'The Image of a Just Ruler': Cicero, Monarchy, and Xenophon’s Cyropaedia

Abstract

Cicero, in a letter to his brother Quintus, praises the monarch Cyrus, the central character in Xenophon's Cyropaedia. This praise is puzzling, especially considering Cicero's explicit criticism of monarchy in De Re Publica. Yet, this paper argues that Cicero’s praise of Cyrus in the letter to his brother is not only intentional but also consistent with the criticism of the institution presented in De Re Publica. The paper outlines Cicero’s criticism of monarchy in De Re Publica, a criticism confirmed in De Legibus by the institutional make-up of Cicero’s mixed regime. In light of this critique, the paper then considers key elements of the monarchy established in the Cyropaedia, especially the reasons why the regime failed following the death of Cyrus. And finally, the paper concludes by proposing that Cicero’s praise of Cyrus should be considered in light of the context in which it was given — advice to a beloved though non-philosophical brother who finds himself in the position of ruling a far flung Roman province while holding absolute power.

Keywords: Cicero, Xenophon, Cyrus, monarchy, kingship, tyranny, natural law, Rome, republic