dies tibi gloriosissimus, populo Romano gratissimųs fuit; noli, obsecro, dubitare, C. Caesar, similem illi gloriae laudem quàm saepissimè quaerere; nihil est enim tam populare quàm bonitas: nulla de virtutibus tuis plurimis nec gratior nec admirabilior misericordiâ est; homines enim ad deos nullâ re propiùs accedunt, quàm salutem hominibus dando: nihil habet nec fortuna tua majus, quàm ut possis; nec natura tua melius, quam ut velis, conservare quamplurimos. Longiorem orationem causa forsitan postulat, tua certè natura breviorem. Quare, cum utilius esse arbitrer

ipsum, quàm me aut quenquam loqui tecum, finem jam faciam tantùm te ipsum admonebo, si illi absenti salutem dederis, praesentibus his omnibus te daturum. 3

3. This oration, which, M. Crevier says, is "indisputably one of the finest monuments of the skill and insinuating address of the " great Roman orator," was very popular. The success, which attended it, made Tubero ashamed of his conduct. An honourable testimony of the merit of the oration is, that Caesar pardoned Li garius contrary to his will, and that the events, which afterwards happened, evinced, that Caesar knew correctly the character of Ligarius and his republican sentiments, and that he had reason to expect from him future opposition, if he returned from exile. Af ter his return, he lived in great confidence with Brutus, who found him a fit person to bear a part in the conspiracy against Caesar; but, happening to be taken ill near the time of its execution, when Brutus, in a visit to him, began to lament, that he had fallen sick in a very unlucky hour; Ligarius, raising himself upon his elbow, and taking Brutus by the hand, replied; Yet still, Brutus, if you mean to do any thing worthy of your self, I am well. Nor did he disappoint Brutus' opinion of him; for we find him afterwards in the list of conspirators."

ORATIO PRO REGE DEIOTARO.

INTRODUCTION.

Of the facts relative to this oration we can learn but little from historians; even the character of Deiotarus seems not to be ascer tained with accuracy; he is represented by some as amiable and virtuous, by others, as sanguinary and cruel. An incident, which has perhaps prevented the facts concerning the subject of this oration from being more fully and correctly known, is, that it was not delivered in the Forum, but privately before Caesar in a dwelling house. What we have been able to learn is, that king Deiotarus was Tetrarch of Gallograecia---that during the civil wars between Caesar and Pompey he assisted the latter---that after the battle of Pharsalia he abandoned his party--that, after having been stripped of part of his dominions, to atone for his offence, he was pardoned by Caesar-that during the wars in the east he entertained Caesar as his guest in the castle of Lucceius-and that, after the civil contentions had been for some time composed, he was accused before Caesar by Philippus, his physician and slave, of having intended to assassinate Caesar, while he was his guest; of having for this purpose placed assassins in a room, into which he invited Caesar to enter and view some presents he had prepared for him, and also in a bath, in which he expected Caesar would bathe before he retired to bed; of having ever been an enemy to Caesar; of having levied an army against him; of having designed to send messengers to Caelius, a man professedly inimical to Caesar; of having sent to Caesar bad cavalry, and employed a slave as a horseman, which was forbidden by the Roman law; of having repeated an obnoxious Greek verse, when he heard that Domitius was shipwrecked and Caesar besieged; of having exulted so much, when this information was communicated to him, that he intoxicated himself with wine, and danced naked at an entertainment; and of having received from Blesamius, his friend and agent in Rome, letters containing slanderous tales concerning Caesar. We have also learned, that Philippus, the physician and slave, who preferred these accusations, was suborned by Castor, a grandson of Deiotarus, who was very inimical to the king, and was induced by motives of revenge for some private offence to design his grandfather's rain. To defeat the inten tion of Castor, and to prove the charges of Philippus false, Cicero pleads with his usual address and success in the ensuing oration, which was delivered in the seven hundred and eighth year of Rome, and in the sixty-second of the orator's age.

CUM in omnibus causis gravioribus, C. Caesar, initio dicendi commoveri soleam vehementiùs, quàm videtur vel usus vel aetas mea postulare, tum in hâc causâ ita me multa perturbant, ut quantum mea fides studii mihi adferat ad salutem regis Deiotari defendendam, tantum faeultatis timor detrahat. Primùm dico pro capite fortunisque regis: quod ipsum etsi non iniquum est, in tuo duntaxat periculo; tamen est ita inusitatum, regem capitis reum esse, ut ante hoc tempus non sit auditum. Deinde eum regem, 1quem ornare antea cuncto cum Senatu solebamus pro perpetuis ejus in nostram rempub. meritis, nunc contra atrocissimum crimen cogor defendere. Accedit, ut accusatorum alterius crudelitate, alterius indignitate perturber. Crudelis Castor, ne dicam sceleratum et impium, qui nepos avum in discrimen capitis adduxerit, adolescentiaeque suae terrorem intulerit ei, cujus senectutem tueri et tegere debebat; 3commendatio-nemque ineuntis aetatis ab impietate et scelere duxerit; avi servum, corruptum praemiis, ad accusandum

1. Quem ornare.......solebamus-In an oration, which Cicero had before this time delivered in the Senate, (De haruspicum responsis) he praised the fidelity of Deiotarus to the Roman people, and said, that the Senate had often thought him worthy of the regal title, and that he had been much commended in the testimonials of the most celebrated Generals.

2. Alterius crudelitate, alterius indignitate—The inhumanity of Castor, and the worthlessness of the slave Philippus.

3. Commendationemque ab impietate et scelere-Among the Romans young men, who were ambitious of gaining reputation, often brought themselves into notice by accusing publick offenders. But, in this case, Cicero implies, Castor deserved rather abhorrence than praise, for endeavouring to gain distinction by the impiety of attempting to ruin his grandfather.

P

dominum impulerit, et ‘a legatorum pedibus abduxerit. Fugitivi autem dominum accusantis, et dominum absentem, et dominum amicissimum nostrae reipub. cumos videbam, cum verba audiebam, non tam afflictam regiam conditionem dolebam, quàm de fortunis communibus extimescebam. Nam, cum more Majorum de servo in dominum ne tormentis quidem quaeri liceat, in quâ quaestione dolor veram vocem elicere possit etiam ab invito; exortus est servus, qui, quem in eculeo appellare non possit, eum accuset so◄ lutus.

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II. Perturbat me, C. Caesar, etiam illud interdum : quod tamen, cum te penitùs recognovi, timere desino: re enim iniquum est, sed tuâ sapientiâ fit aequissimum. Nam dicere apud eum de facinore, contra cujus vitam consilium facinoris inesse arguare, si per seipsum consideres, grave est. Nemo enim ferè est, qui sui periculi judex non sibi se aequiorem, quàm reo praebeat. Sed tua, C. Caesar, praestans singularisque natura hunc mihi metum minuit. Non enim tam timeo, quid tu de rege Deiotaro, quàm intelligo, quid de te caeteros velis judicare. Moveor etiam loci ipsius insolentiâ, quòd tantam causam, quanta nulla unquam in disceptatione versata est, dico intra domesticos parietes, dico extra conventum

et eam

4. Legatorum pedibus-Philippus had been in the service of Deiotarus' deputies, and perhaps in no more honourable a capacity, than that of a footman.

5. Sed tua sapientiâ fit aequissimum-Sufficient has already been said concerning Cicero's flattery to Caesar.

6. Nemo enim fere est, etc.-This observation is just, and Cicero deserves credit for suggesting it to Caesar. When a man is both judge and party in an accusation, there is great probability, that he will be more favourable to himself, than to the accused.

frequentiam, in quâ oratorum studia niti solent. In tuis oculis, in tuo ore vultuque acquiesco: te unum intueor: ad te unum omnis mea spectat oratio: quae mihi ad spem obtinendae veritatis gravissima sunt, ad motum animi, et ad omnem impetum dicendi, contentionemque leviora. Hanc enim, C. Caesar, causam si in foro dicerem, eodem audiente et disceptante te, quantam mihi alacritatem populi Romani concursus adferret? Quis enim civis ei regi non faveret, cujus omnem aetatem in populi Romani bellis consumptam esse meminisset? Spectarem curiam, intuerer forum, coelum denique testarer ipsum. Sic, cum et deorum immortalium et populi Romani et Senatûs beneficia in regem Deiotarum recordarer, nullo modo mihi deesse posset oratio. Quae quoniam angustiora parietes faciunt, actioque causae maximè debilitatur loco; tuum est, Caesar, qui pro multis saepè dixisti, quid nunc mihi animi sit ad te ipsum referre: quò faciliùs tum aequitas tua, tum audiendi diligentia minuat hanc perturbationem meam. Sed, antequam de accusatione ipsâ dico, de accusatorum spe pauca dicam ; qui, cum videantur neque ingenio, neque usu atque exer

7. Qui pro multis saepe dixisti-In a note to a former oration, we have already observed, that Caesar in the early part of his life applied himself to the business of the bar.

8. De accusatorum spe-That the student may be able to judge more impartially of the character of Deiotarus and his accusers, we will quote an observation of a judicious commentator. "As to the facts laid down in this oration, we can say very little; but, by what we understand from our author himself in other parts of his writings, the charges are not so destitute of probability and proof, as he would represent them. With regard to the characters, the one given of Deiotarus throughout this oration, I am apt to believe, is very much misrepresented; for by all other accounts he appears to have been a monster of blood and cruelty; since he put to death all his own children, and afterwards Castor's own father, which may very well account for Castor's appearing in this prosecution.