When Clodius had been made prisoner by the pirates
nine years before, Ptolemaeus was asked to contribute to his ransom but
he only sent two talents, for which ill-timed saving he was mulcted in
his whole kingdom by this unprincipled tribune (Drumann, _Claudii_, p.
263).]
[Footnote 707: He is called Caninius in the Life of Brutus, c. 3.]
[Footnote 708: The feeble king had not spirit to attempt a resistance,
which indeed would have been useless. He put an end to himself by
poison (c. 36), and the Romans took the island. A more unjustifiable
act of aggression than the occupation of Cyprus, hardly occurs even in
the history of Rome.]
[Footnote 709: The priesthood of such temples as Paphos was a valuable
thing. These temples had lands and slaves.]
[Footnote 710: This was Auletes, the father of Cleopatra. He was
restored to his kingdom by A. Gabinius B.C. 55, while he was governor
of Syria.]
[Footnote 711: This is the meaning of the passage. The interview was
ludicrous enough, but Dacier makes it still more so, by seating Cato
on a close-stool; and Kind and Schirach, two German translators, make
him receive the king in the same way (Kaltwasser's note).]
[Footnote 712: This was M. Junius Brutus, afterwards Caesar's friend
and assassin. Cato could not have found a better man for his purpose;
at least for laying his hands on all that came in his way. Brutus took
the opportunity of helping himself to some of the plunder in his
uncle's absence.
Pages:
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871