CICERO
15 INTERROGATIO DE AERO ALIENO MILONIS
This speech is, as its title indicates, based on an “interrogation” in the senate, i.e., an occasion when a senator who has already spoken begs leave to challenge something said by the current speaker (cf. T 1). The incident probably occurred late in the year 53 (or possibly early in 52), and the topic was the (postponed) elections of magistrates for 52, in which Milo was canvassing for consul, P. Clodius for praetor. Clodius claimed that Milo’s indebtedness stood well above the six million sesterces he had declared and warned that a person so mired in debt should not be a candidate for consul since he could be expected to exploit the office for his personal gain. The extant fragments show
15 T 1 Schol. Bob. 169.14–170.2, 170.8–14St
. . . et Hypsaeus, quo anno etiam P. Clodius Pulcher, inimicus eius, in praeturae candidam venerat; idem cum petitioni Milonis adversaretur et comitia multo et vario
15 INTERROGATION ABOUT MILO’S DEBT
15 INTERROGATION ABOUT MILO’S DEBT (late 53/early 52 bc)
Cicero not so much defending Milo as attacking Clodius (again). Besides the usual abuse of Clodius’ character (F 2, 21), he highlights his use of violence or the threat of violence in procuring Cicero’s exile (F 8, 11, 24) and confining Pompey to his house (F 4, 9–10) as well as an incident in which the two consuls were hit by thrown stones (F 13). He also taunts Clodius with his current political fecklessness (F 17–18, 22–23). The speech can be seen as a warm-up exercise for the defense of Milo (for killing Clodius) on April 8, 52 (TLRR 309). We owe all of our twenty-five extant fragments to the Bobbio Scholia.
15 T 1 [= T 3] Bobbio Scholia
. . . and Hypsaeus,1 the year in which P. Clodius Pulcher, his [i.e., Milo’s] enemy, had also come to canvass, for the praetorship. When he was putting up opposition to Milo’s