27.
[55]
But first of all I will say a little, which has just occurred to me, about the hard fortune
of Lucius Murena. For I have often before now, O judges, judging both by the miseries of
others, and by my own daily cares and labours, considered those men fortunate, who, being at a
distance from the pursuits of ambition, have addicted themselves to ease and tranquillity of
life; and now especially I am so affected by these serious and unexpected dangers of Lucius
Murena, that I am unable adequately to express my pity for the common condition of all of us,
or for his particular state and fortune; who while, after an uninterrupted series of honours
attained by his family and his ancestors, he was endeavouring to mount one step higher in
dignity, has incurred the danger of losing both the honours bequeathed to him by his
forefathers, and those too which have been acquired by himself, and now, on account of his
pursuit of this new honour, is brought into the danger of losing his ancient fortune also.
[56]
And as these are weighty considerations, O judges, so is
this the most serious matter of all, that he has men for accusers who, instead of proceeding
to accuse him on account of their private enmity against him, have become his personal
enemies, being carried away by their zeal for their accusation. For, to say nothing of Servius
Sulpicius, who, I am aware, is influenced not by any wrong done by Lucius Murena, but only by
the party spirit engendered by the contest for honour, his father's friend, Cnaeus Postumius,
is his accuser, an old neighbour and intimate friend of his own, as he says himself; who has
mentioned many reasons for his intimacy with him, while he has not been able to mention one
for any enmity towards him. Servius Sulpicius accuses him, the companion of his
son,—he, by whose genius all the friends of his father ought to be only the more
defended. Marcus Cato accuses him, who, though he has never been in any matter whatever at
variance with Murena, yet was born in this city under such circumstances that his power and
genius ought to be a protection to many who were even entire strangers to him, and ought to be
the ruin of hardly any personal enemy.
[57]
In the first instance then I will reply to Cnaeus Postumius, who, somehow or
other, I know not how, while a candidate for the praetorship, appears to me to be a straggler
into the course marked out for the candidates for the consulship, as the horse of a vaulter
might escape into the course marked out for the chariot races. And if there is no fault
whatever to be found with his competitors, then he has made a great concession to their worth
in desisting from his canvass. But if any one of them has committed bribery, then he must look
for some friend who will be more inclined to prosecute an injury done to another than one done
to himself.
****** [On the Charges of Postumius and of Servius.]
****** [On the Charges of Postumius and of Servius.]
