Pro Murēna

Pro Murēna (‘for Murena’), speech by Cicero in 63 BC ((1) 2) when he was consul, in defence of Lucius Murena, who had been elected consul for the following year and was accused at the instigation of Cato of bribery in the election. The charge was brought at the height of the crisis due to Catiline's conspiracy; if Cato had succeeded in overturning the election of Murena, a man of proved courage and military ability, it would have been beneficial to the cause of Catiline. The speech is a good example of persuasive pleading; Cicero almost condones electoral corruption provided the best man is elected consul, and jokes at the formalism of Roman lawyers and the rigid creed of Stoics such as Cato.