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recounted his own services to me, recalled the repeated discussions he had had with my brother about the acts of Caesar, and what my brother had made himself responsible for in regard to myself, and called my brother himself to witness that whatever he had done in the matter of my restoration he had done with the full consent of Caesar; and by way of urging upon me Caesar's cause and claims, he begged that if I would not or could not support, them, I should at least refrain from attacking them.

¹⁰ When my brother had conveyed all this to me, though it did not prevent Pompey from sending Vibullius^[1] to me with instructions that I should hold my hand free with regard to the Campanian business till his own return, I pulled myself together, and held as it were a parley with the State herself, asking that in consideration of my having suffered and performed so much on her behalf, she would permit me to do my duty, to show a spirit of gratitude to those who had deserved well of me, and to redeem the pledge given by my brother; and that she would suffer him whom she had always held to be an honest citizen to be an honest man. But in all those measures and motions of mine which seemed to offend Pompey the comments of a certain clique^[2] were brought to my ears—you ought to suspect immediately whom I mean—who though they held the same political opinions as those I acted upon, and had always held them, nevertheless declared they were delighted that I failed to satisfy Pompey and that Caesar wwould be my bitterest enemy. This I could not but deplore, but much more so the fact that they so embraced, so held in their arms, so fondled, so caressed before my very eyes one who