In defending Amerinus he may be said to have attacked Sulla.

His object was to stamp out the still burning embers of Sulla's cruelty; but not the less was he wedded to Sulla's general views as to the restoration of the authority of the Senate.

In his early speeches, especially in that spoken against Verres, he denounces the corruption of the senatorial judges; but at that very period of his life he again and again expresses his own belief in the glory and majesty of the Senate.

In accusing Verres he accused the general corruption of Rome's provincial governors; and as they were always past-Consuls or past-Praetors, and had been the elite of the aristocracy, he may be said so far to have taken the part of a democrat; but he had done so only so far as he had found himself bound by a sense of duty to put a stop to corruption.

The venality of the judges and the rapacity of governors had been fit objects for his eloquence; but I deny that he can be fairly charged with having tampered with democracy because he had thus used his eloquence on behalf of the people.
He was no doubt stirred by other political motives less praiseworthy, though submitted to in accordance with the practice and the known usages of Rome.