in all my
life!--the senate rose up to a man with a loud shout and made a menacing
movement in his direction: the _publicani_ made an equal noise and a
similar movement. In fine, they all behaved exactly as you would have
done. It is the leading topic of conversation out of the house. However,
I refrain from prosecuting, with difficulty, by Hercules! yet refrain I
do: either because I don't want to quarrel with Pompey--the impending
question of Milo is enough in that direction--or because we have no
jurors worthy of the name. I fear a fiasco: besides, there is the
ill-will of certain persons to me, and I am afraid my conducting the
prosecution might give him some advantage: besides, I do not despair of
the thing being done both without me and yet partly through my
assistance. All the candidates for the consulships have had prosecutions
for bribery lodged against them: Domitius Calvinus by Memmius (the
tribune), Memmius (the candidate) by Q. Acutius, an excellent young man
and a good lawyer, Messalla by Q. Pompeius, Scaurus by Triarius. The
affair causes great commotion, because it is a plain alternative between
shipwreck for the men concerned or for the laws. Pressure is being
applied to prevent the trials taking place. It looks like an
_interregnum_ again. The consuls desire to hold the _comitia_: the
accused don't wish it, and especially Memmius, because he hopes that
Caesar's approach[643] may secure him the consulship. But he is at a
very low ebb. Domitius, with Messalla as his colleague, I think is a
certainty. Scaurus has lost his chance. Appius declares that he will
relieve Lentulus even without a curiate law,[644] and, indeed, he
distinguished himself amazingly that day (I almost forgot to mention it)
in an attack upon Gabinius. He accused him of _lese majeste_, and gave
the names of his witnesses without Gabinius answering a word. That is
all the public news. At home all is well: your house itself is being
proceeded with by the contractors with fair expedition.

[Footnote 641: C. Memmius, a tribune of this year, not the same as the
C. Memmius Gemellus of the last letter.]

[Footnote 642: Referring to the fact that Gabinius, on his arrival
outside Rome, without the usual procession of friends which met a
returning proconsul, skulked about till nightfall, not venturing to
enter Rome (the city of his enemies!) in daylight. By entering Rome he
gave up his _imperium_ and could no longer ask a triumph.]

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