Manius Aemilius Lepidus (consul 66 BCE)

Manius Aemilius Lepidus was a statesman of the Roman republic.

Biography

He was consul in 66 BC with Lucius Volcatius Tullus, the same year in which Cicero was praetor. He is mentioned several times by Cicero, but never attained much political importance. In 65, he is spoken of as one of the witnesses against Gaius Cornelius, whom Cicero defended.

Aemilius belonged to the aristocratic party, but on the breaking out of the civil war in 49 BC, he retired to his Formian villa to watch the progress of events. Here he was in almost daily intercourse with Cicero, from whose letters we learn that Lepidus was resolved not to cross the sea with Gnaeus Pompeius, but to yield to Julius Caesar if the latter was likely to be victorious. He eventually returned to Rome in March.

References

*Sallust, "Bellum Catilinae," [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0124:section=18 18]
*Cicero, "In Catilinam", [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0019:text=Catil.:chapter=6 1.6] ; "", [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0019:text=Sul.:chapter=4 4] ; "Ad Atticum", [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Cic.+Att.+7.12&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022 7.12] , [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Cic.+Att.+7.23&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022 7.23] , [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Cic.+Att.+8.1&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022 8.1] , [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Cic.+Att.+8.6&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022 8.6] , [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Cic.+Att.+8.9&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022 8.9] , [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0008:book=8:letter=15 8.15] , [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Cic.+Att.+9.1&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0022 9.1]
*Dio Cassius, "Roman History", [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/36*.html#42 36.42]
*Asconius, "in Cornel." p. 66, ed. Orelli