Purser — Cicero's Correspondence during his Proconsulate. 401 



Joachimsthalsclieii Gymnasiums, 1898), Theodor Mommsen (Hermes, 

 1899, pp. 145-150) ; and W. Sternkopf (Dortmund Programm 1900). 

 In order to discuss it at all, it will be necessary to make a short 

 statement of the case. 



When Cicero landed at Ephesus in July 51 b.c, he was met by a 

 deputation from Salamis in Cyprus, stating that one Scaptius, a money- 

 lender, had obtained a military commission and military forces from 

 the previous Governor, Appius Claudius, and had been using those 

 forces to put pressure on the Salaminians to pay a debt which he stated 

 they owed him. Cicero gave orders that the military forces should 

 leave the island forthwith {statim). He acted thus in accordance with 

 a rule which he had determined to adopt, that no money-lender in his 

 province should have the use of soldiers to enforce his claims. The 

 pressure of work connected with the subjugation of the Amani pre- 

 vented his attending to matters of jurisdiction until December ; but in 

 that month the case came before him at Tarsus. 



In a private interview with Cicero before the investigation, Scaptius 

 said that the Salaminians thought that they owed him 200 talents, that 

 really they owed him a little less, and asked that Cicero should try to 

 induce them to pay 200. "All right," says Cicero (' Optime' inquam). 



On taking his seat on the bench, Cicero asked the Salaminians how 

 much they owed. They replied 106 talents. Scaptius loudly protested. 

 " "Well, you must make up the accounts," says Cicero. They made 

 the calculation, and it turned out to be 106 to the penny. The 

 Salaminians wished to pay. Scaptius refused, and asked Cicero to 

 postpone the matter : and this to his shame he did, refusing to allow 

 the Salaminians to lodge the money in a temple whereby all interest 

 would cease to accrue. 



Why did Cicero act in this way ? Because Scaptius thrust a letter 

 into his hands {impingit mihi epistularti)^ showing that he was but an 

 agent, and that the real lender was Marcus Brutus, ' the honourable 

 man ' ; and Cicero, the ' new man,' had not the moral courage to run 

 counter to the interests of a personage of such ancient nobility and 

 solemn respectability as M. Brutus. 



But we must now go back to the earliest stages of the transaction. 

 In 56 B.C. the Salaminians borrowed at 48 percent, a certain sum from 

 a syndicate of which M. Brutus was the most prominent member. It 

 is almost certain that they soon fell into arrears ; and the result was 

 that there were constant * renewals ' of the contract of debt, wherein 

 the interest in default was added to the capital. We hear of Siproxima 

 syngrapham Att, vi. 2. 7, which was the last 'renewal,' and was 



