But if you think you had not then the same justice as Alphenus,
 because it was in his power to appeal to some one against you; because a magistrate was
 found before whom the cause of Alphenus could be fairly heard; what is Quinctius to
 determine on at this time I—a man who has not as yet found any just
 magistrate, nor been able to procure the customary trial; “Because the matter in dispute was really a money matter, but the praetor
 ordered the trial to proceed de
 probro .”—Hottoman. in whose case no condition, no
 security, no petition has been interposed,—I do not say a just one, but none
 at all that had ever been heard of before that time. I wish to try an action about
 money. You cannot. But that is the point in dispute. It does not concern me; you must
 plead to a capital charges. Accuse me then, if it must be so. No says be, not unless
 you, in an unprecedented manner, first make your defence. You must plead; the time must
 be fixed at our pleasure; the judge himself shall be removed. What then? Shall you be able to find any advocate, a man of such
 ancient principles of duty as to despise our splendour and influence? Lucius Philippus
 will be my advocate; in eloquence, in dignity, and in honour, the most flourishing man
 in the states. Hortensius will speak for me; a man eminent for his genius, and nobility,
 and reputation; and other most noble and powerful men will accompany me into court, the
 number and appearance of whom may alarm not only Publius Quinctius, who is defending
 himself on a capital charge, but even any one who is out of danger. This really is what an unequal contest is; not that one in which you
 were skirmishing against Alphenus. You did not leave him any place where he could make a
 stand against you. You must therefore either prove that Alphenus denied he was his
 agent, did not tear down the bills, and refused to go to trial; or, if all this was
 done, you must admit that you did not take possession of the goods of Publius Quinctius
 in accordance with the edict. 
 If, indeed, you did take possession of the things according to the edict, I ask you why
 they were not sold—why the others who were his securities and creditors did
 not meet together? Was there no one to whom Quinctius owed money? There were some, there
 were many such; because Caius, his brother, had left some amount of debt behind him.
 What then was the reason? They were all men entirely strangers to him, and he owed them
 money, and yet not one was found so notoriously infamous as to dare to attack the
 character of Publius Quinctius in his absences. There
 was one man, his relation, his partner, his intimate friend, Sextus Naevius, who, though
 he himself was in reality in debt to him, as if some extraordinary prize of wickedness
 was proposed to him, strove with the greatest eagerness to deprive his own relation,
 oppressed and ruined by his means, not only of property which he had honestly acquired,
 but even of that light which is common to all men. Where were the rest of the creditors?
 Even now at this very time where are they? Who is there who says he kept out of the way
 for the sake of fraud? Who is there who denies that Quinctius was defended in his
 absence? Not one is found But, on the other hand, all
 men who either have or have had any transactions with him are present on his behalf and
 are defending him; they are labouring that his good faith, known in many places, may not
 now be disparaged by the perfidy of Sextus Naevius. In a trial of this nature Naevius
 ought to have brought some witnesses out of that body, who could say; “He
 forfeited his recognizances in my case; he cheated me, he begged a day of me for the
 payment of a debt which he had denied; could not get him to trial; he kept out of the
 way; he left no agent:” none of all these things is said. Witnesses are being
 got ready to say it But we shall examine into that, I suppose, when they have said it:
 but let them consider this one thing, that they are of weight only so far, that they can
 preserve that weight, if they also preserve the truth; if they neglect that, they are so
 insignificant that all men may see that influence is of avail not to support a lie, but
 only to prove the truth.