Porcia was a woman of ancient Rome, daughter of Cato the Younger and wife of Brutus,<hr>
died in 42 B.C. Writings state that she killed herself by swallowing hot coals. A more plausible<hr>
theory suggests that she burned coal in a room without ventilation to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning.<hr>
        Brutus, or Marcus Junius Brutus Cæpio, the adoptive son and assassin of Julius Caesar, husband<hr>
of Porcia, killed himself by opening his abdomen with a sword.<hr>
        Mithridates "Eupator" the Great, more commonly known as Mithridates VI of Pontus or<hr>
even Mithridates I of Pontus, is a king of Pontus and Bosporus from the Mithridates dynasty. Following the betrayal of his son, he attempts suicide by ingesting<hr>
poison. Whether the quantity was too low because he shared it with two of his daughters, or that<hr>
the king is immunized by the prolonged ingestion of small amounts of poison, his attempt nevertheless fails. Having vainly tried to end it with his sword, he then seeks<hr>
the assistance of a bodyguard, who finishes him off.<hr>
        Cleopatra VII is an ancient Egyptian queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty born around 69 B.C.<hr>
and died on August 12, 30 B.C. She commits suicide by letting herself be bitten by a cobra after the<hr>
victory of Octavian.<hr>
         Claudius II, known as Claudius the Gothic, is a Roman emperor from September 268 until his death in 270.<hr>
        Tivoli is a metropolitan city of Rome, in the region of Latium, Italy.<hr>
        Titus is a Roman emperor. He belongs to the Flavian dynasty, and rules from 79 to 81. 
This work says he would have married one of Zenobia's daughters, but this character died before Zenobia's birth.<hr>
        Mark Antony is a Roman politician and military man. This book says he would have married one of Zenobia's daughters, but this character died before Zenobia's birth.<hr>
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                      Seventh Speech - Porcia to Volumnius<hr>
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                                     Porcia, wife of Brutus<hr>
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                                                  Context<hr>
        Shortly after the defeat and death of Brutus and Cassius, Porcia, wife of the former and daughter of Cato the Younger, demonstrated by her words and actions that she wanted to follow her husband's fate and no longer live. Her relatives, who expected to prevent her from committing suicide, removed all means that might facilitate her deadly project. They brought in the philosopher Volumnius, a close friend of Brutus, in an attempt to persuade her by reason not to give into despair. However, this woman, after having listened to him with much impatience, responded in the following manner.<hr>
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