c jr. F, A K. 



Iirfle, wlioV.aJ been prxtor of Macedon, and who find been 

 honoured with the confulatc and a triumph, afforded him an 

 opportunity of jjaining diftinguilhed reputation anicnjj the 

 bell orators of his age, although the defence of llortciifius 

 and Cotta, the two mod ccK'brated pleaders of Rome, pre- 

 vented his fiicccfs. As at this time he dots not feem to 

 liave formed, or at leall to Inve matured, thofe ambitions 

 defijjns whicli led him to prefer the career of war ar.d poli- 

 tics to that of an orator, he cnib.irked for Rhodes, witli a 

 view of gaining improvement in the art of eloquence from 

 the iiillruclious of Apollonius ?.IoIon, one of the mod emi- 

 nent rhetoricians of that period. In his pafTdge thither, he 

 was captured by fome pirates who infclled thofc feas ; and 

 during his confinement he cxliibiled thofe peculiar and extra- 

 ordinary talents, which were afterwards exemplified in the 

 progrefs of his life. His captors demanded 20 talents for 

 his ranfom, hut he informed them that they were not duly 

 apprized of tht importance < f tlieir prifoner, and engap;ed 

 to pay them f^o ; and whilll liis domellics were deputed to 

 raifc the rtipu!ated fum in the neii;hbouring cities, he re- 

 mained in cullody, accompanied onlv by one friend and two 

 attendants, and amufed hlnifilf with reciting to his barbarous 

 auditors, whom he treated with contempt, fome orations 

 and verfes which he compofcd for the occafion ; and often, 

 between jeft and earnctl, threat; ned them with future tokens 

 of his difplcafure, if thty dillurbed his repofc. Haviig been 

 furnilhed with the promifed ranfom by the inhabitants of 

 Miletus, he obtained his liberty, and in that city fitted out 

 fome (hips, with which he puifued and captured the pirates ; 

 and, having conveyed them to Pergamus, he there infiicicd 

 upon them the pnnifliment of crucifixion, with which he had 

 threatened them. Pie then proceeded to Rhodes, and pur- 

 fued his (Indies. Dniiiig his refidence in this city, he took 

 occafion to pafs over to the continent, and though he had 

 no commifiion, to raife troops, and with this force to check 

 the progrefs of Mithridates, who was making depredations 

 on the provinces in alliance with the Romans, and to pre- 

 ferve thofe cities, which were ready to revolt, Ready in their 

 allegiance. At this time he was only 24 years of age, and 

 yet condufted this expedition with a prudence and bravery 

 which would have done honour to the veterans in military 

 fervice. On his return to Rome, the chief objeft of his 

 policy was to ingratiate himfclf with the people, and thus to 

 fecure his advancement to thofc public offices, which would 

 ferve him in the accompli(hment of the purpofes of his am- 

 bition. Acordingly he concurred with Cicero in promoting 

 the Manilian law, and in thus fccuring the favour of Pom- 

 pey. In the feveral offices of tribune, qnxftor, and sdile, 

 be contrived by his general conduft, and by his unbounded 

 liberality, to attach to hinifelf the affeif^ions of the people. 

 He teftiticd his rcfpcdl in a variety of inilances to the Ma- 

 rian party, although by fo doing he incurred the cenfure of 

 the ariftocracy, who charged him with meditating defign^ 

 againft the government. He alfo obtained the confiilate for 

 1.. Julius Cxfar, one of his own family, who, together with 

 his colleague C. Marcus Figulus, under Casfar's dircflion 

 and influence, condemned many of the partifans of Svlla 

 either to banifliment or to death. Catiline, however, was 

 fpared ; and Csefar is even fufpefted to have concurred in 

 his confpiracy. When this confpiracy was fupprelTed, and 

 the fenate deliberated on the puni{hment to be inflifted on 

 thofe that were concerned in it, he delivered an artful fpeech 

 in pi-aife of clemency, and his oration, which is dill extant, 

 and whxh, as a compofition, has been much admired, made 

 an impre(rion on the a(rembly, which the fevere eloquence 

 of Cato was hardly fnfficient to counteraft. Ciefar gave a 

 fiBgle vote againft the death of the confpirators ; and his in- 



tcr.feivnce in their favour excited fiich indignation that he 

 cfcaped with his life by the feafoiiable interpolition of Ci- 

 cero, wliofe tedimony contributed to his judification, not- 

 wilhlianding the charges alleged againd him of his coiiceru 

 in the plot. During the progrefs of this conteft, Ciefar in- 

 dulged ill the Hcentious gratifications of intemperance and 

 gillaiitry ; and Servilia, the fider of Cato, avowed her paf- 

 fion?te attachment to him, and he was fuppofcd to be tlie 

 real father of her fon Marcui Brutus. See Brutus. The 

 fuccefs of C;efar, in his competition for the office of chief 

 pontiff, againd two of t!ie chief perfons of the republic, 

 (erved to augment the jraloufy enteitaii:ed of him by the 

 Scnatorian party. Notwithdanding the licentioufnefs of his 

 own life, his pride would not allow him to lubmit to the fuf- 

 picion of domeftic dilhonour ; and therefore, upon the dif- 

 covery of an intrigue between his wife Pompeia, whom he 

 had married after the death of Cornelia, and P. Clodius, 

 (fee Bona Dea), he indantly procured a divorce, though 

 he did not fucceed fo far as to fnbdantiate the charge ; al- 

 leging in vindication of his conduA, " Caefar's wife mud 

 not be even fufpcfted." At this time he was ferving the 

 office of proetor, upon the expiration of which he prepared 

 for aduming the government of Farther Spain, comprehend- 

 ing Lufitaiiia and Bcetica, which fell to his lot : but his 

 creditors would have prevented his lucceediiig to his new 

 province, if Craffus had not fatistied their demands. In his 

 journey, he paded tlirough a milerable village on the Alps ; 

 and when one of his companions jocularly inquired, 

 " whether there could be any contentions for po\\erand dig- 

 nity in fuch a place ?" Cxfar, in token of his ruling paffion, 

 replied, " I proted that I had rather be the fird man hete, 

 than the feeond in Rome." His rapacious difpofition, like 

 that of other Roman governors, was manifeded on fome oc- 

 cafions no Itfs fignally than his ambition. He confidered 

 his government as affording the oppoitunity and means of 

 enriching himfelf : and, therefore, availing himfelf of pre- 

 texts for difputes, he marched into provinces unfubdued by 

 the Roman arms, for the purpofe of plunder ; and brought 

 back to Rome, in the following year, a fura fufficient for 

 difcharging his debts, though they are faid to have amounted 

 to i,6oo,oool. derling. 



Having palfed through the fubordinate offices of the 

 date, the next objeft of his ambition was the confulatc. In 

 order to the attainment of this dignity, it was nectlTary for 

 him to conneft himfelf with one of the two parties that 

 divided the power of the date, that of Pompey or that of 

 CralTus. In this dilemma, he determined on reconciling 

 the two rivals ; and accordingly he propofed a triumvirate, 

 in which the whole power of the liate (hould be lodged, 

 and this was the fird triumvirate edabliilied at Rom;. See 

 Triumvirate. By this artful expedient Ca:lar by raeansof 

 the intered of Pompey and CralTus, fecured his flection to the 

 confuldiip. A. U.C. 694. B. C. 60. Cato alone forefaw the 

 confequences of this alliance, and oppofed the elec'irn; ex- 

 claiming, that Rome had lod her liberty ; but his opinio - was 

 difregarded till it was too late to follow his prudent coui ^el. 

 The only advantage which he and his party obtained was Ire 

 eleftion of Bibulus as Csfar's colleague ; and for this pur- 

 pofe they were under a ncceffity of counterafting Caefar's 

 intered in favour of another candidate, by outbidding him 

 in the piirchafe of votes. As foou as Csefar entered upon 

 his office, he confirmed all the a£ls of Pompey, and pro- 

 ceeded to ufe all his endeavours for conciliating the af- 

 feAions of the people. With this view he propofed an Agra- 

 i^ian law for the divifion of certain lands in Campania amoncr 

 Inch of the poor citizens as had three or more children . 

 b'jt the fenators, though they approved the ad, withheld 

 i their 



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