Verres

Verres, Roman propretor in Sicily (73-71 B.C.), infamous for extortions which desolated the island. The inhabitants committed the care of his prosecution to Cicero, who had been quaestor in Sicily in 75. The orator collected his evidence in fifty days, and so tremendous was its weight that his opponent Hortensius threw up the cause after the first day. Verres did not wait for condemnation, but fled before the nine days' hearing of evidence was over. He found shelter at Marseilles, but nemesis reached him in proscription by Antony (43), greedy for his art-treasures.