7.4
For the praetors favoured Verres, and by many obstacles and delays had put off the case until the very last day,That is, the last day on which the case could be tried during that year. The city praetor already elected for the coming year (69 B.C.) favoured Verres, and Hortensius, the advocate of Verres, was to be consul in that year. He therefore used every artifice to delay the case. See Cicero, in Verrem, i. 10, 31 ff. since it was clear that a day’s time would not be enough for the speeches of the advocates and so the trial would not be finished. But Cicero rose and said there was no need of speeches,Of the seven orations against Verres (including the Divinatio in Caecilium ) only the first two were delivered; the others were compiled after the verdict had been pronounced. and then brought up and examined his witnesses and bade the jurors cast their votes. Nevertheless, many witty sayings of his in connection with this trial are on record.
7.5
For instance, verres is the Roman word for a castrated porker; when, accordingly, a freedman named Caecilius, who was suspected of Jewish practices, wanted to thrust aside the Sicilian accusers and denounce Verres himself, Cicero said: What has a Jew to do with a Verres? Moreover, Verres had a young son, who had the name of lending himself to base practices. Accordingly, when Cicero was reviled by Verres for effeminacy, You ought, said he, to revile your sons at home.
