Pro Caelio Chapter By Chapter Flashcards
Chapter 51
Introduction to the crimes: the gold stolen from Clodia and the poison supposedly to kill Clodia
Chapter 52
Dilemma: did Caelius tell Clodia why he wanted the gold? Promiscuous woman plundered her Venus anyway
Chapter 53a
Balbus (prosecution) thinks Caelius lied about why he wanted the gold.
Dilemma: if they were friends Caelius would’ve said, if they weren’t she wouldn’t have given the gold.
Chapter 53b
Character argument - Caelius is a good man
Caelius knows not to use another man’s slaves, it would be too hard to keep secret.
Chapter 54a
Cicero waffles about how great an orator he is.
Lucius Lucceus is a good and knowing man, he surely would’ve known if there was a plot against him.
Lucceus is also under oath along with the jury so would be trusted.
Chapter 54b
Lucius Lucceus is an educated man, surely he would’ve known about the plot and stopped it.
Lucius Lucceus also cares about those in the countryside.
Chapter 55a
The Testimony of Lucius Lucceus
A trusted man under oath.
Chapter 55b
There is very little evidence.
Battle of the houses - Clodia’s lustful home from which the accusation is brought forth, and Lucceus’s reputable home from which his testimony is brought forth.
Chapter 56
The charge of the poison - Cicero has many questions
Cicero saying that the gold is bigger up so the poison is justified (neither is that serious)
Chapter 57a
Who did Caelius entrust the poison to?
Surely not the slaves of that woman, he’s smarter than that.
Chapter 57b
Clodia is supposed to be the mater familias but is in fact a meretrix.
Caelius obviously didn’t trust the slaves of THAT house (probably overly familiar with Clodia)
Chapter 58
Dilemma: If Caelius knew Clodia, he would’ve known not to trust the slaves, if he didn’t know her he also wouldn’t have trusted the slaves.
Slave for the purpose of dying.
Chapter 61
Publius Licinius (friend of Caelius) had poison and was told to go to Senian Baths in order to hand it over to some slaves.
If Caelius was familiar with Clodia, surely it wouldn’t have been weird if her slave was at his home.
Chapter 62
What Cicero wants the oppositions counter argument to be: Slaves would’ve told Clodia of Caelius’s evil plan and then she ordered the place to be the Senian Baths so that her friends could catch Licinius in the act.
Baths is a comedic setting - where would they hide? Or did Clodia bribe someone with her promiscuous ways?
Chapter 63a
The witnesses (Clodia’s friends) must be very virtuous and diligent men, who are very important (Cicero being sarcastic)
Chapter 63b
The oppositions idea: Clodia’s friends leap out too rashly and Licinius retracts his hand and flees
Personification of truth, it is almost a defender in court.
Chapter 64
The plan was for the men to catch Licinius and seize the poison, how did they fail?
There is no need to say they jumped out too early, whether he was holding it or not he could still be arrested.
Chapter 65
How would Clodia’s friends condemn Licinius?
They couldn’t have seen what had happened from where they were hidden, therefore they showed themselves at the very moment Licinius was handing over the poison.
Chapter 66
Why did the womanly band of men not seize Licinius? Did they think that strong men wouldn’t have been able to overcome a weak one?
Cicero waits with ‘pleasurable anticipation’ for those witnesses.
Chapter 67a
Cicero wants to ask the witnesses where they hid, how, and why they were incapable of arresting an outnumbered man.
Chapter 67b
Cicero implying that those witnesses perhaps shouldn’t be trusted
Let them be extravagant and let them be sparing of the life and fortune of an innocent man
Chapter 68
Those slaves have been given freedom (advised by her relatives, maybe she’s not all bad)
Why was a charge contrived against Caelius? Why was the idea of torture removed? Why was a reward paid out with good reason to slaves who were privy to her many affairs?
