2. Verres had already relied on bribing the courts. His vain attempt to delay his trial by the trumped-up Achaian case. His present effort to procure a postponement by corrupt means.
equidem, i.e. for my own part. quas partim,some of which. devitarim,subj. as a part of the concession contained in cum . . .sint: § 593 (342); B. 324, I; G. 663, I; H. 652 (529, ii); H-B. 539. neque . . . neque, following numquam, does not destroy the negative, but is more emphatic than aut . . . aut.
istius: see note on Rosc. Am., p. 4, l. 16. Glabrioni: the praetor presiding. ordini . . . senatorio,the senatorial order, nay, the very name of Senator. dictitat,constantly repeats: § 263, 2 (167, b); B. 155, 2, a; G. 191, I; H. 364 (336); H.-B. 212, I. esse metuendum: for erat met. in dir. disc.; hence followed by the secondary sequence, i.e. those would have to fear (if the case were theirs), but he, etc. § 584, a and N. (336 A, N.l); H.-B. 581, b, I. quod, i.e. only what. multis,i.e. not only for himself but also for his counsel and for those whom he may wish to bribe,—in particular, the jurors (see sect. 40). pecuniabelongs to both clauses, as is shown by their parallelism. possit:for tense, see § 485, c (287, c); B. 268, 7; G. 513; H. 550 (495, vi); cf. H.-B. 478.
esset:imperf. subj. in protasis of a continued condition lasting till now; § 517, a (308, a); B. 304, 2; G. 597, R.l; H. 579, I (510, N.2); H.-B. 581. fefellisset, he would have eluded us. cadit:pres. tense, of an action lasting till now; § 466 (276, a); B. 259, 4; G. 230; H. 533 (467, 2); H.-B. 485. corrumpendi judici, of bribing the court (cf. our phrase "bribery and corruption"). factus sit:for sequence, see § 485, c, N.2 (287, C, N.); B. 268, 6; G. 513; H. 550 (495, vi); cf. H.-B. 478; notice that the perf. would necessarily be used in the dir. disc. with cum primum. tempus . . . offenderet,he hit an unfavorable time; because popular sentiment was already so exasperated in regard to the corruption of the courts.
in Siciliam inquirendi,i.e. for going into Sicily to make an investigation (hence the acc.). invenit . . . qui,he found some one who. in Achaiam, sc.inquirendi:on this trumped-up case, which was intended to have the precedence of the trial of Verres, see Introd. to this Oration (p. 27). ut . . . conficeret,purp. clause dependent on invenit. Brundisium,Brindisi,the port whence the greater part of Italian travel, now as then, embarks for the East. obii, went throughout. populorum, commmunities: the word populus, meaning originally multitude, is a semi-abstract noun often used to denote the community in its official capacity Our use of the word people in some later meanings frequently produces confusion in the minds of beginners. The political system of the ancients was composed of an indefinite number of petty communities, all possessing a certain degree of independence. Hence the plur. is used here to indicate several such communities. ut . . . posset (clause of result), imperf by seq. of tenses: translate, however, can. qui . . . obsideret (purpose), to block my chance (of bringing Verres to trial).
