Who was Cincinnatus, the Roman emperor Boris Johnson compared himself to?

"I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function."

In his final speech as prime minister, Boris Johnson offers his "fervent support" to successor Liz Truss – and references Roman dictator Cincinnatus "returning to my plough". pic.twitter.com/34DnSV2lx2

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) September 6, 2022

“Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough”, he added. While “returning to plough” can mean going back to a simpler life, there is more to Cincinnatus’s story.

Who was Cincinnatus?

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519 BC to 438 BC) was a Roman emperor whose name is invoked to refer to an honourable and principled figure. The first US President, George Washington, was called Cincinnatus by a French traveller Jacques-Pierre Brissot de Warville in 1788 – a year before Washington became president and after he fought in the American War of Independence, because, “The celebrated General is nothing more at present than a good farmer, constantly occupied in the care of his farm and the improvement of cultivation.”

According to Mount Vernon, the estate of Washington, the story of Cincinnatus is about the Aequians, powerful enemies of Rome that were threatening to invade the city. Unable to deal with the crisis, the Roman Senate decided to bring in Cincinnatus to fight off the attack. He had been living a life away from power, and the senate was prepared to give him powers to exercise a dictatorship for securing a victory.

It is said when he learned of the call, Cincinnatus “left his plow standing in the field” and left to lead the Romans to victory against the Aequians. However, 15 days later when his goal was accomplished, he went back to his farm and let go of extraordinary power. Some accounts further say that he was again called for 21 days for warding off another threat to Rome, and this time too, he went back to the farm after the job was done.

What are the implications of the comparisons?

Historians in the UK have commented on the comparison. As Johnson was a student of Classics at Oxford University, which includes the study of Roman and Greek history and literature, many have claimed that his use of Cincinnatus to make a comparison was deliberate.

“If you are curious about Boris Johnson’s reference to Cincinnatus in his goodbye speech – he was a 5th century BC Roman politician who saved the state from an invasion, then – job done – returned to his farm (‘to his plough’). He was also an enemy of the people”, said historian Mary Beard in a tweet.

Many commentators said Johnson may have been hinting at another possible run for the Prime Minister post, the way Cincinnatus returned to power.

Historian Tom Holland called Cincinnatus a dictator, adding, “(Though to be fair, Cincinnatus was admired by the Romans for only holding on to his dictatorial powers for as long as was strictly necessary…)”, in a reference to how Johnson did not immediately resign after criticism against him grew for violating Covid lockdown rules.