[5]
What will you say? That in the war of the runaway slaves Sicily was delivered by your valour? It is a great
praise; a very honourable boast. But in what war? For we have understood that after
that war which Marcus Aquillius finished, there has been no war of fugitive slaves
in Sicily. Oh! but there was in Italy. I admit that; a great and formidable war. Do
you then attempt to claim for yourself any part of the credit arising from that war?
Do you think that you are to share any of the glory of that victory with Marcus
Crassus or Cnaeus Pompeius? I do not suppose that even this will be too great a
stretch for your impudence, to venture to say something of that sort. You, forsooth,
hindered any part of the forces of these slaves from passing over from Italy into Sicily? Where? When? From what part of Italy, as they never attempted to approach Sicily in any ships or vessels of any sort? For we
never heard anything whatever of such an attempt; but we have heard that care was
taken, by the courage and prudence of Marcus Crassus, that most valiant man, that
the runaways should not make boats so as to be able to cross the strait to
Messana; an attempt from which it would
not have been so important to have cut them off, if there were supposed to have been
any forces in Sicily able to oppose their
invasion.
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M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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