[43]
Will Publius Rullus, with the rest of the decemvirs, his
colleagues, decide upon so important an affair as this? And which way will he decide? For
each alternative is so important that it is quite impossible for you to entrust the decision
to him, or to put up with his sentence. Will he desire to be popular? He will adjudge the
kingdom to the Roman people. In consequence, he will also, in accordance with his own law,
sell Alexandria, and sell Egypt. He will be found to be the judge, the arbiter, the
master, of a most wealthy city, and of a most beautiful country; yes, he will be found to be
the king of a most opulent kingdom. Will he abstain from taking all this? from desiring all
this? He will decide that Alexandria belongs
to the king; he will by his sentence deprive the Roman people of it.
M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge, B. A. London. Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden. 1856.
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