De Legibus (for the Latin text, see Powell 2006; prior to Powell’s edition, the authoritative Latin text was Ziegler 1950. For the English translation, see Zetzel 1999; also Rudd 1998; and Keyes 1994 [1928], though in many cases the translation is inconsistent and unreliable) is a dialogue written by the Roman orator, statesman, and political philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 – 43 BC), featuring three dramatis personae: Marcus (commonly held to be Cicero himself), his brother Quintus, and his dear friend Atticus. The dialogue consists of three books: the first examines the universal foundation of just laws, the second and third promulgate and explain the laws of religion and the laws of the magistracy, …
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Citation: Caspar, Timothy. "De Legibus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 September 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13351, accessed 22 November 2024.]