Quotes from Cicero's Pro C. Rabirio Postumo

Cicero explains why never to lend money to a king. Delivered 54 B.C.

The Latin quotes are selected for interest (int), language (lan), and beauty (bea), and are translated into English. The line numbers are from the Loeb edition, and start counting from line 1 of the section. All translations are by Gus Wiseman (Nafindix), with the exception of any contributions from other users. The public domain sources of the Latin quotes are:


 * Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, vol. XIV, 1931; Latin text with facing English translation by N. H. Watts.
 * Pro C. Rabirio Postumo. Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Vol. IV. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1909. https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi030.perseus-lat2:1-5/

1.1 bea
Si quis est, iudices, qui C. Rabirium, quod fortunas suas fundatas praesertim atque optime constitutas potestati regiae libidinique commiserit, reprehendendum putet, ascribat ad iudicium suum non modo meam, sed huius etiam ipsius, qui commisit, sententiam: neque enim cuiquam eius consilium vehementius quam ipsi displicet.

Should there be anyone, gentlemen of the jury, who would criticize Gaius Rabirius for committing his fortunes, especially those already well-established and perfectly constituted, to royal power and delectation, then please count not only myself, but the very one who made the commission, to share that view; for no one has more vehement regret than he.

4.14 int
Pulsus interea regno Ptolomaeus dolosis consiliis, ut dixit Sibylla, sensit Postumus, Romam venit: cui egenti et roganti hic infelix pecuniam credidit, nec tum primum: nam regnanti crediderat absens, nec temere se credere putabat, quod erat nemini dubium quin is in regnum restitueretur a senatu populoque Romano.

Expelled from his kingdom, Ptolomy came to Rome "with guileful intent," as the Sibyl said, which Postumus would realize. To this needy and pleading king my unlucky client lent money, and not for the first time (he had credited him, still in possession of his kingdom, remotely in the past); nor did he consider this risky, for no one doubted the king would be restored to his throne by the Senate and Roman people.

5.3 int
Stulte: quis negat, aut quis iam audebit, quod male cecidit, bene consultum putare?

A foolish act. Who denies it, or who now will venture to consider well-advised something that turned out disastrous?

5.5 int/bea
At est difficile, quod cum spe magna sis ingressus, id non exsequi usque ad extremum.

But it is hard not to follow through to the farthest end an investment originally made with great hope.

6.12 lan
Tamen non debuit is, qui dabat, quo modo ille, qui accipiebat, consumeret quaerere.

Yet it is not the lender's responsibility to ask how the recipient should use the loan.

7.1 int/lan/bea
Quod si creditoris culpa est, si qui improbe credita pecunia usus est, damnetur is, qui fabricatus gladium est et vendidit, non is qui illo gladio civem aliquem interemit.

But if a creditor is guilty for one who misuses the money, then the maker and seller of a sword are damned for the one who uses it to kill a citizen.

11.10 lan
Si enim quid liceat quaeritis, potestis tollere e civitate quem voltis: tabella est, quae dat potestatem; occultat eadem libidinem, cuius conscientiam nihil est quod quisquam timeat, si non pertimescat suam.

For if you ask what is permitted, you are able to remove from the state anyone you wish; it is the voting tablet that gives that power; it also conceals your passion, whose record no one need fear who does not fear his own heart.

12.5 bea
Datur tibi tabella iudici.

You are given a tablet as juror.

15.9 bea
Serpet hoc malum, mihi credite, longius quam putatis.

This evil will creep, trust me, farther than you think.

18.7 bea
Vos senatus liberos hac lege esse voluit, populus numquam adligavit, soluti huc convenistis: ne constricti discedatis cavete.

The senate decreed you free from this law; the people never held you to it; you arrived here free, but take care to leave the same way.

21.5 bea
Gabinius illud, quoquo consilio fecit, fecit certe suo; quaecumque mens illa fuit, Gabinii fuit.

For whatever reason Gabinius did it, it was assuredly his own; whatever the idea was, it was Gabinius's.

24.1 int/bea
Plane confiteor fieri nihil posse dementius quam scientem in eum locum venire, ubi libertatem sis perditurus: sed huius ipsius facti stultitiam alia iam superior stultitia defendit: quae facit, ut hoc stultissimum facinus, quod in regnum venerit, quod regi se commiserit, sapienter factum esse videatur: si quidem non tam semper stulti quam sero sapientis est, cum stultitia sua impeditus sit, quoquo modo possit se expedire.

I plainly admit nothing can be more demented than to knowingly go where you will lose your liberty. But the foolishness of this act is defended by a prior foolishness, which makes his great mistake of coming to the kingdom and committing himself to the king seem more wise– if indeed he is not so much always foolish as belatedly wise who, trapped in his own folly, extricates himself however he can.

29.4 int/lan
Nolite igitur fortunam convertere in culpam, neque regis iniuriam huius crimen putare nec consilium ex necessitate nec voluntatem ex vi interpretari, nisi forte eos etiam, qui in hostis aut in praedones inciderint, si aliter quippiam coacti faciant ac liberi, vituperandos putes.

So resist turning misfortune into fault, do not think the king's injustice is my client's crime, and do not interpret my client's intentions and desires from what he is compelled or forced to do, unless even those who fall into enemies or thieves are to be condemned, should they be forced to do something other than they wish.

31.5 lan
Neque enim fuit Gabinii remittere tantum de suo nec regis imponere tantum pati suis.

For it was neither Gabinius's way to remit so many freedoms nor the king's to require his subjects to suffer so much.

31.10 int/lan/bea
Solet is dicere in eum, qui pecuniam redegit, qui in illum, cuius nomine ea pecunia redigeretur, non dixerit?

Is it normal for a witness, who never testified against the person in whose name money was raised, to testify against the person who raised it?

34.3 lan
Modo vobis inspectantibus in iudicio Gabinii tertio quoque verbo excitabantur: negabant pecuniam Gabinio datam: recitabatur identidem Pompei testimonium, regem ad se scripsisse nullam pecuniam Gabinio nisi in rem militarem datam.

Recently, with you watching in Gabinius's trial, they [the Alexandrians] were evoked at every third word; they denied money was given to Gabinius; the testimony of Pompeius that the king had written to him that no money was given to Gabinius except for military purposes was recited again and again.

35.1 lan/bea
Ista condicio est testium, ut quibus creditum non sit negantibus, isdem credatur aientibus?

Such are your witnesses that their denials are not trusted, but their affirmations are?

35.3 bea
At si verum tunc cum verissima fronte dixerunt, nunc mentiuntur; si tunc mentiti sunt, doceant nos verum quo voltu soleant dicere.

If, with a most honest brow, they told the truth then, then they are lying now; but if they were lying then, let them show us with what face they are accustomed to speak the truth.

36.5 lan/bea
At ubi semel quis peieraverit, ei credi postea, etiam si per pluris deos iuret, non oportet, praesertim, iudices, cum in his iudiciis ne locus quidem novo testi soleat esse ob eamque causam idem iudices retineantur, qui fuerint de reo, ut his nota sint omnia neque quid fingi novi possit.

But where once a person has lied, afterward he should not be trusted, even if he swears on many gods, especially, gentlemen, since there is usually no room in such proceedings as these for a new witness, and the same jury is retained as sat for the original defendant, so that it knows everything and nothing new can be invented.

37.1 lan
Qui causam dicunt, "quo ea pecunia pervenerit," non suis propriis iudiciis rei facti condemnari solent.

Those arraigned on the question of "to where the money has gone" are usually condemned not in their own trial but in that of the original defendant.

38.10 bea
Si nihil habuisset umquam, tamen, si quaesisset, cur dissimularet causa non esset; qui vero duo lauta et copiosa patrimonia accepisset remque praeterea bonis et honestis rationibus auxisset, quid esset tandem causae cur existimari vellet nihil habere?

Though he had never had anything, still, if he came to be wealthy, there is no reason why he should lie; if in fact he had inherited two lavish and copious estates, and moreover increased his wealth by good and honest means, why should he want to be thought to have nothing?

39.5 int
Immo vero in superbissimo dominatu fuit: pertulit ipse custodiam; vidit in vinculis familiaris suos; mors ob oculos saepe versata est; nudus atque egens ad extremum fugit e regno.

On the contrary, he lived in the most overbearing tyranny; he endured imprisonment himself; he watched his friends put in chains; death was always before his eyes; naked and needy he finally fled the kingdom.

41.1 int/lan
Verum autem, iudices, si scire voltis, nisi C. Caesaris summa in omnis, incredibilis in hunc eadem liberalitas exstitisset, nos hunc Postumum iam pridem in foro non haberemus: ille onera multorum huius amicorum excepit unus, quaeque multi homines necessarii secundis Postumi rebus discripta sustinuerunt, nunc eius adflictis fortunis universa sustinet.

If the jury wants to know the truth, unless Caesar's generosity, great toward all, incredible toward my client, had emerged, Postumus would have long ago disappeared from the forum; Caesar alone took on the burden of many of my client's friends; when things favored Postumus, this burden was shared by many, but now, in his hard times, it is carried by Caesar alone.

41.8 bea
Umbram equitis Romani et imaginem videtis, iudices, unius amici conservatam auxilio et fide.

You see the shadow and shape of a Roman knight, gentlemen, preserved by the faithful support of one friend.

42.1 int/lan
Multas equidem C. Caesaris virtutes magnas incredibilisque cognovi, sed sunt ceterae maioribus quasi theatris propositae et paene populares: castris locum capere, exercitum instruere, expugnare urbis, aciem hostium profligare, hanc vim frigorum hiemumque quam nos vix huius urbis tectis sustinemus excipere, eis ipsis diebus hostem persequi cum etiam ferae latibulis se tegant atque omnia bella iure gentium conquiescant: sunt ea quidem magna- quis negat?- sed magnis excitata sunt praemiis ac memoria hominum sempiterna; quo minus admirandum est eum facere illa qui immortalitatem concupiverit.

I have known many great and remarkable virtues of Caesar, but there are others practically performed for the public in greater theaters: to take a location for camp, to draw up an army, to assault cities, to rout hostile forces, to endure the force of cold and winter (which the roofs of our city can scarcely withstand), to pursue the enemy when even animals hide themselves away and all wars are suspended by unwritten law. These are great; who denies it? But they are sponsored by great rewards and the eternal memory of mankind, making them less remarkable for one who lusts for immortality.

45.1 lan
Satis multa hominibus non iniquis haec esse debent: nimis etiam multa vobis quos aequissimos esse confidimus; sed ut omnium vel suspicioni vel malivolentiae vel crudelitati satis fiat: "occultat pecuniam Postumus, latent regiae divitiae."

That should be enough for men who are not unfair. Indeed, it is more than enough for you, whom I trust are impeccably just. But to satisfy everybody's suspicion, spite, or cruelty, consider the following accusation: "Postumus is hiding the money; the royal wealth lies hidden somewhere."

48.1 lan/bea
Sed iam omnia timeo; bonitatis ipsius invidiam reformido: nam indicat tot hominum fletus quam sis carus tuis et me dolor debilitat intercluditque vocem.

But now I fear all; I shudder at the spite provoked by moral excellence; the tears of so many men show how dear you are to your own, while, for my part, sorrow cripples me and cuts my voice.

48.7 lan/bea
Hic vos aliud nihil orat nisi ut rectis oculis hanc urbem sibi intueri atque ut in hoc foro vestigium facere liceat, quod ipsum fortuna eripuerat, nisi unius amici opes subvenissent.

Here he pleads for nothing other than to be allowed with open eyes to gaze at this city and to set foot in the forum. Fortune would have taken from him even this, had he not been supported by the resources of a single friend.