[53]
And what city, then, was bound to
supply these things? As for those who cultivate the public domains, it is settled
what they are bound to furnish by the Censorian Law. Why did you exact from them
anything besides that in another class of contribution? What? Do those who are
liable to the payment of tenths owe anything more than a single tenth, according to
the Law of Hiero? Why have you fixed in their case also how much corn they were to
be bound to sell to us, that being another description of contribution? Those who
are exempt undoubtedly owe nothing. But you not only exacted this from them, but
even by way of making them give more than they possibly could, you added to their
burden those sixty thousand modii from which you
excused the Mamertines. And this is not what I say, that this was not rightly
exacted from the others; what I say is, that it was a scandalous thing to excuse the
Mamertines, whose case was exactly the same, and from whom all previous praetors had
exacted the same contribution that they did from the rest, and had paid them for it
according to the resolution of the senate, and the law. And in order to drive in
this indulgence with a big nail, as one may say, he takes cognisance of the cause of
the Mamertines while sitting on the bench with his assessors, and pronounces
judgment, that he, according to the decision of the bench, does not demand any corn
from the Mamertines.
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