[introduction] sect.
25
. Metellus is chosen (by lot) to preside over the Court of Extortion for the next year. Joy of Verres. His attempts to defeat by bribery Cicero’s election to the aedileship revealed to Cicero. Cicero made anxious, but finally elected.
[20]
quidem
(concessive),
it is true: this criminal may be rescued, but such a thing will not be allowed to happen again; the judicial power will be given into other hands (i.e. those of the
equites); cf.
de transferendis judiciis,
below.
nos,
i.e. we Senators.
[21]
hominis amplissimi,
i.e. Curio: the congratulations of so honored a man showed the expected effect of the election on this trial.
nova
,
strange (surprising).
dissimulare
,
to conceal the fact that, etc.
sortirentur
,
were drawing their lots: the particular posts or duties of coordinate magistrates (like the several praetors) were assigned by lot.
Metello:
a brother of Q. Metellus Creticus, consul elect, and of L. Metellus, praetor in Sicily.
obtigisset,
had fallen to (the regular word for this kind of assignment).
ut . . . quaereret
, to
have charge of the Court of Extortion: subst. clause of result; §
569
, 2 (332, a, 2); B. 297, 2; G. 553, 3; H. 571,1 (501, i, I); H.-B. 521, 3,
a.
de pecuniis repetundis,
of extortion (lit.
concerning demanding back the [extorted]
property).
factam,
offered.—
pueros,
slaves.
[22]
sane,
you
may be sure.
ne haec quidem,
etc.,
this incident did not please me either.
neque . . . intellegebam,
i.e. his confidence in the integrity of Metellus was so great that he did not even yet see through the tricks of the defence.
tanto opere
,
so very well (with
intellegebam
).
reperiebam
: the imperf. denotes a succession of items of information.
senatore
, etc.: the Senator, a man of the same class as Verres, put the money to be used in the elections and trial into the hands of an
eques,one of the class that had the management of all such financial operations. He retained, however, say (
quasi
) ten baskets, to be used directly to defeat Cicero’s election as aedile.
nomine
, on
account of.
divisores
,
managers. The money to be used at elections was put into the hands of
sequestres (election agents), who themselves made use of
divisores to approach the voters personally. On this occasion, the exigency was so great that Verres (
istum
) summoned the
divisores to his own house, without the mediation of
sequestres .
[23]
omnia debere,
was bound to do anything for me.
proximis,
the last.
negasse audere
,
said they did not dare.
fortem,
stanch (ironical), in allusion to
audere
(l.23).
Romilia
, without
tribu
expressed,—the regular way of giving the name of a man’s tribe.
ex optima . . . disciplina,
from the best school (ironical), i.e. that of Verres’ father.
HS
: the defeat of Cicero would, therefore, cost nearly $25,000; See §
632
-635(377-380); G. 493; H.757,2(647); H.-B.675
se unâ facturos esse
,
that they would act with him
[24] A lively description of the embarrassment in which Cicero was placed at the end of July by the election and the trial, both coming on together.
in his ipsis,
in that too (as well as the trial).
agere . . . deterrebar
,
from doing freely what, etc.,
I was deterred by, etc.: §
558
, b (331, e, 2); B. 295, N.; G. 423, 2, N.2; H. 596, 2 (505, ii); H.-B. 587 and a.
petitioni,
canvass.
ratio
, good policy.
[25]
denuntiatum esse,
that a message was sent. This compound implies a peremptory and threatening message.
primum
corresponds to
arcessit alter
, etc.,
p. 38, l. 4
, below.
ut venirent
: subj. of purpose, since
denuntiatum est
expresses a command; §
580
, a (332,
h); cf. B. 295, 1; G. 546, N.I; H. 564 (540, iii); H.-B. 502, 3, a.
sane liberos,
pretty independent, i.e. in refusing to come. If he had been consul, instead of merely consul elect, they would have had to come.
venisse
: the subj. acc. is
eos
, the implied antecedent of
qui
.
ceterorum,
i.e. those for consuls and praetors, which had lately been held.
cursare
(historical infinitive),
ran hither and thither.
paternos amicos:
see
p. 36, l. 26
.
appellare . . . et convenire,
accosted and conferred with.
cuius
: the antecedent is
eiusdem
(l.19).
de fide
, i.e.
his good faith to the Sicilians: probably a hint that Cicero himself had been approached with a bribe.
Commmentary on the Impeachment of Verres. James Bradstreet Greenough. ed. James Bradstreet Greenough, ed. George Lyman Kittredge. Boston. 1897.
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