[687] Dio Cassius, XXXIX. 56, 57, 58.—Schol. Bob. Pro Plancio, 271.
[688] Plutarch, Antony, 2.
[689] Dio Cassius speaks of it as follows: “The influence of powerful men and of riches was so great, even against the decrees of the people and of the Senate, that Pompey wrote to Gabinius, governor of Syria, to charge him with the restoring of Ptolemy in Egypt, and that he, who had already taken the field, performed this task, in spite of the public will, and in contempt of the oracles of the Sibyl. Pompey only sought to do what would be agreeable to Ptolemy; but Gabinius had yielded to corruption. Afterwards, when brought under accusation for this fact, he was not condemned, thanks to Pompey and to his gold. There reigned then in Rome such a degree of moral disorder, that the magistrates and judges, who had received from Gabinius but a small part of the sums which had served to corrupt him, set their duties at nought in order to enrich themselves, and taught others to do evil, by showing them that they could easily escape punishment with money. It was this which caused Gabinius to be acquitted; in the sequel, brought to trial for having carried off from his province more than 100,000,000 drachmas, he was condemned.” (Dio Cassius, XXXIX. 55.)
[690] Dio Cassius, XXXIX. 43.
[691] Cicero, Epist. ad Quint., II. 8.
[692] See the Index Legum of Baiter, 181.
[693] Josephus, XIV. 48.
[694] Josephus, XIV. 11.
[695] Cicero, Ep. ad Atticum, IV. 18.
[696] Cicero, Ep. ad Quintum, IV. 15.