on Antony, who was away besieging the city of
Mutina (modern-day Modena) where one of
Caesar’s assassins was holding out.
Octavian and Rome’s two sitting consuls,
Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, led the
Senate’s forces against Antony in April 43. After
Pansa’s death in battle, they were able to secure
a decisive victory against Antony. When news
of the victories reached Rome there was jubila-
tion in the Senate. Cicero, the man of thehour,
was borne in triumph from his home on
Hill to the Forum. There
ted the rostrum and de-
d an exultant address to
people of Rome.
Cicero’s joy was short-
ved. Antony managed to
alvage a sector of his le-
ions. Octavian, insteadof pursuing Antony, decided to claim the va-
cant consulship for himself. When the Senate
refused, Octavian lost no time in crossing the
Rubicon—as Julius Caesar had before him—and
marched on Rome with his legions. The sena-
tors were powerless to resist, and had to give in
to his demands. Cicero saw how his trust had
been misplaced, as his alleged protégé used the
power of his troops to trample the rule of law.
Historians believe the relationship between the
two started to sour after Octavian found out that
Cicero wrote that “the boy [Octavian] must be
praised, honored, and removed.”Death of an Orator
Devastated that the republican cause was now
lost, Cicero withdrew from Rome to spend time
in his rural retreats in southern Italy. From there
he looked on powerlessly as Octavian, reconciled
with Antony, eventually formed the Second Tri-
umvirate with him and Lepidus. Not only did
Cicero feel this was a step backward politically,
it also posed a serious personal threat to his life.
The triumvirs put together a long list of senatorsON THE
ROSTRA
Orators would
address the public
from this platform
known as the rostra
(rostrum) beside the
Temple of Saturn in
the Roman Forum. It
was here that Mark
Antony displayed the
severed head and
right hand of Cicero
MISSED
OPPORTUNITY
I
n his correspondence, Cicero criticizes Brutus for
letting Mark Antony take the initiative after the
death of Julius Caesar. He believes that the subse-
quent power struggle is a consequence of the con-
spirators’ lack of determination. He writes to his friend
Atticus: “Do you remember me crying out on that first
day on the Capitol that the Senate should be sum-
moned to the Capitol by
the Praetors [Brutus and
Cassius]? Immortal gods!
What could have been
effected then to the re-
joicing of all good men...
Do you remember how
you cried out that the
cause was lost if he had a
state funeral. But he was
even cremated in the fo-
rum and given a pathetic
eulogy, and slaves and
paupers were sent against
our houses with torches.”Brutus also receives a
reproachful letter from
the orator: “I can in no
sense admit the justice of
the distinction you draw,
when you say that more
vigor should be used in
preventing civil wars, than
in wreaking vengeance
against the vanquished.
I strongly differ from
you Brutus... You will
be crushed, believe me
Brutus, unless you take
proper precautions.”CICERO’S DISAPPOINTMENTSCALA, FLORENCEA SILVER CISTOPHORUS, MINTED IN
EPHESUS IN 40 B.C. TO COMMEMORATE
THE WEDDING OF MARK ANTONY TO
OCTAVIA, THE SISTER OF OCTAVIAN.
BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDONCapitolineH
he moun
livered
the p
C
liv
sa
gigh adoCceo
SCALA, FLORENCE
SA
E
T
O
B