It was a strange story, the case for the prosecution, especially as regarded the alleged attempt to poison Clodia.  The poison was given to a friend of Caelius, he was to give it to some slaves of Clodia whom he was to meet at certain baths frequented by her, and they were in some way to administer it.  But the slaves betrayed the secret; and the lady employed certain gay and profligate young men, who were hangers-on of her own, to conceal themselves somewhere in the baths, and pounce upon Caelius’s emissary with the poison in his possession.  But this scheme was said to have failed.  Clodia’s detectives had rushed from their place of concealment too soon, and the bearer of the poison escaped.  The counsel for the prisoner makes a great point of this.

“Why, ’tis the catastrophe of a stage-play—­nay, of a burlesque; when no more artistic solution of the plot can be invented, the hero escapes, the bell rings, and—­the curtain falls!  For I ask why, when Licinius was there trembling, hesitating, retreating, trying to escape—­why that lady’s body-guard let him go out of their hands?  Were they afraid lest, so many against one, such stout champions against a single helpless man, frightened as he was and fierce as they were, they could not master him?  I should like exceedingly to see them, those curled and scented youths, the bosom-friends of this rich and noble lady; those stout men-at-arms who were posted by their she-captain in this ambuscade in the baths.  And I should like to ask them how they hid themselves, and where?  A bath?—­why, it must rather have been a Trojan horse, which bore within its womb this band of invincible heroes who went to war for a woman!  I would make them answer this question,—­why they, being so many and so brave, did not either seize this slight stripling, whom you see before you, where he stood, or overtake him when he fled?  They will hardly be able to explain themselves, I fancy, if they get into that witness-box, however clever and witty they may be at the banquet,—­nay, even eloquent occasionally, no doubt, over their wine.  But the air of a court of justice is somewhat different from that of the banquet-hall; the benches of this court are not like the couches of a supper-table; the array of this jury presents a different spectacle from a company of revellers; nay, the broad glare of sunshine is harder to face than the glitter of the lamps.  If they venture into it, I shall have to strip them of their pretty conceits and fools’ gear.  But, if they will be ruled by me, they will betake themselves to another trade, win favour in another quarter, flaunt themselves elsewhere than in this court.  Let them carry their brave looks to their lady there; let them lord it at her expense, cling to her, lie at her feet, be her slaves; only let them make no attempt upon the life and honour of an innocent man”.