Politics, Persuasion, and the People Asforyou,Citizens,ifyouwishtodisplaywisdomandvirtue,youwill,
evenifyousearch,findnoneofuscomingforwardherewithoutre-
ward.Allofuswhomakespeechesareseekingsomething,andnoone
comesforwardbeforeyouforanyreasonexcepttogainsomething.I
myself,who am speaking beforeyou in order that you may increase
yourrevenues,andthatyoumaymorereadilycontrolyourassetsand
therespublica,amnotcomingforwardfornothing;butIseekfromyou
notmoneybutyourgoodopinionandhonour.Thosewhocomefor-
wardtodissuadeyoufromacceptingthislawdonotseekhonourfrom
you,butmoneyfromNicomedes;thosewhopersuadeyoutoaccept
itdonotseekgoodopinionfromyou,butprofitandrewardfortheir
pocketsfromMithridates.Butthosefromthesamestationandorder
[ordo]whomaintainsilence,thesearethesharpestofall,fortheytake
profit from all, and deceive all.You who believe that theyare inno-
centofsuchthings,accordthemgoodopinion;buttheembassiesfrom
the kings, since they believe them to be maintaining silence in their
interests,offerthemlavishgiftsofmoney.Heconcludeswithastoryfromfourth-centuryGreekhistory,of howthe
orator Demades boasted that he had received ten talents from the king
(Philip)forholdinghispeace.
OnceagainsomeknowledgeofGreekhistoryisassumedandisusedto
holdamirrortocurrentevents.Buttheimportantpointistherightofthe
people to the profits of empire, and the suspicion that senators are lining
theirprivatepocketsbynotpressingthepublicinterestsofRomeasagainst
those of allied kings.This speech of Gaius Gracchus is the essential back-
groundtomuchofthetribunicianagitationwhichfillsSallust’saccountof
the JugurthineWar. Not many people in the streets of Rome would have
swallowedtheviewthatsenatorialinactionafterJugurtha’sseizureofpower
shouldbeputdownto‘‘naturalunwillingnesstothinkillofanoldfriend.’’^20
ThequotationfromGaiusGracchusshowsthatwedonotneedtodisregard
asahistoricalfictionthespeechwhichSallustgivestoMemmius,tribuneof
(Jug. ).The counter-reaction to Gaius Gracchus, Memmius says, had
labelledas‘‘anattemptatkingship’’whatwasinfactanattempt‘‘torestore
itsowntotheplebs.’’Insubsequentyearsthepeople(hesays)havewatchedin
silentindignationthepillagingofthestatetreasury(aerarium),andkingsand
freepeoplespayingrevenuestoafewnobiles.SallustalsorepresentsMemmius
asreferringtotheearlysecessionsoftheplebs.Thereisnoreasonwhatever
.SoE.Badian,Roman Imperialism in the Late Republic^2 (),.