cicero-第2章

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Greece　my　pity　and　commiseration；　since　those　arts　and　that



eloquence　which　are　the　only　glories　that　remain　to　her；　will　now　be



transferred　by　you　to　Rome。〃



　　And　now　when　Cicero；　full　of　expectation；　was　again　bent　upon



political　affairs；　a　certain　oracle　blunted　the　edge　of　his



inclination　for　consulting　the　god　of　Delphi　how　he　should　attain　most



glory；　the　Pythoness　answered；　by　making　his　own　genius　and　not　the



opinion　of　the　people　the　guide　of　his　life；　and　therefore　at　first　he



passed　his　time　in　Rome　cautiously；　and　was　very　backward　in



pretending　to　public　offices；　so　that　he　was　at　that　time　in　little



esteem；　and　had　got　the　names；　so　readily　given　by　low　and　ignorant



people　in　Rome；　of　Greek　and　Scholar。　But　when　his　own　desire　of



fame　and　the　eagerness　of　his　father　and　relations　had　made　him　take



in　earnest　to　pleading；　he　made　no　slow　or　gentle　advance　to　the　first



place；　but　shone　out　in　full　lustre　at　once；　and　far　surpassed　all　the



advocates　of　the　bar。　At　first；　it　is　said；　he；　as　well　as



Demosthenes；　was　defective　in　his　delivery；　and　on　that　account　paid



much　attention　to　the　instructions　sometimes　of　Roscius　the



comedian；　and　sometimes　of　Aesop　the　tragedian。　They　tell　of　this



Aesop；　that　whilst　he　was　representing　on　the　theatre　Atreus



deliberating　the　revenge　of　Thyestes；　he　was　so　transported　beyond



himself　in　the　beat　of　action；　that　he　struck　with　his　sceptre　one



of　the　servants；　who　was　running　across　the　stage；　so　violently　that



he　laid　him　dead　upon　the　place。　And　such　afterwards　was　Cicero's



delivery　that　it　did　not　a　little　contribute　to　render　his　eloquence



persuasive。　He　used　to　ridicule　loud　speakers；　saying　that　they



shouted　because　they　could　not　speak；　like　lame　men　who　get　on



horseback　because　they　cannot　walk。　And　his　readiness　and　address　in



sarcasm；　and　generally　in　witty　sayings；　was　thought　to　suit　a　pleader



very　well；　and　to　be　highly　attractive；　but　his　using　it　to　excess



offended　many；　and　gave　him　the　repute　of　ill…nature。



　　He　was　appointed　quaestor　in　a　great　scarcity　of　corn　and　had　Sicily



for　his　province；　where　though　at　first　he　displeased　many；　by



compelling　them　to　send　in　their　provisions　to　Rome；　yet　after　they



had　had　experience　of　his　care；　justice；　and　clemency；　they　honoured



him　more　than　ever　they　did　any　of　their　governors　before。　It



happened；　also；　that　some　young　Romans　of　good　and　noble　families；



charged　with　neglect　of　discipline　and　misconduct　in　military　service；



were　brought　before　the　praetor　in　Sicily。　Cicero　undertook　their



defence；　which　he　conducted　admirably；　and　got　them　acquitted。　So



returning　to　Rome　with　a　great　opinion　of　himself　for　these　things；



a　ludicrous　incident　befell　him；　as　he　tells　us　himself。　Meeting　an



eminent　citizen　in　Campania；　whom　he　accounted　his　friend；　he　asked



him　what　the　Romans　said　and　thought　of　his　actions；　as　if　the　whole



city　had　been　filled　with　the　glory　of　what　he　had　done。　His　friend



asked　him　in　reply；　〃Where　is　it　you　have　been；　Cicero？〃　This　for



the　time　utterly　mortified　and　cast　him　down　to　perceive　that　the



report　of　his　actions　had　sunk　into　the　city　of　Rome　as　into　an



immense　ocean；　without　any　visible　effect　or　result　in　reputation。　And



afterwards　considering　with　himself　that　the　glory　he　contended　for



was　an　infinite　thing；　and　that　there　was　no　fixed　end　nor　measure



in　its　pursuit；　he　abated　much　of　his　ambitious　thoughts。



Nevertheless；　he　was　always　excessively　pleased　with　his　own　praise；



and　continued　to　the　very　last　to　be　passionately　fond　of　glory；　which



often　interfered　with　the　prosecution　of　his　wisest　resolutions。



　　On　beginning　to　apply　himself　more　resolutely　to　public　business；　he



remarked　it　as　an　and　absurd　thing　that　artificers；　using　vessels



and　instruments　inanimate；　should　know　the　name；　place；　and　use　of



every　one　of　them；　and　yet　the　statesman；　whose　instruments　for



carrying　out　public　measures　are　men；　should　be　negligent　and　careless



in　the　knowledge　of　persons。　And　so　be　not　only　acquainted　himself



with　the　names；　but　also　knew　the　particular　place　where　every　one



of　the　more　eminent　citizens　dwelt；　what　lands　he　possessed；　the



friends　he　made　use　of；　and　those　that　were　of　his　neighbourhood；



and　when　he　travelled　on　any　road　in　Italy；　he　could　readily　name



and　show　the　estates　and　seats　of　his　friends　and　acquaintance。　Having



so　small　an　estate；　though　a　sufficient　competency　for　his　own



expenses；　it　was　much　wondered　at　that　he　took　neither　fees　nor



gifts　from　his　clients；　and　more　especially　that　he　did　not　do　so　when



he　undertook　the　prosecution　of　Verres。　This　Verres；　who　had　been



praetor　of　Sicily；　and　stood　charged　by　the　Sicilians　of　many　evil



practices　during　his　government　there；　Cicero　succeeded　in　getting



condemned；　not　by　speaking；　but　in　a　manner　by　holding　his　tongue。　For



the　praetors；　favouring　Verres；　had　deferred　the　trial　by　several



adjournments　to　the　last　day；　in　which　it　was　evident　there　could



not　be　sufficient　time　for　the　advocates　to　be　heard；　and　the　cause



brought　to　an　issue。　Cicero；　therefore；　came　forward；　and　said　there



was　no　need　of　speeches；　and　after　producing　and　examining



witnesses；　he　required　the　judges　to　proceed　to　sentence。　However；



many　witty　sayings　are　on　record；　as　having　been　used　by　Cicero　on　the



occasion。　When　a　man　named　Caecilius；　one　of　the　freed　slaves；　who　was



said　to　be　given　to　Jewish　practices；　would　have　put　by　the　Sicilians；



and　undertaken　the　prosecution　of　Verres　himself；　Cicero　asked；



〃What　has　a　Jew　to　do　with　swine？〃　verres　being　the　Roman　word　for　a



boar。　And　when　Verres　began　to　reproach　Cicero　with　effeminate　living；



〃You　ought；〃　replied　he；　〃to　use　this　language　at　home；　to　your　sons；〃



Verres　having　a　son　who　had　fallen　into　disgraceful　courses。



Hortensius　the　orator；　not　daring　directly　to　undertake　the　defence　of



Verres；　was　yet　persuaded　to　appear　for　him　at　the　laying　on　of　the



fine；　and　received　an　ivory　sphinx　for　his　reward；　and　when　Cicero



in　some　passage　of　the　speech；　obliquely　reflected　on　him；　and



Hortensius　told　him　he　was　not　skilful　in　solving　riddles；　〃No；〃



said　Cicero；　〃and　yet　you　have　the　sphinx　in　your　house！〃



　　Verres　was　thus　convicted；　though　Cicero；　who　set　the　fine　at



seventy…five　myriads；　lay　under　the　suspicion　of　being　corrupted　by



bribery　to　lessen　the　sum。　But　the　Sicilians；　in　testimony　of　their



gratitude；　came　and　brought　him　all　sorts　of　presents　from　the　island；



when　he　was　aedile；　of　which　he　made　no　private　profit　himself；　but



used　their　generosity　only　to　reduce　the　public　price　of　provisions。



　　He　had　a　very　pleasant　seat　at　Arpi；　he　had　also　a　farm　near　Naples；



and　another　about　Pompeii；　but　neither　of　any　great　value。　The　portion



of　his　wife；　Terentia；　amounted　to　ten　myriads；　and　he　had　a　bequest



valued　at　nine　myriads　of　denarii；　upon　these　he　lived　in　a　liberal



but　temperate　style　with　the　learned　Greeks　and　Romans　that　were　his



familiars。　He　rarely；　if　at　any　time；　sat　down　to　meat　till　sunset；



and　that　not　so　much　on　account　of　business；　as　for　his　health　and　the



weakness　of　his　stomach。　He　was　otherwise　in　the　care　of　his　body　nice



and　delicate；　appointing　himself；　for　example；　a　set　number　of　walks



and　rubbings。　And　after　this　manner　managing　the　habit　of　his　body；　he



brought　it　in　time　to　be　healthful；　and　capable　of　supporting　many



great　fatigues　and　trials。　His　father's　house　he　made　over　to　his



brother；　living　himself　near　the　Palatine　hill；　that　he　might　not　give



the　trouble　of　long　journeys　to　those　that　made　suit　to　him。　And；



indeed；　there　were　not　fewer　daily　appearing　at　his　door；　to　do



their　court　to　him；　than　there　were　that　came　to　Crassus　for　his



riches；　or　to　Pompey　for　his　power　amongst　the　s