On Government (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (Author), Michael Grant (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: March 1, 1994

These pioneering writings on the mechanics, tactics, and strategies of government were devised by the Roman Republic's most enlightened thinker.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

An accomplished poet, philosopher, rhetorician, and humorist, Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC- 43 BC) was also the greatest forensic orator Rome ever produced. To Cicero, service to the res publica (literally, "the public affair") was a Roman citizen's highest duty. At age 26 (in 80 BC), he successfully defended a man prosecuted unjustly by a crony of the bloodthirsty dictator Sulla. In 69 BC, he brought to order the corrupt Sicilian governor Verres. As consul in 63 BC, he put down the Catilinarian conspiracy; later, he was sent into exile for refusing to join the First Triumvirate. Late in life, he led the Senate's gallant but unsuccessful battle against Antony, for which he paid with his life on 7 December 43 BC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 421 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140445951
• ISBN-13: 978-0140445954
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Latin

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rewarding Reading, Average Translation, April 4, 2005

By 

Lao Tzu "chow-dog" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Government (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I want to talk about the selection first and then the translation of this book, Cicero: On Government.
First, the selection: the Verres oration, Brutus, and the Philippics are the three main reasons that why you should buy this book. "For Balbus" is only a selection (so don't be fooled!), and "For Murena" and "The Republic" and "The Laws" are available in Oxford World's Classics. (As a general rule, don't buy penguin if the same thing is also published by Oxford.)
Second, the translation: Michael Grant's translation is only of average quality. (See my comment on "Cicero: Selected Works"). If you want to read excellent translation of Cicero's works, I'd strongly recommend "Cicero: Defence Speeches" translated by D.H. Berry, which included a better translated version of "For Murena".
Finally, this book was first published in 1993, and "Cicero: Selected Works" in 1960. If you compare these two books, you can see moderate improvements in Michael Grant's translation. However, his translation in 1993 is barely OK, while his in 1960 is terrible. Unfortunately, the Verres oration, Brutus, and the Philippics are still not published by Oxford, so you are stuck with Grant's translation unless you want to buy the expensive Loeb Classic edition.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVER OF THE CLASSICS, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: On Government (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Cicero is the greatest of latin writers. His knowledge is so wide. This book brings together many of his thoughts on government.This book makes it obvious how much he loved the republican form of government. Our founding fathers were widely read on Cicero's treatise's and rightly so. Excellent reading.

4.0 out of 5 stars "On Being a Politician", really, October 1, 2011

By 

Peter Monks (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: On Government (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Despite the title, most of "On Government" actually reflects the arts and compromises of politics as practiced by Cicero rather than a systemic or philosophical view of the relationship between a state and its citizens. The opening chapters of speeches to prosecute a political opponent or defend allies (charged with pretty similar crimes) are entertaining, but do more to demonstrate Cicero's suppleness and flexibility in reconciling his principles with the requirements of practical politics than to articulate a coherent vision of governance. Similarly, "The Brutus" is a lengthy and interesting guide to Cicero's view of what comprised effective oratory - and discusses examples of various successful contemporary speakers - but is more akin to a modern politician describing tactically and electorally successful peers in his/her memoirs rather than a discussion of policies or principles.

This leaves somewhat less than a quarter of the book to actually discuss the principles and practices required in office rather than illustrating the methods required to get there in the first place. The relatively short "On The State" and "On Laws" seek to combine a defence of traditional practices with measures to limit the scope and power of laws and officials, while the concluding "Philippics" are powerful (and under the circumstances, courageous) public attacks on Mark Antony's attempts to succeed Julius Caesar as dictator, although even these attacks take the necessity of old republican practices as safeguards against a dictatorship as givens rather than arguing for their necessity from first principles.

As a whole, "On Government" is more effective at illustrating Cicero's efforts to reconcile his liberal principles with pragmatism and tradition than at articulating either highly developed principles of governance or discussing in detail possible systems of governance. While interesting and entertaining, "On Government" is not the best place to start if seeking an introduction to classical political thought.