For P. Sulla |
Translator: C. D. Yonge
|
|
| 73 |
Quid reliquae constantiam vitae commemorem ,dignitatem , liberalitatem , moderationem in privatis rebus , splendorem in publicis ? quae ita deformata sunt a fortuna ut tamen a natura inchoata compareant . Quae domus , quae celebratio cotidiana , quae familiarium dignitas , quae studia amicorum , quae ex quoque ordine multitudo ! Haec diu multumque et multo labore quaesita una eripuit hora . Accepit P . Sulla , iudices , volnus vehemens et mortiferum , verum tamen eius modi quod videretur huius vita et natura accipere potuisse . Honestatis enim et dignitatis habuisse nimis magnam iudicatus est cupiditatem ; quam si nemo alius habuit in consulatu petendo , cupidior iudicatus est hic fuisse quam ceteri ; sin etiam in aliis non nullis fuit iste consulatus amor , fortuna in hoc fuit fortasse gravior quam in ceteris .
|
Why need I speak of the other virtues of his life? of his dignity? of his liberality? of his moderation in his own private affairs? of his splendour on public occasions? For, though in these points he has been crippled by fortune, yet the good foundations laid by nature are visible. What a house was his! what crowds frequented it daily! How great was the dignity of his behaviour to his friends! How great was their attachment to him! What a multitude of friends had he of every order of the people! These things which had been built up by long time and much labour, one single hour deprived him of; Publius Sulla, O judges, received a terrible and a mortal wound; but still it was an injury of such a sort as his way of life and his natural disposition might seem liable to be exposed to. He was judged to have too great a desire for honour and dignity. If no one else was supposed to have such desires in standing for the consulship, then he was judged to be more covetous than the rest. But if this desire for the consulship has existed in some other men also, then, perhaps, fortune was a little more unfavourable to him than to others. |
| 74 |
Postea vero quis P .Sullam nisi maerentem , demissum adflictumque vidit , quis umquam est suspicatus hunc magis odio quam pudore hominum aspectum lucemque vitare ? Qui cum multa haberet invitamenta urbis et fori propter summa studia amicorum , quae tamen ei sola in malis restiterunt , afuit ab oculis vestris et , cum lege retineretur , ipse se exsilio paene multavit .
|
But, after this misfortune, who ever saw Publius Sulla otherwise than grieving, dejected, and out of spirits? Who ever suspected that he was avoiding the sight of men and the light of day, out of hatred, and not rather out of shame? For though he had many temptations to frequent this city and the forum, by reason of the great attachment of his friends to him, the only consolation which remained to him in his misfortunes, still he kept out of your sight; and though he might have remained here as far as the law went he almost condemned himself to banishment. |
| 75 |
In hoc vos pudore , iudices , et in hac vita tanto sceleri locum fuisse credatis ? Aspicite ipsum , contuemini os , conferte crimen cum vita , vitam ab initio usque ad hoc tempus explicatam cum crimine recognoscite . Mitto rem publicam , quae fuit semper Sullae carissima ; hosne amicos , talis viros , tam cupidos sui , per quos res eius secundae quondam erant ornatae , nunc sublevantur adversae , crudelissime perire voluit , ut cum Lentulo et Catilina et Cethego foedissimam vitam ac miserrimam turpissima morte proposita degeret ? Non , inquam , cadit in hos mores , non in hunc pudorem , non in hanc vitam , non in hunc hominem ista suspicio . Nova quaedam illa immanitas exorta est , incredibilis fuit ac singularis furor , ex multis ab adulescentia conlectis perditorum hominum vitiis repente ista tanta importunitas inauditi sceleris exarsit .
|
In such modest conduct as this, O judges, and in such a life as this, will you believe that there was any room left for such enormous wickedness? Look at the man himself; behold his countenance. Compare the accusation with his course of life. Compare his life, which has been laid open before you from his birth up to this day, with this accusation. I say nothing of the republic, to which Sulla has always been most devoted. Did he wish these friends of his, being such men as they are, so attached to him, by whom his prosperity had been formerly adorned, by whom his adversity is now comforted and relieved, to perish miserably, in order that he himself might be at liberty to pass a most miserable and infamous existence in company with Lentulus, and Catiline, and Cethegus, with no other prospect for the future but a disgraceful death? That suspicion is not consistent,—it is, I say, utterly at variance with such habits, with such modesty, with such a life as his, with the man himself. That sprang up, a perfectly unexampled sort of barbarity; it was an incredible and amazing insanity. The foulness of that unheard of wickedness broke out on a sudden, taking its rise from the countless vices of profligate men accumulated ever since their youth. |
| 76 |
Nolite , iudices , arbitrari hominum illum impetum et conatum fuisse —neque enim ulla gens tam barbara aut tam immanis umquam fuit in qua non modo tot , sed unus tam crudelis hostis patriae sit inventus —, beluae quaedam illae ex portentis immanes ac ferae forma hominum indutae exstiterunt . Perspicite etiam atque etiam , iudices ,—nihil enim est quod in hac causa dici possit vehementius — penitus introspicite Catilinae , Autroni , Cethegi , Lentuli ceterorumque mentis ; quas vos in his libidines , quae flagitia , quas turpitudines , quantas audacias , quam incredibilis furores , quas notas facinorum , quae indicia parricidiorum , quantos acervos scelerum reperietis ! Ex magnis et diuturnis et iam desperatis rei publicae morbis ista repente vis erupit , ut ea confecta et eiecta convalescere aliquando et sanari civitas posset ; neque enim est quisquam qui arbitretur illis inclusis in re publica pestibus diutius haec stare potuisse . Itaque eos non ad perficiendum scelus , sed ad luendas rei publicae poenas Furiae quaedam incitaverunt .
|
Think not, O judges, that that violence and that attempt was the work of human beings; for no nation ever was so barbarous or so savage, as to have (I will not say so many, but even) one implacable enemy to his country. They were some savage and ferocious beasts, born of monsters, and clothed in human form. Look again and again, O judges; for there is nothing too violent to be said in such a cause as this. Look deeply and thoroughly into the minds of Catiline, Autronius, Cethegus, Lentulus, and the rest. What lusts you will find in these men, what crimes, what baseness, what audacity, what incredible insanity, what marks of wickedness, what traces of parricide, what heaps of enormous guilt! Out of the great diseases of the republic, diseases of long standing, which had been given over as hopeless, suddenly that violence broke out in such a way, that when it was put down and got rid of, the state might again be able to become convalescent and to be cured; for there is no one who thinks that if those pests remained in the republic, the Constitution could continue to exist any longer. Therefore they were some Furies who urged them on, not to complete their wickedness, but to atone to the republic for their guilt by their punishment. |
| 77 |
In hunc igitur gregem vos nunc P . Sullam , iudices , ex his qui cum hoc vivunt atque vixerunt honestissimorum hominum gregibus reicietis , ex hoc amicorum numero , ex hac familiarium dignitate in impiorum partem atque in parricidarum sedem et numerum transferetis ? Vbi erit igitur illud firmissimum praesidium pudoris , quo in loco nobis vita ante acta proderit , quod ad tempus existimationis partae fructus reservabitur , si in extremo discrimine ac dimicatione fortunae deseret , si non aderit , si nihil adiuvabit ?
|
Will you then, O judges, now turn back Publius Sulla into this band of rascals, out of that band of honourable men who are living and have lived as his associates? Will you transfer him from this body of citizens, and from the familiar dignity in which he lives with them, to the party of impious men, to that crew and company of parricides? What then will become of that most impregnable defence of modesty? in what respect will the purity of our past lives be of any use to us? For what time is the reward of the character which a man has gained to be reserved, if it is to desert him at his utmost need, and when he is engaged in a contest in which all his fortunes are at stake—if it is not to stand by him and help him at such a crisis as this? |
| 78 |
Quaestiones nobis servorum accusator et tormenta minitatur . In quibus quamquam nihil periculi suspicamur , tamen illa tormenta gubernat dolor , moderatur natura cuiusque cum animi tum corporis , regit quaesitor , flectit libido , corrumpit spes , infirmat metus , ut in tot rerum angustiis nihil veritati loci relinquatur . Vita P . Sullae torqueatur , ex ea quaeratur num quae occultetur libido , num quod lateat facinus , num quae crudelitas , num quae audacia . Nihil erroris erit in causa nec obscuritatis , iudices , si a vobis vitae perpetuae vox , ea quae verissima et gravissima debet esse , audietur .
|
Our prosecutor threatens us with the examinations and torture of our slaves; and though we do not suspect that any danger can arise to us from them, yet pain reigns in those tortures; much depends on the nature of every one's mind, and the fortitude of a person's body. The inquisitor manages everything; caprice regulates much, hope corrupts them, fear disables them, so that, in the straits in which they are placed, there is but little room left for truth. Is the life of Publius Sulla, then, to be put to the torture? is it to be examined to see what lust is concealed beneath it? whether any crime is lurking under it, or any cruelty, or any audacity? There will be no mistake in our cause, O judges, no obscurity, if the voice of his whole life, which ought to be of the very greatest weight, is listened to by you. |
| 79 |
Nullum in hac causa testem timemus , nihil quemquam scire , nihil vidisse , nihil audisse arbitramur . Sed tamen , si nihil vos P . Sullae fortuna movet , iudices , vestra moveat . Vestra enim , qui cum summa elegantia atque integritate vixistis , hoc maxime interest , non ex libidine aut simultate aut levitate testium causas honestorum hominum ponderari , sed in magnis disquisitionibus repentinisque periculis vitam unius cuiusque esse testem . Quam vos , iudices , nolite armis suis spoliatam atque nudatam obicere invidiae , dedere suspicioni ; munite communem arcem bonorum , obstruite perfugia improborum ; valeat ad poenam et ad salutem vita plurimum , quam solam videtis per se ex sua natura facillime perspici , subito flecti fingique non posse .
|
In this cause we fear no witness; we feel sure that no one knows, or has ever seen, or has ever heard anything against us. But still, if the consideration of the fortune of Publius Sulla has no effect on you, O judges, let a regard for your own fortune weigh with you. For this is of the greatest importance to you who have lived in the greatest elegance and safety, that the causes of honourable men should not be judged of according to the caprice, or enmity, or worthlessness of the witnesses; but that in important investigations and sudden dangers, the life of every man should be the most credible witness. And do not you, O judges, abandon and expose it, stripped of its arms, and defenceless, to envy and suspicion. Fortify the common citadel of all good men, block up the ways of escape resorted to by the wicked. Let that witness be of the greatest weight in procuring either safety or punishment for a man, which is the only one that, from its own intrinsic nature, can with ease be thoroughly examined, and which cannot be suddenly altered and remodelled. |
| 80 |
Quid vero ? haec auctoritas —saepe enim est de ea dicendum , quamquam a me timide modiceque dicetur —quid ? inquam , haec auctoritas nostra , qui a ceteris coniurationis causis abstinuimus , P . Sullam defendimus , nihil hunc tandem iuvabit ? Grave est hoc dictu fortasse , iudices , grave , si appetimus aliquid ; si , cum ceteri de nobis silent , non etiam nosmet ipsi tacemus , grave ; sed , si laedimur , si accusamur , si in invidiam vocamur , profecto conceditis , iudices , ut nobis libertatem retinere liceat , si minus liceat dignitatem .
|
What? Shall this authority, (for I must continually speak of that though I will speak of it with timidity and moderation,)—shall, I say, this authority of mine, when I have kept aloof from the cause of every one else accused of this conspiracy, and have defended Sulla alone, be of no service to my client? This is perhaps a bold thing to say, O judges; a bold thing, if we are asking for anything; a bold thing, if, when every one else is silent about us, we will not be silent ourselves. But if we are attacked, if we are accused, if we are sought to be rendered unpopular, then surely, O judges, you will allow us to retain our liberty, even if we cannot quite retain all our dignity. |
| 81 |
Accusati sunt uno nomine omnes consulares , ut iam videatur honoris amplissimi nomen plus invidiae quam dignitatis adferre . ' Adfuerunt , ' inquit , ' Catilinae illumque laudarunt . ' Nulla tum patebat , nulla erat cognita coniuratio ; defendebant amicum , aderant supplici , vitae eius turpitudinem in summis eius periculis non insequebantur . Quin etiam parens tuus , Torquate , consul reo de pecuniis repetundis Catilinae fuit advocatus , improbo homini , at supplici , fortasse audaci , at aliquando amico . Cui cum adfuit post delatam ad eum primam illam coniurationem , indicavit se audisse aliquid , non credidisse . ' At idem non adfuit alio in iudicio , cum adessent ceteri . ' Si postea cognorat ipse aliquid quod in consulatu ignorasset , ignoscendum est eis qui postea nihil audierunt ; sin illa res prima valuit , num inveterata quam recens debuit esse gravior ? Sed si tuus parens etiam in ipsa suspicione periculi sui tamen humanitate adductus advocationem hominis improbissimi sella curuli atque ornamentis et suis et consulatus honestavit , quid est quam ob rem consulares qui Catilinae adfuerunt reprendantur ?
|
All the men of consular rank are accused at one swoop; so that the name of the most honourable office in the state appears now to carry with it more unpopularity than dignity. “They stood by Catiline,” says he, “and praised him.” At that time there was no conspiracy known of or discovered. They were defending a friend. They were giving their suppliant the countenance of their presence. They did not think the moment of his most imminent danger a fit time to reproach him with the infamy of his life. Moreover, even your own father, O Torquatus, when consul, was the advocate of Catiline when he was prosecuted on a charge of extortion: he knew he was a bad man, but he was a suppliant; perhaps he was an audacious man, but he had once been his friend. And, as he stood by him after information of that first conspiracy had been laid before him, he showed that he had heard something about him, but that he had not believed it. “But he did not countenance him by his presence at the other trial, when the rest did.” If he himself had afterwards learnt something, of which he had been ignorant when consul, still we must pardon those men who had heard nothing since that time. But if the first accusation had weight, it ought not to have had more weight when it was old than when it was fresh. But if your parent, even when he was not without suspicion of danger to himself, was still induced by pity to do honour to the defence of a most worthless man by his curule chair, by his own private dignity, and by that of his office as consul, then what reason is there for reproaching the men of consular rank who gave Catiline the countenance of their presence? |
| 82 |
' At idem eis qui ante hunc causam de coniuratione dixerunt non adfuerunt . ' Tanto scelere astrictis hominibus statuerunt nihil a se adiumenti , nihil opis , nihil auxili ferri oportere . Atque ut de eorum constantia atque animo in rem publicam dicam quorum tacita gravitas et fides de uno quoque loquitur neque cuiusquam ornamenta orationis desiderat , potest quisquam dicere umquam meliores , fortiores , constantiores consularis fuisse quam his temporibus et periculis quibus paene oppressa est res publica ? Quis non de communi salute optime , quis non fortissime , quis non constantissime sensit ? Neque ego praecipue de consularibus disputo ; nam haec et hominum ornatissimorum , qui praetores fuerunt , et universi senatus communis est laus , ut constet post hominum memoriam numquam in illo ordine plus virtutis , plus amoris in rem publicam , plus gravitatis fuisse ; sed quia sunt descripti consulares , de his tantum mihi dicendum putavi quod satis esset ad testandam omnium memoriam , neminem esse ex illo honoris gradu qui non omni studio , virtute , auctoritate incubuerit ad rem publicam conservandam .
|
“But the same men did not countenance those who were tried for their accession to this conspiracy before Sulla.” Certainly not; they resolved that no aid, no assistance, no support ought to be given by them to men implicated in such wickedness. And that I may speak for a moment of their constancy and attachment to the republic, whose silent virtue and loyalty bears witness in behalf of every one of them, and needs no ornaments of language from any one,—can any one say that any time there were men of consular rank more virtuous, more fearless, or more firm, than those who lived in these critical and perilous times, in which the republic was nearly overwhelmed? Who of them did not, with the greatest openness, and bravery, and earnestness, give his whole thoughts to the common safety? Nor need I confine what I say to the men of consular rank. For this credit is due to all those accomplished men who have been praetors, and indeed to the whole senate in common; so that it is plain that never, in the memory of man, was there more virtue in that order, greater attachment to the republic, or more consummate wisdom, But because the men of consular rank were especially mentioned, I thought I ought to say thus much in their behalf; and that that would be enough, as the recollection of all men would join me in bearing witness, that there was not one man of that rank who did not labour with all his virtue, and energy, and influence, to preserve the republic. |
| 83 |
Sed quid ego ? qui Catilinam non laudavi , qui reo Catilinae consul non adfui , qui testimonium de coniuratione dixi in alios , adeone vobis alienus a sanitate , adeo oblitus constantiae meae , adeo immemor rerum a me gestarum esse videor ut , cum consul bellum gesserim cum coniuratis , nunc eorum ducem servare cupiam et animum inducam , cuius nuper ferrum rettuderim flammamque restinxerim , eiusdem nunc causam vitamque defendere ? Si me dius fidius , iudices , non me ipsa res publica meis laboribus et periculis conservata ad gravitatem animi et constantiam sua dignitate revocaret , tamen hoc natura est insitum ut , quem timueris , quicum de vita fortunisque contenderis , cuius ex insidiis evaseris , hunc semper oderis . Sed cum agatur honos meus amplissimus , gloria rerum gestarum singularis , cum , quotiens quisque est in hoc scelere convictus , totiens renovetur memoria per me inventae salutis , ego sim tam demens , ego committam ut ea quae pro salute omnium gessi , casu magis et felicitate a me quam virtute et consilio gesta esse videantur ?
|
But what comes next? Do I, who never praised Catiline, who never as consul countenanced Catiline when he was on his trial, who have given evidence respecting the conspiracy against others,—do I seem to you so far removed from sanity, so forgetful of my own consistency, so forgetful of all the exploits which I have performed, as, though as consul I waged war against the conspirators, now to wish to preserve their leader, and to bring my mind now to defend the cause and the life of that same man whose weapon I lately blunted, and whose flames I have but just extinguished? If, O judges, the republic itself, which has been preserved by my labours and dangers, did not by its dignity recall me to wisdom and consistency, still it is an instinct implanted by nature, to hate for ever the man whom you have once feared, with whom you have contended for life and fortune, and from whose plots you have escaped. But when my chief honours and the great glory of all my exploits are at stake; when, as often as any one is convicted of any participation in this wickedness, the recollection of the safety of the city having been secured by me is renewed, shall I be so mad as to allow those things which I did in behalf of the common safety to appear now to have been done by me more by chance and by good fortune than by virtue and wisdom? |
| 84 |
' Quid ergo ? hoc tibi sumis , ' dicet fortasse quispiam , ' ut , quia tu defendis , innocens iudicetur ? ' Ego vero , iudices , non modo mihi nihil adsumo in quo quispiam repugnet sed etiam , si quid ab omnibus conceditur , id reddo ac remitto . Non in ea re publica versor , non eis temporibus caput meum obtuli pro patria periculis omnibus , non aut ita sunt exstincti quos vici aut ita grati quos servavi , ut ego mihi plus appetere coner quam quantum omnes inimici invidique patiantur .
|
“What, then, do you mean? Do you,” some one will say, perhaps, “claim that a man shall be judged innocent, just because you have defended him?” But I, O judges, not only claim nothing for myself to which any one can object, but I even give up and abandon pretensions which are granted and allowed me by every one. I am not living in such a republic—I have not exposed my life to all sorts of dangers for the sake of my country at such a time,—they whom I have defeated are not so utterly extinct,—nor are those whom I have preserved so grateful, that I should think it safe to attempt to assume more than all my enemies and enviers may endure. |
| 85 |
Grave esse videtur eum qui investigarit coniurationem , qui patefecerit , qui oppresserit , cui senatus singularibus verbis gratias egerit , cui uni togato supplicationem decreverit , dicere in iudicio : ' non defenderem , si coniurasset . ' Non dico id quod grave est , dico illud quod in his causis coniurationis non auctoritati adsumam , sed pudori meo : ' ego ille coniurationis investigator atque ultor certe non defenderem Sullam , si coniurasse arbitrarer . ' Ego , iudices , de tantis omnium periculis cum quaererem omnia , multa audirem , crederem non omnia , caverem omnia , dico hoc quod initio dixi , nullius indicio , nullius nuntio , nullius suspicione , nullius litteris de P . Sulla rem ullam ad me esse delatam .
|
It would appear an offensive thing for him who investigated the conspiracy, who laid it open, who crushed it, whom the senate thanked in unprecedented language, to whom the senate decreed a supplication, which they had never decreed to any one before for civil services, to say in a court of justice, “I would not have defended him if he had been a conspirator.” I do not say that, because it might be offensive; I say this, which in these trials relating to the conspiracy I may claim a right to say, speaking not with authority but with modesty, “I who investigated and chastised that conspiracy would certainly not defend Sulla, if I thought that he had been a conspirator.” I, O judges, say this, which I said at the beginning, that when I was making a thorough inquiry into those great dangers which were threatening everybody, when I was hearing many thing; not believing everything, but guarding against everything, not one word was said to me by any one who gave information, nor did any one hint any suspicion, nor was there the slightest mention in any one's letters, of Publius Sulla. |
| 86 |
Quam ob rem vos , di patrii ac penates , qui huic urbi atque huic rei publicae praesidetis , qui hoc imperium , qui hanc libertatem , qui populum Romanum , qui haec tecta atque templa me consule vestro numine auxilioque servastis , testor integro me animo ac libero P . Sullae causam defendere , nullum a me sciente facinus occultari , nullum scelus susceptum contra salutem omnium defendi ac tegi . Nihil de hoc consul comperi , nihil suspicatus sum , nihil audivi .
|
Wherefore I call you, O gods of my country and of my household, to witness,—you who preside over this city and this empire,—you who have preserved this empire, and these our liberties, and the Roman people,—you who by your divine assistance protected these houses and temples when I was consul,—that I with a free and honest heart am defending the cause of Publius Sulla; that no crime has been concealed by me knowingly, that no wickedness undertaken against the general safety has been kept back or defended by me. I, when consul, found out nothing about this man, I suspected nothing, I heard of nothing. |
| 87 |
Itaque idem ego ille qui vehemens in alios ,qui inexorabilis in ceteros esse visus sum , persolvi patriae quod debui ; reliqua iam a me meae perpetuae consuetudini naturaeque debentur ; tam sum misericors , iudices , quam vos , tam mitis quam qui lenissimus ; in quo vehemens fui vobiscum nihil feci nisi coactus , rei publicae praecipitanti subveni , patriam demersam extuli ; misericordia civium adducti tum fuimus tam vehementes quam necesse fuit . Salus esset amissa omnium una nocte , nisi esset severitas illa suscepta . Sed ut ad sceleratorum poenam amore rei publicae sum adductus , sic ad salutem innocentium voluntate deducor .
|
Therefore I, the same person who have seemed to be vehement against some men, inexorable towards the rest of the conspirators, (I paid my country what I owed seemed to be vehement against some men, inexorable towards I heard of nothing. Therefore I, the same person who have seemed to be vehement against some men, inexorable towards the rest of the conspirators, (I paid my country what I owed her; what I am now doing is due to my own invariable habits and natural disposition,) am as merciful, O judges, as you yourselves. I am as gentle as the most soft-hearted among you. As far as I was vehement in union with you, I did nothing except what I was compelled to do: I came to the assistance of the republic when in great danger; I raised my sinking country; influenced by pity for the whole body of citizens, we were then as severe as was necessary. The safety of all men would have been lost for ever in one night, if that severity had not been exercised; but as I was led on to the punishment of wicked men by my attachment to the republic, so now I am led to secure the safety of the innocent by my own inclination. |
| 88 |
Nihil video esse in hoc P . Sulla , iudices , odio dignum , misericordia digna multa . Neque enim nunc propulsandae calamitatis suae causa supplex ad vos , iudices , confugit , sed ne qua generi ac nomini suo nota nefariae turpitudinis inuratur . Nam ipse quidem , si erit vestro iudicio liberatus , quae habet ornamenta , quae solacia reliquae vitae quibus laetari ac perfrui possit ? Domus erit , credo , exornata , aperientur maiorum imagines , ipse ornatum ac vestitum pristinum recuperabit . Omnia , iudices , haec amissa sunt , omnia generis , nominis , honoris insignia atque ornamenta unius iudici calamitate occiderunt . Sed ne exstinctor patriae , ne proditor , ne hostis appelletur , ne hanc labem tanti sceleris in familia relinquat , id laborat , id metuit , ne denique hic miser coniurati et conscelerati et proditoris filius nominetur ; huic puero qui est ei vita sua multo carior metuit , cui honoris integros fructus non sit traditurus , ne aeternam memoriam dedecoris relinquat .
|
I see, O judges, that in this Publius Sulla there is nothing worthy of hatred, and many circumstances deserving our pity. For he does not now, O judges, flee to you as a suppliant for the sake of warding off calamity from himself, but to prevent his whole family and name from being branded with the stigma of nefarious baseness. For as for himself, even if he be acquitted by your decision, what honours has he, what comfort has he for the rest of his life, in which he can find delight or enjoyment? His house, I suppose, will be adorned; the images of his ancestors will be displayed; he himself will resume his ornaments and his usual dress. All these things, O judges, are lost to him; all the insignia and ornaments of his family, and his name, and his honour, were lost by the calamity of that one decision. But he is anxious not to be called the destroyer, the betrayer, the enemy of his country; he is fearful of leaving such disgrace to a family of such renown; he is anxious that this unhappy child may not be called the son of a conspirator, a criminal and a traitor. He fears for this boy, who is much dearer to him than his own life, anxious, though he cannot leave him the undiminished inheritance of his honours, at all events not to leave him the undying recollection of his infamy. |
| 89 |
Hic vos orat , iudices , parvus , ut se aliquando si non integra fortuna , at ut adflicta patri suo gratulari sinatis . Huic misero notiora sunt itinera iudiciorum et fori quam campi et disciplinarum . Non iam de vita P . Sullae , iudices , sed de sepultura contenditur ; vita erepta est superiore iudicio , nunc ne corpus eiciatur laboramus . Quid enim est huic reliqui quod eum in hac vita teneat , aut quid est quam ob rem haec cuiquam vita videatur ?
|
This little child entreats you, O judges, to allow him occasionally to congratulate his father, if not with his fortunes unimpaired, at least to congratulate him in his affliction. The roads to the courts of justice and to the forum are better known to that unhappy boy, than the roads to his playground or to his school. I am contending now, O judges, not for the life of Publius Sulla, but for his burial. His life was taken from him at the former trial; we are now striving to prevent his body from being cast out. For what has he left which need detain him in this life? or what is there to make any one think such an existence life at all? |
| 90 |
Nuper is homo fuit in civitate P . Sulla ut nemo ei se neque honore neque gratia neque fortunis anteferret , nunc spoliatus omni dignitate quae erepta sunt non repetit ; quod fortuna in malis reliqui fecit , ut cum parente , cum liberis , cum fratre , cum his necessariis lugere suam calamitatem liceat , id sibi ne eripiatis vos , iudices , obtestatur . Te ipsum iam , Torquate , expletum huius miseriis esse par erat et , si nihil aliud Sullae nisi consulatum abstulissetis , tamen eo vos contentos esse oportebat ; honoris enim contentio vos ad causam , non inimicitiae deduxerunt . Sed cum huic omnia cum honore detracta sint , cum in hac fortuna miserrima ac luctuosissima destitutus sit , quid est quod expetas amplius ? Lucisne hanc usuram eripere vis plenam lacrimarum atque maeroris , in qua cum maximo cruciatu ac dolore retinetur ? Libenter reddiderit adempta ignominia foedissimi criminis . An vero inimicum ut expellas ? cuius ex miseriis , si esses crudelissimus , videndo fructum caperes maiorem quam audiendo .
|
Lately, Publius Sulla was a man of such consideration in the state, that no one thought himself superior to him either in honour, or in influence, or in good fortune. Now, stripped of all his dignity, he does not seek to recover what has been taken away from him; but he does entreat you, O judge; not to take from him the little which fortune has left him in his disasters,—namely, the permission to bewail his calamities in company with his parent, with his children, with his brother; and with his friends. It would be becoming for even you yourself, O Torquatus, to be by this time satisfied with the miseries of my client. Although you had taken nothing from Sulla except the consulship, yet you ought to be content with that for it was a contest for honour, and not enmity, which originally induced you to take up this cause. But now that, together with his honour, everything else has been taken from him,—now that he is desolate, crushed by this miserable and grievous fortune, what is there which you can wish for more? Do you wish to deprive him of the enjoyment of the light of day, full as it is to him of tears and grief, in which he now lives amid the greatest grief and torment? He would gladly give it up, if you would release him from the foul imputation of this most odious crime. Do you seek to banish him as an enemy, when, if you were really hard-hearted, you would derive greater enjoyment from seeing his miseries than from hearing of them? |