And that you may the more easily do this, I will endeavour to make you understand how this matter has been managed and carried out. Caius Quinctius was the brother of this
 Publius Quinctius; in other respects a sufficiently prudent and attentive head of a
 family, but in one matter a little less wise, inasmuch as he formed a partnership with
 Sextus Naevius, a respectable man, but one who had not been brought up so as to be
 acquainted with the rights of partnership, or with the duties of a head of an
 established family. The office of praeco was so little reputable that before Cicero's death a law was
 passed to prevent all persons who had been praecones from
 becoming decuriones in the municipia . Under the emperors, however it became very profitable. 
 Not that he was wanting in abilities; for Sextus Naevius as a buffoon was never
 considered without wit, nor as a crier was he reckoned unmannerly. What followed? As
 nature had given him nothing better than a voice, and his father had left him nothing
 besides his freedom, he made gain of his voice, and used his freedom for the object of
 being loquacious with impunity. So there was no
 reason in the world for your taking him as a partner, except that he might learn with
 your money what a harvest money can produce. Nevertheless, induced by acquaintance and
 intimacy with the man, Quinctius, as I have said, entered into a partnership with him as
 to those articles which were procured in Gaul .
 He had considerable property in cattle, and a well-cultivated and productive farm.
 Naevius is carried off from the halls of Licinius, The Hall of
 Licinius, i.e. Licinius Crassus, was the celebrated one where he erected four columns
 of Hymettian marble, for the theatrical shows in his aedileship, and was one of the
 common resorts of auctioneers and criers. and from the gang of criers, into
 Gaul and across the Alps ; there is a great change in his situation, Coelum non animum mutant qui trans mare
 currunt. — ;Hor. Epist. 1, ii.
 27 . none in his disposition; for he who from his boyhood had been
 proposing to himself gain without any outlay, as soon as he spent anything himself and
 brought it to the common stock, could not be content with a moderate profit. Nor is it any wonder if he, who had his voice for sale,
 thought that those things which he had acquired by his voice would be a great profit to
 him; so that without much moderation, he carried off whatever he could from the common
 stock to his private house for himself. And in this he was as industrious as if all who
 behaved in a partnership with exact good faith, were usually condemned in a trial before
 an arbitrator. The Latin has “arbitrium pro socio
 condemnari,” on which Graevius says, “ Arbitrium
 pro socio , is a formula of law, by which is signified an action and trial
 in a case of partnership if any one had cheated his partner; and Cicero means that
 Naevius was as industrious in cheating his partner, as if those who did not cheat were
 liable to be condemned, and not those who did cheat.” But concerning
 these matters I do not consider it necessary to say what Publius Quinctius wishes me to
 mention; although the cause calls for it: yet as it only calls for it, and does not
 absolutely require it, The Latin has quia
 postulat non flagitat , both words being nearly
 synonymous, but flagito being evidently a stronger word
 than postulo . I will pass it over. When this partnership had now subsisted many years, and when Naevius had often been suspected by Quinctius, and was not able conveniently to give an account of the
 transactions which he had carried on according to his caprice, and not on any system,
 Quinctius dies in Gaul , when Naevius was there
 too, and dies suddenly. By his will he left this Publius Quinctius his heir, in order
 that, as great grief would come to him by his death, great honour should also accrue to
 him. When he was dead, Publius Quinctius soon after
 goes into Gaul . There he lives on terms of
 intimacy with that fellow Naevius. There they are together nearly a year, during which
 they had many communications with one another about their partnership, and about the
 whole of their accounts and their estate in Gaul ; nor during that time did Naevius utter one single word about either
 the partnership owing him anything, or about Quinctius having owed him anything on his
 private account. As there was some little debt left behind, the payment of which was to
 be provided for at Rome , this Publius
 Quinctius issues notices that he shall put up to auction in Gaul , at Narbonne , those things
 which were his own private property.