Marcus Tullius Cicero

Along the Clivus Victoriae rests the house of the great Orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero. A well placed house, fitting to winners – like Cicero. But alas, the great man was not feeling all too great these last months; it wasn’t a digestive problem, though he had enough of these as time went on, keeping the greatest Orator of his time – and Cicero reminded himself of the title often enough these past few weeks – folded in two and unable to get up from his bed. No, it wasn’t such a trivial problem Marcus Tullius Cicero was facing. All his life, Cicero strived to be the first among his fellow citizens. “Always be the best and by far excel the others” Cicero was declaring that was his life goal in almost every tone, even in his youth, when he was a nobody; a hayseed from the rustic town of Arpinum, a local square and nothing more than that. He passed through tough times when he was falling rapidly from his greatest triumphs to his worst defeats but at the age of forty three he had done it all; the first Tullius to enter the Senate, the first Tullius to sit upon the ivory curule chair of the Roman Consul, the first Tullius to be even named Father of the Fatherland. And now? Now what was he, the famous Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Pater Patrie, the defender of the Republic from the likes of Catiline and Verres? Now, an old man at last, wiser and more temperate, Cicero was been forced out of the spotlight, out of the first place he had worked so hard to gain. He was merely the advisor to Great Caesar, a mere instrument to his plans as many argued. And he could see it upon the faces of his fellow countrymen when they saluted him on the streets (not as warmly or as fitting to his achievements as Cicero noted with the gravest desolation), he could see it on the faces of his fellow Senators that now he was Marcus Tullius Cicero, the fortune hunter, the arivist, the betrayer of the Republican mores. He chose to conform and profit from the situation as many men had done – as Pompey and even the noble Brutus! Oh, what times we live in!

But Cicero was not without shame. He had indeed capitulated to Julius Caesar, that much was true. But Cicero was guaranteed the restoration of the Republic and maybe on the process of doing so another Consular term. Instead he had watched Julius Caesar bringing legislation after legislation(or more likely edict after edict after edict – not even Sulla was so productive!), first diminishing the power of the provincial governors, and then giving more and more power to the office of the Consul – but he fooled not Cicero that what Caesar was actually doing was giving himself more administrative, more real powers while the poor fools he chose to act as his colleagues for the year were simply besides him in the Senate sessions for show. So, there he was, hiding on his villa pretending to be ill or unable to attend the Senate session, drinking lots of wine in social events, waiting for the City to come to it’s senses. It was the only honourable thing to do; “dear Marcus, you have no honour!” Cicero reminded himself – if he had, he would never have reconciled himself with Caesar.

The only consolation in his old age now that he had dispensed with poor Terentia was his beloved daughter, the dearest Tulliola. Oh, how he adored her; the modesty, the cleverness! A faithful image and celebration of her great Tata, Tullia was! In contrary to young Marcus who was most at home doing nothing but waste the Tullian fortune to eat, drink and be merry like some new Publius Clodius! But, Cicero was adamant; he would make a philosopher of Marcus Cicero Junior yet! Even if he demanded the military career like his own brother, Quintus he would do it! He would make Cicero Junior a fine orator and speaker of the crowds, a ground mover, the human form of Neptune himself, quaking and thundering the Forum with his speeches! After all, military glory was all well and good (but for the likes of a Marcus Antonius rather than a Marcus Cicero!) while the honesty of the soul and the eloquence of the tongue were eternal; yes, under his vigilant glance and intervention, he could be saved still!

This being the alternative persona of Lvcivs Junius, citizen of Rome.