Page:Cicero And The Fall Of The Roman Republic.djvu/208

176 that the lot had fallen unluckily. The challenges of the accused cleared out the best men, while those of the prosecutor could make little impression on the mass of indifferent characters whose names had come from the ballot-box; "there never was a more rascally lot collected round a gaming-table."

Clodius' defence was an alibi. He produced witnesses to swear that he was never near Cæsar's house that night, but was fifty miles away at Interamna. Unfortunately Cicero had happened to meet him in Rome only three hours before, and he earned Clodius' deadly hatred by coming forward in disproof of the alibi. At first it seemed as if the jury were going to decide according to the facts. When Cicero came forward to give his evidence and the partisans of Clodius hooted and attempted to mob him, the jurors rose as one man, and interposed their persons for his protection. They protested likewise against the coercion of the court by Clodius' rabble, and applied to the Senate for an armed guard, which was immediately granted. Hortensius was triumphant, and all the world believed that a verdict of Guilty was inevitable. But a powerful factor had been left out of consideration. Crassus was the richest man in Rome, and though he loved his money dearly, he loved power and influence still more, and was ready to spend freely when a political object was in view. He had lately become security to Cæsar's creditors for about £200,000, in order to enable him to get safely out of Rome and to take