M. Tullius Cicero, Pro S. Roscio Amerino, ed. Albert Curtis Clark, 6

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

[6] quae res ea est? bona patris huiusce Sex. Rosci quae sunt sexagiens, quae de¹ viro fortissimo et clarissimo² L. L ucio Sulla, quem honoris causa nomino, duobus milibus nummum sese dicit emisse adulescens vel potentissimus hoc tempore nostrae civitatis, L. L ucius Cornelius Chrysogonus. is a vobis, iudices, hoc postulat ut, quoniam in alienam pecuniam tam plenam atque praeclaram nullo iure invaserit, quoniamque ei pecuniae vita Sex. Rosci obstare atque officere videatur, deleatis ex animo suo suspicionem omnem metumque³ tollatis; sese hoc incolumi non arbitratur huius innocentis patrimonium tam amplum et copiosum posse obtinere, damnato et eiecto sperat⁴ se posse quod adeptus est per scelus, id per luxuriam⁵ effundere atque consumere. hunc sibi ex animo scrupulum qui se dies noctesque stimulat ac⁶ pungit ut evellatis postulat, ut ad hanc suam praedam tam nefariam adiutores vos profiteamini.

Pro S. Roscio Amerino. M. Tullius Cicero. ed. Albert Curtis Clark. Oxford. 1908.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by National Endowment For The Humanities (NEH).

Current edition Perseus

Pro Sex. Roscio Amerino (Latin) (Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Volume 1. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.)

Translations (1)

For Sextus Roscius of Ameria Perseus (Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Volume 1. Yonge, Charles Duke, translator. London: Bell, 1903.) — 6 focus

[6] What is that matter? The property of the father of this Sextus Roscius, which is six millions of sesterces, which one of the most powerful young men of our city at this present time, Lucius Cornelius Chrysogonus, says he bought of that most gallant and most illustrious man Lucius Sulla, whom I only name to do him honour, for two thousand sesterces. He, O judges, demands of you that, since he, without any right, has taken possession of the property of another, so abundant and so splendid, and as the life of Sextus Roscius appears to him to stand in the way of and to hinder his possession of that property, you will efface from his mind every suspicion, and remove all his fear. He does not think that, while this man is safe, he himself can keep possession of the ample and splendid patrimony of this innocent man; but if he be convicted and got rid of, he hopes he may be able to waste and squander in luxury what he has acquired by wickedness. He begs that you will take from his mind this uneasiness which day and night is pricking and harassing him, so as to profess yourselves his assistants in enjoying this his nefariously acquired booty.

Notes on the current edition

Pro S. Roscio Amerino

1. quae de de Weiske

2. fortissimo et clarissimo om. fortissimo et A: clarissimo et fortissimo ψ, Arusian. ( K. vii. 470)

3. omnemque metum ω

4. sperat σχ: speret cett.

5. luxoriam ς αψ2 ( ita ς semper)

6. stimulet ac punget Ernesti

Commentary

Notes on Pro S. Roscio Amerino (Select Orations of Cicero (Allen and Greenough's Edition). Greenough, James Bradstreet; Kittredge, George Lyman, editors. Boston, London: Ginn & Company, 1897.) focus

cum , when, introducing the general situation ;

tum , the particular circumstance.

omni tempore , at all times, as opposed to the time of the Civil War: notice the emphatic position.

hoc tumultu , this last disturbance (euphemistic): i.e. the final scenes of the Civil War of Marius and Sulla, which Cicero will not call bellum.

cum , at a time when .

in discrimen veniret (subj. of characteristic, not simply cum temporal), was at stake.

rectum : render no more than right (thus giving the emphasis of its position).

se pugnare , simply to fight-: object of

putabat , while

rectum is an adj. in pred. apposition with

se pugnare .

honestate ,

honestissimus refer respectively to the rank and dignity of these great families and the credit which his connection with them gave him in his own neighborhood.

victoria , i.e. of Sulla's party.

proscriberentur : the number of the proscribed in Sulla's time was 4,700. "Whoever killed one of these outlaws was not only exempt from punishment, like an executioner duly fulfilling his office, but also obtained for the execution a compensation of 22,000 denarii (nearly $2400); any one, on the contrary, who befriended an outlaw, even his nearest relative, was liable to the severest punishment. The property of the proscribed was forfeited to the state, like the spoil of an enemy ; their children and grandchildren were excluded from a political career, and yet, so far as of senatorial rank, were bound to undertake their share of senatorial burdens." (Mommsen.) At first only the names of those who had justly forfeited their lives were proscribed ; afterwards it became easy for friends and favorites of the dictator (like Chrysogonus, attacked in this oration) to put upon the list the names of innocent men, and even of men already dead, so as to work confiscation of their property. Sulla's proscriptions nominally ceased June 1, B.C. 81.

erat Romae : this shows that he had no reason to fear the proscription.

frequens : § 290 (191); B. 239; G. 325, R.6; H. 443 (497); H.-B. 245.

ut . . . videretur , clause of result.

M. Tullius Cicero Pro S. Roscio Amerino 6

ed. Albert Curtis Clark

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Commentary

Stable identifiers