17.
opto, pray. Observe the adroit union of compliment and threat in this passage, which at the same time forms the transition to the appeal to the praetor presiding.
Appeal to Glabrio, the presiding praetor, to prevent bribery.
is: referring to the Senate. judicio: abl. of means. qui sis, what sort of man you are. reddere,pay back. fac . . . veniat: § 565 (33I, f, R.); cf. B. 295, 8; G. 553, I (end); H. 565, 4 (499, 2); H.-B. 502, 3, footnote 2 legis Aciliae:this (probably B.C. 101) provided that there should be neither ampliatio (further hearing) nor comperendinatio (see note on sect. 34, p. 40, l. 18) in cases of repetundae. All earlier laws were superseded by the Cornelian law of Sulla.
Summae auctoritates, strongest influences, especially family traditions, etc. To the Roman mind an auctor, in this sense, was a pattern for imitation. quae . . . non sinant: best regarded as a purpose clause; cf. § 531. 2, N. (317, N.). ut ne quis, etc.: § 537,a, N. (319, a, N.); G. 545,R.1; H.(499,1); cf. H.-B. 502, 3, a, footnote 2. nocenti reo,etc., for the accused, if guilty, his great wealth has had more weight to increase (lit. towards） the suspicion of guilt than (to secure) a means of safety.
Cicero states his plan for preventing delay. He will introduce his witnesses at once, without preliminary argument. Brief statement of the charges against Verres. End. 18.
mihi certum est, for my part (emph.) am resolved. non committere,not to allow (in the weak sense of letting it occur by mistake or fault). ut . . . mutetur, to be changed; § 568, N I (332, e); G. 553, I; cf. H. 566, I (498, ii, N.2). nobis (eth. dat.), our. servi,etc.: Hortensius and Metellus (sects. 25, 27), while consuls elect, had sent for the Sicilians, but of course without any authority to enforce their coming. Cicero suggests that, if the case is put off till the next year, the summons may be repeated, this time by means of lictors. Each consul was attended by twelve of these officers, who had the power of arresting and coercing (see Manil. Law, note on sect. 32, p. 81, l. 15). novo exemplo,in an unheard-of manner. ius suum,their [lost] rights. eorum:this word suggests in a skillfully vague way that Verres, the Metelli, and Hortensius are all in the same conspiracy, as it were, to rob the Sicilians, Verres having used his imperium to carry out the actual robbery, the others using theirs to protect him by intimidating the victims.
nobis responderi,i.e. the argument for the defence to be made. adducta sit:§ 593 (342); B. 324, 1; G. 663, 1; H. 652 (529, ii); H-B. 539; if this were not dependent on responderi,it would be fut. perf. ind. comitiorum, ludorum:the trial came just between the elections and Pompey's votive games (sect. 31). censendi causâ,on account of the census-taking (registration). At this time censors were in office, for the first time since Sulla's domination: they were holding a registration of property and voters, at which citizens from all parts of Italy were obliged to report. The importance of proceeding with the trial while Rome was thus filled with citizens and provincials is obvious. vestrum, nostram (mine), andomnium (next page) are predicate after esse (p. 47, l. 2). quid agatur (inc. quest.) depends on the verbal noun scientiam,as the next clause does on memoriam. omnium, i.e. not the inhabitants of Rome alone.
principes: the two distinguished brothers, L. and M. Lucullus. ita testis constituam, etc.: this is the criminum ratio (sect. 19, l.14). Cicero's plan appears to be so to arrange his witnesses that their examination shall make the usual long introductory accusatio unnecessary. He will, he says, produce his witnesses in such an order and with such introduction in each case as to bring out the crimen totum in the course of these proceedings. When he has explained what he expects to prove in a given instance, he will immediately bring forward the appropriate witnesses, and so on till the whole case is in. crimen totum, the impeachment as a whole. crimen (below),the special charge of extortion (stated formally in the next section), the only charge for which Verres was really on trial. dantur, are offered. in singulas res, to each point. illis,the counsel for the defence. altera actione,i.e. after the comperendinatio: in this sense the speeches of the accusatio are correctly called Actio Secunda (see note above). haec (referring forward to sect. 56), etc., this is all the Accusatio there will be in the first Action.
quadringentiens[centena milia] sestertium, 40,000,000 sestertii, = $2,000,000 (nearly): § 634 (379); G. p. 493; H. 757 (647, iv, 1); H-B 675, 2. habuissemus:cont. to fact protasis regularly retained, without change of mood or tense, in indir. disc.; § 589, b (337, b); B. 321, B; G. 659; H. 647 (527, iii); H.-B. 581, b, N.; the apodosis isopus fuissefor opus fuit, there would have been no need: § 517, c (308, c); B. 304, 3, a; G. 597, R.3 a; H. 525,1 (476, 4); H.-B. 582, 3, a. Dixi, I have done: a common formal ending.
