It 



C-ESAK, CAIU8 JULIU3. 



CJC8AR, CAIUS JULIUS. 



11 



I to overthrow UM erwtoeraUeal party, which had 



r of Sulla. It M oot unhkejy, M 

 ,iaL*pidos,aodlhatbe 

 to see that UM Urn* WM oot come for 

 r of Rom*. Whatever opteioa ma* b* enter- 

 sate* oo the 



taie*d at to Cawr bvia; wry Mite formed a design to saws on UM 

 OTreen power, it i* at Ust certain that from hi* Brat appearance in 

 pMk W* be Had a wtOed porp* to brae* UM powae of UM wfc- 

 vIM tea* ifenfi^krf **. After 

 il Imirrrtm-TTtf PnUNtia frriir- L ^ l -'" ut "" '" *"* 

 eltaBhodM, ud for a time binsmi UM pupil of th. 

 *MofUM*jMtMtmMt*raofth*art,who**instruo- 

 " nmhebly a yar or two baton Csnar's ri.it. 

 to Lave bad little OMKMtn in public life, 

 eeof UManstocrstioal 

 Looullus, Crassns, and 



the military tribunes, 



to prodae* u *aeotm*nt for the restoration 



* .a _ . _> w :J _!._ 



* ONTO had 



W^ bfA te UM bMkfiwad bj UM prtdomiMM* 

 arty, ead UM nil niiful career of Metellos, l*K 

 PMp*y. Abort ac. <. being Uotod on* of UM 



h*hd 



of L Qua, his wV* brothel, ud of the*, partisan, of L. P idu. who 

 arW Ui death Ud joined Sertorius in Spun. (Suetonius.) The 



I year he wM**iMsstor in Spain, ud on his return to Rome 

 elected -Kd-le for a.t. oS. Just before entering oo office he 

 ar some .issplaiao of being engaged in a conspiracy to kill the 

 i Cotta ud Tonpmtaa, ud eoVct a revolution. Whether then 

 really WM a soMiarsiy or oot may be doubted; Caw's share in it 

 at b*M is oot dearly eetabluhed. The office of .Edik> gave Caw u 

 r of indulging hat taste for magnificence ud display, by 

 the favour of the people. He 



beeatifted UM oity with public buildings, and gave *plendid exhibition. 

 of wild beaeu ind KUdiators. Caw, who WM now five-ud-thirty 

 JM of age, had enjoyed oo opportunity of diitinguUhiuR hinuelf in 



a military "capacity ; while the more fortunate Pompey, who was only 

 six yean oUor, WM spreading bis name ud the terror of the Roman 

 i* East. A favourable occasion seemed to present 



waif ia Kgypt. AUxudor, the king who bad been honoured with 

 th* aarn* of Mead ud ally of the Roman people, wai ejected from 

 Alraudria by UM oitiise.1, Tb* popnUr feeling at Rom* wai against 

 tb* AWsaadnaaa. ud Cejear thought he h.d interest enough through 

 UM triboaot ud the democratioal party to get appointed to an extra- 

 y eoeamaod in Egypt; but UM oppoeiu faotion was strongly 

 fjlrn him, ud be failed in bis attempt. The next year be 



By a judicious application of money among the 

 of personal influence among all classes (Dion. 

 ,vii JT), b* irtrtnrnnl tb* PontiScatua Haximus, or wardenship of 

 ties! sellege of Pootiftosa, a place no doubt of considerable 

 to which u official rraid.no* in th* Sacra Via wu also 

 ' IS, 48.) This union of civil and religious 

 faa<ioM b) UM SUM person, at least in tb* higher and more profitable 

 laoss, was a part of the old Roman polity, which, among other conso- 

 ,!. prevented UM existence of a hierarchy with a distinct ud 

 oppasiaf ktorosL 



At UM urn* of UM important debate on tb* conspiracy of Catiline 

 (a,c M). CCMT was pnrtor designates (pnetor elect for the following 

 }./ . sad iinnrthsyly soak* in bis plac 

 oly parao*. who ventured to oppos* 



he recommended their property 



ei|i*a of Italy, 



It b* 



place in tb* senate. He was the 

 s* UM proposition for putting the 

 ended their property to b* oon&s- 



d tbat tbej should b* diaponad through the different muni- 

 Italy, ud kapt under a strict .urveillancr. Tb* speech which 

 bas put into bis mouth on Utis occasion, if UM subsUnoe of 



put into bis mouth on Utis occasion, if 

 will help o* to form some trtlmi^T of CaMar's character 



policy at this period. Th* address ia singularly well adapted 

 * UM ilnmlasrt party, and also to k**p up hi* credit with 

 rbo war* BoatiU to UM ariatoaratic interest*. His object was 

 to sa** UM ttvas of UM conspirators, under the pretext of inflicting on 

 UMSB a BwnsoMMt more wror* than tbat of death. But for Cato he 



UMM wbo war* 



probably ha** carried hi. motion. According to Suetonius, 

 pan****** hi hi* opposition till hi. life was actually threatened 

 by th* armed Roman aajottM, who wan introduced into the senate- 



Roman *q 



MM msder UM pretest of protecting UM senate during their delibe- 

 roUooa. (Compan Ms* 'Cow/vul) Cicero, who was then consul, 

 ad taUMb^t of nk prosperity and arroganos, might, it i* mid, by 

 staple nod. have destroyed tail formidable opponent of the order of 

 whtoa. b* had become UM devoted champion ; bat either bis courage 

 MM him, or Mm* motive perhaps, more worthy, led him to check the 

 f yrr o< the Kqmtee. la UM (oUowiag yMr, during his pnrtorship, the 

 M m the emate, who wen bent on cru.h-ng CaMar's 

 n. aetoally pamed a decree (deentum) by whieh Q. Cseci- 

 Nefoa, e*M of UM tribune, of UM plebs, ud Caw, who 

 MPparted l.im in his measure*, wen declared incapable of 

 ia UM Mercms of their official dotim. Caw still di.- 

 Miaiel rmMtioos of hi. marUtraey, till he found that 

 be Med U compel hi* >abmiaion to this illegal and 

 smpeiHkMtoftUaiaaU. TUpopako. were roused by this strange 

 MtMMdmr, a*d Caw MoraoUy might have bad their best as.i.t 

 uos agasaat his Mamiie ; bat prudence for the praernt induced him 



praarnt induced Iii 



ud th* aanatx, aprarantly alarmed 

 . ' . .. ' . . . . 



and tbinkad him 



An aflair which happened during CaMar's preHorship caused no little 

 scandal at ROOM. While the ceremonies in honour of the Bona Da 

 wan performing ia the boos* of Cmsar, at which women only could 

 be present, tb* profligate Clodius, putting on a woman's dress, con- 

 trived to get admission to these mysterious rites. On th* affair being 

 discovered Cmsar divorced his wife Potnpeia, whom be had married 

 after the death of Cornelia ; and Clodius after being brought to a 

 public trial on a charge of impiety, only escaped by bribing the 

 Sudioss or jury. (Cio. ' Ep. ad Alt' i. 12, to, ; Don. xxxviii. 45.) 

 From motives of policy Osassr did not break with Clodiu. : ho probably 

 feared hit influence, and already saw that he could make him a useful 

 tool, and a bugbear to Cicero. 



The year B.C. 60 WM spent by CSMU in his province of Hispuia 

 Ulterior, or Southern Spain, when he speedily restored order and 

 hurried back to Rome before his successor cam*, to canvass for the 

 coniulship. Tb* aristocratical party saw that it was impossible to 

 prevent CaMar's election ; their only chance was to give him a colleague 

 who should be a check upon him. Their choice of Bibulus seems to 

 have been singularly unfortunate Bibulus was elected with Cteaor in 

 opposition to Lucceiu*, with whom Csesar bad formed a coalition, on 

 the condition that Luooeius should find the money, and that C'aaar 

 should give him the benefit of his influence and recommendation. 

 The scheme of Cesar's enemies proved a complete failure. Bibtilus, 

 after unavailing efforts to resist the impetuosity of hi* colleague, shut 

 himself up in his house, and Ctesar, in fact, became sole consul 

 (Dion, xxxviii. 8.) In order to stop all public business, Bibulu* 

 declared the auguries unfavourable ; and when this would not answer, 

 he declared that they would bo unfavourable all through the year. 

 This illegal conduct only tended to justify the violent measure* of his 

 colleague. The affair, though a serious one for the hitherto dominant 

 faction, furnished matter for the small wits of the day, who u. -d to 

 sign their notes and letters in the ' Consulship of Julius and Caaar,' 

 instead of naming both consuls in the usual way. 



Cmsar bad contrived, by a masterly stroke of policy, to render 

 ineffectual all opposition on the part of bis opponents. Pompey was 

 dissatisfied because the senate delayed about confirming all his 

 measures in the MithriiUtic war and during his command in Aaia ; 

 Crassus, who was the richest man in the state, and second only to 

 Pompey in influence with the senatorial faction, was not on good 

 terms with Pompey. If Caesar gained over only one of these rivals, 

 he made the other his enemy ; he determined therefore to secure them 

 both. He began by courting Pompey, and succeeded in bringing 

 about a reconciliation between him and Crauus. It was agreed that 

 there should be a general understanding among the three as to the 

 course of policy ; that all Pompey's measures should be confirmed, 

 and that Csesar should have the consulship. To cement their alliance 

 more closely, Cseear gave Pompey his daughter Julm in marriage, 

 though she bad been promised to M. Brutus, il'h:-. ' Pomp.' 47.) 

 Csesar also took a new wife on the occasion, Calpurnia, the daughter 

 of Piso, whom he nominated one of the consuls for the ensuing year. 

 This union of Pompey, Crossus, and Ceosar ia often called by modern 

 writers the first triumvirate. The effect of it WM to destroy the 

 credit of Pompey, throw disunion among the aristocratic party, and 

 put the whole power of the state in the hands of one vigorous and 

 clear-Righted man. (As to the affair of Vettius [Dion, xxxviii U], see 

 CICHBO.) 



It is unnecessary to detail minutely the acts of C;csar' consulship. 

 From the letters of Cicero, which are contemporary evidence, we 

 perceive that the senate at last found they had got a master whom it 

 wu useless to resist ; Cato alone held out, but he stood by himself. 

 One of the most important measures of Cesar's consulship was an 

 Agrarian law for the division of some public Isnds in Campania among 

 the poorer citizens, which was carried by intimidation. Pompey and 

 CrasiuK, who had given in to all Caesar's measures, accepted a place in 

 the commission for dividing these lauds. Clodius, the enemy of 

 Cicero, was, through Ciesars influence, and the help of I'. 

 adopted into a plebeian family, and thus made capable of holding the 

 office of tribune ; an event which Cicero had long dreaded, and fondly 

 flattered himself that he should prevent by a temporising policy. 

 Clodius, the next year, WM elected a tribune, and drove Cicero into 

 exile, (Dion, xxxviii. 12, 4c.) 



The Roman consuls, on going out of office, received the government 

 of a province for one year. Ctesor's opponents unwuely made another 

 and a Ust effort against him, which only resulted in putting tlicm in 

 a still more humiliating position: they proposed to give him the 

 superintendence of the roads and forest*. Vatinius, one of his 

 creatures, forthwith procured a law to be passed, by which be obtained 

 for CaMar the province of Qallia Cisalpina, or North Italy, and 

 Illyricum, for five yean: and the senate, fearing the people might 

 grant still more, not only confirmed the measure, but, making n merit 

 of necessity, added the province of Gallia Transalpina. " From this 

 moment," remarks a lively modern writer (Schloaser, 'Universal 

 Histor. Uebersicbt'), " the history of Rome present* a striking parallel 

 to the condition of the French republic during Bonaparte's first 

 _ in Italy. In both cases we see a weak republican admiuis- 

 ion in the capital involved in continual broils, which tliu rival 



I' factions an more interested in fostering, than in scouring the tran- 

 quillity and peace of the empire. In both cases wo find a province 



