To the Citizens after his Return (M. Tullius Cicero)

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	To the Citizens after his Return Author: M. Tullius Cicero	Translator: C. D. Yonge
1	quod precatus a Iove optimo maximo ceterisque dis immortalibus sum , Quirites , eo tempore cum me fortunasque meas pro vestra incolumitate otio concordiaque devovi , ut , si meas rationes umquam vestrae saluti anteposuissem , sempiternam poenam sustinerem mea voluntate susceptam , sin et ea quae ante gesseram conservandae civitatis causa gessissem et illam miseram profectionem vestrae salutis gratia suscepissem , ut quod odium scelerati homines et audaces in rem publicam et in omnis bonos conceptum iam diu continerent , id in me uno potius quam in optimo quoque et universa civitate defigerent ,— hoc si animo in vos liberosque vestros fuissem , ut aliquando vos patresque conscriptos Italiamque universam memoria mei misericordia desideriumque teneret : eius devotionis me esse convictum iudicio deorum immortalium , testimonio senatus , consensu Italiae , confessione inimicorum , beneficio divino immortalique vestro maxime laetor .	That which I requested in my prayers of the all-good and all-powerful Jupiter, and the rest of the immortal gods, O Romans, at the time when I devoted myself and my fortunes in defence of your safety, and tranquillity, and concord,—namely, that if I had at any time preferred my own interests to your safety, I might find that punishment, which I was then encountering of my own accord, everlasting; but that if I had done those things which I had done out of an honest desire to preserve the state, and if I had undertaken that miserable journey on which I was then setting out for the sake of ensuring your safety, in order that the hatred which wicked and audacious men had long since conceived and entertained against the republic and against all good men, might break upon me alone, rather than on every virtuous man, and on the entire republic—if I say these were my feelings towards you and towards your children, that in that case, a recollection of me, a pity and regret for me should, at some time or other come upon you and the conscript fathers, and all Italy, I now rejoice above all things that that request is heard that I am bound to perform all that I then vowed, by the judgment of the immortal gods,—by the testimony of the senate by the unanimous consent of all Italy,—by the confession of my enemies,—by your godlike and never-to-be-forgotten kindness, O citizens of Rome.
2	namque , Quirites , etsi nihil est homini magis optandum quam prospera aequabilis perpetuaque fortuna secundo vitae sine ulla offensione cursu , tamen , si mihi tranquilla et placata omnia fuissent , incredibili quadam et paene divina , qua nunc vestro beneficio fruor , laetitiae voluptate caruissem . quid dulcius hominum generi ab natura datum est quam sui cuique liberi ? mihi vero et propter indulgentiam meam et propter excellens eorum ingenium vita sunt mea cariores : tamen non tanta voluptate erant suscepti quanta nunc sunt restituti .	For although there is nothing more to be wished for by man than prosperous, equal, continual good-fortune in life, flowing on in a prosperous course, without any misadventure; still, if all my life had been tranquil and peaceful, I should have been deprived of the incredible and almost heavenly delight and happiness which I now enjoy through your kindness. What sweeter thing has been given to the race of man, or to each individual, by nature, than his own children? To me especially, mine, on account of my affectionate nature, and on account of their own excellent qualities, are dearer to me than my life. And yet I did not feel that pleasure when they were born, that I feel now when they are restored to me.
3	nihil cuiquam fuit umquam iucundius quam mihi meus frater : non tam id sentiebam cum fruebar quam tum cum carebam , et postea quam vos me illi et mihi eum reddidistis . res familiaris sua quemque delectat : reliquae meae fortunae reciperatae plus mihi nunc voluptatis adferunt quam tum incolumes adferebant . amicitiae , consuetudines , vicinitates , clientelae , ludi denique et dies festi quid haberent voluptatis carendo magis intellexi quam fruendo .	Nothing was ever more acceptable to any one, than my brother is to me. I was not so aware of this when I enjoyed his society, as I became when I was deprived of it, and after you again restored me to him and him to me. His own private estate is a pleasure to every one. The relics of my fortune, which I have recovered, give me now greater delight than they used to give when they were unimpaired. Friendship, familiar intercourse, acquaintance with my neighbours, the dependence of one's clients on one, even games and days of festival, are things the delights of which I have learnt to appreciate better by being deprived of them than I did while I was enjoying them.
4	iam vero honos , dignitas , locus , ordo , beneficia vestra , quamquam mihi semper clarissima visa sunt , tamen ea nunc renovata inlustriora videntur quam si obscurata non essent . ipsa autem patria , di immortales ! dici vix potest quid caritatis , quid voluptatis habeat ; quae species Italiae , quae celebritas oppidorum , quae forma regionum , qui agri , quae fruges , quae pulchritudo urbis , quae humanitas civium , quae rei publicae dignitas , quae vestra maiestas ! quibus ego omnibus antea rebus sic fruebar ut nemo magis ; sed tamquam bona valetudo iucundior est iis qui e gravi morbo recreati sunt quam qui numquam aegro corpore fuerunt , sic haec omnia desiderata magis quam adsidue percepta delectant .	And honour, dignity, my rank and order, and, above all, your kindness, although they at all times appeared to me most splendid possessions, yet, now that they are recovered, after having been lost, they appear more bright than if they had never been hidden from my sight. And as for my country, O ye immortal gods, it is scarcely possible to express how dear, how delightful it is to me. How great is the beauty of Italy! how renowned are its cities! how varied are the enchantments of its scenery! What lands, what crops are here! How noble is the splendour of this city, and the civilization of its citizens, and the dignity of the republic, and your majesty, O people of Rome! Even of old, no one took greater delight in all those things than I did. But as good health is more welcome to those who are just recovered from a severe illness than to those who have never been sick, so all those things, now that they have been once missed, delight me more than they did when enjoyed without interruption.
5	quorsum igitur haec disputo ? quorsum ? ut intellegere possitis neminem umquam tanta eloquentia fuisse , neque tam divino atque incredibili genere dicendi , qui vestram magnitudinem multitudinemque beneficiorum quae in me fratremque meum et liberos nostros contulistis non modo augere aut ornare oratione , sed enumerare aut consequi possit . A parentibus , id quod necesse erat , parvus sum procreatus , a vobis natus sum consularis . illi mihi fratrem incognitum qualis futurus esset dederunt , vos spectatum et incredibili pietate cognitum reddidistis . rem publicam illis accepi temporibus eam quae paene amissa est , a vobis eam reciperavi quam aliquando omnes unius opera servatam iudicaverunt . di immortales mihi liberos dederunt , vos reddidistis . multa praeterea a dis immortalibus optata consecuti sumus : nisi vestra voluntas fuisset , omnibus divinis muneribus careremus . vestros denique honores , quos eramus gradatim singulos adsecuti , nunc a vobis universos habemus , ut quantum antea parentibus , quantum dis immortalibus , quantum vobismet ipsis , tantum hoc tempore universum cuncto populo Romano debeamus .	Why, then, am I making all those statements? To what purpose are they? I wish to make you understand that no man ever existed of such eloquence, or of such a god-like and incredible genius in oratory, as to be able (I will not say to exaggerate or embellish by his language, but even) to count up and describe the importance and number of the kindnesses which I, and my brother, and my children, have received from you. I (as was necessarily the case) was born of my parents but a little child; it is of you that I am born a man of consular dignity. They gave me a brother, without knowing how he would turn out; you have restored him to me after he has been tried and proved to be a man of incredible piety. I received the republic from them, when it was almost lost; I have recovered it by your means, after every one had acknowledged that it had been saved by the labours of one man. The immortal gods gave me children; you restored them to me. Besides these things, I have received many things which I wished for from the immortal gods; but if it had not been for your good-will, I should have lost all those divine gifts. Last of all, those honours which I obtained separately and step by step, I now receive again from you all together. So that all that we owed of old to our parents, all that we owed to the immortal gods, and all that we owed to you,—all that put together we now owe at this time to the entire Roman people.
6	nam cum in ipso beneficio vestro tanta magnitudo est ut eam complecti oratione non possim , tum in studiis vestris tanta animorum declarata est voluntas ut non solum calamitatem mihi detraxisse , sed etiam dignitatem auxisse videamini .	For as, in the case of your very kindness itself, its magnitude is so great that I cannot do adequate justice to it in my speech; so also in your zeal such great good-will and inclination towards me was displayed, that you seem not only to have taken my misfortune off from me, but even to have increased my dignity.
7	non enim pro meo reditu ut pro P . Popili , nobilissimi hominis , adulescentes filii et multi praeterea cognati atque adfines deprecati sunt , non ut pro Q . Metello , clarissimo viro , iam spectata aetate filius , non L . Diadematus consularis , summa auctoritate vir , non C . Metellus censorius , non eorum liberi , non Q . Metellus Nepos , qui tum consulatum petebat , non sororum filii , Luculli , Servilii , Scipiones ; permulti enim tum Metelli aut Metellarum liberi pro Q . Metelli reditu vobis ac patribus vestris supplicaverunt . quod si ipsius summa dignitas maximaeque res gestae non satis valerent , tamen fili pietas , propinquorum preces , adulescentium squalor , maiorum natu lacrimae populum Romanum movere potuerunt .	For it was not my youthful sons and many other relations and kinsmen who offered up their prayers for my return, as they did for that of Publius Popillius, a most noble man. It was not, as it was in the case of Quintus Metellus, that most illustrious man, a son of an age fully proved by this time; or Lucius Diadematus, a man of consular rank and of the greatest authority; or Caius Metellus, a man of censorian rank; or their children; or Quintus Metellus Nepos, who at that time was standing for the consulship; or the sons of his sisters, the Luculli, the Servilii, and the Scipios;—for at that time there were many Metelli, or sons of the Metelli, who addressed supplications to you and to your fathers for the return of Quintus Metellus. And if my own preeminent dignity and most glorious achievements were not of sufficient influence, still the piety of my son, the prayers of my relations, the mourning garb of all the young men, the tears of all the old, had power to move the Roman people to pity.
8	nam C . Mari , qui post illos veteres clarissimos consularis , hac vestra patrumque memoria , tertius ante me consularis subiit indignissimam fortunam praestantissima sua gloria , dissimilis fuit ratio ; non enim ille deprecatione rediit , sed in discessu civium exercitu se armisque revocavit . at me nudum a propinquis , nulla cognatione munitum , nullo armorum ac tumultus metu , C . Pisonis , generi mei , divina quaedam et inaudita auctoritas atque virtus , fratrisque miserrimi atque optimi cotidianae lacrimae sordesque lugubres a vobis deprecatae sunt .	For the case of Caius Marius, who, after those two most illustrious men of consular rank, is in the recollection of you and of your ancestors the third man of the same rank who, though a man of the most excessive renown, met with the same most unworthy fortune, was very dissimilar to mine. For he did not return because of the prayers that were offered for his return; but he recalled himself amid the discords of the citizens with an army and by force of arms. But it was the godlike and unheard-of authority and virtue of Caius Piso, my son-in-law, and of my most unhappy and admirable brother, and their daily tears and mournful appearance, which obtained my safety from you, though I was destitute of all other relations, fortified by no extensive connections, and by no fear of war or of disturbance.
9	frater erat unus qui suo squalore vestros oculos inflecteret , qui suo fletu desiderium mei memoriamque renovaret ; qui statuerat , Quirites , si vos me sibi non reddidissetis , eandem subire fortunam ; tanto in me amore exstitit ut negaret fas esse non modo domicilio , sed ne sepulcro quidem se a me esse seiunctum . pro me praesente senatus hominumque praeterea viginti milia vestem mutaverunt , pro eodem me absente unius squalorem sordisque vidistis . Vnus hic , qui quidem in foro posset esse , mihi pietate filius inventus est , beneficio parens , amore idem qui semper fuit frater . nam coniugis miserae squalor et luctus atque optimae filiae maeror adsiduus filique parvi desiderium mei lacrimaeque pueriles aut itineribus necessariis aut magnam partem tectis ac tenebris continebantur .	I had but one brother to move your eyes by his mournful appearance, to renew your recollection of and your regret for me by his tears, and he had determined, O Romans, if you did not restore me to him to share my fortunes in exile. So great was his love towards me, that he thought it would be impious for him to be separated from me, not only in our abode in this life, but also in our tombs. In my behalf, while I was still present, the senate and twenty thousand men besides changed their apparel; for my sake, after I had departed, you saw only the mourning garb and misery of one man. He was the one individual who in the forum conducted himself towards me with the dutiful affection of a son; who, by his active kindness, might have been taken for my parent; who in love was, as he always has been, a real brother. For the mourning and grief of my unhappy wife, and the unceasing sorrow of my admirable daughter, and the regret and childish tears of my little son, were at times hidden from view by their necessary journeys, and to a great extent were confined in the obscurity of their dwelling.
10	qua re hoc maius est vestrum in nos promeritum , quod non multitudini propinquorum sed nobismet ipsis nos reddidistis .	Wherefore your kindness towards us is so much the greater, in that you restored us not to a multitude of relations, but to ourselves.
11	sed quem ad modum propinqui , quos ego parare non potui , mihi ad deprecandam calamitatem meam non fuerunt , sic — illud quod mea virtus praestare debuit — adiutores auctores hortatoresque ad me restituendum ita multi fuerunt ut longe superiores omnis hac dignitate copiaque superarem . numquam de P . Popilio , clarissimo ac fortissimo viro , numquam de Q . Metello , nobilissimo et constantissimo cive , numquam de C . Mario , custode civitatis atque imperi vestri , in senatu mentio facta est .	But, as I had no relations, since I could not make them for myself, to stand forward and avert my misfortune by their entreaties, on the other hand, (and that was no more than my virtue was entitled to procure for me,) I had so many men to urge and promote my restoration, that in the number of them and in the credit derivable from their numbers I far exceeded all those who had previously had a similar fate. Never was there any mention made in the senate of Publius Popillius, a most illustrious and gallant citizen; nor of Quintus Metellus, a most noble, wise, and consistent man; nor even of Caius Marius, the guardian of your state and of your empire.
12	tribuniciis superiores illi rogationibus nulla auctoritate senatus sunt restituti , Marius vero non modo non a senatu sed etiam oppresso senatu est restitutus . nec rerum gestarum memoria in reditu C . Mari sed exercitus atque arma valuerunt ; at de me ut valeret semper senatus flagitavit , ut aliquando proficeret , cum primum licuit , frequentia atque auctoritate perfecit . nullus in eorum reditu motus municipiorum et coloniarum factus est ; at me in patriam ter suis decretis Italia cuncta revocavit . illi inimicis interfectis magna civium caede facta reducti sunt : ego iis a quibus eiectus sum provincias obtinentibus , inimico autem , optimo viro et mitissimo , consule altero consule referente reductus sum , cum is inimicus , qui ad meam perniciem vocem suam communibus hostibus praebuisset , spiritu dumtaxat viveret , re quidem infra omnis mortuos amandatus esset .	Those, my predecessors in this fortune, were recalled by motions proceeding from the tribunes, and by no authority of the senate. But Marius was not only not restored by the senate, but through the ruin of the senate; nor was it the recollection of his mighty deeds that availed to further the return of Caius Marius, but his own arms and his warlike preparations. But in my case the senate always requested that its authority might prevail; and it brought about my effectual recall the very first moment that it was practicable, by the numbers in which it assembled, and by its legitimate authority. There were no commotions of municipal cities or colonies on their return. But as for me, all Italy three times recalled me by its decrees back to my country. They were restored after their enemies had been slain, and after a great slaughter of the citizens had taken place; I was brought back when those men by whom I had been driven out had obtained provinces, having as one of my enemies a most excellent and humane man, who, as one of the consuls, himself seconded the motion for my recall; and after my chief enemy, who had lent his voice to the common enemies of the country in order to injure me, was alive only as far as breathing went, but in reality was thrust down below even the dead.
13	numquam de P . Popilio L . Opimius , fortissimus consul , numquam de Q . Metello non modo C . Marius , qui erat inimicus , sed ne is quidem qui secutus est , M . Antonius , homo eloquentissimus , cum A . Albino conlega senatum aut populum est cohortatus ; at pro me superiores consules semper ut referrent flagitati sunt ; sed veriti sunt ne gratiae causa facere viderentur , quod alter mihi adfinis erat , alterius causam capitis receperam ; qui provinciarum foedere infrenati totum illum annum querelas senatus , luctum bonorum , Italiae gemitum pertulerunt . Kalendis vero Ianuariis postea quam orba res publica consulis fidem tamquam legitimi tutoris imploravit , P . Lentulus consul , parens , deus , salus nostrae vitae , fortunae , memoriae , nominis , simul ac de sollemni deorum religione rettulit , nihil humanarum rerum sibi prius quam de me agendum iudicavit .	Lucius Opimius, that most gallant consul never addressed either the senate or the people concerning Publius Popillius. Not only did Caius Marius, who was his enemy, never say a word to them about Quintus Metellus, but even the man who succeeded Marius, Marcus Antonius, a most eloquent man, and his colleague Aulus Albinus, both abstained from all mention of him. But the consuls of last year were continually urged to bring forward a motion in my case; but they, unwilling to appear to be doing so out of interested motives, (because the one was my kinsman, and I had defended the other on a trial for his life,) and fettered by the agreement which they had made about the provinces, endured for the whole of that year the complaints of the senate, the grief of all good men, and the groans of Italy. But on the first of January, after the orphaned republic had implored the good faith of the consul as her legitimate guardian, Publius Lentulus, the consul, the parent and god of our safety, and life, and fortune, and memory, and name, as soon as he had discharged the solemn duties of religion, thought that there was no human business which ought to occupy him before mine.
14	atque eo die confecta res esset , nisi is tribunus plebis quem ego maximis beneficiis quaestorem consul ornaram , cum et cunctus ordo et multi eum summi viri orarent , et Cn . Oppius socer , optimus vir , ad pedes flens iaceret , noctem sibi ad deliberandum postulasset ; quae deliberatio non in reddenda , quem ad modum non nulli arbitrabantur , sed , ut patefactum est , in augenda mercede consumpta est . postea res acta est in senatu alia nulla : cum variis rationibus impediretur , voluntate tamen perspecta senatus , causa ad vos mense Ianuario deferebatur . hic tantum interfuit inter me et inimicos meos .	And the affair would have been brought to its completion that very day, if that tribune of the people on whom, when I was consul and he quaestor, I had heaped the greatest possible kindnesses, though the whole senatorial body, and Caius Oppius, his father-in-law, a most virtuous man, threw themselves in tears at his feet, had not required a night to consider of it; and that consideration was devoted, not to giving back the bribe which he had received, as some fancied, but as was afterwards discovered, to getting a larger one. After that, no other business was transacted in the senate, and as my recall was hindered by various maneuvers, still, as their inclination was plainly shown, the cause of the senate was brought before you in the course of the month of January. There was this difference between me and my enemies.
15	ego , cum homines in tribunali Aurelio palam conscribi centuriarique vidissem , cum intellegerem veteres ad spem caedis Catilinae copias esse revocatas , cum viderem ex ea parte homines , cuius partis nos vel principes numerabamur , partim quod mihi inviderent , partim quod sibi timerent , aut proditores esse aut desertores salutis meae , cum duo consules empti pactione provinciarum auctores se inimicis rei publicae tradidissent , cum egestatem avaritiam libidines suas viderent expleri non posse nisi me constrictum domesticis hostibus dedidissent , cum senatus equites que Romani flere pro me ac mutata veste vobis supplicare edictis atque imperiis vetarentur , cum omnium provinciarum pactiones , cum omnia cum omnibus foedera reconciliationes que gratiarum sanguine meo sancirentur , cum omnes boni non recusarent quin vel pro me vel mecum perirent , armis decertare pro mea salute nolui , quod et vincere et vinci luctuosum rei publicae fore putavi .	I, after I had seen men openly enrolled and registered in the centuries at the tribunal of Aurelius; when I understood that the ancient troops of Catiline had been recalled to hopes of massacre; when I saw that men of that party, of which I myself was accounted one of the chiefs, because some of them envied me, and some feared for themselves, were either betrayers or at least deserters of the cause of my safety; when two consuls, bought by an agreement respecting their provinces, had given themselves up to be leaders to the enemies of the republic, when they saw that their indigence, and their avarice, and their lusts could not be satisfied unless they gave me up bound hand and foot to the enemies of my country; when by edicts and positive commands they forbade the senate and the Roman knights to weep for me, and to change their garments, and address supplications to you; when the bargains made respecting all the provinces, when every sort of covenant made with every sort, of person, and the reconciliation of all quarrels and the treaties between all sorts of jarring interests, were being ratified in my blood; when all virtuous men were willing to die either for me or with me;—I was unwilling to take arms and fight for my own safety (as it was quite in my power to do,) since I thought that, whether I conquered or was defeated, it would be a grievous thing for the republic.
16	at inimici mei , mense Ianuario cum de me ageretur , corporibus civium trucidatis flumine sanguinis meum reditum intercludendum putaverunt .	But my enemies, when my case was discussed in the month of January, having murdered many citizens, thought it worth while to prevent my return, even at the expense of causing rivers of blood to flow.
17	itaque , dum ego absum , eam rem publicam habuistis ut aeque me atque illam restituendam putaretis . ego autem in qua civitate nihil valeret senatus , omnis esset impunitas , nulla iudicia , vis et ferrum in foro versaretur , cum privati parietum se praesidio non legum tuerentur , tribuni plebis vobis inspectantibus vulnerarentur , ad magistratuum domos cum ferro et facibus iretur , consulis fasces frangerentur , deorum immortalium templa incenderentur , rem publicam esse nullam putavi . itaque neque re publica exterminata mihi locum in hac urbe esse duxi , nec , si illa restitueretur , dubitavi quin me secum ipsa reduceret .	Therefore, when I was absent, the republic was in such a state, that you thought that I and it were equally necessary to be restored. But I thought that there was no republic at all in a city in which the senate had no influence,—in which there was impunity for every crime,—where there were no courts of justice, but violence and arms bore sway in the forum,—where private men were forced to rely on the protection of the walls of their houses, and not on that of the laws, where tribunes of the people were wounded while you were looking on,—where men attacked the houses of magistrates with arms and firebrands, while the fasces of the consuls are broken and the temples of the immortal gods attacked by the incendiary. Therefore, after the republic was banished, I thought that there was no room for me in this city, and if the republic were restored, I had no doubt that it would bring me back in its company.
18	an ego , cum mihi esset exploratissimum P . Lentulum proximo anno consulem futurum , qui illis ipsis rei publicae periculosissimis temporibus aedilis curulis me consule omnium meorum consiliorum particeps periculorumque socius fuisset , dubitarem quin is me confectum consularibus vulneribus consulari medicina ad salutem reduceret ? hoc duce , conlega autem eius , clementissimo atque optimo viro , primo non adversante , post etiam adiuvante , reliqui magistratus paene omnes fuerunt defensores salutis meae ; ex quibus excellenti animo virtute auctoritate praesidio copiis T . Annius et P . Sestius praestanti in me benivolentia et divino studio exstiterunt ; eodemque P . Lentulo auctore et pariter referente conlega frequentissimus senatus , uno dissentiente , nullo intercedente , dignitatem meam quibus potuit verbis amplissimis ornavit , salutem vobis municipiis coloniis omnibus commendavit .	Could I doubt when I was perfectly certain that Publius Lentulus would be consul the next year, who in the most dangerous crisis of the republic had been curule aedile when I was consul, and had been, as such, the partner of all my counsels and the sharer of all my dangers, that he would use the medicine which was within reach of a consul to restore me to safety who was suffering under wounds inflicted by a consul? Under his guidance, and while his colleague, a most merciful and excellent man, at first abstained from opposing him, and afterwards cordially cooperated with him, nearly all the rest of the magistrates were advocates of my safety and among them were those men of indomitable courage, of the most eminent virtue, authority, vigour, and resources, Titus Annius and Publius Sextus, who showed the greatest good-will and the most energetic zeal in my behalf; and when the same Publius Lentulus came forward as the prime mover of the bill, and his colleague agreed in the measure proposed, a most numerous senate, with only one dissenting voice, no one daring to intercede with his veto, did honour to my dignity in the most flattering language which it could find, and recommended my safety to you and to all the municipalities and colonies.
19	ita me nudum a propinquis , nulla cognatione munitum , consules , praetores , tribuni plebis , senatus , Italia cuncta semper a vobis deprecata est , denique omnes qui vestris maximis beneficiis honoribusque sunt ornati , producti ad vos ab eodem , non solum ad me conservandum vos cohortati sunt , sed etiam rerum mearum gestarum auctores testes laudatores fuerunt .	And so the consuls, the praetors, the tribunes of the people, the senate, and all Italy continually begged my safety from you, though I was destitute of relations, and not fortified by any extensive connections. Lastly, every one who was distinguished by any great kindnesses and honours from you, when they were brought before you by Italy, not only expected you to preserve me, but were the asserters, and witnesses, and panegyrists of all my exploits.
20	quorum princeps ad cohortandos vos et ad rogandos fuit Cn . Pompeius , vir omnium qui sunt , fuerunt , erunt , virtute sapientia gloria princeps : qui mihi unus uni privato amico eadem omnia dedit quae universae rei publicae , salutem , otium , dignitatem . cuius oratio fuit , quem ad modum accepi , tripertita ; primum vos docuit meis consiliis rem publicam esse servatam , causamque meam cum communi salute coniunxit , hortatusque est ut auctoritatem senatus , statum civitatis , fortunas civis bene meriti defenderetis ; tum me in perorando posuit vos rogari a senatu , rogari ab equitibus Romanis , rogari ab Italia cuncta , deinde ipse ad extremum pro mea vos salute non rogavit solum verum etiam obsecravit .	The chief of these men who came forward to exhort and to entreat you in my behalf was Cnaeus Pompeius, the greatest man of all who live, or who ever have lived, or who ever shall live, for virtue, and wisdom, and true glory; who, as a single man, has conferred on me, a single private individual, all the same benefits which he has conferred on the entire republic,—namely, safety, ease, and dignity. And what he said was, as I have understood, divided under three heads. In the first place, he told you that the republic had been saved by my counsels; and he connected my cause with the general safety; and he encouraged you to defend the authority of the senate, the constitution of the state, and the fortunes of a deserving citizen: and, in summing up, he laid it down that you were entreated by the senate, entreated by the Roman knights, entreated by all Italy: and, lastly, he himself did not only entreat you for my safety, but prayed to you in a most suppliant manner.