Gaius Asinius Pollio

The emperor Augustus, now deified, forbade the works of Virgil to be burnt, in opposition to the modest directions to that effect which the poet had left in his will: a prohibition which was a greater compliment paid to his merit than if he himself had recommended his works.

Marcus Varro is the only man who, during his lifetime, saw his own statue erected This was placed in the first public library that was ever built, and which was formed by Asinius Pollio with the spoils of our enemies.

The fact of this distinction being conferred upon him by one who was in the first rank, both as an orator and a citizen, and at a time, too, when there was so great a number of men distinguished for their genius, was not less honourable to him, in my opinion, than the naval crown which Pompey bestowed upon him in the war against the pirates.

The instances that follow among the Romans, if I were to attempt to reckon them, would be found to be innumerable.

Scipio, the triumphant general, used to dance, not with effeminate movements, Seneca said, but with the manly dance of the ancients.

And Asinius Pollio, a great orator, made it his rule not to deal with any business after a certain hour in the afternoon, not even to read letters, so as not to load his mind with fresh worries.

Consider those examples.

Not one of them rested by staring at a screen.

It is plain that these things were spoken by Sibyl concerning Christ.

But Virgil, either through ignorance or flattery, has transferred them to Pollio, the son of Asinius Pollio, the Roman consul.

Note first, book here is the same as catalog, or enumeration, or description.

Whence the Syriac translation Kitabo, i.e. description or writing.

As these events were transpiring in Italy, back at the Antonian camp, the stalemate with Plancus was broken by the intervention of a third party.

Asinius Pollio, governor of Hispania Ulterior and a personal friend of Mark Antony, marched with two legions and reconciled Plancus and Mark Antony.

The unfortunate Brutus, who was now betrayed by his troops, fled northwards hoping to make his way to Macedonia where there were other generals loyal to the Senate.

He was ultimately captured and killed by a Gallic chieftain loyal to Antony.

We may speak of him in honorific terms, pretending to fear his eloquence and influence with a view to rendering them suspect to the judge.

Or occasionally, though very seldom, we may abuse him, as Asinius did in his speech on behalf of the heirs of Urbania, where he includes among the proofs of the weakness of the plaintiff's case the fact that he had secured Labienus as his advocate.

Cornelius Celsus denies that such remarks can be considered as belonging to the exordium, on the ground that they are irrelevant to the actual case.

Personally, I prefer to follow the authority of the greatest orators, and hold that whatever concerns the pleader is relevant to the case, since it is natural that the judges should give readier credence to those to whom they find it a pleasure to listen.

There are also occasions when the judges should be told what answer they should make to requests on behalf of the accused, a proceeding which is a form of recapitulation.

If we turn to the defendant, we must note that his worth, his manly pursuits, the scars from wounds received in battle, his rank and the services rendered by his ancestors will all commend him to the goodwill of the judges.

Cicero, as I have already pointed out, and Asinius both make use of this form of appeal.

Indeed, they may almost be regarded as rivals in this respect, since Cicero employed it when defending the elder Scorus, Asinius when defending the son.

No work is expected from anyone of which he has not before calculated the profits.

It was easy for Asinius and Messala, enriched with the prizes of the conflict between Anthony and Augustus.

It was easy for Oruntius and Acerninius, the heirs of wealthy families, to assume grand airs.

We have examples at hand how great were the fees for which Publius Clodius and Caius Curio were wont to speak.

Consequently, the inhabitants were at first money-making and wealthy traders, but afterwards, under the pressure of excessive burdens, they petitioned for immunity or at least relief, and were supported by the emperor, who argued to the Senate that, exhausted as they were by the late wars in Thrace and Bosporus, they deserved help.

So their tribute was remitted for five years.

In the year of the consulship of Marcus Asinius and Manius Aquilius, it was seen to be portended by a succession of prodigies that there were to be political changes for the worse.

The soldiers' standards and tents were set in a blaze by lightning.

It is plain that these things were spoken by Sibyl concerning Christ.

But Virgil, either through ignorance or flattery, has transferred them to Pollio, the son of Asinius Pollio, the Roman consul.

Note first, book here is the same as catalog, or enumeration, or description.

Whence the Syriac translation Kitabo, i.e. description or writing.