M. Tullius Cicero, De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites, ed. Albert Curtis Clark, 28

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[28] ego enim sic existimo, in summo imperatore quattuor has res inesse oportere, scientiam rei militaris, virtutem, auctoritatem, felicitatem¹. quis igitur hoc homine scientior umquam aut fuit aut esse debuit? qui e ludo atque e² pueritiae disciplinis bello maximo atque acerrimis hostibus ad patris exercitum atque in militiae disciplinam profectus est, qui extrema pueritia miles in exercitu³ summi fuit⁴ imperatoris, ineunte adulescentia maximi ipse exercitus imperator, qui saepius cum hoste conflixit quam quisquam cum inimico concertavit, plura bella gessit quam ceteri legerunt, pluris provincias confecit quam alii concupiverunt, cuius adulescentia ad scientiam rei militaris non alienis praeceptis sed suis imperiis, non offensionibus belli sed victoriis, non stipendiis sed triumphis est erudita. quod denique genus esse belli⁵ potest in quo illum non exercuerit fortuna rei publicae? civile, Africanum, Transalpinum, Hispaniense mixtum ex civibus⁶ atque ex⁷ bellicosissimis nationibus⁸, servile, navale bellum, varia et diversa genera et bellorum et hostium non solum gesta ab hoc uno sed etiam confecta nullam rem esse declarant in usu positam militari quae huius⁹ viri¹⁰ scientiam fugere possit.

De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites. M. Tullius Cicero. ed. Albert Curtis Clark. Oxford. 1908.

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Current edition Perseus

De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites (Latin) (Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Volume 1. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.)

Translations (1)

In Defense of the Proposed Manilian Law Perseus (Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Volume 2. Yonge, Charles Duke, translator. London: Bell, 1856.) — 28 focus

[28] For I think that these four qualities are indispensable in a great general,—knowledge of military affairs, valour, authority and good fortune. Who, then, ever was, or ought to have been, better acquainted with military affairs than this man? who, the moment that he left school and finished his education as a boy, at a time when there was a most important war going on, and most active enemies were banded against us, went to his father's army and to the discipline of the camp; who, when scarcely out of his boyhood, became a soldier of a consummate general,—when entering on manhood, became himself the general of a mighty army; who has been more frequently engaged with the enemy, than any one else has ever disputed with an adversary; who has himself, as general, conducted more wars than other men have read of; who has subdued more provinces than other men have wished for; whose youth was trained to the knowledge of military affairs, not by the precepts of others, but by commanding himself,—not by the disasters of war, but by victories,—not by campaigns, but by triumphs. In short, what description of war can there be in which the fortune of the republic has not given him practice? Civil war, African war, Transalpine war, Spanish war, promiscuous war of the most warlike cities and nations, servile war, naval war, every variety and diversity of wars and of enemies, has not only been encountered by this one man, but encountered victoriously; and these exploits show plainly that there is no circumstance, in military practice which can elude the knowledge of this man.

Notes on the current edition

De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites

1. facilitatem t

2. atque e HW: atque cett.

3. in exercitu om. δπ

4. fuit summi Eb

5. esse belli HE: belli esse cett.

6. civibus Gulielmius: civilibus H: civitatibus cett.

7. atque ex et H: atque b

8. mixtum... nationibus del. Bloch

9. huius om. H

10. viri om. b1

Commentary

Notes on The Manilian Law (Select Orations of Cicero (Allen and Greenough's Edition). Greenough, James Bradstreet; Kittredge, George Lyman, editors. Boston, London: Ginn & Company, 1897.) focus

bello . . . hostibus : loc. abl. expressing the circumstances; we may translate by a clause with when.

ad patris exercitum : Pompey, then seventeen years old, served with his father, Cn. Pompeius Strabo, consul B.C. 89, the last year of the Social War.

summi imperatoris : his father, who commanded on the side of the Senate against Cinna, B.C. 87.

imperator : in B.C. 83 the young Pompey raised an army (chiefly from his father's immense estates in Picenum) and joined Sulla, who complimented him as imperator, although he had not yet held even the quaestorship.

quisquam , used on account of the neg. idea in saepius quam; see note on cujusquam, p. 78, l. 25 .

inimico , a private adversary (e.g. before a court).

imperiis : all Pompey's commands had been either assumed by him or irregularly conferred upon him until he obtained the consulship in B.C. 70.

Civile , Africanum, etc.: Pompey's exploits in these various wars are referred to in the same order but in greater detail below (sects. 30 - 35 ), where see notes. The last mentioned, that with the pirates ( bellum navale), is of course specially dwelt on (sects. 31 - 35 ).

M. Tullius Cicero De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites 28

ed. Albert Curtis Clark

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