The publication of these works extended over the years 45 and 44 mo. In the autumn of the former of these years Creaar returned from Spain, and Cicero was induced to quit his retirement and come to Rome, where he soon after exerted his talents in the service of an old friend, Deiotarus, king of Galatia, who had incurred the displeasure of Cmsar by his firm support of the Pompeians, and indeed was charged with having formed a plot to assassinate Cwsar a few years before. Cicero failed in obtaining pardon for his friend; but his intimacy with the Dictator seemed daily to be increasing, when the Ides of March changed the whole face of affairs. Cicero was present at the scene of assassination in the senate-house, where he had the pleasure, he tells us, of seeing the tyrant perish; but the conspirators were grievously disappointed in the results of their crime. Aa soon as the first stupor had passed away, the public indignation drove the murderers from Rome, and Cicero himself deemed it prudent to make a temporary retreat. He proceeded first to Rhegium, then crossing to Sicily, on the 1st of August he arrived at Syracuse, whence he sailed next day, and was driven back by cross winds to Leucopetra. Here he met with some people lately from Rome, who brought him news of an unexpected turn of affairs there towards a general pacification, so that he was induced to set out immediately on his return. He touched at Vella, where he had his last interview with Brutus, and arrived at the capital on the 318t. The senate mot the next morning, but Cicero, not finding things in the favourable state which he expected, was unwilling to meet Antony, and excused himself from attending, as being indisposed by the fatigue of his journey. The next day Antony was absent, and Cicero delivered the first of those orations which he called Philippics, as being rivals of the invectives which Demosthenes directed against the King of Macedon. The violence of this harangue committed hire; with Antony, and he again retired for security to some of his villas near Naples, where he composed and published the second Philippic. This speech, if that name can be given to what was never spoken, was a furious invective, well charged with falsehood, against the whole life of Antony, and was supposed to have been the chief cause of Cicero's death. The departure of Antony for Cisalpine Gaul left Rome again open to Cicero, who returned there on the 9th of December, and ten days after delivered his third Philippic, the chief object of which was to procure the sanction of the senate to the late proceedings of Octavianus in oppo sition to Antony. Haviog effected this object, he passed into the forum and harangued the people upon the same subject in his fourth Philippic. The ten other speeches bearing this name were delivered from time to time in the senate or the forum, to excite the people of Rome against Antony and his friends; but the prospects of the oligarchy were finally disappointed by the treachery of Octavianus and Lepiclue in joining their arms to Antony, and thus sharing the whole power of the state among them. The proscription which followed, though it can in no way be justified, was levelled against men who had been themselves assassins, or the avowed advocates and panegyrists of assassination. Cicero himself had lauded the murderers of Caesar as the greatest benefactors of their country ; nay, it is doubtful whether he was not himself privy to the conspiracy, though hamay have wanted the courage to use the dagger himself; and after wards when he found Antony iu his way, he repeatedly expressed his regret that the conspirators had not served up one more dish at the glorious feast of the Idea of March. Cicero was at his Tusculan villa with his brother and nephew when he received the news of the proscription, and of their being included in it. He fled to Astura on the coast, where he found a vessel ready to receive him, in which he immediately embarked, but was compelled by the weather to land again the same day near Circeii. The following day he embarked a
second time, but again landed at Caieta, whence he proceeded to his Format° villa. In the middle of the night his slaves informed him of the approach of the soldiers who were intrusted with the murderous commission ; lie made an attempt to escape in a litter, but being over taken in a wood, the scene was speedily finished. The assassins cut off his head and hands, says Plutarch, and carrying them to Rome, presented them to Antony, who bad them fixed up on the rostra in the forum. Cicero was killed on the 7th of December, in the year B.O. 43.
The works of Cicero have been repeatedly published in mass, as well as separately, but perhaps the best edition of his entire writings is that by Orellius. Of his separate works the following editions deserve particular notice. The Variorum,' as it is called, by Orsevius, containing the Orations, the Letters ad Familiares and ad Atticum, with one volume of his Philosophical Works. The notes of Menu tius are exceedingly valuable. 2, De Divinatione et de Fate,' G. H. Moser ; 3, `De Legibuaa Moser et Creuzor ; 4, 'De Nature Deorunia• by the same; 5, Ditto, by Heindorf; 6, De Republica.: by Moser ; 7, 'Oratio pro Cluentio,' by Classen; 8, 'Pro Milone,' by Orellius, 1826; 9, Pr6 Plancioa by Wunder ; 10, ' Orationes Philippierea by Werns dorff; 11, ' The Orations,' by Garatoni, at Naples ; and the 'Orations,' 3 vols. 8vo, and Cato Major sive de Senectute, Lrelius sive de Ami cital, et Epistolic Selectee,' by Mr. 0. Long. To those who value a correct text, Wunder's Collation of the Erfurdt Manuscript, published at Leipzig in 1827, will he of great service. The critical writings of Madvig of Copenhagen are also deserving of study, together with his excellent 'Disputation on Asconius.' Mention has been made of the doubts as to the genuineness of certain of the Orations. F. A. Wolf has examine) the claims of the four Orations, 'Poet ItteEtum in Senate,' ' Ad Quirites poet Reditum,"Pro Demo sue; and ' ISe Haruspicum in a volume published at Berlin in ISOL In the following year he published an edition of the • Pro Ilarcello,' with his reasons for believing it to be apurioua. In regard to the letters 'Ad Brutum,' see BRtTCS. The student of Cicero. writings should also possess the account of his Life,' by Conyers Middleton. It has been freely employed in this article, but the strong bliss of the author in favour of his hero has been thronghout oorrected from the writings of Cicero himself, more partioularly his letters to Atticus, which having been written in oonfidenos to an lutimata friend, and never intended for furnish a test fur trying the character of the writer such as few publio men could stand with Impunity. Middleton has made two great errors in forming his notion of Cicero and the men who lived In his times. He has believed all that he has said of himself, and all that he has said of his enemies ; and besides this, he hat, with something of disingenuity, softened down those points where he has unintentionally borne evidence against himselL The translations of Cieere's writings In English are not of great merit. One of the best is Ilelmoth's translation of the 'Letters ; but his style is too florid. The French language possesses an excellent trans lesion of the 'Letters to Atticus,' by tho Abbe Mongault, accom pealed by a Commentary no less excellent; and the German language has a still more valuable translation of all the 'Letters' in chrono logical order, by Wieland, with notes, and a number of historical chapters, which are tainted however with an undue partiality to Cieere. A most laborious and useful work for the student of these times, but still retaining much of the same prejudices, will be found in the 'History of Rome, in its transition from a republican to a monarchical form of government; or Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, and their Contemporaries,' by Professor Drumano, of Konigsberg. The work la drawn up in an alphabetical order according to the gentile names.