About the Latin
Cicero was a lawyer and statesman of the late Republic, and his speeches are built to be heard. Clauses are held in suspension and then resolved, often several deep, so the difficulty is less the vocabulary than the architecture of the sentence.
A short speech is a good way to find out whether you are ready for that architecture before you commit to a longer work.
How hard is it?
Difficulty 7.8, advanced.
Every reading in the library has a difficulty score, on a scale that runs from about 1 to 11. Beginner texts sit below 3.5 and Advanced texts above 6.8.
Most demanding here: Sentence length, Nonfinite constructions, Subordination.
What you can read
The reading, each with help on every word.
Librorum Capsula currently offers the Pro Archia, a short speech that defends a poet's citizenship and, along the way, the value of literature.
Pro Archia Poeta
While ostensibly defending the poet Archias against the charge that he's not a Roman Citizen, Cicero eloquently defends literature, poetry, and the enduring power of intellectual achievement.
Where to start
Pro Archia Poeta
It is the only Cicero in the catalog so far, and short enough to test the style without a long commitment. Open it and the reader gives you the Latin with a definition for every word, so you can read at the pace that suits you and look up only what you need.
Start reading