Selections from Cicero Philippic II

Introduction

This is the first intermediate-student edition of a selection from Cicero's Philippic II. Sections 44–50 (viri tui similis esses), 78 (C. Caesari ex Hispania redeunti), 92 and 100–119 are included as Latin text with an accompanying commentary and vocabulary. Focusing on a deliberately concise extract from the original, this edition is designed to be manageable for students reading the text for the first time while also perfectly encapsulating the interest of the longer work and inspiring further study of it. A detailed introduction explains points of historical and stylistic interest.

It is 44 BC. Following Caesar's assassination, his supporters are looking for a new leader. Caesar's deputy, Antony, and the 18-year-old Octavian, the future Augustus, are vying with each other to fill the role; each seems more concerned with personal power than the good of Rome. Cicero returns to the city to try to save it with the one weapon at his disposal: his oratory.