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[13]
I do long to plead in behalf of some defendant before that
tribunal—Cyda of Crete; a
prodigy even in that island; the most audacious and abandoned of men. But even
suppose he were not so. Does he understand Latin? Is he qualified by birth and
station to be a judge! Does he—which is most important—does
he know any thing about our laws and manners? Is he even acquainted with any of
the citizens? Why Crete is better known to you than Rome is to Cyda. In fact the selection and
appointment of the judges has usually been confined to our own citizens. But who
ever knew or could possibly have known this. Gortynian judge? For Lysiades, the
Athenian, we most of us do know For he is the son of Phaedrus an eminent
philosopher. And, besides, he is a witty man, so that he will be able to get on
very well with Marcus Curius, who will be one of his colleagues, and with whom
he is in the habit of playing.
M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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