I'm John Batchel of Professor Josiah Osgood, and we're watching Cicero go back and forth between his

loyalties, his ambition and his luck. He's now in his 60th year, 63rd year, I believe, 62nd, 63rd year.

And he's worn out his welcome anywhere in Rome, so he's trying to find a side in the civil war underway after Caesar's death.

Mark Antony is the righteous avenger of the death of Caesar. Brutus and his conspirators believe

they are the republic. They're going to save the republic by defeating Mark Anthony, who is a bully

and untrustworthy, which, by the way, is not inaccurate.

However, Cicero chooses badly.

How does he make up his mind on this, Josiah?

Yeah, so Cicero has good political antennae, actually, I'd like to say, except when his own sort of personal reputation is on the line.

Maybe this is a common problem among all of us.

And then we get blinded a little bit.

So he wants to actually stay out of kind of politics after the assassination of Caesar, maybe encourage Brutus a little

bit, Cassius. But he's planning to leave Italy for a while. Actually, he even considers going

to the Olympic Games as a tourist, right? This is a sign of where Cicero's mind was. But then something changes,

and it's a bit mysterious, but he's on the ship. He's actually back in Sicily visiting his old

friends. And we're told by him, a storm blows him back to Italy. And he hears some encouraging news about Brutus, and he decides, this is my moment.

I've got to go back and fight for the Republic that I've defended my whole life.

And he goes back to Rome and starts, you know, basically trashing Antony

in speeches. Those are the Philippics, right? The famous Philip's right. That's right. And,

and they survive these speeches. There's one of them that Sister never even gave, but he wrote it up as if he gave it.

It's sort of a pamphlet.

It's incredibly vicious but also funny.

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