Titus Labienus Rabienus arrived at Agrippa's domus on Mons Aventinus in the early morning.  He rapped on the door and Eos eventually opened it.  "I am here to see Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa.", Labienus announced.  "We have business this morning."  Labienus handed the slave who opened the door a message.  The slave delivered the message to Agrippa who was eating breakfast with Marcus in the peristylum.  Agrippa read it and screamed at Eos, "Get my toga now!  Marcus come, that damndable Labienus gave me no warning of this.  I have a court case this morning!"  Agrippa hurriedly dressed and met Labienus and Marcus in the atrium. 

Agrippa gripped Labienus' arm in greeting and Labienus returned the grip.  "Titus Labienus, good to see you again.  It has been a long time.  No time for catching up right now as I need the details of the case.  Educate me as we walk to the Forum Romanum."

Labienus proceeded to detail the case while Agrippa and Marcus listened intently.

* * *

Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa sat next to Titus Labienus Rabienus and Marcus and listened to the argument presented by Quintus Sextus Valerius.  Publius Servilius Casca and Calpurnia sat behind Agrippa.  Calpurnia was holding the tiny infant in her arms.  Labienus whispered into Agrippa's ear during the monologue.  Once Valerius was done and had sat down, Agrippa leaned over to Labienus and whispered, "He's a ferocious little twunt."  Labienus whispered back, "With a pen."  Agrippa suppressed a smile and arose from his chair, walked out from behind the defense table and turned  to address the iudex and jurists.  Agrippa did not take these insults to his client or his client's wife lightly.  He could feel the anger arising from within himself, but pushed his deadly anger back down into that dark place from which it would escape from time to time.  Intentionally softening the features of his rugged face, Agrippa began.

"Venerable Iudex and members of the jury, my name is Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa, some of you may know me.  I have defended Roma against the pirate scourge and now I am here to defend this decent Roman citizen, Publius Servilius Casca, of an ancient and noble Roman family, against horrible, false accusations.  I am also here to defend the reputation of this poor, unfortunate Roman matrona, Calpurnia Pisonis, and to prevent this tiny, precious infant from being separated from his loving mother.  I stand before you here today to discuss a case, not of lust, debauchery and infidelity, but one of love, abuse, and most foul torture.  The love between two people very much meant to be together and the abuse one woman, one sweet innocent woman, had to endure during a five-year marriage from Hades.

"The prosecutor, Sextus Valerius, would lead you to believe that Calpurnia is some low-born whore, neh, dog in heat, who has violated the sanctity of marriage and the sacred trust of being a Roman matrona. He would also have you to believe that I will spin some falsehood about this dear, lovely woman. The truth is this, that Calpurnia had to endure twice-daily beatings with a leather whip every day for five years of a marriage, filled with no love and a lack of respect, even a hatred by her monstrous husband, Favonius.  Favonius beat her until her skin was ripped and she was bleeding.  Calpurnia's back and legs were so badly ravaged, that she is now covered his disfiguring scars.  Most days when feeling exceptionally sadistic, Favonius would forceably lock this poor, unfortunate woman into an iron cage.  The cage being so small, that Calpunia was forced to lie curled up in ball and was unable to sit up or turn around.  Favonius would take the key to the cage with him so that the servants could not free Calpurnia.  For most of her days in this marriage she would endure the humiliation of lying in her own feces and urine.  So bad was the damage to her skin from lying in waste all day, that it sloughed off in layers, adding to her disfigurement.   And for all this poor woman endured while Favonius was away on business for the day, her tortures were even more horrific when he returned in the evenings.  I shant go into great details because I would not horrify you with the sexual perversities to which Favonius subjected this poor woman abandoned by Fortuna, but let me say the activities involved a baboon, a large wooden pestel with splinters, and nails.  It is only through the grace of the goddess Diana that Calpurnia was able to become pregnant and give birth at all.  The damage to her female organs was so extensive, that the physicians doubted she would survive childbirth.  Favonius treated this poor, sweet, Roman matrona as if she were something worse than a low-born animal.  And let me remind you dear quirites, that a Roman matrona is highly valued in our society and Favonius spit, neh, shat in the face of Roman tradition.

"But how did Publius Servilius Casca, a man born of an ancient and noble Roman family, come to be involved in this atrocity?  Through the father of Calpurnia, that is how.  Calpurnia's father, Lucius Calpurnius Piso, an upstanding Roman citizen, from an ancient and noble plebian family, was an acquaintance of the family of Servilius Casca.  Calpurnius Piso was often invited to dinner and on one such occasion, roughly nine months and one week ago, was asked about his daughter.  Calpurnius Piso broke down in tears.  This behavior was so out of character for the jovial man that the Servilii became concerned and inquired further.  Once the elder Publius Servilius Casca learned of the horrors which befell Calpurnia, he sent his oldest son Publius Servilius Casca the next day to investigate.  Servilius Casca visited the home of Favonius dressed as a common workman and gained access into the home.  By chance he was able to find the cubiculum where Calpurnia was held captive in the cage.  The stench in the cubiculum was unbearable, but Casca did bear it, for once the poor, innocent creature in the cage reached out to Casca and whispered "help me", he rushed to her side and held her raw, feces-covered hand, and cried.  Casca was so horrified that a Roman matrona could be treated thusly, that he decided then and there to save her.  Casca promised Calpurnia that she would have to endure her torture for one day more and begged her to cling to life until he could return the next day to save her. 

"The next day Servilius Casca did return, this time dressed as a patrician noble, with full retinue in tow.  Casca gained entry into the home and with his servants, freed Calpurnia from her cage.  Casca, the servants, and Casca's personal physician, took Calpurnia into the bath.  Casca undressed Calpurnia, then undressed himself, and took her into the warm bath waters to wash the filth from her body.  Casca cried as he did this as Calpurnia's body was covered with infected sores from the beatings and abuses that she endured.  Once she was cleaned, Casca carried Calpurnia from the waters and placed her on a couch nearby.  While the physician attended to her wounds and the servants dried her hair, Casca watched as the angelic beauty of Calpurnia emerged.  This is the point at which Casca fell in love with Calpurnia.  I know it is considered a weakness for a Roman man to love a Roman woman, but it does happen to some of us.

"Once it was close to the time that Favonius was to return, Casca ordered the servants to tell Favonius that Calpurnia had taken a lover some two weeks prior and her lover was tired of the treatment she was receiving at the hands of Favonius.  At this point in time, Casca and Calpurnia had not fornicated  Casca left his freedman, Mastrucatus, to watch over Calpurnia and prevent further torture.  The next day, Favonius divorced Calpurnia which was what Casca wanted.  The day following the divorce and with permission from the paterfamilias, Casca married Calpurnia and they consummated the marriage one week later after Calpurnia's genital wounds began to heal.  That was nine months ago. 

"So quirites, Casca and Calpurnia were not lovers during Calpurnia's marriage to Favonius.  The story of Calpurnia taking a lover was fabricated by Casca to free Calpurnia from her miserable existence.  And it worked!  Publius Servilius Casca is truly a Roman of the most noble and highest character as is shown by his rescue of a poor, unfortunate Roman matrona from an inevitable horrible death from infection, disease and insanity of the mind.  He should be commended for saving this most rare and precious creature, a Roman matrona!

"But aside from the humanitarian side of this story, there are a few points of interest and the legal issues of this case to address.  On the matter of eye color.  Firstly, I am most pleased to learn from my most  esteemed colleague, Quintus Sextus Valerius, that I myself have the eye color of filth.  I have always prided myself on the color of my dark eyes, as I am sure many of you Romans do.  When I look in the mirror, I see my Roman ancestor's eyes staring back at me.  Not all of us can have the light eyes of a Gaulish ancestor.  Secondly, no offense to the Servilii or the Calpurnii, but the parents of Servilius Casca have green eyes, as does Calpurnia and her parents.  Servilius Casca also has a brother with green eyes.  Therefore, with all this green-eyed trait in the blood of Casca and Calpurnia, of course the baby would have green eyes.  And the baby's eyes are green, not the blue of Favonius' eyes as Sextus Valerius stressed in his ridiculous diatribe.

"Next is the matter of a birthmark on the right shoulder of the baby.  It is shaped in the form of a lupa, the same lupa that suckled Remus and Romulus when they were left at the Mons Palatinus by the river god Tiberinus.  Servilius Casca has the identical birthmark on his right shoulder, as does every male in the Casca line of the Servilli.  Favonius does not have this mark.  Also, you might notice that the baby is tiny.  This is because the baby was born two weeks before it should have been.  Again, I reemphasize that the physicians were amazed that Calpurnia could conceive, much less survive childbirth due to her injuries.  The physicians were also amazed that the baby was born almost to term and did not die en utero.  That the baby was born early is probably what saved Calpurnia's life.

"Finally, every Roman citizen knows that it is customary to wait at least 10 months before a divorced Roman woman may remarry.  This custom was instituted by our founding fathers to prevent clouding the issue of paternity such as we have here today.  Favonius is aware of this custom.  Why did he not confront Casca and Calpurnia when he knew of their marriage?  When Calpurnia informed Favonius by letter that she was pregnant, and she did this within the 30 days required by Roman law, why did Favonius not make some effort at that time to lay claim to the yet unborn child?  Why, quirites?  Because Favonius cannot father a child.  You heard me correctly.  Favonius cannot father a child for he does not have the equipment to father a child.  He has no phallus and he has no testicles.  His parts were lost as a result of an industrial accident involving a block and tackle.  The accident occurred just one month after Favonius wed Calpurnia.  What a wedding present for Calpurnia, neh?  This is probably why he obtained sexual pleasure from the torture of this poor woman's body and orifices.  I really do not understand the audacity of this man to lay claim to a baby that he could not possibly father.  Actually,  wait a minute for I have had a revelation!  This is the motivation for Favonius to lay claim to this baby.   Favonius will never father a child and Calpurnia's child is his only hope of fatherhood!  Add to that the fact that Favonius' sister pressured him into suing for the child, a child that she wanted because she has none of her own.

"Quirites, in closing, I beg you to look at the true facts of this case.  Publius Servilius Casca has done nothing wrong except deceive this monster, Favonius,  in order to save the life of a precious Roman matrona. Look at this loving couple before you here, with a child born of that love.  Do not rip this tiny, innocent baby from the arms of his loving mother and father to be placed into the arms of a foul, lecherous, perverted, monster who will no doubt begin his sexual abuse on this baby the moment it enters his household.  Please quirites, keep this baby with his loving family, with his loving father, Publius Servilius Casca, so that one day he too may grow up to be a good and benevolent Roman citizen.  Thank you."

Agrippa returned to his seat to listen to the verdict.