CHAPTER IV
Prosecutions for Bribery -- Cæsar authorized to stand for the
Consulship while absent--Enmity of Marcellus--Attempts to deprive
Cæsar of his Command -- Curio insists that Pompey shall lay
down his Command also -- Increasing Hostility to Cæsar in the
Senate -- Pompey's Neglect of Preparations for War--The Consuls invest
Pompey with the Defence of Italy
[
24]
After making this answer he passed his law, and straightway there ensued a
great number and variety of prosecutions. In order that the jurors might act
without fear Pompey stationed soldiers around them and superintended them in
person. The first ones convicted were absentees: Milo for the murder of
Clodius; Gabinius both for violation of law and for impiety, because he had
invaded Egypt without a decree of the Senate and contrary to the Sibylline
books; Hypsæus, Memmius, Sextius, and many others for bribery and
for corrupting the populace. The people interceded for Scaurus, but Pompey
made proclamation that they should wait for the decision of the court. When
the crowd again interrupted the accusers, Pompey's soldiers made a charge
and killed several. Then the people held their tongues and Scaurus was
convicted. All of them were banished. Gabinius was fined in addition. The
Senate praised Pompey highly for these proceedings, voted him two more
legions, and extended the term of his provincial government. As Pompey's law
offered impunity to any one who should turn state's evidence, Memmius, who
had been convicted of bribery, called Lucius Scipio, the father-in-law of
Pompey himself, to trial for like participation in bribery. Thereupon Pompey
put on mourning and many of the jurors did the same. Memmius took pity on
the republic and withdrew the accusation.
[
25]
Pompey, as though he had completed the reforms that made the one-man power
necessary, now made Scipio his colleague in the consulship for the remainder
of the year. At the expiration of his term, however, although others were
invested with the consulship, he was none the less the supervisor, and
ruler, and all-in-all in Rome. He enjoyed the good-will of the Senate,
particularly because they were jealous of Cæsar, who did not
consult the Senate during his consulship, and because Pompey had so speedily
restored the sick commonwealth, and had not made himself troublesome or
offensive to any of them during his term of office. The banished ones went
to Cæsar in crowds and advised him to beware of Pompey, saying
that his law about bribery was especially directed against himself.
Cæsar cheered them up and spoke well of Pompey. He also induced
the tribunes to bring in a law to enable himself to stand for the consulship
a second time while absent, and this was enacted while Pompey was still
consul and without opposition from him. Cæsar suspected that the
Senate would resist this project and feared lest he should be reduced to the
condition of a private citizen and exposed
to his enemies. So he tried to retain his
power
until he should be elected consul, and asked the
Senate to grant him a little more time in his present command of Gaul, or of
a part of it. Marcellus, who succeeded Pompey as consul, forbade it. They
say that when this was announced to Cæsar, he clapped his hand on
his sword-hilt and exclaimed, "This shall give it to me."
1
[
26]
Cæsar built the town of Novum Comum
2 at
the foot of the Alps and gave it the Latin rights, which included a
provision that those who had exercised the yearly chief magistracy should be
Roman citizens. One of these men, who had held this office and was
consequently considered a Roman citizen, was beaten with rods for some
reason by order of Marcellus in defiance of Cæsar--a punishment
that was never inflicted on Roman citizens. Marcellus in his passion
revealed his real intention that the blows should be the marks of the
foreigner, and he told the man to carry his scars and show them to
Cæsar. So insulting was Marcellus. Moreover, he proposed to send
successors to take command of Cæsar's provinces before his time
had expired, but Pompey interfered, making a pretence of fairness and
good-will, saying that they ought not to put an indignity on a distinguished
man who had been so extremely useful to his country, merely on account of a
short interval of time; but he made it plain that Cæsar's command
must come to an end immediately on its expiration. For this
reason the
bitterest enemies of Cæsar were chosen consuls
for the ensuing year: Æmilius Paulus and
Claudius Marcellus, cousin of the Marcellus before mentioned. Curio, who was
also a bitter enemy of Cæsar, but extremely popular with the
masses and a most accomplished speaker, was chosen tribune. Cæsar
was not able to influence Claudius with money, but he bought the neutrality
of Paulus for 1500 talents and the assistance of
Curio with a still larger sum, because he knew that the latter was heavily
burdened with debt. With the money thus obtained Paulus built and dedicated
to the Roman people the Basilica that bears his name, a very beautiful
structure.
[
27]
Curio, in order that he might not be detected changing sides too suddenly,
brought forward vast plans for repairing and building roads, of which he was
to be superintendent for five years. He knew that he could not carry any
such measure, but he hoped that Pompey's friends would oppose him so that he
might have that as an excuse for opposing Pompey. Things turned out as he
had anticipated, so that he had a pretext for disagreement. Claudius
proposed the sending of successors to take command of Cæsar's
provinces, as his term was now expiring. Paulus was silent. Curio, who was
thought to differ from both, praised the motion of Claudius, but added that
Pompey ought to resign his provinces and army just like Cæsar, for
in this way he said the commonwealth would be made free and be relieved from
fear in all directions. Many opposed this as unjust, because Pompey's term
had not yet expired. Then Curio came out more openly and decidedly against
appointing successors to Cæsar unless Pompey also should lay down
his command; for since they were both suspicious of each other, he contended
that there could be no lasting peace to the commonwealth unless both were
reduced to the character of private citizens. He said this because he knew
that Pompey would not give up his command and because he saw that the people
were incensed against Pompey on account of his prosecutions for bribery. As
Curio's position was plausible, the plebeians praised him as the only one
who was willing to incur the enmity of both Pompey and Cæsar in
order to fulfil worthily his duties as a citizen; and once they escorted him
home like an athlete, scattering flowers, as though he had won the prize in
some great and difficult contest, for nothing was considered more perilous
then than to have a difference with Pompey.
[
28]
Pompey, while lying sick in Italy,
3 wrote an artful letter to the
Senate, praising Cæsar's exploits and also recounting his own from
the beginning, saying that he had been invested with a third consulship, and
with provinces and an army afterward, which he had not solicited, but had
been called to serve the public weal. He added that the powers which he had
accepted unwillingly he would gladly yield to those who wished to take them
back, and would not wait the time fixed for their expiration. The artfulness
of this communication consisted in showing the fairness of Pompey and in
exciting prejudice against Cæsar, as though the latter was not
willing to give up his command even at the appointed time. When Pompey came
back to the city, he spoke to the senators in the same way and then, also,
promised to lay down his command. As a friend and marriage connection of
Cæsar he said that the latter would very cheerfully do the same,
for his had been a long and laborious contest against very warlike peoples;
he had added much to the Roman power and now he would come back to his
honors and his sacrificings
4 and
take his rest. He said these things in order that successors to
Cæsar might be sent at once, while he (Pompey) should merely stand
on his promise. Curio exposed his artifice, saying that promises were not
sufficient, and insisting that Pompey should lay down his command now and
that Cæsar should not be disarmed until Pompey himself had
returned to private life. On account of private enmity, he said, it would
not be advisable either for Cæsar or for the Romans that such
great authority should be held by one man. Rather should each of them have
power against the other in case one should attempt violence against the
commonwealth. Throwing off all disguise, he denounced Pompey unsparingly as
one aiming at supreme power, and said that unless he would lay down his
command now, when he had the fear of Cæsar before his eyes, he
would never lay it down at all. He moved that, unless they both obeyed, both
should be voted public enemies and military forces be levied against them.
In this way he concealed the fact that he had been bought by
Cæsar.
[
29]
Pompey was angry with him and threatened him and at once withdrew indignantly
to his country-seat. The Senate now had suspicions of both, but it
considered Pompey the better republican of the two, and it hated
Cæsar because he had not shown it proper respect during his
consulship. Some of the senators really thought that it would not be safe to
the commonwealth to deprive Pompey of his power until after Cæsar
should lay down his, since the latter was outside of the city and was the
man of more towering designs. Curio held the contrary opinion, that they had
need of Cæsar against the power of Pompey, or otherwise that both
armies should be disbanded at the same time. As the Senate would not agree
with him he dismissed it, leaving the whole business still unfinished. He
had the power to do so as tribune. Thus Pompey had occasion to regret that
he had restored the tribunician power to its pristine vigor after it had
been reduced to extreme feebleness by Sulla. Nevertheless, one decree was
voted before the session was ended, and that was that Cæsar and
Pompey should each send one legion of soldiers to Syria to defend the
province on account of the disaster to Crassus. Pompey artfully recalled.
the legion that he had lately lent to Cæsar on account of the
disaster to Cæsar's two generals, Titurius and Cotta.
Cæsar awarded to each soldier 250 drachmas and sent the legion to
Rome together with another of his own. As the expected danger did not show
itself in Syria, these legions were sent into winter quarters at Capua.
[
30]
The persons who had been sent by Pompey to Cæsar to bring these
legions spread many reports derogatory to Cæsar and repeated them
to Pompey. They said that Cæsar's army was wasted by protracted
service, that the soldiers longed for their homes and would change to the
side of Pompey as soon as they should cross the Alps. They spoke in this way
either from ignorance or because they were corrupted. In fact, every soldier
was strongly attached to Cæsar and labored zealously for him,
under the force of discipline and the influence of the gain which war
usually brings to victors and which they received from Cæsar also;
for he gave with ar lavish hand in order to mould them to his designs. They
knew what his designs were, but they stood by him nevertheless. Pompey
believed what was reported to him and collected neither soldiers nor
apparatus suitable for so great a contest.
5 In the Senate the opinion of each member
was asked and Claudius craftily divided the question and took the votes
separately, thus: "Shall successors be sent to Cæsar?" and again,
"Shall Pompey be deprived of his command?" The majority voted against the
latter proposition, and it was decreed that successors to Cæsar
should be sent. Then Curio put the question whether both should lay down
their commands, and 22 senators voted in the negative while 370 went back to
the opinion of Curio in order to avoid civil discord.
6 Then Claudius dismissed the
Senate, exclaiming, "Enjoy your victory and have Cæsar for a
master."
[
31]
Suddenly a false rumor came that Cæsar had crossed the Alps and was
marching on the city, whereupon there was a great tumult and consternation
on all sides. Claudius moved that the army at Capua be turned against
Cæsar as a public enemy. When Curio opposed him on the ground that
the rumor was false he exclaimed, "If I am prevented by the vote of the
Senate from taking steps for the public safety, I will take such steps on my
own responsibility as consul." After saying this he darted out of the Senate
and proceeded to the suburbs with his colleague, where he presented a sword
to Pompey, and said, "I and my colleague command you to march against
Cæsar in behalf of your country, and we give you for this purpose
the army now at Capua, or in any other part of Italy, and whatever
additional forces you yourself choose to levy." Pompey promised to obey the
orders of the consuls, but he added, "unless we can do better," thus dealing
in trickery and still making a pretence of fairness. Curio had no power
outside of the city (for it was not permitted to the tribunes to go beyond
the walls), but he publicly deplored the state of affairs and demanded that
the consuls should make proclamation that nobody need obey the conscription
ordered by Pompey. As he could accomplish nothing, and as his term of office
as tribune was about expiring, and he feared for his safety and despaired of
being able to render any further assistance to Cæsar, he hastily
departed to join the latter.
