▁had ▁the ▁responsibility ▁to ▁ensure ▁that ▁the ▁V est als ▁had ▁acted ▁correctly , ▁then ▁chair ▁the ▁inqu iry ▁into ▁what ▁were ▁essentially ▁his ▁own ▁household ▁affairs . ▁Wor se , ▁the ▁place ▁of ▁the ▁alleg ed ▁off ense ▁was ▁the ▁state ▁property ▁l ent ▁to ▁every ▁pont if ex ▁maxim us ▁for ▁his ▁ten ure ▁of ▁office . ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁high ▁profile , ▁much ▁commented ▁case . ▁The ▁r ites ▁remained ▁officially ▁secret , ▁but ▁many ▁details ▁emer ged ▁during ▁and ▁after ▁the ▁trial , ▁and ▁remained ▁perman ently ▁in ▁the ▁public ▁domain . ▁They ▁fue led ▁the ological ▁spec ulation , ▁as ▁in ▁Pl ut arch ▁and ▁Mac rob ius : ▁and ▁they ▁fed ▁the ▁pr ur ient ▁male ▁imagination ▁– ▁given ▁their ▁inn ate ▁moral ▁weak ness , ▁what ▁might ▁women ▁do ▁when ▁given ▁wine ▁and ▁left ▁to ▁their ▁own ▁devices ? ▁Such ▁anx iet ies ▁were ▁nothing ▁new , ▁and ▁under p inned ▁Rome ' s ▁traditional ▁strict ures ▁against ▁female ▁aut onomy . ▁In ▁the ▁political ▁and ▁social ▁tur mo il ▁of ▁the ▁Late ▁Republic , ▁Rome ' s ▁mis fortun es ▁were ▁taken ▁as ▁signs ▁of ▁divine ▁anger ▁against ▁the ▁personal ▁amb ition , ▁religious ▁neg lig ence ▁and ▁out right ▁im pi ety ▁of ▁her ▁leading ▁polit icians . ▁ ▁Cl od ius ' ▁pro sec ution ▁was ▁at ▁least ▁partly ▁driven ▁by ▁politics . ▁In ▁an ▁otherwise ▁seem ingly ▁thorough ▁account , ▁Cic ero ▁makes ▁no ▁mention ▁of ▁B ona ▁De a ' s