ambitus). The condemnation of Murena would have broken not only the commander’s political career, it would have driven the Republic into serious danger. In his statement of defense, it is not primarily the
personal merits of the competitors, Licinius Murena and Sulpicius Rufus — one of the most outstanding jurists of Roman Republic — that Cicero compares, it is their career, the commander’s, the jurist’s activity that he puts on the scales of public good, and provides a fairly humorous, witty assessment of these.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword 7
Preface 9
LEGAL AND RHETORIC BACKGROUND OF THE SPEECH 13
I. The historical background and structure of the speech 13
I. 1. The historical background of the oratio 13 I. 2. The structure of the oratio 17
II. Quaestio de ambitu 19
II. 1. The development of quaestiones 19 II. 2. Crimen ambitus 23
II. 3. The role of associations and clients in the elections 26
III. Career of Lucius Licinius Murena and the res militaris
in Corpus Ciceronianum 31
III. 1. Lucius Licinius Murena 31
III. 2. Res militaris in Corpus Ciceronianum 32
IV. Career of Servius Sulpicius Rufus and the iurisprudentia
in Corpus Ciceronianum 33
IV. 1. Servius Sulpicius Rufus 33
IV. 2. Iurisprudentia in Corpus Ciceronianum 39
V. The theory of the perfectus orator 43
VI. Humor as means of rhetoric in Cicero 49
VI. 1. The theory of humour in Corpus Ciceronianum 49 VI. 2. Humour and irony in Pro Murena 52
ON PRO MURENA 26-27 63
I. Manum conserere 63
II. Verbality as the cardinal point of ius sacrum 68
II. 1. The concept of fatum 68 II. 2. The dedicatio of the Ops Opifera Temple 70II. 3. The verbal aspect of the interpretation of
prodigium 72 II. 4. Parallels between excantatio and evocatio 73
III. Festuca and hasta 80
III. 1. Hasta and imperium 80 III. 2. Hasta Martis 87
III. 3. The fasces of the lictores as symbol of power 92
IV. Legis actio sacramento in rem as duellum sacrum 98
IV. 1. Paralells between legis actio sacramento and ius fetiale 98 IV. 2. Paralells between legis actio sacramento and ordalium
in Casina of Plautus 103 6
V. Engagement and Marriage 109
V. 1. On the forms of engagement 109
V. 2. Conventio in manum and marriage ceremonies 114
VI. De uxore in manu 123
VI. 1. Relation between the uxor in manu and the agnatio 123 VI. 2. The uxor in manu and the iudicium domesticum 125
VI. 3. Divortium and repudium 132
VII. Interpretatio, summum ius and aequitas 136
VII. 1. The term of interpretatio 136 VII. 2. Summum ius summa iniuria 140
VII. 3. De aequitate 147
CONCLUSIONS 153
ABBREVIATIONS 157
I. Abbreviations of Antique Sources 157
II. Bibliographical Abbreviations 162
INDEX SOURCES 173
EPITOMA 193
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