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This article attempts to answer the question: What makes the Roman constitution "by far the best," as Cicero claims in De republica? Following Polybius, Cicero analyses the Roman constitution as a mixed constitution, which both regard as the best type of constitution. Cicero, however, does not merely impute the best type of constitution to the Romans. He elevates the Roman constitution above all other mixed constitutions as the single best constitution. In rivalry with Plato, he constructs a model of the Roman constitution as an exemplum that can unite the Romans in a common purpose. The constitution is distinguished by two main features: a fair system of cooperation among the whole citizen body and wise guidance by individual leaders. The moral unity of this constitution sets it apart from all other mixed constitutions.
THIS ARTICLE TAKES ITS START FROM A CLAIM made by Scipio Aemilianus in Cicero's De republica (traditionally translated as On the Republic but more accurately called On the State). Scipio maintains that the ancestral constitution of Rome is "by far the best constitution" (optimum longe statum civitatis, 1.34).1 My question is: What makes it "by far the best?" Following Polybius, Cicero analyses the Roman constitution as a mixed constitution. Consisting of three parts, a royal element (represented at Rome by the consuls), an aristocratic element (the senate), a democratic element (the people), a mixed constitution is superior to the three simple types of constitution out of which it is combined. Cicero, however, does not merely impute the best type of constitution-the mixed kind-to the Romans. He elevates the Roman constitution above the constitution of any other slate as the single best constitution; no constitution, Scipio says, is to be compared with the ancestral Roman constitution (1.70). Polybius had maintained that the Roman constitution was superior to the Lycurgan mixed constitution insofar as it was better suited for having an empire. Cicero attaches no qualifications: the ancestral Roman constitution is simply superior to any other constitution. What are his grounds? How does Cicero's position differ from that of Polybius'?
The difference, I suggest, is rooted in a difference of purpose. Polybius sought to explain why the Romans gained a world empire. Viewing the constitution as a cause, Polybius saw it as...