From the time of his consulate, Cicero's influence in Rome began to decline. The rising popularity of Ce sar, the triumphal return of Pompey from Asia, and his reconciliation with Crassus, which laid the foundation of the first triumvirate, occupied the minds of men, and confined the stream of power to a particular channel. Cicero employed himself chiefly in literary and forensic pursuits. He composed the history of his consulate in Greek, for his friends Atticus and Possidonius, and lie made the same theme the subject of three books of verse. lie defended several considerable causes ; and thus endeavoured, by conferring new obligations, to com pensate the loss of former favours. Ile was, indeed, sensible that a storm was gathering against hint. He had incurred the hatred of the violent, and abandoned Publius Clodius, by appearing as an evidence against him, when prosecuted for violating the mysteries of the Bona Dea. Clodius, who was resolved upon his ruin, had, by means of a plebeian adoption, made himself eli gible to the tribuneship of the people; and, as he was a -political tool of the triumvirate, he was supported by Ca2sar and Pompey, though they assured Cicero that there was no intention of injuring him. Clodius, how ever, as soon as he was made tribune, began his attack, by proposing a law, that whoever had been concerned in the death of a Roman citizen, should be deemed guil ty of treason against the state. This was so obviously aimed against Cicero, that lie immediately assumed the habit of a mourner, and went about soliciting the pro tection of his friends. Such was the regard he still in spired, that the whole order of knights went into mourn ing, and joined in his supplications; and young Crassus, the son of the triumvir, who had been his pupil in elo quence, attended upon him with a large body of the Ro man youth, in order to defend hint from the violence of Clodius and his mob. His counsels were now perplexed by the different opinions of his friends. The question was, whether he should remain in Rome, and defend himself by force, or save the effusion of blood, by re treating till the storm should blow over. Cato advised him to the latter plan: It is unfair, as many have clone, to impute his inclination to this advice to timidity ; for no man seems to have felt the pain of exile more deeply than Cicero, although the fears and intreaties of his fa mily might operate on his resolution. He therefore ap plied to Cxsar, to take him as his lieutenant into Gaul. Tne artifices of Clodius, who pretended to wish for a reconciliation, induced him to change his purpose, and decline accepting; by which he offended that command er, or, perhaps, rather afforded him a pretext for sharing in the base desertion of him ; which Pompey, with still less excuse, did not blush to be guilty of. Clodius. then, directly impeached him for having put to death Lentu lus, Cethegus, and the rest of Catiline's associates, with out a legal trial. Thus abandoned, the father of his country went voluntarily into banishment, and Rome suffered sentence of interdiction from fire and water to be passed against hint ; though the friends of liberty still secretly shed tears, and put up prayers for his fate. In his 49th year, the fifth from the time of his consulate, he wandered desponding over the south of Italy, and finally settled in Greece. The mehlicholy which his letters express during this sad pc' iod of his existence, have drawn upon him the censure of weak and they certainly discover him to base been no Stoic : but much allowance should be made for a mind exquisite in its texture, though great in its compass,— for sensibility, flushed and warm with recent glory,—for genius, torn from the community which it had saved and adorned.
His enemy, Clodius, who was now the pest and fury of the republic, had, however, but a temporary triumph over one who was loved by the great body of the people. Ile burnt Cicero's villas, and house on the Palatine, and confiscated his effects; but when the estates were brought to auction, none would bid for them. Pompey himself began to be ashamed of having deserted him, and, being irritated at Clodius for some instances of insolence which came nearer his own dignity, joined with the party who planned his recal A decree for that purpose was at first successfully resisted by the tribune Clodius, who, in defiance of the senate, absolutely slaughtered the par tizans of Cicero in the forum. But the senate at last carried their point. The citizens of the towns of Italy flocked to Rome from all quarters to support their au thority. The news of the favourable decree was re ceived at the theatres with acclamations and tears of joy. JEsopus, the tragedian, when acting on the stage a part in which he invoked the name of Brutus, substi tuted Tullius in its place, and the people were so affect ed that they called for it over and over again. A meet ing of the tribunes was held in the field of Mars, and the law of the senate was confirmed by the unanimous suf frages of all the centuries. This was one of the last acts of Roman liberty. The day of the patriot's return to Brundusimn, happened to be the annual festival of the foundation of the town, and the birth-day of his daughter Tullia, who came to that place to meet him. The fame of his landing and progress to Rome, drew multitudes from all parts, so that the whole road from Brundusium to Rome was one crowded and continued street; nor was there a prefecture, town, or colony, through Italy, which (lid not decree him statues, and send a deputation to pay him compliments. All Italy, to use his own words, brought him back upon its shoul ders : " That one day," he says, " was worth an im mortality, when, on my approach towards the city, the senate carne out to receive me, followed by the whole body of the citizens, as if Rome itself had left its foun dations, and marched forward to embrace its preserver."
As soon as he entered thc gates, he saw the steps of all the temples, porticoes, and tops of houses, covered with people, who saluted him with an universal acclamation; and as he marched towards the capital, fresh multitudes expected his arrival. So splendid was his triumph, that he had reason, he says, to fear lest the people should imagine that he had himself contrived his late flight, for the sake of so glorious a restoration. After some diffi culties, occasioned by the rancour of Clodius, his pro perty was restored to him, and his demolished mansion rebuilt at the public expense. His reimbursements, however, were not adequate to his losses.
The persecution he had undergone rendered him still more cautious in his political conduct, and while he stu died to keep on the best terms with Pompey, Cxsar, and Crassus, he exercised his eloquence generally as a de fendant to secure him personal friendships. In the 54th year of his age, he was admitted into the college of Au gurs. Ile is said to have been above the general faith of his countrymen in augury, but the situation carried dig nity with it. The detth of the atrocious Clodius, who was killed in an affray, by Milo, soon after gave occasion to one of the capital exertions of his oratoriul powers ; and though the appearance of Pompey's soldiers discom posed, and even paralyzed his elocution on this occasion, so that Aldo was banished, the pleading exists as a mo del of defensive eloquence.
In his 56th year lie went as proconsul to Cilicia, jurisdiction of which belonged to the isle of Cyprus. His conduct in this commission was highly honourable: to his character, particularly towards the Cappadocian king, Ariobarzanes, who had been miserably scourged by the Roman governors and generals. Tile debt for which that unfortunate prince paid exorbitant interest to Pompey, and owed also to Brutus, seems to have placed Cicero in a situation or distressing dilemma. It shewed the humanity of our orator, however, in a high light, that when Ariobarzancs came to offer him a present, the usual peace-offering to Roman governors, he generously refused it, but pressed him to apply it to the payment of his debt to Brutus. The poor Cappadocian prince was obliged to excuse himself, by pleading the necessity of satisfying more pressing demands, namely those of Pompey, who, for good reasons, could not be refused. Brutus solicited his assistance to recover debt in another quarter, which still more eminently displayed Cicero's sense of justice. The city of Salamais owed Brutus a debt of 20,000/., and Scaptius his agent (the lovers of liberty will peruse the anecdote with pain) had, in harass ing the Salaminians for payment, shut up their senate till five of them were starved to death. Brutus attempt ed to place this Scaptius in the favour of Cicero ; but Cicero disdaining to make ties of friendship a bond of injustice, deposed Scaptius from his prefecture, having laid it down for a rule, to grant no man a command who was concerned in trade, or negociating money in the pro vince. On similar principles he had ordained, that no debt under his government should bear an interest of more than a per cent. per month. Scaptius demanded four per cent.; but though the agent fur Brutus's debt, he obliged him to accept of payment on those legal terms. and helped the unhappy Salaminians to release the bond by remitting to them the dues of his own office. " If Bru tus does not approve of this, (he says in writing to Atticus on the subject,) I shall be sorry indeed that he has any occasion to be angry with me, but much more not to find hiin the man that I took him to be." In another epistle to Atticus, he adds, " How could you desire me to grant troops to Scaptius for the sake of extorting mo ney? Could you, if you were with me, suffer me to do it ? If I really had done such a thing, with what face could I ever read again, or touch those books of mine with which you arc so pleased ?" It has been usual to tax thc memory of Cicero with a pliable and timid spirit. Yet, to behave with such integrity, must have required courage as well as generosity. Ile restricted his own troops from even the customary foraging tributes which were levied on the inhabitants of the provinces, allow ing them only house-room, and obliging them to lodge in tents when that exaction could be spared. Be refus ed the presents of the neighbouring princes, kept a table at his own expence instead of that of the province, was accessible to all ranks of people, gentle in his punish ments, and careful of time public money. In his military operations, he checked a formidable incursion of the Parthians, and took thc strong town of Pindenissmn. it was fortunate for his military reputation, that there was no necessity for a pitched battle with the Par thians. Ilis successes, however, though not splendid, C PC sufficient for the protection of the province, and were as complete as the occasion seems to have required. It was then customary, even on very moderate triumphs, tor the al my to hail their general Imperator, and Cicero renewed this honour. In his applying to the senate for a supplication, and entertaining hopes of a triumph, the admirer of his virtue must regret to find an instance of his vanity. Cato opposed the decree with many expres sions of regard for the truly valuable parts of his charac ter, but deemed such honours too cheaply given. The offence which Cicero expresses on this occasion was unworthy of himself, and forms a displeasing contrast, both to the noble conduct which has been des cribed, and to the candid and manly sentiments of Cato on that occasion.