He had gone through the other offices of the State, having been Quaestor in Asia and AEdile afterward in Rome, to the great misfortune of all who were subjected to his handling, as we shall learn by-and-by.

The facts are mentioned here to show that the great offices of the Republic were open to such a man as Verres.
They were in fact more open to such a candidate than they would be to one less iniquitous--to an honest man or a scrupulous one, or to one partially honest, or not altogether unscrupulous.

If you send a dog into a wood to get truffles, you will endeavor to find one that will tear up as many truffles as possible.

A proconsular robber did not rob only for himself; he robbed more or less for all Rome.

Verres boasted that with his three years of rule he could bring enough home to bribe all the judges, secure all the best advocates, and live in splendid opulence for the rest of his life.