[145]
The city of Syracuse (to speak of that city in preference
to others) gave him a statue;—it is an honour: and gave his father
one;—a pretty and profitable picture of affection: and gave his son
one;—this may be endured, for they did not hate the boy: still how often,
and for how many individuals will you take statues from the Syracusans? You accepted
one to be placed in the forum. You compelled them to place one in the senate-house.
You ordered them to contribute money for those statues which were to be erected at
Rome. You ordered that the same men
should also contribute as agriculturists, they did so. You ordered the same men also
to pay their contribution to the common revenue of Sicily; even that they did also. When one city contributed money on
so many different presences, and when the other cities did the same, does not the
fact itself warn you to think that some bounds must be put to this covetousness? But
if no city did this of its own accord; if all of them only paid you this money for
statues because they were induced to do so by your command, by fear, by force, by
injury; then, O ye immortal gods, can it be doubtful to any one, that, even if any
one were to establish a law, that it was allowable to accept money for statues,
still he would also establish one, that at all events it was not allowable to extort
it?
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M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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