1And it seems to me, gentlemen, that this opening of my defence suits the youth of Marcus Caelius best: that I should first reply to what the prosecutors have said for the sake of discrediting him and of stripping and robbing him of his standing. 1His father has been brought up against him in various ways, since it was said either that he himself was not distinguished enough or that he had been treated with too little respect by his son. 1As to his standing, Marcus Caelius the father easily answers for himself in silence, even without any speech of mine, to those who know him and to older men; 1but as for those to whom, because of his age, since he has for a long time now been less often in the forum and in our company, he is not so well known, let them be assured of this: whatever standing a Roman knight can have — and it can certainly be very great — Marcus Caelius has always been held to have it in the highest degree, and is held to have it today, not only by his own people but by all to whom for any reason he may have been known.
4That he is the son of a Roman knight ought not to have been treated as a charge by the prosecutors, either with these men as judges or with me as counsel for the defence. 4For as to what you said about filial devotion, that is indeed a matter for our opinion, but the judgement certainly belongs to the parent. 4What we think you will hear from sworn witnesses; 4what his parents feel is declared by his mother's tears and incredible grief, by his father's mourning dress, and by this present sorrow and grief which you see. 5For as to the charge that the young man was not well thought of by his fellow townsmen, the Praetuttians have never paid greater honours to anyone present, gentlemen, than to Marcus Caelius in his absence; 5they both co-opted him into their most distinguished order while he was absent and conferred on him, without his asking, what they had refused to many who asked.
5And they have now sent the most select men, both of our order and Roman knights, as a deputation to this trial, with a most weighty and handsome testimonial. 5I think I have laid the foundations of my defence, which are very firm if they rest on the judgement of his own people. 5For his youth could not be sufficiently commended to you if it displeased not only his parent, such a man as he is, but also a town so distinguished and so respected. 5For my part,