[37]
And, at the same time, it is a perfect absurdity for a provision to be made
in the treaty that they should “respectively” preserve
the majesty of the Roman people; that is to say, that the Roman people is to
wish its own majesty to be uninjured. And if it were so now, as it cannot
be, still the fact would remain, that provision had been made for our
majesty, but none at all for theirs. Can our majesty then be preserved with
good feeling by the people of Gades, if we are not able to tempt the men of Gades by rewards to be anxious for its
preservation? Can there, in fact be any majesty at all, if we are prevented
from availing ourselves of the consent of the Roman people to confer on our
commander-in-chief the power of distributing honours and kindnesses as a
reward of virtue?
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