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[24]
Shall I then trust myself to those roads—I who lately, on the day of
the feast of Terminus, did not dare even to go into the suburbs and return by
the same road on the same day? I can scarcely defend myself within the walls of
my own house without the protection of my friends; therefore I remain in the
city; and if I am allowed to do so I will remain. This is my proper place, this
is my beat, this is my post as a sentinel, this is my station as a defender of
the city. Let others occupy camps and kingdoms, and engage in the conduct of the
war; let them show the active hatred of the enemy; we, as we say, and as we have
always hitherto done, will, in common with you, defend the city and the affairs
of the city. Nor do I shrink from this office; although I see the Roman people
shrink from it for me. No one is less timid than I am; no one more cautious. The
facts speak for themselves. This is the twentieth year that I have been a mark
for the attempts of all wicked men; therefore, they have paid to the republic
(not to say to me) the penalty of their wickedness. As yet the republic has
preserved me in safety for itself. I am almost afraid to say what I am going to
say; for I know that any accident may happen to a man; but still, when I was
once hemmed in by the united force of many most influential men, I yielded
voluntarily, and fell in such a manner as to be able to rise again in the most
honorable manner.
M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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