safé, however clearly convicted. There is now to be brought upon his trial before you, to the confusion, I hope, of the propagators of this slanderous imputation, one whose life and actions condemn him in the opinion of all impartial persons; but who, according to his own reckoning and de.. clared dependence upon his riches, is already acquitted ; -I mean Caius Verres. I demand justice of you, Fathers, upon the robber of the public treasury, the oppressor of Asia-Mi. nor and Pamphylia, the invader of the rights and privileges of Romans, the scourge and curse of Sicily. If that sentence is passed upon him which his crimes deserve, your au. thority, Fathers, will be venerable and sacred in the eyes of the public; but if his great riches should bias you in his fa vor, I shall still gain one point, to make it apparent to all the world, that what was wanting in this case, was not a criminal nor a prosecutor, but justice and adequate punish

ment.

To pass over the shameful irregularities of his youth, what' does his quætorship, the first public employment he held, what does it exhibit, but one continued scene of villanies?” Eneius Carbo plundered of the public money by his own treasurer, a consul stripped and betrayed, an army deserted and reduced to want, a province robbed, the civil and religious rights of a people violated. The employment he held in Asia Minor and Pamphylia, what did it produce but the ruin of those countries? in which, houses, cities, and temples were robbed by him. What was his conduct in his prætor. ship here at home? Let the plundered temples, and public works neglected, that he might embezzle the money intended for carrying them on, bear witness. How did he dis charge the office of a judge? Let those who suffered by his injustice answer. But his prætorship in Sicily crowns, all› his works of wickedness, and finishes a lasting monument tohis infamy. The mischiefs done by him in that unhappy country, during the three years of his iniquitous administra Mon, are such, that many years, under the wisest and best of prætors will not be sufficient to restore things to the condition in which he found them: for it is notorious, that, during, the time of his tyranny, the Sicilians neither enjoy. ed the protection of their own original laws; of the regula tions made for their benefit by the Roman senate, upon their coming under the protection of the commonwealth; nor of the natural and unalienable rights of men. His nod has de

cided all causes in Sicily for these three years. And his de sisions have broken all law, all precedent, all right. The sums he has, by arbitrary taxes and unheard of impositions, extorted from the industrious poor, are not to be computed. The most faithful allies of the commonwealth have been treated as enemies. Roman citizens have, like slaves, been put to death with tortures. The most atrocious criminals, for money, have been exempted from the deserved punishments; and men of the most unexceptionable characters condemned and banished unheard. The harbors, though suffe ciently fortified, and the gates of strong towns, have been opened to pirates and ravagers. The soldiery, and sailors, belonging to a province under the protection of the commonwealth, have been starved to death. Whole fleets, to» the great detriment of the province, suffered to perish. The ancient monuments of either Sicilian or Roman greatness, the statutes of heroes and princes have been carried off; and the temples stripped of the images. Having, by his iniquitous sentences, filled the prisons with the most industrious and deserving of the people, he then proceeded to order numbers of Roman citizens to be strangled in the goals: 90that the exclamation, “ I am a citizens of Rome !” which has often, in the most distant regions, and among the most barbarous people, been a protection, was of no service to them; but, on the contrary, brought a speedier and more severe punishment upon them.

Lask now Verres, what thou hast to advance against this charge? Wilt thou pretend to deny it? Wilt thou pretend, that any thing false, that even any thing aggravated, is al leged against thee? Had any prince, or any state, commit. ted the same outrage against the privilege of Roman citi zens, should we not think we had sufficient ground for demanding satisfaction? What punishment ought, then, to be inflicted upon a tyrannical and wicked prætor, who dared, at no greater distance than Sicily, within sight of the Italian coast, to put to the infamous death of crucifixion, that unfortunate and innocent citizen, Publius Gavius Cosanus, only for his having asserted his privilege of citizenship, and declared his intention of appealing to the justice of his coun try, against a cruel oppressor, who had unjustly confined him in prison at Syracuse, whence he had just made his escape? The unhappy man, arrested as he was going to embark for his native country, is brought before the wicked pratet.

prætor. With eyes darting fury, and a countenance distort. ed with cruelty, he orders the helpless victim of his rage to be stripped, and rods to be brought; aceusing him, but without the least shadow of evidence, or even of suspicion, of having come to Sicily as a spy. It was in vain that the unhappy man cried out, "I am a Roman citizen: I have served under Lucius Pretius, who is now at Panormus, and will attest my innocence." The blood thirsty prætor, deaf to all he could urge in his own defence, ordered the infa mous punishment to be inflicted. Thus, fathers, was an in nocent Roman citizen publicly mangled with scourging; whilst the only words he uttered, amidst his cruel sufferings, were, "I am a Roman citizen!" With these he hoped to defend himself from violence and infamy. But of so little service was this privilege to him, that, while he was this asserting his citizenship, the order was given for his execu• tion; for his execution upon the cross!

O liberty! O sound once delightful to every Roman ear! O sacred privilege of Roman citizenship! once sacred! now trampled upon! But what then! is it come to this? shail an inferior magistrate, a governor, who holds his whole power of the Roman people, in a Roman province, within sight of Italy, bind, scourge, torture with fire and red hot plates of iron, and at last put to the infamous death of the cross, a Roman citizen? Shall neither the cries of inno cence expiring in agony, y, nor the tears of pitying spectators, nor the majesty of the Roman commonwealth, nor the fear of the justice of his country, restrain the licentious and wanton cruelty of a monster, who, in confidence of his riches, strikes at the root of liberty, and sets mankind at defiance.

I conclude with expressing my hopes, that your wisdom and justice, fathers, will not, by suffering the attrocious and unexampled insolence of Caius Verres to escape due punish. ment, leave room to apprehend the danger of a total subversion of authority, and the introduction of general anarchy and confusion. CICERO'S ORations.

SECTION II.

The Apostle Paul's noble defence before Festus and Agrippa. AGRIPPA said unto Paul, thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself.

I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall an

swer

swer for myself this day before thee, concerning all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews: especially, as I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among my own nation at Jerufalem, know all the Jews; who knew me from the beginning, (if they would testify,}} that after the straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; to which promise, our twelve tribes, continually serving God day and night, hope to come: and, for this hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with my self, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth and this I did in Jerusalem. Many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests: and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I often punished them in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. But as I went to Damascus, with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, king! I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them who journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying, in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, who art thou Lord? And he replied, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared to thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister, and a witness both of these things, which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear to thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance amongst them who are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Whereupon, O king Agrippa! I was not disobedient to the heavenly.vision; but showed first to them of Damascus and

A

and at Jerusalem, and through all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes, the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me Having, however, obtained help from God, I continue to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses declared should come: that Christ should suffer; that he would be the first who should rise from the dead; and that he would show light to the people and to the Gentiles.

And as he thus spoke for himself, Festus said, with a loud voice, "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning hath made thee mad." But he replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth these things, before whom also speak freely. I am persuaded that none of these things are hid den from him: for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said to Paul, “almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." And Paul replied, "I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”

ACTS XXVI.

I

LESSON XLVII.

SECTION III.

An Address to Young Persons.

INTEND, in this address, to show you the im portance of beginning early to give serious attention to your conduct. As soon as you are capable of reflection, you must perceive that there is a right and a wrong in human actions. You see, that those who are born with the same advantages of fortune, are not all equally prosperous in the course of life. While some of them, by wise and steady conduct, attain distinction in the world, and pass their days with com fort and honor; others, of the same rank, by mean and vicious behavior, forfeit the advantages of their volve themselves in much misery; and end in grace to their friends, and a burden on society.

birth; inbeing a disEarly, then

may: