An vērō ūllam ūsquam esse ōram tam dēsertam putātis, quō nōn illīus diēī fāma pervāserit, cum ūniversus populus Rōmānus refertō forō complētīsque omnibus templīs, ex quibus hic locus cōnspicī potest, ūnum sibi ad commūne omnium gentium bellum Cn. Pompēium imperātōrem dēpoposcit? Itaque, ut plūra nōn dīcam neque aliōrum exemplīs cōnfīrmem, quantum auctōritās valeat in bellō, ab eōdem Cn. Pompēiō omnium rērum ēgregiārum exempla sūmantur; quī quō diē ā vōbīs maritimō bellō praepositus est imperātor, tanta repente vīlitās annonae ex summā inopiā et cāritāte reī frūmentāriae cōnsecūta est ūnīus hominis spē ac nōmine, quantam vix ex summā ūbertāte agrōrum diūturna pāx efficere potuisset.

44: Case study I: the socio-economics of Pompey’s auctoritas

After the introductory paragraph on auctoritas, Cicero now offers the circumstances surrounding the passing of the lex Gabinia (the bill proposed by the tribune Aulus Gabinius in the previous year, which gave Pompey the extraordinary command against the pirates) as an illustration of Pompey’s auctoritas...[full essay]

Study Questions:

  • oram: why does Cicero use this particular word as opposed to, say, regionem? What kind of implications does it have?
  • What kind of construction does putatis introduce?
  • Specify and explain the mood of pervaserit.
  • What kind of construction are referto foro and completis omnibus templis?
  • hic locus: what place in Rome is Cicero talking about?
  • What kind of clause is ut plura non dicam neque aliorum exemplis confirmem?
  • What kind of clause is quantum auctoritas valeat in bello?
  • Specify and explain the mood of sumantur.
  • Explain the syntax of qui.
  • What kind of ablative is a vobis?
  • On what words does the genitive unius hominis depend and what kinds (! plural intended) of genitive is it?
  • What kind of ablatives are spe and nomine?
  • Parse potuisset and explain the mood.
  • illius diei fama: how does Cicero convey the atmosphere in Rome on this day?

Stylistic Appreciation:

Discuss the ways in which Cicero relates Pompey to the Roman commonwealth (and the world as a whole) with reference to the comprehensive, superlative, and extreme expressions in the paragraph (e.g. ullam ... oram, tam desertam, universus populus Romanus omnibus templis, ad commune omnium gentium bellum, omnium rerum egregiarum exempla, summa ubertate agrorum, diuturna pax).

Discussion Point:

Explore the correlation between the appointment of Pompey as general in the war against the pirates and the ensuing drop in the price of corn in Rome. Why is this ‘cause-and-effect’ relationship between a political decision and its economic consequences such a brilliant illustration of Pompey’s auctoritas?

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Suggested Citation

Ingo Gildenhard, Louise Hodgson, et al., Cicero, On Pompey’s Command (De Imperio), 27–49. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-78374-080-2. DCC edition, 2016.https://dcc.dickinson.edu/sv/cicero-de-imperio/44