CICERO. 61 his resentment, " Do you suppose you were acquitted for your own merits, Munatius, and was it not that I so darkened the case, that the court could not see your guilt ? " When from the Rostra he had made an eulogy on Marcus Crassus, with much applause, and within a few days after again as publicly reproached him, Crassus called to him, and said, " Did not you yourself two days ago, in this same place, commend me ? " " Yes," said Cicero, " I exercised my eloquence in declaiming upon a bad subject." At another time, Crassus had said that no one of his family had ever lived beyond sixty years of age, and afterwards denied it, and asked, " What should put it into my head to say so ? " " It was to gain the people's favor," answered Cicero ; " you knew how glad they would be to hear it." When Crassus expressed ad- miration of the Stoic doctrine, that the good vian is always rich, "Do you not mean," said Cicero, " their doctrine that all ihiiiffs belong to the wise?" Crassus being generally accused of covetousness. One of Crassus's sons, who was thought so exceedingly like a man of the name of Axius as to throw some suspicion on his mother's honor, made a successful speech in the senate. Cicero on being asked how he liked it, replied with the Greek words, Axios Crassou* When Crassus was about to go into Syria, he desired to leave Cicero rather his friend than his enemy, and, therefore, one day saluting him, told him he would come and sup with him, which the other as courteously re- ceived. Within a few days after, on some of Cicero's • Which may mean, either toor- rich man is he who is virtuous ; thy of Crassus, or Crassus's son Cicero suggests, that a text which Axius. The jest on the Stoic doc- is more to Crassus's purpose is the trines is also rather obscure. Cras- other, that the wise man is the pos- sus appears to have praised the sessor ot" all things, that is, may first dictum in its proper philo- make liimself as rich as he pleases, sophical sense ; that the only truly
