Cicero's Last Stand Part Three

Talk about quick changes of fortune! Just a matter of weeks prior Antony had been on the run-almost looking at certain defeat and the end of his political career-if not his life. The armies of the Senate had been reduced to nothing and now Antony with the help of Marcus Aemelianus Lepidus was more of a force to be reckoned with than ever. Octavian was all that stood between the alliance and Rome. Rome waited, with the optimates in the Senate and Cicero being the most nervous to see which course the young man would take now. They didn't have to wait long for an answer. In July 43 BC a centurion from Octavian's army came before the Senate and demanded, now that the consulships were vacant that Octavian be given one of the offices. The Senate refused. The centurion opened his cloak and put his hand on the hilt of his sword, saying: "If you do not make him consul, then this will." (Suetonius, The Deified Augustus, 26.). Octavian had eight legions at his disposal and there were no senatorial armies to oppose him. Cicero must have been horrified and completely flustered at the quick change in fortunes that ruined all of his hopes. Still he marched out of the Senate to greet its new master. He did make a number of proposals to Octavian. However, the young man who had ingratiatingly called Cicero "Father" didn't answer, except for the rather disdainful reply that "Cicero had been the last of his friends to come and greet him." (Appian, 3.92).

Cicero was either allowed or ordered to leave Rome. His feelings of loss and despair must have been total as he made for his favorite country villa. On 19 August 43 BC, Octavian-not even twenty years old was formally elected consul. After Octavian had the condemnation of Caesar's assassins as traitors made official he left Rome. Going north and directly for the advancing army of Lepidus and Antony there was to be no war this time. On an island near Medina the three rival Caesarian leaders met and carved up the empire. In effect they were for once and for all time burying any hopes for the Republic. Of course, they claimed otherwise-words along the lines of "rescuing it" and the like, but in reality they were crucifying it as surely as a common thief. They decided that a second triumvirate should be formed. There was to be some major differences with the first triumvirate, that had been established by Pompey, Caesar and Crassus. Instead of a loose alliance this triumvirate would be formally constituted and imbued with enormous power. Their pact made them able to wield proconsular authority over the whole empire. The men had the right to pass or deny laws at their pleasure without consulting the Senate or having to face the electorate. Rome's sacred space was to be put under martial law. More than four hundred years of Roman freedom was being brought to a close.

As if this were not enough, the second triumvirate decided to seal their dealings with a pact of blood. They were looking past the celebrated clemency of Caesar for this to an earlier dictator-Sulla. The proscription lists were coming back to Rome. One cynical factor that weighed into this decision was the fact that more than sixty legions needed to be paid, and the triumvirs were short on funds-far short to pay them. Like under Sulla, the symbols of wealth would become death sentences. An exile who had been enjoying his looted treasure from a governorship was even killed for his "Corinthian bronzes." (Pliny the Elder, 34.6). The three men haggled and bargained over the unfortunate names to be added to the lists. There was a variety of reasons-to remove political opponents, factional reasons and even personal dislikes. In a fearful testimony of proof of their loyalty and committment to the triumvirate each man had to sacrifice a man that they otherwise would have wanted alive-or at least didn't wish particular harm to. For Mark Antony it was the proscription of his uncle, for Lepidus his own brother and Octavian wrote down the name of the man he had once called "Father"-Cicero. Still Cicero could have escaped his fate. We will never know-but one thing I wonder is that if at this point in his life he subconsciously wished for death? He had lost the things most dear to him, the Republic and his beloved daughter.

In Rome he went from friend to friend wondering what he should do and perhaps melancholy at the thought of exile for the rest of his life. Finally, when the bounty hunters of the second triumvirate did catch up to him, he leaned out from his litter and presented his bare neck to the blade in the manner of the gladiators who he had so admired. Besides gladiatorial courage maybe in the last moments of his life he was also thinking of his friend Cato-who had believed that death was preferrable to living as a subject under an emperor's caprice. Cicero was born on 3 January 106 BC and died on 7 December 43 BC. He had died a martyr to freedom and his enemies knew that. When the executioners delivered Cicero's severed head and hands, Fulvia, Antony's new wife did her utmost to show her fury at her husband's old enemy. She spat on Cicero's head, tore out his tongue and stabbed it with a hairpin. When she was finished mutilating his remains, only then did she allow them to be shown publicly. The hand that had written so many brilliant and flourishing speeches was nailed up too.

The image is a gold aureus depicting Augustus Caesar (Octavian). I need to find out what the image on the reverse of the coin depicts. I should know it-yet another thing to try to find out. I have much more information ready to go and in fact am going to try to take a small break and do one more post, as I got so much further along than I realized and would like to get the information here.