Shall those men then, who
 at that time used to run about armed night and day, who spent all their time in rapine and
 murder, object to Sextus Roscius the bitterness and iniquity of that time? and will they
 think that troops of assassins, among whom they themselves were leaders and chiefs, can be
 made a ground of accusation against him? who not only was not at Rome , but who was utterly ignorant of everything that was
 being done at Rome , because he was continually
 in the country, as you yourself admit. I fear that I
 may be wearisome to you, O judges, or that I may seem to distrust your capacity, if I
 dwell longer on matters which are so evident. The whole accusation of Erucius, as I think,
 is at an end; unless perhaps you expect me to refute the charges which he has brought
 against us of peculation and of other imaginary crimes of that sort; charges unheard of by
 us before this time, and quite novel; which he appeared to me to be spouting out of some
 other speech which he was composing against some other criminal; so wholly were they
 unconnected with either the crime of parricide, or the man who is now on his trial. But as
 he accuses us of these things with his bare word, it is sufficient to deny them with our
 bare word. If there is any point which he is keeping back to prove by witnesses, there
 also, as in this cause, he shall find us more ready than he expected. I come now to that point to which my desire does not lead me, but good faith towards my
 client. For if I wished to accuse men, I should accuse those men rather by accusing whom I
 might become more important, which I have determined not to do, as long as the
 alternatives of accusing and defending are both open to me. For that man appears to me the
 most honourable who arrives at a higher rank by his own virtue, not he who rises by the
 distress and misfortunes of another. Let us cease for awhile to examine into these matters
 which are unimportant; let us inquire where the guilt is, and where it can be detected. By
 this time you will understand, O Erucius, by how many suspicious circumstances a real
 crime must be proved, although I shall not mention every thing, and shall touch on every
 thing slightly. And I would not do even that if it were not necessary, and it shall be a
 sign that I am doing it against my will, that I will not pursue the point further than the
 safety of Roscius and my own good faith requires. You
 found no motive in Sextus Roscius; but I do find one in Titus Roscius For I have to do
 with you now, O Titus Roscius, since you are sitting there and openly professing yourself
 an enemy. We shall see about Capito afterwards, if he comes forward as a witness as I hear
 he is ready to do then he shall hear of other victories of his, which he does not suspect
 that I ever even heard. That Lucius Cassius, whom the Roman people used to consider a most
 impartial and able judge, used constantly to ask at trials, “to whom it had been any
 advantage?” The life of men is so directed that no one attempts to proceed to crime
 without some hope of advantage. Those who were about to
 be tried avoided and dreaded him as an investigator and a judge; because, although he was
 afraid of truth, he yet seemed not so much inclined by nature to mercy, as drawn by
 circumstances to severity. I, although a man is presiding at this trial who is both brave
 against audacity, and very merciful to innocence, would yet willingly suffer myself to
 speak in behalf of Sextus Roscius either before that very acute judge himself, or before
 other judges like him, whose very name those who have to stand a trial shudder at even
 now.