The lesser of two evils

Cicero, the greatest of all Roman statesmen lived in a time of deep political turmoil.

There were civil wars, conspiracies, the overthrow of the republic, and murder of Julius Cesar. Cicero was a great champion of the republic and was deeply concerned with the amount of powers given to Julius Caesar, and after his death, Mark Antony. Antony has been described as, "the greatest soldier in the world"
        Antony soon became an unstoppable juggernaut following the death of his friend Caesar, in particular thirsting for the blood of Cicero. The great statesman tried to play Julius Caesar's son, Octavius, against him. For this Petrach remarks, "If you accept Octavius, said he, we must conclude that you are not so anxious to be rid of all tyrants as to find a tyrant who will be well-disposed toward yourself". Petrach is rebuking Cicero for using Octavius when he might take as much power as his father, but Cicero is well versed in the golden mean of Aristotle. He takes the lesser evil between Octavius and Antony and tries to achieve a balance. His plan would not work, and in the end Cicero died defending the ideals of the republic.
         In his letters to Cicero, Petrach also remarks that it would have been much better for a philosopher like Cicero to "grow old peacefully" and not have participated in civic affairs. While this is a good thing to think and philosophies in the countryside, Ciceros contributions to the state are invaluable. Had he not been involved, the traitor Catalina might have overthrown the government earlier, and many of the ideals of the roman government might not have survived. So Cicero chose the lesser of two evils, became involved and paid for it with his life.