40.14
"There
is nothing to blush for, father, in my having taken wine with my comrades
somewhat freely on such a festal day. I wish you would find out with what
fun and merriment we kept up the banquet at my house last night, and how
delighted we were -perhaps improperly -at our side not being the worst in
the youthful assault-at-arms. My unhappiness and my fears have quite shaken
off the effects of the wine; had these circumstances not arisen, we dangerous
plotters should now all be lying fast asleep. If I had been going to attack
your house, and after getting possession of it kill the owner, should I not
have kept myself and my soldiers from wine for one day at least? And that I
may not be alone in taking this simple and ingenuous line of defence, my
brother, by no means a suspicious person, says: 'I know of nothing more, I
can bring no further proof than his having come to my house with a sword.'
If I were to ask 'whence do you know even this much?' you would have to
confess either that my house was filled with your spies, or that my comrades
took their swords so openly that everybody saw them. And to take away all
appearance of his having made previous enquiries, or of his proving me a
criminal, now he wants you to ask those whose names he has given whether
they had swords, as though there were any doubt about it. Then after being
questioned as to a fact they all admitted, they were to be treated as persons
found guilty after trial. Why do you not ask that this question be put to
them: 'Did you take your swords for the purpose of murdering him?' This is
what you want to have made clear, and not the other point which is openly
admitted. But they say that they took their swords for their own protection.
Whether they did this rightly or wrongly is their affair, they must answer for
their own action. My case is in no way affected by what they did, do not mix
up the two things together. Or else explain whether we were going to attack
you secretly or openly. If openly, why did we not all carry swords ? Why did
nobody take one besides those who had given your spy a thrashing? If
secretly, what sort of a plan had we formed? After the party had broken up
and I had left the table and four, as you say, remained behind for the purpose
of attacking you when asleep, how could they have escaped, being as they
were strangers belonging to my party, and, above all, objects of suspicion
since they had been fighting not long before? How, too, could they have got
away after murdering you? Could your house have been stormed and taken
with four swords?
