Skip to main content

Primary sourceSpeech52 BCE

Pro Milone

Cicero · 52 BCE

Cicero's speech defending his friend Milo, accused of murdering Clodius Pulcher, published after the trial where Cicero's delivery had been drowned out.

Cicero wrote and delivered this speech defending his friend Milo, later publishing a polished version.

Ask Cicero about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Photograph of a manuscript page in brown ink Latin handwriting on pale vellum, with a large illuminated initial E in blue, pink and green with gold foliage and small decorative creatures in the left margin. Dark background.
Cicero, Pro Milone, 52 BC. Page from a 15th-century Italian manuscript.

About this source

What it is

Pro Milone is a speech written by Cicero in 52 BC to defend his friend Titus Annius Milo, accused of killing his political rival Publius Clodius Pulcher on the Via Appia. Cicero delivered a version at the actual trial, but the text that survives was written up afterward. The image shown is a page from a 15th-century Italian manuscript containing copies of Cicero's speeches.

Why it matters

The case exposed the violent factional politics of the late Roman Republic, pitting supporters of Milo against the mob loyal to Clodius. Cicero argued that killing Clodius had been in the Republic's interest, showing how he mixed legal argument with political persuasion. Despite his efforts, Milo was convicted.

Look closer

  • Why might Cicero have rewritten his speech after losing the case?
  • What does the courtroom chaos described around the trial tell you about Roman politics?
  • How does Cicero try to make a killing sound justified?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Cicero on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Cicero sources

Meet the AI Cicero →
Manuscript page numbered 169 in Latin, handwritten in brown ink with a decorated illuminated initial letter in the upper left in red, green, and blue with gold accents. The text begins with the opening words of Cicero's first Catilinarian oration, 'Quo usque tandem abutere...'.Speech

Primary source

Catiline Orations

Cicero · 63 BCE

Engraved print of a bust of Marcus Tullius Cicero, shown in three-quarter view facing right. The bust has curly hair, a draped toga over the shoulder, and sits on a round stepped pedestal. Latin caption below reads M. TVLLIVS CICERO, Ex marmore antiquo, with small engraver credits in the bottom corners.Painting

Secondary source

Marcus Tullius Cicero, engraved after antique marble busts

Jan Witdoeck

Open manuscript leaf with illuminated Latin text. A decorated initial at left contains a small painted portrait of a bearded man wearing a crown. Ornamental borders in gold, blue, pink, and green frame the page, with cherubs at the bottom. The Latin text is written in brown ink in a formal script.Book

Primary source

De Officiis

Cicero · 44 BC

Engraved print on cream paper showing an oval cameo portrait in profile of Cicero, a bald-fronted man with curly hair facing left. Below are a label reading CICERO and two Roman coins, with a Latin inscription at the bottom and the number 78.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Cicero (Bildnis des Cicero)

Manuscript page of Latin text in dark brown ink on yellowed parchment, with a faded underlying script visible in the lower layer. Stained and darkened areas across the page, a palimpsest with the upper text dominant.Book

Primary source

De re publica

Cicero · c. 54–51 BC

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Cicero now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions