Under Caesar’s dictatorship, Cicero returned to his literary pursuits. This year, a series of works flowed from his pen dedicated to M. Brutus: Brutus, a historical survey of Roman orators; the Stoic Paradoxes, which aimed to show that Stoic doctrines could be presented in a more accessible way; the Cato, an encomium of Brutus’ uncle who had committed suicide rather than surrendering to Caesar; and the Orator, an exploration of the characteristics of the ideal orator. In the fall, Caesar pardoned M. Marcellus, who, like Cicero, was a consular who had joined the Pompeian side. Cicero delivered a speech of thanks in the senate, which also included advice about future actions. He also defended another ex-Pompeian, Q. Ligarius, in both private and public hearings before Caesar. His theoretical writing turned back to philosophy, with the dialogue Hortensius, probably also dedicated to Brutus, a protreptic or argument for the study of philosophy.