The speech
De imperio Cn. Pompeiis the first public speech the Roman statesman and writer M. Tullius Cicero gave, in 66 BCE when he was
praetor.At the time Cicero’s political star was on the rising. Four years earlier, in 70 BCE, he had defeated Hortensius, the leading orator of Rome at the time, in the case he brought against Verres (
In Verrem), the former governor of Sicily, for maladministration of his province. Cicero succeeded in indicting Verres and became himself the premier Roman orator. In the speech
De imperio Cn. Pompei, Cicero endorsed a law to nominate Pompey as sole commander in the Third Mithridatic War (64–74 BCE) against Mithridates VI of Pontus, a dangerous enemy of Rome for a long time, while his rival Hortensius and Catulus, both members of the Senate, spoke…
1695 words
Citation: Hintzen, Beate. "De imperio Cn. Pompei sive pro lege Manilia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 September 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=20487, accessed 23 November 2024.]
