[316] Reading ab Ilio with Madvig for ab illo.
[317] Tigranes, a son of the king of Armenia, was brought to Rome by Pompey to adorn his triumph, and put under the care of Lucius Flavius. This prince was, for a bribe, released by Clodius by a trick, and the attempt to get him away led to a scuffle in which lives were lost. Pompey regarded this as a slight upon himself, and his partisan, the consul Gabinius, attempted to prevent it. But both were hustled in the forum and treated with insults. The hope of a breach in the triumvirate arose from the supposition that Clodius had the support of Cæsar in his high-handed proceeding (Dio, xxxviii. 30; Plut. Pomp. 48; Ascon. 47).
[318] P. Plautius Hypsæus, who had been Pompey's quæstor and on intimate terms with him. He had been, it seems, interesting himself on Cicero's behalf.
[319] The gazette of public transactions and measures passed in the senate, which was sent round to the provinces. We shall hear of it again.
[320] The next letter shews that he means Hortensius. The blunder which he complains of having committed, by the advice of Hortensius, is that of having left Rome, rather than stay and brave the impeachment.
[321] Because, though a provincial governor retained his lictors till he reached Rome, he was bound to go straight home or dismiss them.
[322] I.e., suicide.
[324] Quintus was a candidate in B.C. 66 for the ædileship of the following year. The lex Aurelia, which divided the juries between the senators, equites, and tribuni ærarii, was passed in Pompey's first consulship, B.C. 70. As this was the compromise in the matter of the iudicia favoured by Pompey, Hortensius, and the like, an attack on it would be likely to give offence.
[325] I.e., to the house of Atticus at Buthrotum.