Gaius Scribonius Curio

Reading notes

• Ad Atticum 1.14 §5 with little daughter Curio as their leader

  "Curio's little daughter" (filiola Curionis) is a sneer at the young C. Scribonius Curio, son of the consul of 76, mocked for his effeminacy; he led the bands of fashionable youths supporting Clodius. The plain "Curio" lower in the section who proposed no decree is by contrast his father, the consular.

• Ad Atticum 2.8 §1 the young Curio

  C. Scribonius Curio the younger (the future tribune of 50 BC), then a brash young man whom Cicero courts as an opponent of the coalition. "He hates haughty kings" plays on his contempt for the dynasts dominating the state.

• Ad Atticum 2.18 §1 young Curio

  C. Scribonius Curio the younger (later tribune in 50 BC), here a brash young aristocrat who alone dared to speak openly against the coalition and won loud popular favour for it.

• Ad Atticum 6.1 §25 if Curio carries the law, he will have to pay a hundred sesterces a head

  Curio, tribune in 50 BC, was promoting a measure (apparently a sumptuary or road bill) that would tax conveyances and retinues; Cicero jokes that Vedius's lavish travelling household would be ruinously assessed under it.

• Ad Atticum 7.7 §4 for Curio could never have held out

  C. Scribonius Curio, tribune of 50 BC and now Caesar's agent, used his veto through the year to block any decree assigning successors to Caesar's provinces, keeping them governorless; Cicero blames the Senate for never moving against him.

• Ad Familiares 2.7 §2 by your own judgement and not by chance you brought your tribunate forward to the very crisis of affairs

  Cicero compliments Curio on timing his entry into the tribunate (50 BC) to coincide with the impending constitutional crisis over Caesar's command; whether this was really Curio's calculation or a fortunate accident is diplomatically left open.

• Ad Familiares 2.7 §3 your priesthood

  Curio held or was seeking a place in one of Rome's priestly colleges (sacerdotium); the details of which college are not stated, and the letter Cicero says he gave to Thraso has not survived.

• Ad Familiares 2.13 §3 Curio defending Caesar now

  The news that C. Scribonius Curio, tribune of the plebs 50 BC, had switched from opposition to active advocacy for Caesar's command was the political sensation of the year; Cicero claims, with characteristic irony, that he had foreseen it.

• Ad Familiares 8.5 §3 If, with this year passed by, Curio is to be tribune

  C. Scribonius Curio's tribunate began in December 50 BC; Caelius foresees that he will reopen the whole provinces question, as in fact he did, helping to precipitate the civil war.

• Ad Familiares 8.6 §3 Our Curio's tribunate is frozen solid

  C. Scribonius Curio, tribune of the plebs 50 BC; at this point still aligned against Caesar, his tribunate had so far achieved nothing. He soon switched sides (see section 5).

• Ad Familiares 8.17 §1 C. Curio --- the man whose friendship dragged me, step by step, into this ruined business

  C. Scribonius Curio, tribune of 50 BC, who was bought over to Caesar's side and carried Caelius with him; he had since died fighting for Caesar in Africa (Aug. 49), which sharpens Caelius's regret.