Porcia aliaeque paratae, quibus legibus auxilium damnatis permissum;"
what other laws these were is uncertain. One of them, however, was the
Sempronian law, proposed by Caius Gracchus, which ordained that
sentence should not be passed on the life of a Roman citizen without
the order of the people. See Cic. pro Rabir. 4. So "O lex Porcia
legesque Semproniae!" Cic. in. Verr., v. 63.

[247] Parricides--See c. 14, 32.

[248] The course of events--_Dies_. "Id est, temporis momentum
(_der veraenderte Zeitpunkt_)." _Dietsch_. Things change, and that
which is approved at one period, is blamed at another. _Tempus_ and
_dies_ are sometimes joined (Liv., xxii. 39, ii. 45), as if not only
time in general, but particular periods, as _from day to day_, were
intended.

[249] All precedents productive of evil effects--_Omnia mala exempla_.
Examples of severe punishments are meant.

[250] Any new example of severity, etc.--_Novum illud exemplum ab
dignis et idoneis ad indignos et non idoneos transferetur_. Gerlach,
Kritzius, Dietsch, and Bernouf, agree to giving to this passage the
sense which is given in the translation. _Digni_ and _idonei_ are
here used in a bad sense, for _digni et idonei qui poena afficiantur_,
deserving and fit objects for punishment.

[251] When they had conquered the Athenians--At the conclusion of
the Peloponnesian war.

[252] Damasippus--"He, in the consulship of Caius Marius, the younger,