Caius Quinctius and Sextus Naevius, one of the public criers, had been partners, having their chief business in Gallia Narbonensis—Caius died, and left his brother Publius his heir, between whom and Naevius there arose disputes concerning the division of the property of the partnership. Caius had left some debts, and Publius proposed to sell some lands which his brother had acquired as private property near Narbonne, for the purpose of liquidating them. Naevius interposed difficulties in the way of his doing so, and by various artifices tried to make it appear that Quinctius had forfeited his recognizances; which would have given a different complexion to the whole case, as to forfeit one's recognizances was a crime liable to the punishment of infamia at Rome. Cicero undertook the defence of Quinctius at the request of Roscius the actor—Naevius's cause was conducted by Hortensius, the greatest advocate at Rome. It is doubtful whether this really was the first cause in which Cicero was engaged, as many think that he himself speaks in this oration of having been concerned in other trials previously, and that the speech for Sextus Roscius was his first. Quinctius gained the verdict.
