E. H. Donkin, Cicero Pro Roscio Amerino , Edited, after Karl Halm.

dum . . . erat occupatus: this is here an imperfect tense, not pluperfect. Dum = during the time that more usually has a present (Roby 1661). Halm thinks the imperfect due to the fact that a long-continued or repeated state of things is spoken of.

summam rerum the sum total of affairs, the whole business of the State : de Rep. 1.42, cum penes unum est omnium summa rerum.

vulneribus, i.e. private losses, the stings of avarice or desire for revenge, etc. Cicero means that one way of healing such wounds often consisted in destroying the accusatores.

ita, correlative to tamquam : Verr. 2. 4. 75, quasi face percussus est, ita flagrare coepit.

iudices. These, before Sulla's supremacy, consisted of the equites, of whom about 1,600 were proscribed by Sulla : Appian<, B. Civ. 1.95 ; cf. Mommsen, 3.353.

hoc commodi est, there is this much advantage.

ut . . . si cuperent . . . non possent, that, if they had wished, they could not have killed. In possent the subj. might seem to do double duty ; governed by ut, and in the apodosis of an unreal condition (ap. § 102, misit . . . ut poneret, note). But without ut the condition might regularly be put thus : si cuperent . . . non poterant ; cf. § 53, note. Thus it is only ut that necessitates the subjunctive.

ut coepi dicere = as I began by saying : see § 89.

quamvis diu : see § 47.

possum, lit. I can. I have the power (but shall not use it). In English we say, I could (if I chose ; but I do not choose.) Cf. §§ 53, 107, 135.

transire leviter tangere, §§ 83, 123. So de Inv. 1.98, transire breviter.

studio . . . officio. The ablatives are adverbial : intentionally accusing, defending as in duty bound. Cf. Hor. Sat. 1. 4. 79 ; and fraude (=fraudulenter) agere, furto fallere, consilio petere= (on purpose), etc.