The last of these ended the war, in a defeat for the faction Torquatus supported; he escaped the field, but was captured and killed shortly after.

The boni were the traditionalist senatorial majority of the Roman Republic, politicians who believed that the role of the Senate was being usurped by the legislative people's assemblies for the benefit of a few power hungry individuals.

Three years earlier, Torquatus' father and Cicero had publicly supported Catilina when he was unsuccessfully prosecuted for corruption and abuse of office.

Despite this, Torquatus vigorously supported the Senate's efforts, which resulted in them unmasking the conspirators, capturing and executing several.

[5][6] Torquatus prosecuted Sulla for plotting the revenge killing of his father, while Cicero defended the accused.

[9] In 50 the Senate, led by Pompey, ordered populist politician and general Julius Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome because his term as governor had ended.

Torquatus manned the walls with locally raised Illyrian soldiers and the town's Greek civilians.

He built a fortified camp south of the city, so Caesar started to build a circumvallation to besiege it.

Torquatus led part of Pompey's army in an attack on a weak spot in Caesar's fortifications and broke through.

The two armies engaged in small skirmishes to gauge the strength of the opposing force, during which two legions switched to Caesar's side.

The boni, led by Metellus Scipio, could not risk the loss of this position and were forced to accept battle.

Torquatus fled the field along with Scipio, attempting to escape to Hispania, but was trapped at Hippo Regius by the fleet of Publius Sittius.

[19] I have finished the five books De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, so as to give the Epicurean doctrine to Lucius Torquatus.

Torquatus was a leading epicurean and was noted by Cicero for his knowledge of Greek literature and his breadth of learning.