Pro S. Roscio Amerino

92 CICERO : PEO EOSCIO. [CH. XXI.
endeavoiired to scale the Capitol (.390 b.c), and the sacred geese of
I
I Juno by their cackling awoke M. Manlius, just in time for him to
hurl
I down tlie foremost of the assailants. The comparison (see line
20 f.) between the accusers and the geese does not hold good
I'
i throughout, since the geese were not supposed to keep watch, and
iaccusers were not paid by the state. locantur : sc. praebenda, " are
contracted for." The censors sold the right to feed the geese to
those who sent in the lowest estimate.
4 15. significant tamen : (that is certainly true) " yet they give
;
warning.
"
i 16. venerunt : its action is antecedent to that of significant ; it is
j therefore in the perfect. But we should translate it, according to
I
the English idiom, by the present (" they give warning if anybody
I comes").
% 18. salutatum : the Romans began their prayers with the adoratio
i (putting the right hand to the mouth) and the sahUatio (crying
'; saluto te) of the image of the god.
19. iis : possessive dative, almost equivalent to eonim.
I
l 20. sint : subjunctive in dependence on the hypothetical subjuncf
tive sufringantur. The subjunctive may also be explained as one of
R reported cause.
I 23. cibaria : i.e. the fee which Erucius had received from those
who were the real accusers.
I
i 27. commisisse : here used absolutely ( = deliquisse, " to have
I committed a crime ").
\ 31. hos : the judges. literam illam : the letter K, which stood
for Kalendae (tlie first day of the month) as well as for Kahimniator
I
(see note on 19, 30). There is here a playful allusion to the debts
I
f1
likely to be incurred by professional accusers of doubtful character
I
' I* iS - 1^^® Erucius ; for the interest on debts had to be paid on the first
if \nf > fday of every nionth.
'. 33. ad caput adfigent : see note on legem Bemmiam, 19, 29.
i 34. neminem alium : see note on 19, 30. fortunas vestras
t accusare : this was proverbially said of people who had become
unfortunate through their own fault.
XXI. , §§ 58, 59. Argument.—Emicius brought his perfectly groundless
accusation against Roscius because Chrysogonus had assured him
thatno one would dare to comeforward as an advocate. He never so
much as dreamed of me ; and when he saw that none of the usual
advocates came forward, he trecUed the court with the utmost contempt.
Ch. XXI.— 1. ad defendendum : " as material for my defence."
2. ad suspicandum : " as grounds for suspicion."
3. audio : " so you say."
5. non : so. potes planum facere.
6. istud suspicari : subject of venerit, ilhid being object of suspicari.
vobis : possessive dative with in mentem.