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The speech ''Pro Roscio Amerino'' was given by Marcus Tullius Cicero on behalf of Roscius of Ameria. Roscius was accused of murdering his father. The speech was given by Cicero in 80 BC. == The background of the case == The events that made possible the accusation of the younger Roscius of Ameria began long before the murder of the elder Sextus Roscius of Ameria. Beginning in 97 BC, Rome began to see the rise of Lucius Cornelius Sulla. A man known for his brutality and cunning, Sulla was feared by many around him. In ''Sulla'' the author Plutarch helps to shed light on Sulla’s character by chronicling the most powerful parts of the dictator's life. According to Plutarch, Sulla, a general of Rome, was characterized by “…a vehement and an implacable desire to conquer…”〔Plutarch, ''Sulla''〕 Following the Social War (91-88 BC) he ascended to the position of consul of Rome in 88 BC. During this time, the consul Sulla managed to lose his authority and to be exiled, however this was merely a small interruption in his rise to power. Following the siege of Athens in 87 BC, he again prepared to take control of Rome and in 82 BC he successfully became dictator. He immediately set out to ensure that his power would not slip from his grasp again. Beginning with a large-scale execution of his enemies, Sulla soon adopted a more systematic approach with the adoption of the proscriptions, in which Sulla made those who had displeased him “enemies of the state.” The consequences of being proscribed were a death sentence and the seizure of all property that had belonged to those who had been proscribed. According to Plutarch, in order to expedite this process of asset liquidation, Sulla made it known that “…to him who should slay any one proscribed person, he ordained two talents reward, even were it slave who had killed his master, or a son his father.”〔Plutarch, ''Sulla''〕 Furthermore, Sulla made it known that the penalty for aiding any person who had been proscribed, was proscription itself. In this way that Sulla dealt with all current and potential threats to his power and neither the nobility nor the commoners were immune. Following his year as dictator, Sulla chose to step down and to “return” the power to the Senate. He was again elected to the consulship of Rome and served his post throughout 80 BC. As the consul, it can readily be deduced that most citizens of the Roman republic and its provinces still feared the power of Sulla, and his keen eye for what were ambiguously seen as “threats.” Sulla was at the height of his power in the late 80s BC, but did not enjoy this power for a lengthy period of time, fading into retirement in 79 BC, dying of natural causes in 78. It was in this context that the Pro Roscio Amerino case began. In 81 BC, Sextus Roscius of Ameria, a wealthy landowner, was murdered while returning from a party in Rome. Immediately following, word of his death was sent by Roscius Magnus, who was in Rome, to Roscius Capito, who was in Ameria. Both men were relations of Sextus Roscius, and according to E.H. Donkin, were rumored to have been on bad terms with the late Sextus Roscius because of a dispute over land. The two men, Magnus and Capito, then sent word of the murder to Cornelius Chrysogonus. Chrysogonus, a favorite of the dictator Sulla, also a freedman—which Cicero mentions as well—then entered into a plot with Magnus and Capito to have the elder Sextus Roscius of Ameria proscribed, and all of his assets taken by the state.〔Donkin, ''Cicero Pro Roscio Amerino'', edited, after Karl Halm〕 Knowing full well that Sulla rewarded those who helped him to eliminate his enemies, the three conspirators expected to receive large amounts compensation in the form of the elder Sextus Roscius’ estate. As a result of their “loyalty” the men were able to purchase the estate for 2000 sesterces, which was well under the estimated value of the property. However, the eldest (and only living, as is mentioned in the text) son of Sextus Roscius, Roscius of Ameria, still had a rightful claim to his late father's property if he and the people of Ameria could somehow have the elder Sextus Roscius’ name removed from the proscription list. Sensing this threat, the three conspirators accused Roscius of Ameria of parricide and the murder of his own father in order to gain more property for himself in 80 BC. A virtual unknown within the city of Rome, Roscius of Ameria had little clout. Furthermore, despite the noble contacts that his father had made, many feared to help him to clear his family’s name because their help may have been construed by Sulla (he was at this time consul of Rome and the court was under his jurisdiction) as a threat or insult. In short, most feared that by helping Roscius of Ameria, that they would themselves be proscribed, executed, and have their assets taken away from their families. This seems to be one of the reasons that his case was given over to the young Cicero. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pro Roscio Amerino」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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