entio_).
At this time he was a prospective candidate for the consulship, and was
obliged by the hostility of the nobles towards "new men" to look for
help wherever it was to be found. In 65 B.C. he even thought of
defending Catiline on a charge of extortion, and delivered two brilliant
speeches on behalf of Gaius Cornelius, tribune in 67 B.C., a leader of
the democratic party. In 64 B.C. he lost his father and his son Marcus
was born. The optimates finally decided to support him for the
consulship in order to keep out Catiline, and he eagerly embraced the
"good cause," his affection for which from this time onward never
varied, though his actions were not always consistent.

The public career of Cicero henceforth is largely covered by the general
article on ROME: _History_, II. "The Republic," ad fin. The year of his
consulship (63) was one of amazing activity, both administrative and
oratorical. Besides the three speeches against Publius Rullus and the
four against Catiline, he delivered a number of others, among which that
on behalf of Gaius Rabirius is especially notable. The charge was that
Rabirius (q.v.) had killed Saturninus in 100 B.C., and by bringing it
the democrats challenged the right of the senate to declare a man a
public enemy. Cicero, therefore, was fully aware of the danger which
would threaten himself from his execution of the Catilinarian
conspirators. He trusted, however, to receive the support of the nobles.
In this he was disappointed. They never forgot that he was a "new man,"
and were jealous of the great house upon the Palatine which he acquired
at this time. Caesar had made every possible effort to conciliate
Cicero,[3] but, when all overtures failed, allowed Publius Clodius to
attack him. Cicero found himself deserted, and on the advice of Cato
went into exile to avoid bloodshed. He left Rome at the end of March 58,
and arrived on the 23rd of May at Thessalonica, where he remained in the
deepest dejection until the end of November, when he went to Dyrrhachium
(Durazzo) awaiting his recall. He left for Italy on the 4th of August
57, and on arriving at Brundisium (Brindisi) found that he had been
recalled by a law passed by the _comitia_ on the very day of his
departure. On his arrival at Rome he was received with enthusiasm by all
classes, but did not find the nobles at all eager to give him
compensation for the loss of his house and villas, which had been
destroyed by Clodius. He was soon enc