Pro Caelio

About “Pro Caelio”

Pro Caelio is a speech delivered by the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero on 4 April 56 BC. It was given in defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus, a former student of Cicero who had grown distant from him. The exact reasons for Cicero's defense of Caelius are unclear, but it may have been influenced by his strong opposition to Publius Clodius Pulcher. Clodius had previously enacted a law that led to Cicero's exile, and Cicero criticizes Clodius' sister harshly in the speech. The speech reflects Cicero's political motivations and his ongoing conflict with Clodius. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)