with what anxiety, O ye
 immortal gods! with what solicitude of mind! with what fear! Indeed, I am always very nervous
 when I begin to speak. As often as I rise to speak, so often do I think that I am myself on my
 trial, not only as to my ability, but also as to my virtue and as to the discharge of my duty;
 lest I should either seem to have undertaken what I am incapable of performing, which is an
 impudent act, or not to perform it as well as I can, which is either a perfidious action or a
 careless one. But that time I was so agitated, that I was afraid of everything. I was afraid, if
 I said nothing, of being thought utterly devoid of eloquence, and, if I said much in such a
 case, of being considered the most shameless of men. 
 I recollected myself after a time, and adopted this resolution, that I must needs act boldly;
 that the age which I was of at that time generally had much allowance made for it, even if I
 were to stand by men in danger, though their cause had but little justice in it. And so I acted.
 I strove and contended by every possible means, I had recourse to every possible expedient, to
 every imaginable excuse in the case, which I could think of; so as, at all events, (though I am
 almost ashamed to say it,) no one could think that the cause had been left without an advocate.
 But, whatever excuse I tried to put forth, the prosecutor
 immediately wrested out of my hands. If I asked what enmity there was between Scamander and
 Habitus, he admitted that there was none. But he said that Oppianicus, whose agent he had been,
 had always been and still was most hostile to Habitus. If again I urged that no advantage would
 accrue to Scamander by the death of Habitus; he admitted that, but he said that all the property
 of Habitus would come to the wife of Oppianicus, a man who had had plenty of practice in killing
 his wives. When I employed this argument in the defence, which has always been considered a most
 honourable one to use in the causes of freedmen, that Scamander was highly esteemed by his
 patron; he admitted that, but asked, Who had any opinion of that patron himself? When I urged at some length the argument, that plot might have been
 laid against Scamander by Diogenes, and that it might have been arranged between them on some
 other account that Diogenes should bring him medicine, not poison that this might happen to any
 one; he asked why he came into such a place as that, into so secret a place, why he came by
 himself, why he came with a sum of money sealed up. And lastly, at this point, our cause was
 weighed down by witnesses, most honourable men. Marcus Bebrius said that Diogenes had been
 bought by his advice, and that he was present when Scamander was seized with the poison and the
 money in his possession. Publius Quintilius Varus a man of the most scrupulous honour, and of
 the greatest authority, said that Cleophantus had conversed with him about the plots which were
 being laid against Habitus, and about the tampering with Diogenes, while the matter was fresh.
 And all through that trial, though we appeared to be
 defending Scamander, he was the defendant only in name, but in reality, it was Oppianicus who
 was in peril, and who was the object of the whole prosecution. Nor, indeed, was there any doubt
 about it, nor could he disguise that that was the case. He was constantly present in court,
 constantly interfering in the case; he was exerting all his zeal and all his influence. And
 lastly, which was of great injury to our cause, he was sitting in that very place as if he were
 the defendant. The eyes of all the judges were directed, not towards Scamander, but towards
 Oppianicus; his fear, his agitation, his countenance betraying suspense and uncertainty, his
 constant change of colour, made all those things, which were previously very suspicious,
 palpable and evident. When the judges were about to come to their decision, Caius Junius, the president, asked the
 defendant, according to the provisions of the Cornelian 
 law which then existed, whether he wished the decision to be come to in his case secretly or
 openly. He replied by the advice of Oppianicus, because he said that
 Junius was an intimate friend of Habitus, that he
 wished the decision to be come to secretly. The judges deliberate. Scamander on the first trial
 was convicted by every vote except one, which Stalenus said was his. Who in the whole city was
 there at that time, who when Scamander was condemned, did not think that sentence had been
 passed on Oppianicus? What point was decided by that conviction except that that poison had been
 procured for the purpose of being given to Habitus? However, what suspicion of the very
 slightest nature attached, or could attach to Scamander, so that he should be thought to have
 desired of his own accord to kill Habitus?