[112]
Among these naval captains was a citizen of Heraclia, of the name
of Junius, (for they have some Latin names of that sort,) a man, as long as he
lived, illustrious in his own city, and after his death celebrated over all
Sicily. In that man there was courage
enough, not only to attack Verres, for that indeed, as he saw that he was sure to
die, he was aware that he could do without any danger; but when his death was
settled, while his mother was sitting in his prison, night and day weeping, he wrote
out the defence which his cause required; and now there is no one in all Sicily who is not in possession of that defence, who
does not read it, who is not constantly reminded by that oration, of your wickedness
and cruelty. In it he states how many sailors he received from his city; how many
Verres discharged, and for how much he discharged each of them; how many he had
left. He makes similar statements with respect to the other ships and when he
uttered these statements before you, he was scourged on the eyes. But when death was
staring him in the face, he could easily endure pain of body; he cried out, what he
has left also in writing, “That it was an infamous thing that the tears of
an unchaste woman on behalf of the safety of Cleomenes should have more influence
with you, than those of his mother for his life.”
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