How to Run a CountRy How to Run a CountRy an ancient Guide for Modern Leaders Marcus tullius Cicero Selected, translated, and with an introduction by Philip Freeman PRinCeton univeRsity PRess PRinCeton and oxfoRd Copyright © 2013 by Philip Freeman Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, Princeton university Press Published by Princeton university Press, 41 william Street Princeton, new Jersey 08540 In the united Kingdom: Princeton university Press, 6 oxford Street, woodstock, oxfordshire oX20 1tw press.princeton.edu all Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cicero, Marcus tullius. [Selections. English] How to run a country : an ancient guide for modern leaders / Marcus tullius Cicero ; selected, translated, and with an introduction by Philip Freeman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBn 978-0-691-15657-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Cicero, Marcus tullius—translations into English. 2. Cicero, Marcus tullius—Political and social views. 3. Political science—Early works to 1800. 4. Leadership—Early works to 1800. I. Freeman, Philip, 1961– II. title. Pa6278.a3F74 2013 320—dc23 2012030811 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available this book has been composed in Stempel Garamond and Futura Printed on acid-free paper. ∞ Printed in the united States of america 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Contents Introduction vii How to Run a Country 1 Natural Law 1 Balance of Power 4 Leadership 6 Friends and Enemies 16 Persuasion 24 Compromise 30 Money and Power 36 Immigration 43 War 46 Corruption 49 Tyranny 56 Cicero’s Epilogue: The Fallen State 66 Latin texts 68 ContEntS Passages Translated 115 Glossary 121 Further Reading 131 vi intRoduCtion I seem to read the history of all ages and nations in every page— and especially the history of our country for forty years past. Change the names and every anecdote will be applicable to us. — John adams on Middleton’s Life of Cicero Marcus tullius Cicero was born in 106 BC, four hundred years after Rome had expelled her last king and established the Republic. Cicero was from the small country town of arpinum in the hills southeast of Rome. It was also the home of Gaius Marius, who had scandalized the aris- tocracy of the Roman senate with his populist politics and reorganization of the army into a volunteer force with no property qualifications for service. when Cicero was still a toddler, vii IntRoDuCtIon Marius saved Rome from an invasion by Ger- manic tribes from across the alps and cemented his hold on political power. Cicero’s family was of modest means, but his father was determined to give Marcus and his younger brother Quintus the best educa- tion possible. the boys studied history, phi- losophy, and rhetoric in Rome with the finest teachers of the day. as a young man, Marcus served a short and undistinguished term in the army, after which he began his legal training in Rome. one of Cicero’s first cases as a lawyer was defending a man named Roscius unjustly accused of killing his father. this put young Cicero at odds with Sulla, the Roman dictator at the time, and his corrupt administration. It was a brave act, and Roscius was acquitted, but when the trial was finished Cicero thought it best to remove himself from Rome to pursue his studies in Greece and Rhodes. viii IntRoDuCtIon after Sulla died and Rome had returned to republican government, Cicero began his rise through the ranks of the magistrates from quaestor to praetor and at last, after a hard-won campaign, to the office of consul, the highest office in the Republic. But the country Cicero ruled over during his year in office was not the same one his ancestors had known. the small village on the banks of the tiber River had grown to an empire stretching across the Medi- terranean. the simple ways of heroes such as the fabled Cincinnatus, who returned to his plough after being called to lead his country in war, had given way to corruption and abuse at home and abroad. the citizen armies of years past had be- come professional soldiers loyal to their gener- als rather than the state. Sulla’s march on Rome and the subsequent slaughter of his political op- ponents had set a terrible precedent that would never be forgotten. the bonds of constitutional ix IntRoDuCtIon government were coming apart even as Cicero rose to the heights of Roman power. to make matters worse, the political factions of the day refused to listen to each other, the economy was stagnating, and unemployment was an ongoing threat to civic stability. During Cicero’s term as consul, the dis- gruntled nobleman Catiline tried to violently overthrow the senate, only to be stopped by Cicero and his allies. But three years later Pom- pey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar formed a tri- umvirate to rule Rome behind the scenes. they invited Cicero to join them, but he wanted nothing to do with such an unconstitutional arrangement. Still, he owed a great deal to Pompey for his support over the years and was impressed with the promise of Caesar. Cicero bided his time, tried to maintain good relations with all parties, and waited for the return of his beloved Republic. x