Ok, probably a long shot but, does anybody know where the quote about Cicero's last words is from? (something like "There is nothing proper about what you are about to do, but at least do it properly" or something of that nature). I've looked through Plutarch, who doesn't mention them, and other ancient historian don't seem to go in to too much detail. Any help would be much appreciated thankyou!!!
Appian, Cassius Dio and Plutarch don't mention any last words in their descriptions of Cicero's death but all agree that his head was removed from his body.
The root of that phrase seems to come from Seneca the Elder's Suasoriae VI.18: "accede ueterane, et si hoc saltim potes recte facere, incide ceruicem." which I'd translate to "come here veteran, and if you can do something right, cut the neck". But the nice sounding double use of properly is not to be found. So it seems someone took this sentence and embellished it, which is reinforced by me not being able to find either what the original Latin quote was meant to be or a German translation.
So far I'm not sure what the original source is but it is used in "Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician" by Anthony Everitt who cites Suasoriae VI.19 (note the difference in verse).
There are other purported last words I could find "non ignoravi me mortalem genuisse" "I have not ignored that I am mortal" and the more arrogant sounding "there is no Cicero to beweep this Cicero" (found that one only in German).