The Life of Cicero

Anthony Trollope's The Life of Cicero is a spirited, carefully ordered biography of Rome's greatest orator and statesman, following his rise from education and early legal work through the consulship, the Catiline conspiracy, and the political crises that ended in exile. Trollope does more than recount events: he mounts a forceful defense of Cicero's patriotism, sincerity, courage, and public usefulness, challenging hostile modern critics and arguing that his private letters and political hesitations have been unfairly judged. He presents Cicero as a man of moral feeling, domestic virtue, and self-denying devotion to the Republic, whose brilliance as a speaker was matched by civic integrity. Rich in historical and literary reference, the book places Cicero amid the fierce struggles over Senate power, popular rights, bribery, and reform, while also exploring his dealings with figures such as Catiline, Cornelius, Murena, and Pompey. The result is both biography and vindication: a portrait of a contested yet enduringly admirable defender of Roman liberty. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.