The method has to be selective: exhaustive detail cannot be provided about every family or individual. […] To one of the unsuccessful champions of political liberty sympathy has seldom been denied. […] By October, however, the situation has changed, the story has gained colour and strength (Phil. 2, 91). […] Seven months pass, and he has money, troops and a following. […] Balbus could keep his counsel,4 and time has respected his secrets.