Cicero Speech on Behalf of Publius Sestius

This volume contains a new translation of, and commentary on, Cicero's defense of Publius Sestius against a charge of public violence. Pro Sestio is arguably the most important of Cicero's political speeches that survive from the nearly two decades separating the Speeches against Catiline and the Second Philippic. Its account of recent history provides any student of Rome with a fascinating way into the period; its depiction of public meetings, demonstrations, and violence are highly pertinent to the current debate on the place of "the crowd in Rome in the late Republic"; the speech is also among the best introductions we have to traditional Republican values and ethics in action.

Robert A. Kaster is Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin, Princeton University.