ego
: not emphatic itself, but expressed merely to set off
vos
, which is. The Latin is so fond of putting pronouns in contrast that one is often (as here) expressed for the mere purpose of antithesis.
judices
: not
judges, but rather
jurors. They were persons selected by law to try facts (under the presidency of a
praetor or
judex quaestionis), and varied in number from a single one to fifty or more. They were originally selected from the Senators, but C. Gracchus had transferred the right to sit as
judices to the
equites or wealthy middle class). Sulla, whose reforms went into operation
B.C. 80, had restored this right to the Senators, and the present case was the first to occur under the new system. It was brought in the
Quaestio inter sicarios (or court for the trial of murder), under the presidency of the praetor M. Fannius.
quid sit quod
.
Why it is that .
quod
(causal) . . .
surrexerim
expresses
a fact, and takes the subj. of informal ind. disc. as depending on the indirect question
quid sit
. §
592
, 1 (341, b); cf. B. 323; G. 663.1; H. 652 (529,ii) H-B. 535, I, a.
summi oratores hominesque nobilissimi
: notice the chiastic order: §
598
, f (344, f); B. 350, II, c; G. 682; H. 666, 2 (562) H-B 628
cum sedeant
:
cum
has a slight concessive force: render by
when or
while;
though would be too strong. Since Sulla's victory had restored the aristocracy to power, it might be expected that men of rank (
nobilissimi) would have courage to come forward and defend Roscius: their presence showed their sympathies, though they did not rise to defend him.
ego
: emphatic, as opposed to the orators and men of rank.
potissimum
,
rather than any other
aetate
: Cicero was but twenty-six years old.
sim
: in direct disc. this might be either subj. to indicate the character of Cicero, or indic. to denote a mere fact about him; here it is necessarily subj. as being an integral part of the clause
quod
. . .
surrexerim
, which is itself dependent on
quid sit
; §
593
(342); B. 324,1; (G. 663,1; H. 652, I (529, ii); H.-B. 539.
sedeant
,
sit still, instead of rising to speak: subj. of integral part, dependent on
sim ... comparandus
.
hi
: strongly demonstrative; accompanied, perhaps, with a gesture,
these men here.
injuriam
,
injustice .
novo scelere
(abl. of means),
the strange (almost = unheard of)
charge (of parricide).
oportere
: this verb is always impersonal ; its subject here is the clause
injuriam defendi
.
defendi
,
defendere
: see Vocab.; supply
but (suggested in Latin by the close juxtaposition of the two infs.) before
defendere
in translating.
iniquitatem temporum
, i.e. the disturbed state of politics, while the wounds of the Civil War were still fresh.
ita fit
: the subject is the clause
ut adsint
, etc.
adsint
,
they attend: opposed to
taceant
; the position of
taceant
indicates this antithesis. The friends of any party to a suit attended court to give him the advantage of their presence and influence (cf. Caes. B.G. 1. 4). Such friends were technically called
advocati, but they did not, like the modern
advocate, speak in court.
officium
,
duty, arising from their relations to the murdered man, who had stood in the relation of
hospitality (see
hospes in Vocab.) with some of the highest families.
audacissimus
, i.e. is it that I have more effrontery than any of the rest?
ne . . . quidem
,
not . . . either, endorsing, as usual, the emphatic word: §
322
, f (151, e); B. 151, e; G. 448, N.2; H. (569, iii, 2).
istius
, i.e. that which is in your thoughts: §
297
, c (102, c); B. 87; G. 306; H.507, 3 (450); H.-B. 271, a.
sim
,
conjunctivus modestiae: §
447
, vi (311, b); Cf. B. 280, 2 ; G. 257,1; H. 556 (486, i); H.-B. 519,1, b.
aliis
, dat.: §
381
(229); B. 180, 2, d; G. 345; H. 429, 2 (386, 2); H.-B. 371.
praereptam
: prae- gives here the force of
getting the start of others in snatching it (cf.
prevent, from
praevenio).
me
: so emphatic as to throw
igitur
out of its usual place.
reciperem
,
undertake a case offered;
suscipere
is to take up of one's own motion.
amplitudo
,
position, from birth, wealth, office, or the like.
id quod
,
a thing which: §
307
, d (200, e); G. 614, R.2; H.399,6 (445, 7); H.-B. 325, a and N.2.
dixisset
, an integral part of
putaretur
.
putaretur
: apodosis of
fecisset
; §
517
(308); B. 304, I; G. 597; H. 579 (510); H.-B. 581. The whole from
si verbum
through
putaret
is the apodosis of
si quis dixisset
in 1.14. Translate,
if any one had spoken, in case he had made any allusion to politics, he would, etc.
