357. repentinum: unexpected, all of a sudden, i.e., contrary to the original charge that he was a fugitive from Sertorius’ army.
in lautumias: a convicted spy would have received more severe treatment.
358. abs: a common alternate form of a/ab.
litteris: here, records.
359. aliquis…Gavius (360): someone with the name Gavius; the name was common, and so Verres might try to prove that the Gavius Cicero says had been compelled to labor in the quarries was in fact a different man than the one he had himself punished for spying.
360. fingere: to imagine, pretend, invent.
361. ad arbitrium: at your bidding, implying to your heart’s content.
362. dicant: REL. CL. OF PURPOSE; similarly doceant (362).
363. necessarios: lit., a necessary person = an intimate friend, a relative.
364. sero: adv., too late; ANAPHORA and asyndeton give the parallel phrases te nunc sero…iudices non sero an epigrammatic quality.
367. patronis: the general meaning is protector; the specific meaning here is advocate.
368. istuc: adv., to where you are, to what you mention; here essentially = istud.
tenebo: here, I will grab hold of, seize upon.
370. impetu: impetus, violent movement, violence, attack.
exsiluisti: exsilire,to leap forth, start up.
371. illum…clamitasse…sed…fuisse (373): IND. STATE. depending on elocutus es.
372. ideo: adv., therefore.
clamitasse: = clamitavisse, from clamitare, frequentative form of clamare, to shout, cry out (repeatedly).
373. veri sunt: i.e., they are telling the truth.
374. C. Numitorius: Gaius Numitorius and all the other witnesses named here testified that they had heard Gavius crying out that he was a Roman citizen.
It can be proven that Gavius was not a spy.
355 Nunc, quoniam exploratum est omnibus quo loco causa tua sit et quid de te futurum sit, sic tecum agam: Gavium istum, quem repentinum speculatorem fuisse dicis, ostendam in lautumias Syracusis abs te esse coniectum neque id solum ex litteris ostendam Syracusanorum, ne possis dicere me, quia sit aliquis 360 in litteris Gavius, hoc fingere et eligere nomen ut hunc illum esse possim dicere; sed ad arbitrium tuum testis dabo qui istum ipsum Syracusis abs te in lautumias coniectum esse dicant. Producam etiam Consanos, municipes illius ac necessarios, qui te nunc sero doceant, iudices non sero, illum P. Gavium, quem tu 365 in crucem egisti, civem Romanum et municipem Consanum, non speculatorem fugitivorum fuisse. (V. 164)
Gavius’ claim to Roman citizenship should have been investigated.
Cum haec omnia, quae polliceor, cumulate tuis patronis plana fecero, tum istuc ipsum tenebo, quod abs te mihi datur; eo contentum me esse dicam. Quid enim nuper tu ipse, cum 370 populi Romani clamore atque impetu perturbatus exsiluisti, quid, inquam, elocutus es? Illum, quod moram supplicio quaereret, ideo clamitasse se esse civem Romanum, sed speculatorem fuisse. Iam mei testes veri sunt. Quid enim dicit aliud C. Numitorius? quid M. et P. Cottii, nobilissimi homines, ex 375 agro Tauromenitano? quid Q. Lucceius, qui argentariam Regii maximam fecit? quid ceteri? Adhuc enim testes ex eo genere a me sunt dati, non qui novisse Gavium, sed se vidisse dicerent, cum is, qui se civem Romanum esse clamaret, in crucem ageretur. Hoc tu, Verres, idem dicis; hoc tu confiteris, illum clamitasse 380 se civem esse Romanum, apud te nomen civitatis ne tantum quidem valuisse ut dubitationem aliquam crucis, ut crudelissimi taeterrimique supplici aliquam parvam moram saltem posset adferre. (V. 165)
375. agro Tauromenitano: the district of Tauromenium, a town in eastern Sicily (modern Taormina).
argentariam:silver business = banking business.
376. ceteri: all the others, a strong, all-inclusive word (alii would have meant simply others).
377. se vidisse: therefore supremely important as eyewitnesses.
379. illum clamitasse…nomen…valuisse (381): the two inf. phrases are in appos. with hoc.
380. se…Romanum: this obviously and intentionally has become a refrain throughout this passage.
apud te:with you, in your estimation.
381. ut…ut…moram (382): ANAPHORA, ASYNDETON, and the CHIASMUS dubitationem…crucis…supplici…moram all lend emphasis to Cicero’s point.
dubitationem…crucis:some hesitancy to inflict crucifixion.
382. saltem: adv., at least.
384. hic haereo: lit., here I cling = I cling to this point.
385. induatur ac iuguletur: from induere, to clothe, wrap, entangle, and iugulare, to cut the throat, slay; here, with necesse est, the passives can be translated reflexively, he must inevitably entangle and destroy himself (lit., cut his own throat).
386. necesse est: impers., it is necessary (that); the construction ordinarily takes ut + subjunct., but ut is often omitted.
qui:what kind of person (Gavius was), i.e., a citizen or not.
qui esset…dicebat (388): note how Cicero adapts his style to the excitement and tension of the passage with the stiletto thrusts of the short cls., the juxtaposition of tua te, the interlocked word-order of tua te accuso oratione, and the culminating refrain civem…dicebat.
esse: sc. eum (Gavium) as subj.; such prons. are often omitted in Lat. when easily understood from the context.
