That is the way in which Verres filled his office as Praetor Urbanus; but it does not seem that any public notice is taken of his iniquities as long as he confined himself to little jobs such as this.
Then we come to the affairs of Sicily--and the long list of robberies is commenced by which that province was made desolate.

It seems that nothing gave so grand a scope to the greed of a public functionary who was at the same time governor and judge as disputed wills.

It was not necessary that any of the persons concerned should dispute the will among them.

Given the facts that a man had died and left property behind him, then Verres would find means to drag the heir into court, and either frighten him into payment of a bribe or else rob him of his inheritance.

Before he left Rome for the province he heard that a large fortune had been left to one Dio on condition that he should put up certain statues in the market-place.[114] It was not uncommon for a man to desire the reputation of adorning his own city, but to choose that the expense should be borne by his heir rather than by himself.