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S A R. 



C*sar. the mysteries of the Bona Dea, to which no male 

 creature was admitted.* One maid only was in the 

 secret, but she happening to be out of the way when 

 Clodius entered, he was discovered by his voice, and 

 with difficulty escaped from the fury of the enraged 

 matrons. This story made a great noise at the time; 

 but Cxsar took it very coolly : he said, that he did 

 not believe it ; but he nevertheless divorced Pompeia, 

 alleging as the reason, not her guilt, but the sacred- 

 ness of his honour, and saying, that Ccesar's wife 

 ought not even to be suspected. The truth is, he was 

 anxious to conciliate Clodius, who was the most po- 

 pular and the most furious demagogue that ever ap- 

 peared in Rome, and whose assistance he saw must 

 be of infinite service to him. 



On the expiry of his office as praetor, Caesar ob- 

 tained his first military command, and was appointed, 

 by lot, to the government of Lusitania, comprehend- 

 ing nearly the modern Portugal and Andalusia. He 

 had so completely involved himself by his boundless 

 profusion, that his creditors interfered, and prevented 

 his departure. On this occasion, Crassus stood for- 

 ward as his surety, for considerably more than a mil- 

 lion of our money, (Bis millies et quingenties.) 

 Caesar made a joke of this circumstance, and said 

 that he wanted this sum to be worth just nothing at 

 all. In modern times no man could think of repair- 

 ing such a ruined fortune ; yet Caesar soon found 

 means of repaying the sum, and of undertaking, at 

 his own expence, the most magnificent public works 

 that ever had been seen at Rome. This is easily ac- 

 counted for, when we consider that extensive pro- 

 vinces were entirely at the mercy of their governors, 

 who could make whatever exactions they pleased ; 

 and though they were often accused of peculation, 

 yet it was never till they had amassed such a fortune 

 as to render them formidable ; and, in general, com- 

 pletely to screen them from punishment. In passing 

 the Alps, on his way to Spain, one of his attendants, 

 pointing to a small village, said, Here too, it is pro- 

 bable, there are parlies, and contests for power. To 

 which Caesar replied, " I would rather be the first 

 man here, than the second man in Rome." 



In his government in Spain he contrived to quarrel 

 with the natives, that he might have an opportunity 

 of bringing into view those military talents which he 

 possessed in such an eminent degree ; and hij success 

 was such, that on his return to Rome, he publicly 

 claimed a triumph. Unfortunately, however, he had 

 two objects in view, which could not easily be recon- 

 ciled ; he solicited at the same time a triumph, and 

 the consulship : to obtain the first object, it was ne- 

 cessary, according to immemorial custom, that he 

 should remain without the city, till the sentence of 

 the senate should be known ; and there had been in- 

 stances of commanders waiting for months in that 

 situation, in hopes of being able to enter the city in 

 triumph. On the other hand, in order to obtain the 

 consulship, it was necessary that the candidate should 

 be within the city, to solicit in person the suffrages 

 of the people. Caesar at first tried to get this law 

 dispensed with, but as Cato violently opposed the 



innovation, he resigned his pretensions to the triumph, 

 that he might enjoy the more substantial honours of 

 the consulship. 



Caesar, knowing well how much his character and 

 designs were now suspected, had recourse tu an ex- 

 pedient, which, whilst it paved the way for him to 

 the honour which he desired, sealed, at the same 

 time, the subversion of the commonwealth. The 

 two most considerable men in Rome at that time were 

 Pompey and Crassus ; the one for his popularity and 

 power, the other for his enormous wealth and exten- 

 sive patronage, which gave him great influence in the 

 state, between these two, there had long subsisted 

 such a jealousy as generally takes place between per- 

 sons who have the same object in view, which both 

 cannot obtain. Caesar paid court to both: and on 

 the present occasion, he showed them the advantage 

 of union ; convinced them that they might obtain 

 whatever they pleased, by joining their influence j 

 but that certain disappointment would be the conse- 

 quence of disagreement. They easily perceived the 

 justice of this reasoning, and assuming the author of 

 the measure as their associate in their scheme of ap- 

 propriating to themselves the power of the state> 

 they entered into that famous league, commonly 

 known by the name of the first Triumvirate. By the 

 aid of two such powerful friends, Cassar secured his 

 election ; the Patrician party, however, prevailed so 

 far aa to get another popular candidate excluded, and 

 to introduce Bibulus, to whom they looked as a 

 check on Cassar. Bibulus, it appears, was a worthy 

 character, but destitute of sufficient energy to con- 

 tend with such a colleague as Caesar. He stood out, 

 however, till his life was almost in danger from po- 

 pular violence, and then he confined himself to his 

 house ; contenting himself with publishing edicts in 

 opposition to the measures of his colleague. So in- 

 efficient, however, were all his measures, that it waa 

 a common joke to designate the period of his consul- 

 ship, by saying, Julio et Ccssare consulibus. 



Caesar, to secure still farther the affections of the 

 people, proposed and carried an Agrarian law, by 

 which he was to provide for twenty thousand poor 

 citizens. This was the usual way in which factious 

 demagogues courted popular favour, and was always 

 strenuously opposed by the senate. Indeed, no plan 

 could be conceived more injurious to the state, than 

 that which proposed a premium to idleness. It was 

 not the law, however, which the senate opposed so 

 much on the present occasion, as the influence of the 

 man who proposed it. " It is not this law which 

 I dread," said Cato, " but the reward expected for 

 obtaining it." This stern senator, therefore, resolv- 

 ed to brave the odium of the people, and to oppose, 

 to the utmost the measures of their favourite. For 

 this purpose he determined to avail himself of his 

 privilege of speaking in the senate without interrup- 

 tion, that so he might exhaust the whole time of the 

 sitting, and prevent them from coming to any con- 

 clusion. Caesar suspecting his design, and seeing no 

 other way of preventing it, ordered him into custody. 

 This was a very unguarded measure, and he soon, 



* Ubi vdarl pictura jubetur 

 Qucecvmque alter ius sexus imitata Jiguram est. 



Juvim*. 



