Lettres à Atticus Passage 4

adhibentur omnes pontifices qui erant senatores. a quibus Marcellinus, qui erat cupidissimus mei, sententiam primus rogatus quaesivit quid essent in decernendo secuti. tum M. Lucullus de omnium conlegarum sententia respondit religionis iudices pontifices fuisse, legis esse senatum; se et conlegas suos de religione statuisse, in senatu de lege statuturos cum senatu. itaque sub quisque horum loco sententiam rogatus multa secundum causam nostram disputavit. cum ad Clodium ventum est, cupiit diem consumere neque ei finis est factus, sed tamen cum horas tris fere dixisset, odio et strepitu senatus coactus est aliquando perorare. cum fieret senatus consultum in sententiam Marcellini omnibus praeter unum adsentientibus, Serranus intercessit. de intercessione statim ambo consules referre coeperunt. cum sententiae gravissimae dicerentur, senatui placere mihi domum restitui, porticum Catuli locari, auctoritatem ordinis ab omnibus magistratibus defendi si quae vis esset facta, senatum existimaturum eius opera factum esse qui senatus consulto intercessisset, Serranus pertimuit et Cornicinus ad suam veterem fabulam rediit; abiecta toga se ad generi pedes abiecit. ille noctem sibi postulavit. non concedebant, reminiscebantur enim Kal. Ianuar. vix tandem tibi de mea voluntate concessum est.

All the pontiffs who were senators were summoned. Marcellinus, who was most devoted to me, was asked his opinion first and questioned them about the grounds they had followed in their decree. Marcus Lucullus then replied on behalf of all his colleagues that the pontiffs had served as judges of the religious question, while the senate was judge of the law; he and his colleagues had decided the religious issue and would decide the legal one in the senate together with the senate. Accordingly, as each of them was asked his opinion in his proper order, he argued at length in favor of my cause. When Clodius' turn came, he tried to consume the day, and no limit was imposed on him. Yet after speaking for nearly three hours, the senate's hostility and uproar eventually forced him to conclude. When a senatorial decree was being passed in accordance with Marcellinus' opinion, with everyone except one man in agreement, Serranus interposed his veto. Both consuls immediately began to refer the veto to the senate. When very forceful opinions were expressed, that the senate resolved that my house be restored to me, that a contract be let for the Portico of Catulus, that the authority of the order be defended by all magistrates if violence occurred, and that the senate would judge the violence to have been caused by the man who vetoed its decree, Serranus became terrified, and Cornicinus returned to his old performance. Casting off his toga, he threw himself at his son-in-law's feet. Serranus asked for a night to consider. They refused, for they recalled 1 January. At last it was reluctantly granted to him out of regard for my wishes.

Tous les pontifes qui étaient sénateurs furent appelés. Marcellinus, qui m’était extrêmement dévoué, fut le premier invité à exprimer son avis et leur demanda sur quels motifs ils avaient fondé leur décision. Marcus Lucullus répondit alors, au nom de tous ses collègues, que les pontifes avaient été juges du point religieux, mais que le Sénat était juge de la loi ; ses collègues et lui avaient statué sur la religion, et ils statueraient au Sénat sur la loi avec le Sénat. Chacun d’eux, interrogé à son rang, développa donc de nombreux arguments favorables à notre cause. Lorsqu’on en vint à Clodius, il voulut faire durer son discours tout le jour et on ne lui fixa aucune limite. Pourtant, après avoir parlé environ trois heures, la haine et le tumulte du Sénat le contraignirent enfin à conclure. Alors qu’un sénatus-consulte conforme à l’avis de Marcellinus allait être adopté avec l’assentiment de tous sauf un, Serranus opposa son veto. Les deux consuls commencèrent aussitôt à consulter le Sénat au sujet de ce veto. Comme on exprimait les avis les plus sévères, à savoir que le Sénat décidait de me rendre ma maison, de faire adjuger le portique de Catulus et de faire défendre l’autorité de l’ordre sénatorial par tous les magistrats si quelque violence était commise, et que le Sénat estimerait cette violence imputable à celui qui aurait opposé son veto au sénatus-consulte, Serranus fut terrifié. Cornicinus revint à sa vieille comédie : rejetant sa toge, il se jeta aux pieds de son gendre. Celui-ci demanda une nuit de réflexion. On ne voulait pas la lui accorder, car on se souvenait des calendes de janvier. Ce ne fut enfin que par égard pour ma volonté qu’on la lui concéda.