On Ends

On Ends by Cicero transports us to the life and times of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE), a renowned Roman lawyer, orator, politician, and philosopher. Cicero's era was marked by the rise and fall of Julius Caesar amidst a fragile republic. Through his political speeches and extensive correspondence, we gain insight into the excitement, tension, and intrigue of Roman politics, alongside Cicero's significant role in the turbulent events of the time.

Out of approximately 106 known speeches delivered before the Roman populace or the Senate, if political, and before jurors, if judicial, 58 have survived, though some only partially. In the fourteenth century, Petrarch and other Italian humanists discovered manuscripts with over 900 letters, more than 800 penned by Cicero himself, and nearly 100 others addressed to him. These letters provide a vivid revelation of Cicero's personality, made even more remarkable because they were mostly not intended for publication.

Cicero's legacy includes six surviving rhetorical works and another in fragments. His philosophical oeuvre boasts seven extant major compositions among various others, some of which are lost, alongside original poetry and translations from Greek literature.

The authoritative Loeb Classical Library edition of Cicero's works is presented in an impressive collection of twenty-nine volumes, capturing the full scope of his contributions to Roman thought and literature.