#damning evidence
Chapter 15: Persuasive Evidence
That night, Cicero – for the first and last time in my years with him – drank too much, and had words with Terentia to such an extent that it left her in tears. Yet the next morning, all was as it had been.
As always, I opened the atrium door to Cicero’s clients, who filed in dutifully. Among them, I was sorry to see, was Sosethius – this time joined by two other Sicilians I did not recognize, but whom he introduced as Heraclieus of Syracuse and Epicrates of Bidis.
I went to my master and let him know of their arrival.
“I suppose I should see him then,” Cicero said, annoyed. “But I must tell him to stop showing up unannounced.”
I showed Sosethius and his guests into the tablinium, where Cicero welcomed them lukewarmly.
“I know we are unexpected, but I wanted to introduce two friends from Sicily who are in predicaments similar to my own,” Sosethius said. “I also have obtained documents I thought you might be eager to see, for they support my case.”
“Well, let’s see them then,” Cicero said, and the Sicilian spread out an array of scrolls and papers.
“Those are the court records from my trial,” Sosethius said. “Or, more accurately, the first set of court records I received, which state that I was present for my trial.”
“Which we both know you were not,” Cicero said, picking up the first document and reading it carefully. “In fact, the date on these documents is after you were granted the protection of the tribunes – which means we have dozens of witnesses that you were in Rome at the time! Very good.”
“But that one is the second record of my trial, which I just received yesterday,” Sosethius said. “It says I was tried in abstentia.”
Cicero was stricken, then laughed.
“So you’re telling me that Verres is fasifying the proceedings of his own court, then falsifying his own falsifications?”
“It would seem so,” Sosethius said, shrugging. “But there’s more.”
“Go on,” Cicero said, sitting down.
Sosethius presented letters, names, scraps of paper, official documents and more – outlining instance after instance of Gaius Verres’ crimes. Here was the sworn affidavit of Dio of Halaesa, from whom Verres had demanded 10,000 sesterces to bring in a not-guilty verdict, and then had stolen all of his horses, tapestries and gold and silver plate. A bronze Appollo stolen from a temple in Agrigentum. A statue of Ceres from Catina. Evidence from farmers threatened with flogging lest they paid protection money to Verres’ agents.
“Remarkable!” Cicero exclaimed, gesturing for everyone to sit down. “And you two?”
He listened as Heraclius and Epicrates told their tales of being swindoled out of their estates – one worth 60,000 denarii, the other 30,000, and left penniless and accused of treason.
“The unmitigated gall!” Cicero said angrily, raising his arms to the sky. “By all the gods! It’s not a province Gaius Verres is running, but rather a full-fledged criminal state!”
“That is why we’ve asked you to help us!” Sosethius said. “Please, just tell us what more you need, and we will get it for you! But we must have justice, Cicero!”
“Then justice you shall have, my friend,” Cicero said.
