Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Legibus [On the laws]

Timothy Caspar (Hillsdale College)
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De Legibus

(for the Latin text, see Powell 2006; prior to Powell’s edition, the authoritative Latin text was Ziegler 1950. For the English translation, see Zetzel 1999; also Rudd 1998; and Keyes 1994 [1928], though in many cases the translation is inconsistent and unreliable) is a dialogue written by the Roman orator, statesman, and political philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 – 43 BC), featuring three

dramatis personae

: Marcus (commonly held to be Cicero himself), his brother Quintus, and his dear friend Atticus. The dialogue consists of three books: the first examines the universal foundation of just laws, the second and third promulgate and explain the laws of religion and the laws of the magistracy, respectively. The only one of Cicero’s works not mentioned in his…

3848 words

Citation: Caspar, Timothy. "De Legibus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 September 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13351, accessed 19 March 2024.]

13351 De Legibus 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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