Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
and Pompey. Lucullus pleaded old age, and retired to take his
ease, as superannuated for affairs of State; which gave
occasion to the saying of Pompey, that the fatigues of luxury
were not more seasonable for an old man than those of
government. Which in truth proved a reflection upon himself;
for he not long after let his fondness for his young wife
seduce him also into effeminate habits. He gave all his time
to her, and passed his days in her company in country-houses
and gardens, paying no heed to what was going on in the forum.
Insomuch that Clodius, who was then tribune of the people,
began to despise him, and engage in the most audacious
attempts. For when he had banished Cicero, and sent away Cato
into Cyprus under pretence of military duty, and when Caesar
was gone upon his expedition to Gaul, finding the populace now
looking to him as the leader who did everything according to
their pleasure, he attempted forthwith to repeal some of
Pompey's decrees; he took Tigranes, the captive, out of prison,
and kept him about him as his companion; and commenced actions
against several of Pompey's friends, thus designing to try the
extent of his power. At last, upon a time when Pompey was
present at the hearing of a certain cause, Clodius, accompanied
with a crowd of profligate and impudent ruffians, standing up
in a place above the rest, put questions to the populace as
follows: "Who is the dissolute general? who is the man that
seeks another man? who scratches his head with one finger?"
and the rabble, upon the signal of his shaking his gown, with a
great shout to every question, like singers making, responses
in a chorus, made answer, "Pompey."
This indeed was no small annoyance to Pompey, who was quite
unaccustomed to hear anything ill of himself, and
unexperienced altogether in such encounters; and he was yet
more vexed, when he saw that the senate rejoiced at this foul
usage, and regarded it as a just punishment upon him for his
treachery to Cicero. But when it came even to blows and wounds
in the forum, and that one of Clodius's bondslaves was
apprehended, creeping through the crowd towards Pompey with a
sword in his hand, Pompey laid hold of this pretence, though
perhaps otherwise apprehensive of Clodius's insolence and bad
language, and never appeared again in the forum during all the
time he was tribune, but kept close at home, and passed his
time in consulting with his friends, by what means he might
best allay the displeasure of the senate and nobles against
him. Among other expedients, Culleo advised the divorce of
Julia, and to abandon Caesar's friendship to gain that of the
senate; this he would not hearken to. Others again advised him
to call home Cicero from banishment, a man who was always the
great adversary of Clodius, and as great a favorite of the
senate; to this he was easily persuaded. And therefore he
brought Cicero's brother into the forum, attended with a strong
party, to petition for his return; where, after a warm dispute,
in which several were wounded and some slain, he got the
victory over Clodius. No sooner was Cicero returned home upon
this decree, but immediately he used his efforts to reconcile
the senate to Pompey; and by speaking in favor of the law upon
the importation of corn, did again, in effect, make Pompey
sovereign lord of all the Roman possessions by sea and land.
For by that law, there were placed under his control all ports,
markets, and storehouses, and in short, all the concerns both
of the merchants and the husbandmen; which gave occasion to the
charge brought against it by Clodius, that the law was not made
because of the scarcity of corn, but the scarcity of corn was
made, that they might pass a law, whereby that power of his,
which was now grown feeble and consumptive, might be revived
again, and Pompey reinstated in a new empire. Others look upon
it as a politic device of Spinther, the consul, whose design it
was to secure Pompey in a greater authority, that he himself
might be sent in assistance to king Ptolemy. However, it is
certain that Canidius, the tribune, preferred a law to dispatch
Pompey in the character of an ambassador, without an army,
attended only with two lictors, as a mediator betwixt the king
and his subjects of Alexandria. Neither did this proposal seem
unacceptable to Pompey, though the senate cast it out upon the
specious pretence, that they were unwilling to hazard his
person. However, there were found several writings scattered
about the forum and near the senate-house, intimating how
grateful it would be to Ptolemy to have Pompey appointed for
his general instead of Spinther. And Timagenes even asserts
that Ptolemy went away and left Egypt, not out of necessity,
but purely upon the persuasion of Theophanes, who was anxious
to give Pompey the opportunity for holding a new command, and
gaining further wealth. But Theophanes's want of honesty does
not go so far to make this story credible as does Pompey's own
nature, which was averse, with all its ambition, to such base
and disingenuous acts, to render it improbable.
Thus Pompey being appointed chief purveyor, and having within
his administration and management all the corn trade, sent
abroad his factors and agents into all quarters, and he himself
sailing into Sicily, Sardinia, and Africa, collected vast
stores of corn. He was just ready to set sail upon his voyage
home, when a great storm arose upon the sea, and the ships'
commanders doubted whether it were safe. Upon which Pompey
himself went first aboard, and bid the mariners weigh anchor,
declaring with a loud voice, that there was a necessity to
sail, but no necessity to live. So that with this spirit and
courage, and having met with favorable fortune, he made a
prosperous return, and filled the markets with corn, and the
sea with ships. So much so that this great plenty and
abundance of provisions yielded a sufficient supply, not only
to the city of Rome, but even to other places too, dispersing
itself; like waters from a spring, into all quarters.
Meantime Caesar grew great and famous with his wars in Gaul,
and while in appearance he seemed far distant from Rome,
entangled in the affairs of the Belgians, Suevians, and
Britons, in truth he was working craftily by secret practices
in the midst of the people, and countermining Pompey in all
political matters of most importance. He himself with his army
close about him, as if it had been his own body, not with mere
views of conquest over the barbarians, but as though his
contests with them were but mere sports and exercises of the
chase, did his utmost with this training and discipline to make
it invincible and alarming. And in the meantime his gold and
silver and other spoils and treasure which he took from the
enemy in his conquests, he sent to Rome in presents, tempting
people with his gifts, and aiding aediles, praetors, and
consuls, as also their wives, in their expenses, and thus
purchasing himself numerous friends. Insomuch, that when he
passed back again over the Alps, and took up his winter
quarters in the city of Luca, there flocked to him an infinite
number of men and women, striving who should get first to him,
two hundred senators included, among whom were Pompey and
Crassus; so that there were to be seen at once before Caesar's
door no less than six score rods of proconsuls and praetors.
The rest of his addressers he sent all away full fraught with
hopes and money; but with Crassus and Pompey, he entered into
special articles of agreement, that they should stand
candidates for the consulship next year; that Caesar on his
part should send a number of his soldiers to give their votes
at the election; that as soon as they were elected, they should
use their interest to have the command of some provinces and
legions assigned to themselves, and that Caesar should have
his present charge confirmed to him for five years more. When
these arrangements came to be generally known, great
indignation was excited among the chief men in Rome; and
Marcellinus, in an open assembly of the people, demanded of
them both, whether they designed to sue for the consulship or
no. And being urged by the people for their answer, Pompey
spoke first, and told them, perhaps he would sue for it,
perhaps he would not. Crassus was more temperate, and said,
that he would do what should be judged most agreeable with the
interest of the Commonwealth; and when Marcellinus persisted in
his attack on Pompey, and spoke, as it was thought, with some
vehemence, Pompey remarked that Marcellinus was certainly the
unfairest of men, to show him no gratitude for having thus made
him an orator out of a mute, and converted him from a hungry
starveling into a man so full-fed that he could not contain
himself.
Most of the candidates nevertheless abandoned their canvass for
the consulship; Cato alone persuaded and encouraged Lucius
Domitius not to desist, "since," said he, "the contest now is
not for office, but for liberty against tyrants and usurpers."
Therefore those of Pompey's party, fearing this inflexible
constancy in Cato, by which he kept with him the whole senate,
lest by this he should likewise pervert and draw after him all
the well-affected part of the commonalty, resolved to withstand
Domitius at once, and to prevent his entrance into the forum.
To this end, therefore, they sent in a band of armed men, who
slew the torchbearer of Domitius, as he was leading the way
before him, and put all the rest to flight; last of all, Cato
himself retired, having received a wound in his right arm while
defending Domitius. Thus by these means and practices they
obtained the consulship; neither did they behave themselves
with more decency in their further proceedings; but in the
first place, when the people were choosing Cato praetor, and
just ready with their votes for the poll, Pompey broke up the
assembly, upon a pretext of some inauspicious appearance, and
having gained the tribes by money, they publicly proclaimed
Vatinius praetor. Then, in pursuance of their covenants with
Caesar, they introduced several laws by Trebonius, the tribune,
continuing Caesar's commission to another five years' charge of
his province; to Crassus there were appointed Syria, and the
Parthian war; and to Pompey himself, all Africa, together with
both Spains, and four legions of soldiers, two of which he lent
to Caesar upon his request, for the wars in Gaul.
Crassus, upon the expiration of his consulship, departed
forthwith into his province; but Pompey spent some time in
Rome, upon the opening or dedication of his theater, where he
treated the people with all sorts of games, shows, and
exercises, in gymnastics alike and in music. There was
likewise the hunting or baiting of wild beasts, and combats
with them, in which five hundred lions were slain; but above
all, the battle of elephants was a spectacle full of horror and
amazement.
These entertainments brought him great honor and popularity;
but on the other side he created no less envy to himself, in
that he committed the government of his provinces and legions
into the hands of friends as his lieutenants, whilst he himself
was going about and spending his time with his wife in all the
places of amusement in Italy; whether it were he was so fond of
her himself, or she so fond of him, and he unable to distress
her by going away, for this also is stated. And the love
displayed by this young wife for her elderly husband was a
matter of general note, to be attributed, it would seem, to his
constancy in married life, and to his dignity of manner, which
in familiar intercourse was tempered with grace and gentleness,
and was particularly attractive to women, as even Flora, the