Marcus Terentius Varro - On the Acta of Caesar

Now, senators, we must consider what to do with the acta of a leader who seized a position that was neither his to take nor ours to give. And given that a position that does not exist holds no authority, we might throw out all the acts he decreed after his last elected dictatorship expired. Would you, senator, follow a man who claimed to be consul without examining his name and rank? When the fingertip points to the sun at midnight, the fool will not look at the finger.

And yet, were we to look at them in another way, we should not be so hasty to abandon Caesar’s acta. All of his known acta, all that he either began construction on or announced intent to construct, serve as possibilities to glorify Rome. I think it only right, then, that we the senate consider the fate of these constructions, and the remaining decrees that Marc Antony holds, intrinsically, regardless of their connections to Caesar. I shall begin with my thoughts on the known and incomplete acta.

A temple to Mars, as proposed, would serve as a fitting tribute to a deity who has smiled so favorably upon the Romans throughout our existence. I fear what might befall us should be abandon and demolish the work in place.

As for the theatre and constant pool for sea-battles on the Tarpeian hill, these are luxuries, the sesterces for which we could find better use.

A reduction of the civil code would help ensure that our rule and our justice run smoothly throughout our territories. Yet I would suggest an independent examination of the codes rather than blindly follow the revisions of one man.

Of the library, I cannot speak impartially. But I would ask the senate to consider two things. First, what terrible loss have we incurred by the destruction of the library of Alexandria? Second, what would it mean to Roman knowledge, scholarship, thought, and glory to have a library as grand, nay, grander than that of Alexandria? And consider, dear senators, that Rome, not Greece, could truly become the intellectual center of the civilized world.

To drain the Pomptine marshes and divert some of Lake Fucinus would be to claim much new farmland for the Roman people. It would also be costly, both in wealth and in lives. We must consider if we indeed required more farmland before we drain any further.

Both the highway from the Adriatic to the Tiber and the canal through the Corinthian isthmus will bring more trade to Rome. I fail to see why we should not construct either.

The Dacians, as we know, have made advances into Pontus and Thrace. I am not a man ready to cede any part of the fatherland to barbarians, yet I fear the success of any check in the midst of our political turmoil. If we are divided to any significant degree regarding the Dacians, the campaign will fall from public scorn and the unease of the soldiers.

By extension, any declaration of war on the Parthians lies beyond our grasp. We can neither divide our attention nor gamble so heavily with public opinion while we still settle the affairs of Caesar.

I began my address to you, senators, with a warning: to be wary of the agent of an action. Now, I urge you also not to be unduly prejudiced against an action because of the agent. We do not reject agriculture because the Gauls engage in it, nor hunting because it is the sport of dogs. I would advise the senate to consider each of Caesar’s proposals as just that—another proposal, to be judged as proper or not for this republic.

Marcus Terentius Varro - On What to Do with the Assassins

Senators, it is in the aftermath of one of the strangest wakes of my lifetime that we gather to determine the fate of those who inspired it. Caesar rests, and his followers from all who walk the streets of Rome came to witness, despite the will of the Senate. Now we senators also must wake—both to our moral consciences and to the will of the people, for whom the assailants say they acted.

Caesar, as I have noted, has done much both great and terrible for Rome and for the Senate. I will not speak again of his territorial gains, of his clemency for the exiled, of his constructions within Rome itself. Nor will I remind you of his march against the city, of the white sash and laurel that decorated his monument, of his grasping for a perpetual singular authority. He was a decidedly political figure, and his assailants struck him down for decidedly political reasons. They wished us to return to the age of the Republic, to a period of growth and prosperity that has lasted us more than four hundred years. Perhaps he wished to return Rome to the age of kings, to the age of Tullius and Superbus. I shall not pretend to know the aspirations of the dead, nor shall I pretend to know absolutely the right path for Rome. I have read enough of our literature to know that either such assumption is ill-advised.

I’m old, senators. I may not look it, but I feel it. Very thin—sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. And I do not have the youthful certitude to that I, or others in the Senate, may judge correctly within a single meeting.

Therefore, let the case go to the quaestio de vi, the court of political violence. The decision regarding these assailants, especially considering their number and the complexity of the situation, requires the adequate gathering of information and argumentation that comes with such a case. Republicans, would you doubt the abilities of Cicero or others to argue such a case? And Caesarians, if you cannot find a strong enough scholar and wit on your side, I fail to see why the Roman people should entrust you to lead our fatherland.

Senators, this is a time of great turmoil, but not a time to forget ourselves. We are neither barroom brawlers nor petulant children whining over the loss of some bauble. We are the voice and rule of the people, and we would do well to act with the care, coolness, and rationality that befit a Roman senator. May Jupiter look kindly upon the just.

Marcus Terentius Varro - On the Death of Caesar

Senators, we gather today to acknowledge the death of Gaius Julius Caesar and to determine what is to be done with his remains. Caesar, as we must recognize, is a man of great yet conflicted importance to Rome and its people. He has expanded our territories with arms and men, and has invaded our city with the same. He has restored many of us here today from exile, myself included, and has diminished their importance by his dictatorship. He has captured the hearts of the Roman people, and has tried to establish a terrible precedent to remove their voices.

Senators, I will not pretend that I have received no privilege from Caesar, nor can I condone the manner by which the assailants slew him. But regardless of my feelings, Caesar’s death is immutable. All that we may decide is how to treat the body of this man.

Considering all the glories Caesar has earned and wrought for Rome, it would be a shame to see Caesar’s body lost in the Tiber River. What the conspirators slew Caesar for was a matter of potential harm Caesar posed to the republic and not actual harm having already been done. It, therefore, seems as unjust to me to dispose of the man so callously as it would to execute in the same manner a man who gathered knives and poisons but had yet committed no murder. Neither Caesar nor any man should be punished so harshly for actions untaken.

At the same time, his claim for himself as perpetual dictator, without the blessing of the senate and with an heir besides, is a serious offense, and a man who would steal such a position does not deserve the grand procession and deification proposed here. As I have said, Caesar has tried to establish a terrible precedent to isolate power in one man, whom we may not always trust to speak for the good of the people.

I propose that we instead grant it to the family and friends of Caesar to hold a private burial. For all his actions both inspiring and unsettling, Caesar was a citizen of Rome—nothing more or less. We would dishonor ourselves to deny Caesar this final rite, taking away as much freedom as his later action threatened to take from Rome. Further, we would deny one of the oldest stories on the matter in our history. As I’m certain all of you were taught as small boys, after Remus taunted his brother Romulus and leapt over the wall of Rome, our great founder slew his brother in anger. Yet, by certain accounts, after all battle ceased, Romulus gave his brother a proper burial. Now, I ask you senators, were the actions of Caesar truly worse than those of Remus, the betrayer of his brother and first enemy of Rome?

I should wish that none of us spoke so severely about Caesar, for to do whether favorably or unfavorably would be to distort the memory of Caesar. Grant him a proper, private burial if you wish to preserve the dignity of our fatherland.

Poem 6-Catullus on Antony

Hello man with the suave voice and the pretty face.

Just because you have the means to please people artificially,

do not think that we the senate can be held captive by your persuasive speech.

For even you Antony must be truthful to yourself (which we all know you were not).

Those who used to follow you have left your side. Is this not proof your stupidity in the trickery?

For treason against Rome will not go unpunished.

Just as you so desire to convict the conspirators for treason

We all wish to convict you of the same crime.

And while you have a few men who follow you like puppy dogs follow a mother,

Dependent on her appreciation and affirmation in order live happily,

The rest of the senate has grown a brain, used our eyes, and seen you for what you truly are...

A liar, a traitor, and a power hungry hazard to Rome .

Gaius Matius on the Acta, and M. Antony

Romans,

I am greatly angered at the events occurring within our Senate. I continually stood behind Caesar in my speeches, and after reading his acta, I once again urge each of you to recognize his good intentions. Logic clearly has reached none of the opposition here today, so I shall say it simply. Caesar is not a tyrant! He has the greatest love for Rome of anyone, rivaled only by Marcus Antonius in political matters.

On that note, my anger increases. I have stood behind this man in letters, meetings of the Senate and in my heart. I am astounded at the level of mistrust. Caesar, unaware of his future misdeeds, appointed Brutus as consul, blurring our currently drawn lines of Republican and Caesarian. This "liberator" shouldn't be given anything but a trial. And in what sort of backwards world do we live in that Marc Antony is tried BEFORE murderers? We must act on our beliefs, Romans, and carry out Caesar's acta as planned. Remember the greatness of a unified government. Do not let civil unrest erupt from your misguided judgments and misplaced trials. Trust in your fellow man and dismiss this prideful way of governing.

Gaius Matius

An Egyptian Reaction to Recent Senatorial Meetings

My dear Roman friends,

Upon receiving word from my interwebs of slaves and a detailed summary of the latest senatorial meeting, I am simply appalled by the audacity of a few of its members. Where do I begin? First of all, I find it utterly ridiculous that the trial of Marc Antony be held before the trial of the conspirators, who unlawfully murdered the leader of this fair nation. Let's use our minds that the gods have granted us, dear Romans. Does it make sense to bring someone to trial on accusations of forgery, which are completely unfounded and clearly biased due to personal feelings towards others in the senate before a disgusting and untrustworthy murderer? Along with this, let me remind you all that your senate is halfway filled with liars and cheaters who seek personal gain either through military or monetary purposes. I for one can think of a handful of Romans who thought that they would be in power and still hope to be, even if that means using force or intimidation.

It tears at my heart to see the direction in which this senate is going: creating political factions, not trusting one another, and forgetting the man that loved Rome and all within it.

Brutus is a murderer and all that associate with him I can safely call the same. If you befriend a murder, you are just as worthless and evil. Dolabella is greedy and wants nothing but more money and more power. If you befriend the greedy, you will become just as selfish. Lepidus is power hungry and wants to increase his military reserves. If you befriend a power hungry man, you will become just as ruthless.

I pray that the senate can calm itself and see the light. The will and acta of Caesar have always been the word of Caesar. These documents were not changed by Marcus Antonius; the men that claim this are those who should not be trusted.

Cleopatra VII

Ps. My children were not even mentioned in the will, and I still care more about your nation and the direction it is heading than most of you ever could. Toodles.

The trial of Marcus Antonius

Patres conscripti (and Cleopatra),

Based on the precedent of the Bona Dea scandal (a trial in which Cicero crushed that scam, Clodius, as you all remember), the trial of Marc Antony will be conducted by the Senate. Dolabella is responsible for bringing forth the charges and proposing a penalty.

All Senators are required to voice their opinion on the issue. Should they wish to pose questions to the defendant, he has the right to respond however he wishes, i.e. either on the spot or after each speech.