letters of cicero-第12节
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But now notice; I beg; what actually ensued。 First of all; that intruder upon the women's rites; who had shewn no more respect for the Bona Dea than for his three sisters; secured immunity by the votes of those men who; when a tribune wished by a legal action to exact penalties from a seditious citizen by the agency of the loyalists; deprived the Republic of what would have been hereafter a most splendid precedent for the punishment of sedition。 And these same persons; in the case of the monument; which was not mine; indeedfor it was not erected from the proceeds of spoils won by me; and I had nothing to do with it beyond giving out the contract for its constructionwell; they allowed this monument of the senate's to have branded upon it the name of a public enemy; and an inscription written in blood。 That those men wished my safety rouses my liveliest gratitude; but I could have wished that they had not chosen to take my bare safety into consideration; like doctors; but; like trainers; my strength and complexion also! As it is; just as Apelles perfected the head and bust of his Venus with the most elaborate art; but left the rest of her body in the rough; so certain persons only took pains with my head; and left the rest of my body unfinished and unworked。 Yet in this matter I have falsified the expectation; not only of the jealous; but also of the downright hostile; who formerly conceived a wrong opinion from the case of Quintus Metellus; son of Luciusthe most energetic and gallant man in the world; and in my opinion of surpassing courage and firmnesswho; people say; was much cast down and dispirited after his return from exile。 Now; in the first place; we are asked to believe that a man who accepted exile with entire willingness and remarkable cheerfulness; and never took any pains at all to get recalled; was crushed in spirit about an affair in which he had shewn more firmness and constancy than anyone else; even than the preeminent M。 Scaurus himself! But; again; the account they had received; or rather the conjectures they were indulging in about him; they now transferred to me; imagining that I should be more than usually broken in spirit: whereas; in fact; the Republic was inspiring me with even greater courage than I had ever had before; by making it plain that I was the one citizen it could not do without; and by the fact that while a bill proposed by only one tribune had recalled Metellus; the whole state had joined as one man in recalling methe senate leading the way; the whole of Italy following after; eight of the tribunes publishing the bill; a consul putting the question at the centuriate assembly; all orders and individuals pressing it on; in fact; with all the forces at its command。 Nor is it the case that I afterwards made any pretension; or am making any at this day; which can justly offend anyone; even the most malevolent: my only effort is that I may not fail either my friends or those more remotely connected with me in either active service; or counsel; or personal exertion。 This course of life perhaps offends those who fix their eyes on the glitter and show of my professional position; but are unable to appreciate its anxieties and laboriousness。
Again; they make no concealment of their dissatisfaction on the ground that in the speeches which I make in the senate in praise of Caesar I am departing from my old policy。 But while giving explanations on the points which I put before you a short time ago; I will not keep till the last the following; which I have already touched upon。 You will not find; my dear Lentulus; the sentiments of the loyalists the same as you left themstrengthened by my consulship; suffering relapse at intervals afterwards; crushed down before your consulship; revived by you: they have now been abandoned by those whose duty it was to have maintained them: and this fact they; who in the old state of things as it existed in our day used to be called Optiinates; not only declare by look and expression of countenance; by which a false pretence is easiest supported; but have proved again and again by their actual sympathies and votes。 Accordingly; the entire view and aim of wise citizens; such as I wish both to be and to be reckoned; must needs have undergone a change。 For that is the maxim of that same great Plato; whom I emphatically regard as my master: 〃Maintain a political controversy only so far as you can convince your fellow citizens of its justice: never offer violence to parent or fatherland。〃 He; it is true; alleges this as his motive for having abstained from politics; because; having found the Athenian people all but in its dotage; and seeing that it could not be ruled by persuasion; or by anything short of compulsion; while he doubted the possibility of persuasion; he looked upon compulsion as criminal。 My position was different in this: as the people was not in its dotage; nor the question of engaging in politics still an open one for me; I was bound hand and foot。 Yet I rejoiced that I was permitted in one and the same cause to support a policy at once advantageous to myself and acceptable to every loyalist。 An additional motive was Caesar's memorable and almost superhuman kindness to myself and my brother; who thus would have deserved my support whatever he undertook; while as it is; considering his great success and his brilliant victories; he would seem; even if he had not behaved to me as he has; to claim a panegyric from me。 For I would have you believe that; putting you aside; who were the authors of my recall; there is no one by whose good offices I would not only confess; but would even rejoice; to have been so much bound。
Having explained this matter to you; the questions you ask about Vatinius and Crassus are easy to answer。 For; since you remark about Appius; as about Caesar; 〃that you have no fault to find;〃 I can only say that I am glad you approve my policy。 But as to Vatinius; in the first place there had been in the interval a reconciliation effected through Pompey; immediately after his election to the praetorship; though I had; it is true; impugned his candidature in some very strong speeches in the senate; and yet not so much for the sake of attacking him as of defending and complimenting Cato。 Again; later on; there followed a very pressing request from Caesar that I should undertake his defence。 But my reason for testifying to his character I beg you will not ask; either in the case of this defendant or of others; lest I retaliate by asking you the same question when you come home: though I can do so even before you return: for remember for whom you sent a certificate of character from the ends of the earth。 However; don't be afraid; for those same persons are praised by myself; and will continue to be so。 Yet; after all; there was also the motive spurring me on to undertake his defence; of which; during the trial; when I appeared for him; I remarked that I was doing just what the parasite in the Eunuchus advised the captain to do:
〃As oft as she names Phxdria; you retort With Pamphila。 If ever she suggest; 'Do let us have in Phudria to our revel:' Quoth you; 'And let us call on Pamphila To sing a song。' If she shall praise his looks; Do you praise hers to match them: and; in fine; Give tit for tat; that you may sting her soul。〃
So I asked the jurors; since certain men of high rank; who; had also done me very great favours; were much enamoured of my enemy; and often under my very eyes in the senate now took him aside in grave consultation; now embraced him familiarly and cheerfullysince these men had their Publius; to grant me another Publius; in whose person I might repay a slight attack by a moderate retort。 And; indeed; I am often as good as my word; with the applause of gods and men。 So much for Vatinius。 Now about Crassus。 I thought I had done much to secure his gratitude in having; for the sake of the general harmony; wiped out by a kind of voluntary act of oblivion all his very serious injuries; when he suddenly undertook the defence of Gabinius; whom only a few days before he had attacked with the greatest bitterness。 Nevertheless; I should have borne that; if he had done so without casting any offensive reflexions on me。 But on his attacking tile; though I was only arg…tling and not inveighing against him; I fired up not only; I think; with the passion of the momentfor that perhaps would not have been so hotbut the smothered wrath at his many wrongs to me; of which I thought I had wholly got rid; having; unconsciously to myself; lingered in my soul; it suddenly shewed itself in full force; And it was at this precise time that certain persons (the same whom I frequently indicate by a sign or hint); while declaring that they had much enjoyed my outspoken style; and had never before fully realized that I was restored to the Republic in all my old character; and when my conduct of that controversy had gained me much credit outside the house also; began saying that they were glad both that he was now my enemy; and that those who were involved with him would never be my friends。 So when their ill…natured remarks were reported to me by men of most respectable character; and when Pompey pressed me as he had never done before to be reconciled to Crass