11.
For I noticed, O judges, that my intimate friend, Lucius Herennius, was
listened to by you most attentively. And though you were induced to pay him
that attention to a great extent by his own ability and by a sort of
eloquence which pervaded his oration, still I was sometimes apprehensive
lest that speech of his which was contrived with such subtlety for the
purpose of giving weight to his accusation should slowly and imperceptibly
inflame your minds. For he said a great deal about luxury, a great deal
about justice, a great deal about the vices of youth, a great
deal about morals. And he, who in every other action of his life had been
gentle, and who has accustomed himself to behave at all times with that
humane courtesy with which nearly every one is charmed, acted in this cause
like a morose uncle, or censor, or lecturer. He reproached Marcus Caelius in
such a manner as no man's father ever abused him. He delivered a long
harangue about incontinence and intemperance. What are you expecting me to
say, O judges, I exercised you for listening to him with attention, because
I myself could not avoid shuddering at so morose and savage an oration.
[26]
And the first allegation was one
which affected me least, namely,—that Caius had been intimate with
my own intimate friend Bestia; that he had supped with him, had been in the
habit of visiting him, had aided him when he was a candidate for the
praetorship. These things do not move me at all, for they are notoriously
false. In fact he is stating that those men supped together who are either
in different places, or
* * * Nor am I moved by that assertion either, that he said that Caelius had been a comrade of his own in the Lupercal games. No doubt, it is a savage and purely pastoral and uncivilized sort of companionship,1 that of the Lupercal comrades, whose sylvan companies were established before the institution of civilization and of laws. Since these companions not only prosecute one another, but even in the accusation speak of the companionship as a crime,
* * * so that they seem to be afraid, lest any one should be ignorant of it. [27] But I will pass over these things, and reply to those which I thought of more consequence. There was a very long reproach addressed to my client on the score of luxury; it was, however, a gentle one, and had more argument than ferocity in it; on which account it was listened to with the more attention. For while Publius Clodius, my friend, was allowing himself to be carried away by the greatest violence and impetuosity, and, being in a great state of excitement, was using the most severe language, and speaking at the top of his voice, though I had a high opinion of his eloquence, still I was not at all alarmed. For I had seen him conducting several trials without success. But I will reply to you first of all, O Balbus, with an entreaty to be allowed, without blame and without a charge of impiety to defend a man who never refuses an invitation to supper, who uses perfumes, and who often goes to Baiae.
* * * Nor am I moved by that assertion either, that he said that Caelius had been a comrade of his own in the Lupercal games. No doubt, it is a savage and purely pastoral and uncivilized sort of companionship,1 that of the Lupercal comrades, whose sylvan companies were established before the institution of civilization and of laws. Since these companions not only prosecute one another, but even in the accusation speak of the companionship as a crime,
* * * so that they seem to be afraid, lest any one should be ignorant of it. [27] But I will pass over these things, and reply to those which I thought of more consequence. There was a very long reproach addressed to my client on the score of luxury; it was, however, a gentle one, and had more argument than ferocity in it; on which account it was listened to with the more attention. For while Publius Clodius, my friend, was allowing himself to be carried away by the greatest violence and impetuosity, and, being in a great state of excitement, was using the most severe language, and speaking at the top of his voice, though I had a high opinion of his eloquence, still I was not at all alarmed. For I had seen him conducting several trials without success. But I will reply to you first of all, O Balbus, with an entreaty to be allowed, without blame and without a charge of impiety to defend a man who never refuses an invitation to supper, who uses perfumes, and who often goes to Baiae.
