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8.
But you are so senseless that throughout the whole of your speech
you were at variance with yourself; so that you said things which had not only
no coherence with each other, but which were most inconsistent with and
contradictory to one another; so that there was not so much opposition between
you and me as there was between you and yourself. You confessed that your
stepfather had been implicated in that enormous wickedness, yet you complained
that he had had punishment inflicted on him. And by doing so you praised what
was peculiarly my achievement, and blamed that which was wholly the act of the
senate. For the detection and arrest of the guilty parties was my work, their
punishment was the work of the senate. But that eloquent man does not perceive
that the man against whom he is speaking is being praised by him, and that those
before whom he is speaking are being attacked by him.
[19]
But now what an act, I will not say of audacity, (for he is
anxious to be audacious,) but (and that is what he is not desirous of) what an
act of folly, in which he surpasses all men, is it to make mention of the
Capitoline Hill, at a time when
armed men are actually between our benches—when men, armed with
swords, are now stationed in this same temple of Concord, O ye immortal gods, in
which, while I was consul, opinions most salutary to the state were delivered,
owing to which it is that we are all alive at this day.
Accuse the senate; accuse the equestrian body, which at that time was united with
the senate; accuse every order or society, and all the citizens, as long as you
confess that this assembly at this very moment is besieged by Ityrean1
soldiers. It is not so much a proof of audacity to advance these statements so
impudently, as of utter want of sense to be unable to see their contradictory
nature. For what is more insane than, after you yourself have taken up arms to
do mischief to the republic, to reproach another with having taken them up to
secure its safety? On one occasion you attempted even to be witty. O ye good
gods, how little did that attempt suit you!
[20]
And yet you are a little to be blamed for your failure in that instance, too.
For you might have got some wit from your wife, who was an actress.
“Arms to the gown must yield.” Well, have they not yielded?
But afterwards the gown yielded to your arms. Let us inquire then whether it was better for the arms of wicked men to yield to the freedom of
the Roman people, or that our liberty should yield to your arms. Nor will I make
any further reply to you about the verses. I will only say briefly that you do
not understand them, nor any other literature whatever. That I have never at any
time been wanting to the claims that either the republic or my friends had upon
me; but nevertheless that in all the different sorts of composition on which I
have employed myself, during my leisure hours, I have always endeavoured to make
my labours among my writings such as to be some advantage to our youth, and some
credit to the Roman name. But, however, all this has nothing to do with the
present occasion. Let us consider more important matters.
1 Ityra was a town at the foot of Mount Taurus.
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