Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
commanded them to depart every man to his country and place of
habitation, only taking care that they should not fail to meet
again at his triumph. Thus the army being disbanded, and the
news commonly reported, a wonderful result ensued. For when
the cities saw Pompey the Great passing through the country
unarmed, and with a small train of familiar friends only, as if
he was returning from a journey of pleasure, not from his
conquests, they came pouring out to display their affection for
him, attending and conducting him to Rome with far greater
forces than he disbanded; insomuch that if he had designed
any movement or innovation in the State, he might have done it
without his army.
Now, because the law permitted no commander to enter into the
city before his triumph, he sent to the senate, entreating them
as a favor to him to prorogue the election of consuls, that
thus he might be able to attend and give countenance to Piso,
one of the candidates. The request was resisted by Cato, and
met with a refusal. However, Pompey could not but admire the
liberty and boldness of speech which Cato alone had dared to
use in the maintenance of law and justice. He therefore had a
great desire to win him over, and purchase his friendship at
any rate; and to that end, Cato having two nieces, Pompey asked
for one in marriage for himself, the other for his son. But
Cato looked unfavorably on the proposal, regarding it as a
design for undermining his honesty, and in a manner bribing him
by a family alliance; much to the displeasure of his wife and
sister, who were indignant that he should reject a connection
with Pompey the Great. About that time Pompey having a design
of setting up Afranius for the consulship, gave a sum of money
among the tribes for their votes, and people came and received
it in his own gardens a proceeding which, when it came to be
generally known, excited great disapprobation, that he should
thus for the sake of men who could not obtain the honor by
their own merits, make merchandise of an office which had been
given to himself as the highest reward of his services. "Now,"
said Cato to his wife and sister, "had we contracted an
alliance with Pompey, we had been allied to this dishonor too;"
and this they could not but acknowledge, and allow his judgment
of what was right and fitting to have been wiser and better
than theirs.
The splendor and magnificence of Pompey's triumph was such that
though it took up the space of two days, yet they were
extremely straitened in time, so that of what was prepared for
that pageantry, there was as much withdrawn as would have set
out and adorned another triumph. In the first place, there were
tables carried, inscribed with the names and titles of the
nations over whom he triumphed, Pontus, Armenia, Cappadocia,
Paphlagonia, Media, Colchis, the Iberians, the Albanians,
Syria, Cilicia, and Mesopotamia, together with Phoenicia and
Palestine, Judaea, Arabia, and all the power of the pirates
subdued by sea and land. And in these different countries
there appeared the capture of no less than one thousand
fortified places, nor much less than nine hundred cities,
together with eight hundred ships of the pirates, and the
foundation of thirty-nine towns. Besides, there was set forth
in these tables an account of all the tributes throughout the
empire, and how that before these conquests the revenue
amounted but to fifty millions, whereas from his acquisitions
they had a revenue of eighty-five millions; and that in present
payment he was bringing into the common treasury ready money,
and gold and silver plate, and ornaments, to the value of
twenty thousand talents, over and above what had been
distributed among the soldiers, of whom he that had least had
fifteen hundred drachmas for his share. The prisoners of war
that were led in triumph, besides the chief pirates, were the
son of Tigranes, king of Armenia, with his wife and daughter;
as also Zosime, wife of king Tigranes himself, and Aristobulus,
king of Judaea, the sister of king Mithridates and her five
sons, and some Scythian women. There were likewise the
hostages of the Albanians and Iberians, and of the king of
Commagene, besides a vast number of trophies, one for every
battle in which he was conqueror, either himself in person, or
by his lieutenants. But that which seemed to be his greatest
glory, being one which no other Roman ever attained to, was
this, that he made his third triumph over the third division of
the world. For others among the Romans had the honor of
triumphing thrice, but his first triumph was over Africa, his
second, over Europe, and this last, over Asia; so that he
seemed in these three triumphs to have led the whole world
captive.
As for his age, those who affect to make the parallel exact in
all things betwixt him and Alexander the Great, do not allow
him to have been quite thirty-four, whereas in truth at that
time he was near forty. And well had it been for him had he
terminated his life at this date, while he still enjoyed
Alexander's fortune, since all his aftertime served only either
to bring him prosperity that made him odious, or calamities too
great to be retrieved. For that great authority which he had
gained in the city by his merits, he made use of only in
patronizing the iniquities of others, so that by advancing
their fortunes, he detracted from his own glory, till at last
he was overthrown even by the force and greatness of his own
power. And as the strongest citadel or fort in a town, when it
is taken by an enemy, does then afford the same strength to the
foe, as it had done to friends before; so Caesar, after
Pompey's aid had made him strong enough to defy his country,
ruined and overthrew at last the power which had availed him
against the rest. The course of things was as follows.
Lucullus, when he returned out of Asia, where he had been
treated with insult by Pompey, was received by the senate with
great honor, which was yet increased when Pompey came home; to
check whose ambition they encouraged him to assume the
administration of the government, whereas he was now grown cold
and disinclined to business, having given himself over to the
pleasures of ease and the enjoyment of a splendid fortune.
However, he began for the time to exert himself against Pompey,
attacked him sharply, and succeeded in having his own acts and
decrees, which were repealed by Pompey, reestablished, and with
the assistance of Cato, gained the superiority in the senate.
Pompey having fallen from his hopes in such an unworthy
repulse, was forced to fly to the tribunes of the people for
refuge, and to attach himself to the young men, among whom was
Clodius, the vilest and most impudent wretch alive, who took
him about, and exposed him as a tool to the people, carrying
him up and down among the throngs in the market-place, to
countenance those laws and speeches which he made to cajole the
people and ingratiate himself. And at last for his reward, he
demanded of Pompey, as if he had not disgraced, but done him
great kindness, that he should forsake (as in the end he did
forsake) Cicero, his friend, who on many public occasions had
done him the greatest service. And so when Cicero was in
danger, and implored his aid, he would not admit him into his
presence, but shutting up his gates against those that came to
mediate for him, slips out at a back door, whereupon Cicero
fearing the result of his trial, departed privately from Rome.
About that time Caesar, returning from military service,
started a course of policy which brought him great present
favor, and much increased his power for the future, and proved
extremely destructive both to Pompey and the commonwealth. For
now he stood candidate for his first consulship, and well
observing the enmity betwixt Pompey and Crassus, and finding
that by joining with one he should make the other his enemy, he
endeavored by all means to reconcile them, an object in itself
honorable and tending to the public good, but as he undertook
it, a mischievous and subtle intrigue. For he well knew that
opposite parties or factions in a commonwealth, like passengers
in a boat, serve to trim and balance the unready motions of
power there; whereas if they combine and come all over to one
side, they cause a shock which will be sure to overset the
vessel and carry down everything. And therefore Cato wisely
told those who charged all the calamities of Rome upon the
disagreement betwixt Pompey and Caesar, that they were in error
in charging all the crime upon the last cause; for it was not
their discord and enmity, but their unanimity and I friendship,
that gave the first and greatest blow to the commonwealth.
Caesar being thus elected consul, began at once to make an
interest with the poor and meaner sort, by preferring and
establishing laws for planting colonies and dividing lands,
lowering the dignity of his office, and turning his consulship
into a sort of tribuneship rather. And when Bibulus, his
colleague, opposed him, and Cato was prepared to second
Bibulus, and assist him vigorously, Caesar brought Pompey upon
the hustings, and addressing him in the sight of the people,
demanded his opinion upon the laws that were proposed. Pompey
gave his approbation. "Then," said Caesar, "in case any man
should offer violence to these laws, will you be reedy to give
assistance to the people?" "Yes," replied Pompey, "I shall be
ready, and against those that threaten the sword, I will appear
with sword and buckler." Nothing ever was said or done by
Pompey up to that day, that seemed more insolent or
overbearing; so that his friends endeavored to apologize for it
as a word spoken inadvertently; but by his actions afterwards
it appeared plainly that he was totally devoted to Caesar's
service. For on a sudden, contrary to all expectation, he
married Julia, the daughter of Caesar, who had been affianced
before and was to be married within a few days to Caepio. And
to appease Caepio's wrath, he gave him his own daughter in
marriage, who had been espoused before to Faustus, the son of
Sylla. Caesar himself married Calpurnia, the daughter of Piso.
Upon this Pompey, filling the city with soldiers, carried all
things by force as he pleased. As Bibulus, the consul, was
going to the forum, accompanied by Lucullus and Cato, they fell
upon him on a sudden and broke his rods; and somebody threw a
vessel of ordure upon the head of Bibulus himself; and two
tribunes of the people, who escorted him, were desperately
wounded in the fray. And thus having cleared the forum of all
their adversaries, they got their bill for the division of
lands established and passed into an act; and not only so, but
the whole populace being taken with this bait, became totally
at their devotion, inquiring into nothing and without a word
giving their suffrages to whatever they propounded. Thus they
confirmed all those acts and decrees of Pompey, which were
questioned and contested by Lucullus; and to Caesar they
granted the provinces of Gaul, both within and without the
Alps, together with Illyricum, for five years, and likewise an
army of four entire legions; then they created consuls for the
year ensuing, Piso, the father-in-law of Caesar, and Gabinius,
the most extravagant of Pompey's flatterers.
During all these transactions, Bibulus kept close within doors,
nor did he appear publicly in person for the space of eight
months together, notwithstanding he was consul, but sent out
proclamations full of bitter invectives and accusations against
them both. Cato turned prophet, and, as if he had been
possessed with a spirit of divination, did nothing else in the
senate but foretell what evils should befall the Commonwealth