Cicero   

by the Sicilians, and undertaken the prosecution of Verres himself,
Cicero asked, "What has a Jew to do with swine?" verres being the
Roman word for a boar. And when Verres began to reproach Cicero with
effeminate living, "You ought," replied he, "to use this language
at home, to your sons;" Verres having a son who had fallen into disgraceful
courses. Hortensius the orator, not daring directly to undertake the
defence of Verres, was yet persuaded to appear for him at the laying
on of the fine, and received an ivory sphinx for his reward; and when
Cicero in some passage of the speech, obliquely reflected on him,
and Hortensius told him he was not skilful in solving riddles, "No,"
said Cicero, "and yet you have the sphinx in your house!"
Verres was thus convicted; though Cicero, who set the fine at seventy-five
myriads, lay under the suspicion of being corrupted by bribery to
lessen the sum. But the Sicilians, in testimony of their gratitude,
came and brought him all sorts of presents from the island, when he
was aedile; of which he made no private profit himself, but used their
generosity only to reduce the public price of provisions.
He had a very pleasant seat at Arpi, he had also a farm near Naples,
and another about Pompeii, but neither of any great value. The portion
of his wife, Terentia, amounted to ten myriads, and he had a bequest
valued at nine myriads of denarii; upon these he lived in a liberal
but temperate style with the learned Greeks and Romans that were his
familiars. He rarely, if at any time, sat down to meat till sunset,
and that not so much on account of business, as for his health and
the weakness of his stomach. He was otherwise in the care of his body
nice and delicate, appointing himself, for example, a set number of
walks and rubbings. And after this manner managing the habit of his
body, he brought it in time to be healthful, and capable of supporting
many great fatigues and trials. His father's house he made over to
his brother, living himself near the Palatine hill, that he might
not give the trouble of long journeys to those that made suit to him.
And, indeed, there were not fewer daily appearing at his door, to
do their court to him, than there were that came to Crassus for his
riches, or to Pompey for his power amongst the soldiers, these being
at that time the two men of the greatest repute and influence in Rome.
Nay, even Pompey himself used to pay court to Cicero, and Cicero's
public actions did much to establish Pompey's authority and reputation
in the state.
Numerous distinguished competitors stood with him for the praetor's
office; but he was chosen before them all, and managed the decision
of causes with justice and integrity. It is related that Licinius
Macer, a man himself of great power in the city, and supported also
by the assistance of Crassus, was accused before him of extortion,
and that, in confidence on his own interest and the diligence of his
friends, whilst the judges were debating about the sentence, he went
to his house, where hastily trimming his hair and putting on a clean
gown as already acquitted, he was setting off again to go to the Forum;
but at his hall door meeting Crassus, who told him that he was condemned
by all the votes, he went in again, threw himself upon his bed, and
died immediately. This verdict was considered very creditable to Cicero,
as showing his careful management of the courts of justice. On another
occasion, Vatinius, a man of rude manners and often insolent in court
to the magistrates, who had large swellings on his neck, came before
his tribunal and made some request, and on Cicero's desiring further
time to consider it, told him that he himself would have made no question
about it had he been praetor. Cicero, turning quickly upon him, answered,
"But I, you see, have not the neck that you have."
When there were but two or three days remaining in his office, Manilius
was brought before him, and charged with peculation. Manilius had
the good opinion and favour of the common people, and was thought
to be prosecuted only for Pompey's sake, whose particular friend he
was. And therefore, when he asked a space of time before his trial,
and Cicero allowed him but one day, and that the next only, the common
people grew highly offended, because it had been the custom of the