He goes; he leaves Rome on
 the twenty-ninth of January, in the Consulship of Scipio and Norbanus;—I beg
 of you to remember the day. Lucius Albius the son of Sextus of the Quirine tribe, a good
 man and of the highest reputation for honour, set out with him. When they had come to
 the place called the fords of Volaterra, they see a great friend of Naevius, who was
 bringing him some slaves from Gaul to be sold,
 Lucius Publicius by name, who when he arrived in Rome told Naevius in what place he had seen Quinctius; and unless this
 had been told Naevius by Publicius, the matter would not so soon have come to trial.
 Then Naevius sends his slaves round to his friends;
 he summons himself all his associates from the halls of Licinius and from the jaws of
 the shambles, and entreats them to come to the booth of Sextus by the second hour of the
 next day. They come in crowds; he makes oath that Publius Quinctius has not appeared to
 his bail, and that he has appeared to his. A long protest to this effect is sealed with
 the seals of noble men. They depart: Naevius demands of Burrienus the praetor, that by
 his edict he may take possession of Quinctius's goods. If either
 party did not appear on the appointed day, he was said vadimonium
 deserere , and the praetor gave to the other party the bonorum possessio . Vide Smith's Dict. Ant. p. 9. v. Actio . He urged the confiscation of the property of that man with
 whom he had had intimacy, with whom he actually was in partnership, between whom and
 himself there was a relationship, which while his children lived could not possibly be
 annulled. From which act it could easily be perceived
 that there is no bond so holy and solemn, that avarice is not in the habit of weakening
 and violating it. In truth, if friendship is kept up by truth, society by good faith,
 relationship by affection, it is inevitable that he who has endeavoured to despoil his
 friend, his partner, and his relation of fame and fortune, should confess himself
 worthless and perfidious and impious. Sextus
 Alphenus, the agent of Publius Quinctius, the intimate friend and relation of Sextus
 Naevius, tears down the bills; carries off one little slave whom Naevius had laid hold
 of; gives notice that he is the agent, and that it is only fair that that fellow should
 consult the fame and fortunes of Publius Quinctius, and await his arrival. But if he
 would not do so, and believed that by such methods he could bring him into the
 conditions which he proposed, then he asked nothing as a favour, and if Naevius chose to
 go to law, he would defend him at the trial.