the first public employment he held, what does it exhibit, but one continued fcene of villainies? Cneius Carbo plundered of the public money by his own treasurer, a conful ftripped and betrayed, an army defert ed and reduced to want, a province robbed, the civil and religious rights of a people violated. The employment he held in Afia Minor and Pamphilia, what did it produce but the ruin of thofe countries? in which houses, cities, and temples, were robbed by him. What was his conduct in his prætorfhip here at home? Let the plundered temples, and public works neglected, that he might embezzle the money intended for carrying them on, bear witnefs. But his prætorthip in Sicily crowns all his works of wickedness, and finishes a lafting monument to his infamy. The mischiefs done by him in that country during the three years of his iniquitous administration, are fuch, that many years, under the wifeft. 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 Sicili ans 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 these three years; and his decifions have broke 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 moft unexceptionable characters condemned, and banished, unheard. The harbours, though fufficiently fortified, and the gates of strong towns, opened to pirates and ravagers the foldiery and failors belonging to a province under the protection of the commonwealth, ftarved to death: whole fleets, to the great detriment of the province, fuffered to perifh; the ancient monuments of either Sicilian or Roman greatnefs, the flatues of heroes and princes, carried off; and the temples ftripped of the images. The infamy of his lewdness has been fuch as decency forbids to defcribe; nor will I, by mentioning particulars, put

thofe unfortunate perfons to fresh pain, who have not been able to fave their wives and daughters from his impurity. And these his atrocious crimes have been committed in fo public a manner, that there is no one who has heard of his name, but could reckon up his actions.-Having, by his iniquitous fentences, filled the prifons with the most industrious and deferving of the people, he then proceeded to order numbers of Roman citizens to be strangled in the gaols; fo that the exclamation," I am a citizen of Rome !" which has often, in the moft diftant. regions, and among the moft barbarous people, been a protection, was of no service to them, but on the contrary, brought a speedier and more severe punishment upon them.

I ask now, Verres, what you have to advance against this charge? Will you pretend to deny it? Will you pretend that any thing falfe, that even any thing aggravated, is alledged against you? 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 declaring immediate war against them? What punishment ought then to be inflicted upon a tyrannical and wicked prætor, who dared, at no greater diftance than Sicily, within fight of the Italian coaft, to put to the infamous death of crucifixion that unfortunate and innocent citizen Publius Gavius Cofanus, only for his having afferted his privilege of citizenship, and declared his intention of appealing to the juftice of his country againit a cruel oppreffor, who had unjustly confined him in a prifon at Syracufe, from whence he had just made his escape? 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 least shadow of evidence, or even of suspicion, of having come to Sicily as a spy. 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 in"nocence." The blood-thirty 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 ut

tered

tered amidst his cruel fufferings, were, "I am a Roman citizen!" With these he hoped to defend himself from violence and infamy; but of fo little fervice was this privilege to him, that while he was thus alerting 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? Shall 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 the 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 monster, 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 juftice, Fathers, will not, by fuffering the atrocious and unexampled infolence of Caius Verres to efcape the due punishment, leave room to apprehend the danger of a total fubverfion of authority, and introduction of general anarchy and confufion.

Cicero's Orations.

§ 12. The Oration which was spoken by PERICLES, at the public Funeral of thofe ATHENIANS who had been first killed in the PELOPONNESIAN War.

Many of those who have fpoken before me on occafions of this kind, have commended the author of that law which we are now obeying, for having infituted an oration to the honour of thofe who facrifice their lives in fighting for their country. For my part, I think it fufficient for men who have approved their virtue in action, by action to be honoured for it-by fuch as you fee the public gratitude now performing about this funeral; and that the virtues of many ought not to be endangered by the management of any one person, when their credit muft precariously depend on his oration, which may be good, and may be bad. Difficult

indeed it is, judiciously to handle a subject, where even probable truth will hardly gain affent. The hearer, enlightened by a long acquaintance, and warm in his affections, may quickly pronounce every thing unfavourably expreffed, in respect to what he wishes and what he knows; whilft the ftranger pronounceth all exaggerated, through envy of thofe deeds which he is conscious are above his own atchievement. For the praises bestowed on others are then only to be endured, when men imagine they can do thofe feats they hear to have been done; they envy what they cannot equal, and immediately pronounce it falfe. Yet, as this folemnity has receiyed its fanction from the authority of our ancestors, it is my duty also to obey the law, and to endeavour to procure, fo far as I am able, the good-will and approbation of all my audience.

I fhall therefore begin firft with our forefathers, fince both justice and decency require we should, on this occafion, beltow on them an honourable remembrance. In this our country they kept themselves always firmly fettled; and, through their valour, handed it down free to every fince-fucceeding generation. Worthy, indeed, of praife are they, and yet more worthy are our immediate fathers; fince, enlarging their own inheritance into the extenfive empire which we now poffefs, they bequeathed that their work of toil to us their fons. Yet even thefe fucceffes, we ourselves, here prefent, we who are yet in the strength and vigour of our days, have nobly improved, and have made fuch provifions for this our Athens, that now it is all-fufficient in itself to answer every exigence of war and of peace. I mean not here to recite thofe martial exploits by which these ends were accomplished, or the refolute defences we ourfelves and our forefathers have made against the formidable inyafions of Barbarians and Greeks. Your own knowledge of thefe will excufe the long detail. But, by what methods we have rofe to this height of glory and power; by what polity, and by what conduct, we are thus aggrandized; I fhall firft endeavour to fhew, and then proceed to the praife of the deceased. Thefe, in my opinion, can be no impertinent topics on this occafion; the difcuffion of them must be beneficial to this numerous company of Athenians and of ftrangers.

We are happy in a form of government which cannot envy the laws of our neigh

bours;

bours; for it hath ferved as a model to others, but is original at Athens. And this our form, as committed not to the few, but to the whole body of the people, is called a democracy. How different foever in a private capacity, we all enjoy the fame general equality our laws are fitted to preferve; and fuperior honours, jult as we excel. The public adminiftration is not confined to a particular family, but is attainable only by merit. Poverty is not an hindrance, fince whoever is able to ferve his country meets with no obftacle to preferment from his firft obfcurity. The offices of the ftate we go through without obftructions from one another; and live together in the mutual endearments of private life without fufpicions; not angry with a neighbour for following the bent of his own humour, nor putting on that countenance of difcontent, which pains, though it cannot punish; fo that in private life we converfe together without diffidence or damage, whilft we dare not, on any account, offend against the public, through the reverence we bear to the magistrates and the laws, chiefly to thofe enacted for redress of the injured, and to thofe unwritten, a breach of which is allowed difgrace. Our laws have further provided for the mind most frequent intermitions of care, by the appointment of public recreations and facrifices throughout the year, elegantly performed with a peculiar pomp, the daily delight of which is a charm that puts melancholy to flight. The grandeur of this our Athens caufes the produce of the whole earth to be imported here, by which we reap a familiar enjoyment, not more of the delicacies of our own growth, than of those of other nations.

In the affairs of war we excel thofe of our enemies, who adhere to methods oppofite to our own; for we lay open Athens to general refort, nor ever drive any franger from us, whom either improvement or curiofity hath brought amongst us, left any enemy fhould hurt us by feeing what is never concealed: we place not fo great a confidence in the preparatives and artifices of war as in the native warmth of our fouls impelling us to action. In point of education, the youth of fome people are inured, by a courfe of laborious exercife, to fupport toil and hardship like men; but we, notwithstanding our eafy and elegant way of life, face all the dangers of war as intrepidly as they.

This may be proved by facts, fince the Lacedemonians never invade our territories, barely with their own, but with the united strength of all their confederates. But when we invade the dominions of our neighbours, for the most part we conquer without difficulty, in an enemy's country, thofe who fight in defence of their own habitations. The ftrength of our whole force, no enemy hath yet ever experienced, because it is divided by our naval expeditions, or engaged in the different quarters of our fervice by land. But if any-where they engage and defeat a fmall party of our forces, they boaftingly give it out a total defeat; and, if they are beat, they were certainly overpowered by our united ftrength. What though from a ftate of inactivity, rather than laborious exercise, or with a natural, rather than an acquired valour, we learn to encounter danger; this good at least we receive from it, that we never droop under the apprehenfion of poffible misfortunes, and when we hazard the danger, are found no lefs courageous than those who are continually inured to it. In these refpects, our whole community deserves justly to be admired, and in many we have yet to mention.

In our manner of living we fhew an elegance tempered with frugality, and we cultivate philofophy, without enervating the mind. We display our wealth in the feafon of beneficence, and not in the vanity of difcourfe. A confeffion of poverty is difgrace to no man; no effort to avoid it, is disgrace indeed. There is vifibly, in the fame perfons, an attention to their own private concerns, and those of the public; and in others, engaged in the labours of life, there is a competent fkill in the affairs of government. For we are the only people who think him that does not meddle in ftate affairs-not indolent, but good for nothing. And yet we pass the foundeft judgment, and are quick at catching the right apprehenfions of things, not thinking that words are prejudicial to actions; but rather the not being duly prepared by previous debate, before we are obliged to proceed to exe cution. Herein confifts our diftinguishing excellence, that in the hour of action we fhew the greatest courage, and yet debate before-hand the expediency of our meafures. The courage of others is the refult of ignorance; deliberation makes them cowards. And these undoubtedly muft

be

be owned to have the greatest fouls, who, moft acutely fenfible of the miseries of war and the fweets of peace, are not hence in the leaft deterred from facing danger.

In acts of beneficence, farther, we differ from the many. We preferve friends, not by receiving, but by conferring obligations. For he who does a kindness, hath the advantage over him who, by the law of gratitude, becomes a debtor to his benefactor. The perfon obliged is compelled to act the more infipid part, confcious that a return of kindness is merely a payment, and not an obligation. And we alone are splendidly beneficent to others, not fo much from interested motives, as for the credit of pure liberality. I shall fum up what yet remains, by only adding, that our Athens, in general, is the school of Greece: and that every fingle Athenian among us is excellently formed, by his perfonal qualifications, for all the various scenes of active life, acting with a moft graceful demeanor, and a moft ready habit of dispatch.

That I have not, on this occafion, made ufe of a pomp of words, but the truth of facts, that height to which, by such a conduct, this ftate hath rofe, is an undeniable proof. For we are now the only people of the world, who are found by experience to be greater than in report; the only people who, repelling the attacks of an invading enemy, exempts their defeat from the blush of indignation, and to their tributaries no difcontent, as if fubject to men unworthy to command. That we deserve our power, we need no evidence to manifeft; we have great and fignal proofs of this, which entitle us to the admiration of the present and of future ages. We want no Homer to be the herald of our praise; no poet to deck off a history with the charms of verfe, where the opinion of exploits muft fuffer by a ftrict relation. Every fea hath been opened by our fleets, and every land been penetrated by our armies, which have every where left behind them eternal monuments of our enmity and our friendship.

In the just defence of such a state, these victims of their own valour, fcorning the ruin threatened to it, have valiantly fought, and bravely died. And every one of those who furvive is ready, I am perfuaded, to facrifice life in fuch a caufe. And for this reafon have I enlarged fo much on national points, to give the cleareft proof, that in the prefent war we

have more at ftake than men whofe public advantages are not fo valuable; and to illuftrate by actual evidence, how great a commendation is due to them who are now my fubjects, and the greatest part of which they have already received. For the encomiums with which I have celebrated the ftate, have been earned for it by the bravery of these, and of men like thefe. And fuch compliments might be thought too high and exaggerated, if pafled on any Grecians, but them alone. The fatal period to which thefe gallant fouls are now reduced, is the furet evidence of their merit-an evidence begun in their lives, and completed by their deaths: for it is a debt of juftice to pay fuperior honours to men, who have devoted their lives in fighting for their country, though inferior to others in every virtue but that of valour. Their laft fervice effaceth all former demerits-it extends to the public; their private demeanors reached only to a few. Yet not one of these was at all induced to fhrink from danger, through fondnefs of thofe delights which the peaceful affluent life bestows; not one was the lefs lavish of his life, though that flattering hope attendant upon want, that poverty at length might be exchanged for affluence. One paflion there was in their minds much stronger than thefe, the defire of vengeance on their enemies. Regarding this as the moft honourable prize of dangers, they boldly rushed towards the mark, to feek revenge, and then to fatisfy those secondary paffions. The uncertain event they had already fecured in hope; what their eyes fhewed plainly must be done, they trufted their own valour to accomplish, thinking it more glorious to defend themfelves, and die in the attempt, than to yield and live. From the reproach of cowardice, indeed, they fled, but prefented their bodies to the fhock of battle; when, infenfible of fear, but triumphing in hope, in the doubtful charge they inftantly drop; and thus difcharged the duty which brave men owe to their country.

As for you, who now furvive them, it is your bufinefs to pray for a better fatebut to think it your duty alfo to preferve the fame fpirit and warmth of courage against your enemies; not judging the expediency of this from a mere harangue

where any man, indulging a flow of words, may tell you, what you yourfelves know as well as he, how many advantages Y Y

there

there are in fighting valiantly against your enemies but rather making the daily ircreafing grandeur of this community the object of your thoughts, and growing quite enamoured of it. And, when it really appears great to your apprehenfions, think again, that this grandeur was acquired by brave and valiant men; by men who knew their duty, and in the moments of action were fenfible of fhame; who, whenever their attempts were unfuccefsful, thought it difhonourable their country fhould fland in need of any thing their valour could do for it, and fo made it the most glorious prefent. Beftowing thus their lives on the public, they have every one received a praife that will never decay, a fepulchre that will be moft illuftrious. Not that in which their bones lie mouldering, but that in which their fame is preferved, to be on every occafion, when honour is the employ of either word or act, eternally remembered. This whole earth is the fepulchre of illuftrious men; nor is it the infcription on the columns in their native foil that alone fhews their merit, but the memorial of them, better than all infcriptions, in every foreign nation, repofited more durably in univerfal remembrance than on their own tomb. From this very moment, emulating thefe noble patterns, placing your happiness in liberty, and liberty in valour, be prepared to encounter all the dangers of war. For, to be lavish of life is not fo noble in thofe whom misfortunes have reduced to mifery and defpair, as in men who hazard the lofs of a comfortable fubfiftence, and the enjoyment of all the bleffings this world affords, by an unfuccefsful enterprize. Adverfity, after a feries of ease and affluence, finks deeper into the heart of a man of fpirit, than the ftroke of death infenfibly received in the vigour of life. and public hope.

For this reafon, the parents of thofe who are now gone, whoever of them may be attending here, I do not bewail;I thall rather comfort. It is well known to what unhappy accidents they were liable from the moment of their birth; and that happiness belongs to men who have reached the most glorious period of life, as thefe now have who are to you the fource of forrow; thofe, whofe life hath received its ample meafure, happy in its continuance, and equally happy in its conclufion. I know it in truth a difficult tak to ex comfort in those breasts which

will have frequent remembrances, in feeing the happiness of others, of what they once themfelves enjoyed. And forrow flows not from the abfence of thofe good things we have never yet experienced, but from the lofs of thofe to which we have been accuftomed. They, who are not yet by age exempted from iffue, fhould be comforted in the hope of having more. The children yet to be born will be a private benefit to fome, in caufing them to forget fuch as no longer are, and will be a double benefit to their country, in preventing its defolation, and providing for its fecurity. For those perfons cannot in common juftice be regarded as members of equal value to the public, who have no children to expofe to danger for its fafety. But you, whofe age is already far advanced, compute the greater fhare of happiness your longer time hath afforded for fo much gain, perfuaded in yourselves the remainder will be but fhort, and enlighten that space by the glory gained by thefe. It is greatness of foul alone that never grows old; nor is it wealth that delights in the latter ftage of life, as fome give out, fo much as honour.

To you, the fons and brothers of the deccafed, whatever number of you are here, a field of hardy contention is opened. For him, who no longer is, every one is ready to commend, fo that to whatever height you push your deferts, you will scarce ever be thought to equal, but to be fomewhat infe. rior, to thefe. Envy will exert itself against a competitor whilft life remains; but when, death stops the competition, affection will applaud without reftraint.

If, after this, it be expected from me to fay any thing to you, who are now reduced to a ftate of widowhood, about female virtue, I fhall exprefs it all in one short admonition: It is your greatest glory not to be deficient in the virtue peculiar to your fex, and to give the men as little handle as poffible to talk of your behaviour, whether well or ill.

I have now discharged the province allotted me by the laws, and said what I thought moft pertinent to this affembly. Our departed friends have by facts been already honoured, Their chiidren, from this day till they arrive at manhood, shall be educated at the public expence of the ftate, which hath appointed fo beneficial

the public expence, and when come to age prefented The law was, that they fhould be instructed at with a complete fuit of armour, and honoured with the first feats in all public places. a meed