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A. Urb. 696. Cic. 50. Coss.---P. Corn. Lentul. Spinther. Q. Cæc. Metel. Nepos.

ver would live; and that he owed more to him, on "this occasion, than it was even lawful almost for one 66 man to owe to another *."

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Both these speeches are still extant, and a passage or two from each will illustrate the temper and disposition in which he returned in speaking to the senate, after a particular recital of the services of his friends, he adds: " as I have a pleasure in enumerating these, "so I willingly pass over in silence what others wickedly acted against me: it is not my present business to remember injuries; which, if it were in my power to revenge, I should chuse to forget; my life shall be applied to other purposes; to repay the "good offices of those who have deserved it of me; "to hold fast the friendships which have been tried as "it were in the fire; to wage war with declared ene"mies; to pardon my timorous, nor yet expose my "treacherous friends; and to balance the misery of "exile by the dignity of my return f." To the people he observes; "that there were four sorts of e"nemies, who concurred to oppress him: the first, who, out of hatred to the republic, were mortal ene"mies to him for having saved it: the second, who, "under a false pretence of friendship, infamously betrayed him the third, who, through their inability "to obtain what he had acquired, were envious of his

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* Cn Pompeias, vir omnium qui sunt, fuerunt, erunt, princeps virtute, sapientia, ac gloria. Huic ego homini, Quirites, tantum debeo, quantum hominem homini debere vix fas est. Post red. ad Quir. 7.

+ Post red. in Sen. 9.

A. Urb. 696. Cic. 50. Coss.---P. Corn. Lentul. Spinther. Q.Cæc. Metel. Nepos.

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dignity the fourth, who, though by office they ought to have been the guardians of the republic, "bartered away his safety, the peace of the city, and "the dignity of the empire, which were committed to "their trust. I will take my revenge," says he, “ on "each of them, agreeably to the different manner of "their provocation; on the bad citizens, by defending "the republic strenuously; on my perfidious friends, "by never trusting them again; on the envious, by "continuing my steady pursuit of virtue and glory; "on those merchants of provinces, by calling them "home to give an account of their administration: "but I am more solicitous how to acquit myself of แ obligations to you, for your great services, than to "resent the injuries and cruelties of my enemies for "it is much easier to revenge an injury than to repay แ a kindness, and much less trouble to get the better " of bad men than to equal the good *."

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This affair being happily over, the senate had leisure again to attend to public business; and there was now a case before them of a very urgent nature, which required a present remedy; an unusual scarcity of corn and provisions in the city, which had been greatly encreased by the late concourse of people from all parts of Italy, on Cicero's account, and was now felt very severely by the poorer citizens: They had born it with much patience while Cicero's return was in agitation; comforting themselves with a notion, that if he was once restored, plenty would be restored with

*Post red. ad Quir. 9.

A. Urb. 695. Cic. 49. Coss.-P. Corn. Lent. Spinther. Q. Cæc. Metel, Nepos.

him; but finding the one at last effected without the other, they began to grow clamorous, and unable to endure their hunger any longer.

Clodius could not slip so fair an opportunity of exciting some new disturbance, and creating fresh trouble to Cicero, by charging the calamity to his score: for this end he employed a number of young fellows to run all night about the streets, making a lamentable outcry for bread; and calling upon Cicero to relieve them from the famine to which he had reduced them; as if he had got some hidden store or magazine of corn, secreted from common use *. He sent his mob also to the theatre, in which the prætor Cæcilius, Cicero's particular friend, was exhibiting the Apollinarian shews, where they raised such a terror that they drove the whole company out of it: then, in the same tumultuous manner, they marched to the temple of Concord, whither Metellus had summoned the senate; but happening to meet with Metellus in the way, they presently attacked him with vollies of stones; with some of which they wounded even the consul himself, who, for the greater security, immediately adjourned the senate into the Capitol. They were led on by two desperate ruffians, their usual commanders, M. Lollius and M. Sergius; the first of whom had in

* Qui facultate oblata, ad imperitorum animos incitandos, renovaturum te illa funesta latrocinia ob annonæ causam putavisti. Pro dom. 5.

Quid? puerorum illa concursatio nocturna? num a te ipso instituta me frumentum flagitabant? Quasi vero ego aut rei frumentariæ præfuissem, aut compressum aliquod frumentum tenerem. Ib. 6.

A. Urb. 696. Cic. 50. Coss.---P. Cornel. Lent. Spinther. Q. Cæcil. Metel. Nepos.

Clodius's tribunate undertaken the task of killing Pompey; the second had been captain of the guard to Catiline, and was probably of his family *: but Clodius, encouraged by this hopeful beginning, put himself at their head in person, and pursued the senate into the Capitol, in order to disturb their debates, and prevent their providing any relief for the present evil; and above all, to excite the meaner sort to some violence against Cicero. But he soon found, to his great disappointment, that Cicero was too strong in the affections of the city to be hurt again so soon: for the people themselves saw through his design, and were so provoked at it, that they turned universally against him, and drove him out of the field with all his mercenaries; when perceiving that Cicero was not present in the senate, they called out upon him by name with one voice, and would not be quieted till he came in person to undertake their cause, and propose some expedient for their relief. He had kept his house all that day, and resolved to do so, till he saw the issue of the tumult; but when he understood that Clodius was repulsed, and that his presence was universally re

Cum homines ad theatrum primo, deinde ad senatum concurrissent impulsu Clodii. Ad Att. 4. 1.

Concursus est ad templum Concordiæ factus, senatum illud vocante Metello-qui sunt homines a Q. Metello, in senatu palam nominati, a quibus ille se lapidibus appetitum, etiam percussum esse dixit. Quis est iste Lollius? Qui te tribuno pleb.-Cn. Pompeium interficiendum depoposcit.-Quis est Sergius? armiger Catilinæ, stipator tui corporis, signifer seditionis-his atque hujusmodi ducibus, cum tu in annonæ caritate in consules, in senatum-repentinos impetus comparares.-Pro dom. 5.

A. Urb. 696. Cic. 50. Coss.-P. Corn. Lent. Spinther. Q. Cæc. Metel. Nepos.

quired by the consuls, the senate, and the whole people: he came to the senate-house, in the midst of their debates, and being presently asked his opinion, proposed, that Pompey should be entreated to undertake the province of restoring plenty to the city; and, to enable him to execute it with effect, should be invested with an absolute power over all the public stores and corn-rents of the empire through all the provinces the motion was readily accepted, and a vote immediately passed, that a law should be prepared for that purpose, and offered to the people *. All the consular senators were absent, except Messala and Afranius they pretended to be afraid of the mob ; but the real cause was their unwillingness to concur in granting this commission to Pompey. The consuls carried the decree with them into the Rostra, and read it publicly to the people; who, on the mention of Cicero's name, in which it was drawn, gave an universal shout of applause; upon which, at the desire of all the magistrates, Cicero made a speech to them

* Ego vero domi me tenui, quamdiu turbulentum tempus fuitcum servos tuos ad rapinam, ad bonorum cædem paratos-armatos etiam in Capitolium tecum venisse constabat-scio me domi mansisse posteaquam mihi nunciatum est, populum Romanum in Capitolium-convenisse inistros autem scelerum tuorum perterritos, partim amissis gladiis, partim ereptis diffugisse; veni non solum sine ullis copiis, ac manu, verura etiam cum paucis amicis.—Ib.

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Ego denique--a populo Romano universo, qui tum in Capitolium convenerat, cum illo die minus valerem, nominatim in senatuin vocabar. Veni exspectatus; multis jam sententiis dictis, rogatus sum sententiam ; dixi reipub. saluberrimam, mihi necessariam. Ib.7. Factum est S. C. in meam sententiam, ut cum Pompeio ageretur, ut eam rem susciperet, lexque ferretur. Ad Att, 4. 1.

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