Book 5, Letter 14 - Cicero, on the nature of the Gods

Dear Cicero,

It is an easy mistake, to think that the religious beliefs of the ancient world were without critical scepticism. Your own keen sense of reality prevented you from accepting on faith everything that your society believed, and your writings on the nature of the Gods shows a deeply considered theological perspective that loses none of its relevancy even after 2000 years.

I wonder how deep an influence the Elusinian mysteries had on you, and how far your participatory experience in that ritual went in informing your personal beliefs about the nature of divinity. Modern scientists have been able to show definitively that the sacred drink given to all participants was Ergot, the fungus that formed the basis for the creation of the modern hallucinogen LSD.

Your feeling that the universe itself is intelligent, and that that intelligence is in fact the true nature of God, is a conclusion reached by many moderns who have consumed similar substances. But while in the modern world, such experiences are labelled hallucinations, and generally dismissed as fantasy, in your world Cicero, such experiences as the Elusinian Mystery rites were central to the religious beliefs and practices of people all over the Mediterranean region. Beliefs that influenced daily life across all levels of society.

I'm not judging anything to be good or bad, beneficial or harmful. I'm just fascinated.

With gratitude and respect,

Morgan.

 

Book 5, Letter 13 - The Trial of Socrates

 

Dear Cicero,

At a cafe today, I was speaking with the waitress who brought my coffee. She was explaining the linguistic peculiarities of Pliny the younger, due to the manner in which he formed ... uh, actually, I was listening, but my total ignorance of Latin grammar meant that I did not really understand. The point she was making though, is that Pliny's letters, in Latin, are particularly long, due to his style of writing. I was just delighted to be listening to someone talking of the ancient world. We have also been chatting about Jane Austen, and George Elliot.

At her recommendation, I have begun reading Pliny's letters, and having only recently finished reading Suetonius' Twelve Caesars, I am delighted by how nice Pliny seems. The Twelve Caesars, by comparison, is a catalogue of madmen and tyrants, with very few examples of humanity. Pliny however, presents a very different picture, an admirable picture of what a Roman member of the elite might be like.

As I read these books from the ancient world, a great part of my delight is in learning of the heroic and noble men and women, and the moral lessons that their stories convey. Tonight, I am reading to you from Plato's book concerning the trial of Socrates.

Socrates, a man who needs no introduction. A man who, more than 2000 years after his death, still inspires people with his manner of living and speaking.

A bit like you, Cicero...

with gratitude and respect

Morgan.

 

 

 

Book 5, Letter 12 (Albert Camus)

 

Dear Cicero,

The world gets weirder every day, and my study continues to give me frames of reference. As protests fill the news headlines, as political corruption ... ah, i don't need to tell you any of this, Cicero, you know what it's like.

History gives me a frame of reference through which to view the present. It does not answer my questions, nor solve the problems of the present, but it sheds light on the quality of events that I am living through.

Tonight, I read to you from Albert Camus, from one of his "Letters to a German Friend". Written during WWII, the friend is imaginary, but the truth of his feelings are real.

With Gratitude and Respect.

Morgan

 

 

Book 5 Letter 11 - The 3rd Philippic

 

Dear Cicero,

I was reading your first Philippic (brilliant, by the way...), and I found you make reference to a Roman playwright, Accius, and his play Atreus. The quote runs thus:

Let them hate, so that they fear

or, to put it another way

Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.

So, I began searching. I found that Suetonius makes reference to this play, claiming that Emperor Caligula loved the play, and that he often quoted this line self referentially. Digging deeper, I discovered that only fragments of the play survive, fragments which thankfully are published by LOEB Classics.

So, looking to purchase the book, (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674993471) my eye was drawn to a side-bar on the website, of recent blog articles published by LOEB scholars, relating to Pride Month. Following a link, I read about the Stonewall riot in New York in 1969, and the subsequent decades long dialogue about gay identity.

So, thank you Cicero, as always. In following you, I walk a path to further study, and sometimes unexpected delights find me on the way.

Tonight, I will read to you from your third Philippic against Marc Antony.

With gratitude and respect

Morgan.

 

 

Book 5, Letter 10 - Plutarch on Cicero

 

Dear Cicero,

The river is full with winter rain, and I find myself spending a great deal of time reading, sitting fireside and listening to the music of the sky opening itself upon the world, now green, now ready and grateful for the blessing.

If I were stuck on a deserted island and could have only one book, I would have to choose between Herodotus' Histories, and Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans. I think both authors succeed in inspiring a great love of further study, and in showing the way in which all things in history are connected, and that I, a lonesome scholar on the edge of the world, am connected as well.

It would be a mighty discussion, if you Cicero, could meet with Herodotus and Plutarch.

Today I will read to you from Plutarch's biography of your life, a paragraph that speaks not so much of you, as it does of your wife, Terentia, and her role during the rites of the Good Goddess.

With Gratitude and Respect.

Morgan.

 

 

Book 5 Letter 9 - Seutonius, on Caius Julius Caesar

 

Dear Cicero,

Seutonius is such a joy the read, like an ancient tabloid writer, or an exposé blog writer, repeating juicy gossip from among the hoi-polloi of the Roman elite. Some of what he writes is history, I suppose, but much of it is just plain, old fashioned good storytelling. It's plain that he has done his research, it's just that his research included gathering up all the rumours, prophecies, and legends about these famous Roman men, and blending them together with military, political and religious history. He is often ready to quote you, Cicero, and I am always pleased to see the marks you made upon your culture.

This little segment I will read you today, is evidence of the complex relationship you had with Caius Julius Caesar, as both an enemy and a friend. But we have talked about this before. I will not press you. Just enjoy your name being spoken by a scholar over a hundred years after your death, and give thanks to the infinite fortunate events that have preserved your works for over two thousand years.

With gratitude and respect

Morgan.

Book 5, Letter 8 - The Way

 

Dear Cicero,

I remarked to a friend recently that 'poetry is the only reason I get out of bed some days'.

What I mean is:

the need to live a poetic life,

to have experiences worthy of poetry,

to be in the world and to draw the magic of inspiration and transmutation

like a thread through my fingers,

and to weave a new kind of reality,

by making real in language,

the things I feel in my body,

my mind, my heart, my soul...

that is why I get out of bed in the morning.

I offer you this, dear Cicero,

with gratitude and respect

Morgan.

 

 

Book 5, Letter 7 - Aristotle: on torture

 

Dear Cicero,

I have been delighted to read Aristotle, I know you are a big fan of his work. In my study of rhetoric and oratory, his book on the subject has been an excellent foundation. He just lays down the principles in such a clear manner and strikes me as having a rather dispassionate way of assessing human nature. He's not disappointed by our weakness, and not really impressed by our strengths. He's scientific in his methods, and I've learned a lot already, though I am only a few chapters in.

I look forward to reading his book on Poetics next.

Today though, I'm reading to you on the unreliability of confessions extracted by torture, a subject being debated, 2,500 years later.

With gratitude and respect.

Morgan

 

 

Book 5 Letter 6 - The New New

 

Dear Cicero,

Tonight I'm reading you one of my poems, The New New.

If you want to understand the present

you have to understand the future

Every day we live through change. We balance upon a dynamic wave of cultural evolution. Nothing is static, all life is passing from one state to another. It was true in your day, and it's true in mine.

I have recently begun the editing and selection process for the publication of my first book of poetry. I have about 250 pages of work to collate from the last 8 years, and a few dozen illustrations for inclusion. I intend to make it a book worthy of our friendship, inspired as I am by your eloquence, Cicero.

with gratitude and respect

Morgan

Book 5 Letter 5 - Seneca: on Harmful Prayers

 

                                                                            SENECA

Dear Cicero,

Some days, only Seneca will do.

To remind me that we are all human.

To remind me that happiness and confusion and wisdom and anger 

are all part of the same story.

Thank you Cicero, for being a part of that.

with gratitude and respect,

Morgan.

 

 

Book 5, Letter 4 - Louisa May Alcott

 

Dear Cicero,

I have been reading Louisa May Alcott, and I think that you would love her. She's read heaps of our favourite ancient books, and she has a few to recommend as well. She seems to be a fan of one of your heroes, making reference to Demosthenes as the greatest of all Orators. (Notably, she never mentions you, Cicero).  Alcott was writing before the translation of your letters by Shuckburgh, and before the publication of his beautiful biography of you but I am certain that she knows about you.

I have now read all four books of the March family saga. (Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys). Today, I will read to you from Little Women, which is a book so beautiful and moving, that it has sparked a great rush of interest in me to read more of the 19th Century authors whom Alcott admires, including George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans), Charlotte Bronte, Harriet Martineaus, and Elizabeth Browning. 

 

Louisa May Alcott

 

I have also recently begun reading Aristotle's book, The Art of Rhetoric, which I am deeply fascinated by. It is the first time I have been drawn to read him, and his clear style and meticulous attention to detail are quite inspiring. I will read something of his work to you in the future.

with gratitude and respect,

 

Morgan

 

 

Book 5, Letter 3 - Against Catiline

 

Dear Cicero,

I selected this speech, your second against Catiline, because it shows you in action, tearing strips off your opponent who could speak no word against you. In a way, it shows you at your lowest. It shows you sinking to exaggerations and mean insults, gloating over your fleeing enemy.

Modern minds are critical of your claims, and so too, must I be.

Was Catiline really as evil as you make him out to be, or were you willing to sacrifice the truth in order to paint your own actions in a glorious light? You certainly went out of your way for ever after to praise yourself for your conduct during this time, and my suspicions are raised by your continuous reference to your own glory, as if you feared you might be forgotten among the annual shuffle of Consuls. You had to make people believe in you, for your power resided in their faith in your ability as a speaker, and as a righteous man of virtue.

I wonder, Cicero, if you weren't covering something up?

I also selected this part of this speech for the example of bold homophobia expressed in your long list of insults. I am reminded that studying history should make one uncomfortable. It is however, a fascinating example of the usefulness of your writing in helping us understanding Roman culture, as well as history.

With gratitude, respect, and a little suspicion,

Morgan.

 

 

Book 5, Letter 2 - Tacitus: Agricola

 

Dear Cicero,

I have selected this speech (taken from Tacitus' book, Agricola), which is a political cry for rebellion against an oppressive Rome, with no intention to pass comment on current politics.

I do not wish to use the ancient world to leverage authority over the modern.

I am a student,

"A man cannot learn what he thinks he already knows."

Epictetus.

I am here to learn, and to share my love of learning.

The world around me is in a seeming state of unsolvable conflict, each side of the polygon claiming that the others are lying, each political faction expending vast energy on discrediting their opponents, while I, wrapped up warmly in my robe, sit in bed on a cold Saturday morning, reading your books, Cicero, and taking comfort in your wisdom.

Day by day, my knowledge grows smaller, as the vast mountains of literature pile up on my bedside table. The more I learn, the less certain I am about anything.

Thank you Cicero,

with Gratitude and Respect.

Morgan.

Book 5, Letter 1 - In Defence of Pompey

 

Dear Cicero,

I come before you, oh august father, a humbled man. My summer has been well spent with many books. I have read your Tusculan Disputations, as well as your books on the Republic and the Laws. I have read your books On Oratory, and On the Orators. I have read the first of many books of your collected speeches, and today I ordered a complete volume of your Philippics. But you are not the only author for whom my deep affections have given me cause to spend my hours in the company of the long dead. I have also read Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott, and I have discovered that she and I have read some of the same books, and that we admire some of the same great figures of history. I have finally finished reading Tacitus' Histories, and Annals, as well as his books On Britain (Agricola), and On Germany. I have begun reading Seutonius' The Twelve Caesars, I continue to read Seneca's Letters to Lucullius, and today I purchased a copy of Seneca's tragic plays.

I have also read SPQR by Mary Beard, The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan, In The Shadow of the Sword and Persian Fire by Tom Holland, and The Other Side of History, by Robert Garland. I have been deeply moved by the things I have learned, and humbled greatly by these magnificent modern works of historical scholarship. Great pieces of the puzzle of history have converged in my mind, and, with greater understanding, has come a reduced willingness to pass comment on the works of yourself and the other dead friends of our common, immortal acquaintance.

So it is that I come at last to the point of this letter.

Book 5 of this compendium will consist of 21 videos. I will read to you some of my favourite passages of your books, Cicero, as well as writing from other authors, both ancient and modern, and some of my own writing.

 

So Cicero, I begin with your speech in defence of Pompey.

 

with Gratitude and Respect,

Morgan