608 
the monuments of Marcellus, nor those of 
Scipio Africanus. 
“ Antiochus, King of Syria, the ally 
and friend of the Romans, happened to 
visit Sicily,. after having remained two 
years at Rome. Verres iivited bim to 
his table, and was again invited in his 
turn. He beheld a great profusion of 
riches in the possession of this prince, 
and the most extraordinary of all, was a 
magnificent and precious candelabrum of 
gold and pearls, which Antiochus was de~ 
sirous to Geposit in the Temple of Jupi- 
ter, at Rome. He carried it away with 
him, however, because this temple, 
which had been destroyed by fire, was 
not yet finished, and also because he 
wished to present his offering hereafter, 
during the ceremony of the dedication. 
Verres admired all, borrowed all; and 
when the king reclaimed his riches, he 
drove him frat Sicily, under the false 
pretence that he had formed the design 
of inviting Syrian pirates thither. 
“ His depredations occasioned many 
tears to flow; but tears still more bitter 
fell on account of his cruelties. Every 
fortune soon became his own, when it 
cost him nothing more than to condemn 
the proprietor to death. He received 
money from beth accusers and accused ; 
and when the latter thought they had sa- 
tiated his cupidity with a portion of their 
wealth, he condemned them, in order to 
possess the remainder. Fe liberated the 
leaders of gaugs of robbers, who paid 
him handsomely, and put to death ho- 
nest men, and even Romans, under the 
name of robbers. 
“ Innocent children were snatched 
from the arms of their parents, to be con- 
demned to capital punishment, and the 
amount of the funerals was required from 
their unhappy fathers. Although since 
the time of Gracchus, exile was the 
greatest punishment which a eitizen of 
Rome could suffer, a great number of ci- 
tizens were scourged with rods, by his or- 
der, and perished in irons, or by the axe 
of the executioner, or on the ignomi-= 
nous cross. 
‘¢ Verres foresaw that he should be ac- 
cused, hut he deemed himself certain of 
being absolved. The nobles, and such 
of his equals as had occasion, either on 
their own account, or that of their: rela- 
tions and friends, of a similar indulgence, 
were all on his side. Among his declar- 
ed protectors were to be found three 
Metelluses, a Scipio, and the celebrated 
orator Hortensius, a man ‘of consular 
4 sad 
Retrospect of French Literature— History. 
dignity, who was ready to afford him the 
support of his eloquence. 
“© Justice was still in the hands of the 
senators, and they almost publicly set it 
up to the best bidder. One of them was 
known to have received money from the 
accused, in order that he himself mighe 
distribute it among the other judges; and 
also to have taken a bribe at the same 
time from the accuser, with a view that 
the accused might be condemned: 
‘‘ Tn short, it was not Verres who had 
given the first example of cruelty and 
exactions; he had done no more, at the 
utmost, than surpass the other | gover- 
nors of the provinces, whom he had 
taken far models. 
*« Sicily had already supported the 
iniquitous and vexatious government of a 
Marcus Lepidus, and a Mark Anto- 
ny. It was so used to the evils which 
it had been made to suffer, that it re- 
garded them as customary; and had not 
these been carried to the utmost excess, 
justice would never have been demanded. 
But this would have been demanded 
without having been obtained, and the 
crimes of Verres, like those of other go- 
vernors, would have been unknown to 
posterity, had it not been the interest of © 
Cicero to accuse’a great culprit, in order 
to attain.a high reputation, and elevate 
himself to public honours. Verres fell 
beneath the thunder of the orator, for he 
would not wait for judgment, bat con- 
demned himself to exile.” 
Vol. I1J.—The 12th period, contains a 
history of the Roman empiré, from the 
commencement of the first triumvirate, 
to the death of Cesar. The auther com- 
mences this portion of his work with 
a comparison between Cesar and Pom- 
pey, to the former of whom he always 
appears partial, while against the lattér 
he seems not a little prejudiced. 
“« While Cesar (says he) was makinga 
fortune svhich appertained to all those 
whom he loved, or whose regard might 
prove useful to him, Pompey beheld his 
credit diminish, and his glory decline 
daily. It had been refused to ratify what 
he had regulated in Asia, or to grant to 
his veterans those lands which he had 
promised to divide among them. In 
short, nothing any longer appertained to 
hin, “but that consolation which arose 
out of pomp and vanity. He had been 
permitted, on his return from Asia, to 
wear, during the games of the Circus, a 
flowered robe, a crown of gold, and 
every thing that could denote a triumph. 
Accordingly 
1 
