: public works neglected, that he might embezzle the money intended for carrying them on, bear witnefs. How did he discharge the office of a judge? Let thofe who fuffered by his injustice answer. But his prætorship in Sicily crowns all his works of wickedness, and finishes a lafting monument to his infamy. The mifchiefs done by him in that unhappy country, during the three years of his iniquitous adminiftration, are fuch, that many years, under the wifest and best of prætors, will not be fufficient to restore things to the condition in which he found them for it is notorious, that, during the time of his tyranny, the Sicilians neither enjoyed the protection of their own original laws; of the regulations made for their benefit by the Roman fenate, upon their coming under the protection of the commonwealth; nor of the natural and unalienable rights of men. His nod has decided all caufes in Sicily for thefe three years. And his decifions have broken all law, all precedent, all right. The fums he has, by arbitrary taxes and unheard of impofitions, extorted -from the induftrious poor, are not to be computed. The most faithful allies of the commonwealth have been treated as enemies. Roman citizens have, like flaves, been put to death with tortures. The most atrocious criminals, for money, have been exempted from the deferved punishments; and men of the most unexceptionable characters, condemned and banished unheard. The harbours, though fufficiently fortified, and the gates of ftrong towns have been opened to pirates and ravagers. The foldiery and failors, belonging to a province under the protection of the commonwealth, have been ftarved to death. Whole fleets, to the great detriment of the province, fuffered to perish. The ancient monuments of either Sicilian or Roman greatnefs, the statues of heroes and princes have been carried off; and the temples stripped of the images. Having, by his iniquitous fentences, filled the prisons with the most induftrious and deferving of the people, he then proceeded to order numbers of Roman citizens to be ftrangled in the gaols: fo that the exclamation, "I am a citizen of Rome!" which has often, in the most diftant regions, and among the most barbarous people, been a protection, was of no fervice to them; but, on the contrary, brought a speedier and more fevere punishment upon them. I ask now Verres, what thou haft to advance against this charge? Wilt thou pretend to deny it? Wilt thou pretend, that any thing falfe, that even any thing aggravated, is alledged against thee? Had any prince, or any ftate, committed the fame outrage against the privilege of Roman citizens, fhould we not think we had fufficient ground for demanding fatisfaction? What punishment ought, then, to be inflicted upon a tyrannical and wicked prætor, who dared, at no greater distance than Sicily, within fight of the Italian coaft, to put to the infamous death of crucifixion, that unfortunate and innocent citizen, Publius Gavinus Cofanus, only for his having afferted his privilege of citizenship, and declared his intention of appealing to the juftice of his country, against a cruel oppreffor, who had unjustly confined him in prison at Syracufe, whence he had just made his efcape? The unhappy man, arrested as he was going to embark for his native country, is brought before the wicked prætor. With eyes darting fury, and a countenance diftorted with cruelty, he orders the helpless victim of his rage to be ftripped, and rods to be brought; accufing him, but without the leaft fhadow of evidence, or even of fufpicion, of having come to Sicily as a fpy. It was in vain that the unhappy man cried out, "I am a Roman citizen: I have ferved under Lucius Pretius, who is now at Panormus, and will atteft my innocence.' The bloodthirsty prætor, deaf to all he could urge in his own defence, ordered the infamous punishment to be inflicted. -Thus, fathers, was an innocent Roman citizen publicly mangled with fcourging; whilft the only words he uttered, amidst his cruel fufferings, were, " I am a Roman citizen!" With thefe he hoped to defend himself from violence and infamy. But of fo little fervice was this privilege to him, that, while he was thus afferting his citizenship, the order was given for his execution; for his execution upon the cross ! O liberty! O found once delightful to every Roman ear! O facred privilege of Roman citizenship! once facred! now trampled upon! But what then! is it come to this? fhall an inferior magiftrate, a governor, who holds his whole power of the Roman people, in a Roman province, within fight of Italy, bind, fcourge, torture with fire and red hot plates of iron, and at laft put to the infamous death of the cross, a Roman citizen? Shall neither the cries of innocence, expiring in agony, nor the tears of pitying fpectators, nor the majefty of the Roman commonwealth, nor the fear of the juftice of his country, reftrain the licentious and wanton cruelty of a monfter, who, in confidence of his riches, ftrikes at the root of liberty, and fets mankind at defiance. I conclude with expreffing my hopes, that your wisdom and justice, fathers, will not, by fuffering the atrocious and unexampled infolence of Caius Verres to efcape due punishment, leave room to apprehend the danger of a total fubverfion of authority, and the introduction of general anarchy and confufion. CICERO'S ORATIONS. SECTION II. Speech of Adherbal to the Roman Senate, imploring their protection against Jugurtha. FATHERS! It is known to you, that king Micipfa, my father, on his death bed, left in charge to Jugurtha, his adopted son, conjunctly with my unfortunate brother Hiempfal and myself, the children of his own body, the administration of the kingdom of Numidia, directing us to confider the fenate and people of Rome as proprietors of it. He charged us to use our best endeavours to be ferviceable to the Roman commonwealth; affuring us, that your protection would prove a defence against all enemies; and would be instead of armies, fortifications, and treasures. While my brother and I were thinking of nothing but how to regulate ourselves according to the directions of our deceafed father, Jugurtha, the most infamous of mankind! breaking through all ties of gratitude and of common humanity, and trampling on the authority of the Roman commonwealth, procured the murder of my unfortunate brother; and has driven me from my throne and native country, though he knows I inherit, from my grandfather Maffiniffa, and my father Micipfa, the friendship and alliance of the Romans. For a prince to be reduced by villany, to my distressful circumftances, is calamity arough; but my misfortunes are heightened by the confideration, that I find myself obliged to folicit your affiftance, fathers, for the fervices done you by my ancestors, not for any I have been able, to render you in my own perfon. Jugurtha has put it out of my power to deserve any thing at your hands; and has forced me to be burthenfome, before I could be useful to you. And yet, if I had no plea, but my undeferved mifery, a once powerful prince, the defcendant of a race of illustrious monarchs, now, without any fault of my own, deftitute of every fupport, and reduced to the neceffity of begging foreign affiftance, against an enemy who has feized my throne and my kingdom, if my unequalled diftreffes were all I had to plead, it would become the greatness of the Roman commonwealth, to protect the injured, and to check the triumph of daring wickedness over helpless innocence. But, to provoke your refentment to the utmoft, Jugurtha has driven me from the very dominions, which the fenate and the people of Rome gave to my anceftors; and, from which, my grandfather, and my father, under your umbrage expelled Syphax and the Carthagenians. Thus, fathers, your kindness to our family is defeated; and Jugurtha in injuring me, throws contempt upon you. Oh wretched prince! Oh cruel reverfe of fortune! Oh father Micipfa is this the confequence of thy generoficy; that he, whom thy goodness raifed to an equality with thy own children, should be the murderer of thy children? Muft, then, the royal houfe of Numidia always be a scene of havoc and blood? While Carthage remained, we fuffered, as was to be expected, all forts of hardships from their hoftile attacks; our enemy near; our only powerful ally, the Roman commonwealth at a distance. When that fcourge of Africa was no more, we congratulated ourfelves on the profpect of established peace. But, inftead of peace, behold the kingdom of Numidia drenched with royal blood and the only furviving fon of its late king, flying from an adopted murderer, and feeking that fafety in foreign parts, which he cannot command in his own kingdom. Whither, Oh! whither fhall I fly? If I return to the royal palace of my ancestors, my father's throne is feized by the murderer of my brother. What can I there expect, but that Jugurtha fhould haften to imbrue in my blood, thofe hands which are now recking with my brother's? If I were to fly for refuge, or for affiftance, to any other court, from what prince can I hope for protection, if the Roman commonM wealth give me up? From my own family or friends, I have no expectations. My royal father is no more. He is beyond the reach of violence, and out of hearing of the complaints of his unhappy fon. Were my brother alive, our mutual fympathy would be fome alleviation. But he is hurried out of life, in his early youth, by the very hand which should have been the laft to injure any of the royal family of Numidia. The bloody Jugurtha has butchered all whom he fufpected to be in my intereft. Some have been deftroyed by the lingering torment of the crofs. Others have been given a prey to wild beasts; and their anguish made the sport of men more cruel than wild beafts. If there be any yet alive, they are shut up in dungeons, there to drag out a life more intolerable than death itself. Look down, illuftrious fenators of Rome! from that height of power to which you are raifed, on the unexampled diftreffes of a prince, who is, by the cruelty of a wicked intruder, become an outcast from all mankind. Let not the crafty infinuations of him who returns murder for adoption, prejudice your judgment. Do not liften to the wretch who has butchered the fon and relations of a king, who gave him power to fit on the fame throne with his own fons. I have been informed, that he labours by his emiffaries to prevent your determining any thing against him in his abfence; pretending that I magnify my diftrefs, and might, for him, have staid in peace in my own kingdom. But, if ever the time comes, when the due vengeance from above fhall overtake him, he will then diffemble as I do. Then he, who now, hardened in wickednefs, triumphs over thofe whom his violence has laid low, will, in his turn, feel diftrefs, and fuffer for his impious ingratitude to my father, and his blood-thirsty cruelty to my brother. Oh murdered, butchered brother! Oh dearest to my heart, now gone forever from my fight! 'but why fhould I lament his death? He is, indeed, deprived of the bleffed light of heaven, of life, and kingdom at once, by the very person who ought to have been the first to hazard his own life, in defence of any one of Micipfa's family. But, as things are, my brother is not fo much deprived of thefe comforts, as delivered from terror, from flight, from exile, and the endless train of |