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of government, whether it remains as it is or whether it is changed, ever suffer—in the first place that all men equally implicated should not be treated alike in regard to position and property; and secondly, that honourable men and good citizens with no brand of infamy upon them should not return to that state to which so many convicted of heinous crimes have already returned.

¹² There is my augury for you! And had I the slightest doubt about it, I should not put it forward in preference to those consolatory reflections with which I should easily reassure a man of spirit; I mean that, had you taken up arms in defence of the Republic—for that is what you then thought—with the certain hope of victory, you deserved no particular credit; if, however, considering the uncertainty of the issues and consequences of wars, you had considered the possible contingency of our defeat, then it is not right of you, while you were perfectly prepared to enjoy success, to be now so entirely incapable of facing failure. I should also press this point—how much comfort you ought to find in the consciousness of all you have done, and how much pleasure to soothe your sorrows in your literary pursuits. I should dwell on the heavy disasters that have befallen not only men of old, but also these men of recent times, your own commanders, if they were not your comrades; I should quote the name of many an illustrious foreigner too. For our grief is assuaged when we remind ourselves of what we may call the universal law and the conditions of human life.

¹³ I should also give you a description of our life in Rome—the utter chaos and confusion of it all!