such a temple and such a minor. He puts the repairs up to auction; and
refusing a bid from the trustees themselves--the very persons who are
the most interested in getting the work done, if there were work to
do--has it knocked down to himself for five hundred and sixty thousand
sesterces, or about L5000.[113] Then we are told how he had the
pretended work done by the putting up of a rough crane. No real work
is done, no new stones are brought, no money is spent. That is the way
in which Verres filled his office as Praetor Urbanus; but it does not
seem that any public notice is taken of his iniquities as long as he
confined himself to little jobs such as this.

Then we come to the affairs of Sicily--and the long list of robberies
is commenced by which that province was made desolate. It seems that
nothing gave so grand a scope to the greed of a public functionary who
was at the same time governor and judge as disputed wills. It was not
necessary that any of the persons concerned should dispute the will
among them. Given the facts that a man had died and left property
behind him, then Verres would find means to drag the heir into court,
and either frighten him into payment of a bribe or else rob him of
his inheritance. Before he left Rome for the province he heard that a
large fortune had been left to one Dio on condition that he should put
up certain statues in the market-place.[114] It was not uncommon for a
man to desire the reputation of adorning his own city, but to choose
that the expense should be borne by his heir rather than by himself.
Failing to put up the statues, the heir was required to pay a fine to
Venus Erycina--to enrich, that is, the worship of that goddess, who
had a favorite temple under Mount Eryx. The statues had been duly
erected. But, nevertheless, here there was an opening. So Verres goes
to work, and in the name of Venus brings an action against Dio. The
verdict is given, not in favor of Venus but in favor of Verres.