him upon a pyre he himself took his master's clothing and ring and going
to meet the pursuers pretended that he had killed the man while fleeing.
Because of his spoils and the marks of the branding he was believed and
both saved the person in question and was himself honored.

The names connected with the above anecdotes have not been preserved.
But in the case of Hosidius Greta his son arranged a funeral for him as
though already dead and preserved him in that way. Quintus Cicero, the
brother of Marcus, was secretly led away by his child and saved, so far
as his rescuer's responsibility went. The boy concealed his father so
well that he could not be discovered and when tormented for it by all
kinds of torture did not utter a syllable. His father, learning what was
being done, was filled at once with admiration and pity for the boy,
and therefore came voluntarily to view and surrendered himself to the
slayers.

[-11-] This gives an idea of the greatness of the manifest achievements
of virtue and piety at the time. It was Popillius Laenas who killed
Marcus Cicero, in spite of the latter's having done him favors as his
advocate; and in order that he might depend not wholly on hearsay but
also on the sense of sight to establish himself as the murderer of the
orator, he set up an image of himself wearing a crown beside his victim's
head, with an inscription that gave his name and the service rendered. By
this act he pleased Antony so much that he secured more than the price
offered. Marcus Terentius Varro was a man who had given no offence, but
as his appellation was identical with that of one of the proscribed,
except for one name, he was afraid that, this might lead him to suffer
such a fate as did Cinna. Therefore he issued a statement making known
this fact; he was tribune at the time. For this he became the subject of
much idle amusement and laughter. The uncertainty of life, however, was