Then that worthy man—I hope he will
 not think I am laughing at him if I call him again a most worthy man—as he
 thought that he was brought into a great strait, hoping to pin him down to his own terms
 at the very nick of time, says that he will not pay a penny, unless a decision is first
 come to about all the affairs and accounts of the partnership, and unless he knew that
 there would be no dispute between him and Quinctius. We will look into these matters at
 a future time, says Quinctius, but at present I wish you to provide, if you please, what
 you said you would. He says that he will not do so on any other condition; and that what
 he had promised no more concerned him, than it would if when he was holding a sale by
 auction, he had made any bidding at the command of the owner. Quinctius being perplexed at this desertion, obtains a few days'
 delay from the Scapulae; he sends into Gaul to
 have those things sold which he had advertised; being absent, he sells them at a less
 favourable time than before; he pays the Scapulae with more disadvantage to himself than
 he would have done. Then of his own accord he calls Naevius to account, in order, since
 he suspected that there would be a dispute about something, to provide for the
 termination of the business as soon as possible, and with the smallest possible trouble.
 He appoints as his umpire his friend Marcus
 Trebellius; we name a common friend, a relation of our own, Sextus Alphenus, who had
 been brought up in his house, and with whom he was exceedingly intimate. No agreement
 could be come to; because the one was willing to put up with a slight loss, but the
 other was not content with a moderate booty.