Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
power, who at that time was just going to be made praetor, and
consequently would have been more formidable by his office.
But there was no disturbance during his praetorship, only what
misfortune he met with in his own domestic affairs. Publius
Clodius was a patrician by descent, eminent both for his riches
and eloquence, but in licentiousness of life and audacity
exceeded the most noted profligates of the day. He was in love
with Pompeia, Caesar's wife, and she had no aversion to him.
But there was strict watch kept on her apartment, and Caesar's
mother, Aurelia, who was a discreet woman, being continually
about her, made any interview very dangerous and difficult. The
Romans have a goddess whom they call Bona, the same whom the
Greeks call Gynaecea. The Phrygians, who claim a peculiar title
to her, say she was mother to Midas. The Romans profess she was
one of the Dryads, and married to Faunus. The Grecians affirm
that she is that mother of Bacchus whose name is not to be
uttered, and, for this reason, the women who celebrate her
festival, cover the tents with vine-branches, and, in accordance
with the fable, a consecrated serpent is placed by the goddess.
It is not lawful for a man to be by, nor so much as in the
house, whilst the rites are celebrated, but the women by
themselves perform the sacred offices, which are said to be
much the same with those used in the solemnities of Orpheus.
When the festival comes, the husband, who is either consul or
praetor; and with him every male creature, quits the house. The
wife then taking it under her care, sets it in order, and the
principal ceremonies are performed during the night, the women
playing together amongst themselves as they keep watch, and
music of various kinds going on.
As Pompeia was at that time celebrating this feast, Clodius, who
as yet had no beard, and so thought to pass undiscovered, took
upon him the dress and ornaments of a singing woman, and so came
thither, having the air of a young girl. Finding the doors
open, he was without any stop introduced by the maid, who was in
the intrigue. She presently ran to tell Pompeia, but as she was
away a long time, he grew uneasy in waiting for her, and left
his post and traversed the house from one room to another, still
taking care to avoid the lights, till at last Aurelia's woman
met him, and invited him to play with her, as the women did
among themselves. He refused to comply, and she presently
pulled him forward, and asked him who he was, and whence he
came. Clodius told her he was waiting for Pompeia's own maid,
Abra, being in fact her own name also, and as he said so,
betrayed himself by his voice. Upon which the woman shrieking,
ran into the company where there were lights, and cried out, she
had discovered a man. The women were all in a fright. Aurelia
covered up the sacred things and stopped the proceedings, and
having ordered the doors to be shut, went about with lights to
find Clodius, who was got into the maid's room that he had come
in with, and was seized there. The women knew him, and drove
him out of doors, and at once, that same night, went home and
told their husbands the story. In the morning, it was all about
the town, what an impious attempt Clodius had made, and how he
ought to be punished as an offender, not only against those whom
he had affronted, but also against the public and the gods.
Upon which one of the tribunes impeached him for profaning the
holy rites, and some of the principal senators combined together
and gave evidence against him, that besides many other horrible
crimes, he had been guilty of incest with his own sister, who
was married to Lucullus. But the people set themselves against
this combination of the nobility, and defended Clodius, which
was of great service to him with the judges, who took alarm and
were afraid to provoke the multitude. Caesar at once dismissed
Pompeia, but being summoned as a witness against Clodius, said
he had nothing to charge him with. This looking like a paradox,
the accuser asked him why he parted with his wife. Caesar
replied, "I wished my wife to be not so much as suspected."
Some say that Caesar spoke this as his real thought; others,
that he did it to gratify the people, who were very earnest to
save Clodius. Clodius, at any rate, escaped; most of the judges
giving their opinions so written as to be illegible, that they
might not be in danger from the people by condemning him, nor in
disgrace with the nobility by acquitting him.
Caesar, in the meantime, being out of his praetorship, had got
the province of Spain, but was in great embarrassment with his
creditors, who, as he was going off, came upon him, and were
very pressing and importunate. This led him to apply himself to
Crassus, who was the richest man in Rome, but wanted Caesar's
youthful vigor and heat to sustain the opposition against
Pompey. Crassus took upon him to satisfy those creditors who
were most uneasy to him, and would not be put off any longer,
and engaged himself to the amount of eight hundred and thirty
talents, upon which Caesar was now at liberty to go to his
province. In his journey, as he was crossing the Alps, and
passing by a small village of the barbarians with but few
inhabitants and those wretchedly poor, his companions asked the
question among themselves by way of mockery, if there were any
canvassing for offices there; any contention which should be
uppermost, or feuds of great men one against another. To which
Caesar made answer seriously, "For my part, I had rather be the
first man among these fellows, than the second man in Rome." It
is said that another time, when free from business in Spain,
after reading some part of the history of Alexander, he sat a
great while very thoughtful, and at last burst out into tears.
His friends were surprised, and asked him the reason of it. "Do
you think," said he, "I have not just cause to weep, when I
consider that Alexander at my age had conquered so many nations,
and I have all this time done nothing that is memorable?" As
soon as he came into Spain he was very active, and in a few
days had got together ten new cohorts of foot in addition to the
twenty which were there before. With these he marched against
the Calaici and Lusitani and conquered them, and advancing as
far as the ocean, subdued the tribes which never before had been
subject to the Romans. Having managed his military affairs with
good success, he was equally happy in the course of his civil
government. He took pains to establish a good understanding
amongst the several states, and no less care to heal the
differences between debtors and creditors. He ordered that the
creditor should receive two parts of the debtor's yearly
income, and that the other part should be managed by the debtor
himself, till by this method the whole debt was at last
discharged. This conduct made him leave his province with a
fair reputation; being rich himself, and having enriched his
soldiers, and having received from them the honorable name of
Imperator.
There is a law among the Romans, that whoever desires the honor
of a triumph must stay without the city and expect his answer.
And another, that those who stand for the consulship shall
appear personally upon the place. Caesar was come home at the
very time of choosing consuls, and being in a difficulty between
these two opposite laws, sent to the senate to desire that since
he was obliged to be absent, he might sue for the consulship by
his friends. Cato, being backed by the law, at first opposed
his request; afterwards perceiving that Caesar had prevailed
with a great part of the senate to comply with it, he made it
his business to gain time, and went on wasting the whole day in
speaking. Upon which Caesar thought fit to let the triumph
fall, and pursued the consulship. Entering the town and coming
forward immediately, he had recourse to a piece of state-policy
by which everybody was deceived but Cato. This was the
reconciling of Crassus and Pompey, the two men who then were
most powerful in Rome. There had been a quarrel between them,
which he now succeeded in making up, and by this means
strengthened himself by the united power of both, and so under
the cover of an action which carried all the appearance of a
piece of kindness and good-nature, caused what was in effect a
revolution in the government. For it was not the quarrel
between Pompey and Caesar, as most men imagine, which was the
origin of the civil wars, but their union, their conspiring
together at first to subvert the aristocracy, and so quarreling
afterwards between themselves. Cato, who often foretold what
the consequence of this alliance would be, had then the
character of a sullen, interfering man, but in the end the
reputation of a wise but unsuccessful counselor.
Thus Caesar being doubly supported by the interests of Crassus
and Pompey, was promoted to the consulship, and triumphantly
proclaimed with Calpurnius Bibulus. When he entered on his
office, he brought in bills which would have been preferred with
better grace by the most audacious of the tribunes than by a
consul, in which he proposed the plantation of colonies and
division of lands, simply to please the commonalty. The best
and most honorable of the senators opposed it, upon which, as he
had long wished for nothing more than for such a colorable
pretext, he loudly protested how much against his will it was to
be driven to seek support from the people, and how the senate's
insulting and harsh conduct left no other course possible for
him, than to devote himself henceforth to the popular cause and
interest. And so he hurried out of the senate, and presenting
himself to the people, and there placing Crassus and Pompey, one
on each side of him, he asked them whether they consented to the
bills he had proposed. They owned their assent, upon which he
desired them to assist him against those who had threatened to
oppose him with their swords. They engaged they would, and
Pompey added further, that he would meet their swords with a
sword and buckler too. These words the nobles much resented, as
neither suitable to his own dignity, nor becoming the reverence
due to the senate, but resembling rather the vehemence of a boy,
or the fury of a madman. But the people were pleased with it.
In order to get a yet firmer hold upon Pompey, Caesar having a
daughter, Julia, who had been before contracted to Servilius
Caepio, now betrothed her to Pompey, and told Servilius he
should have Pompey's daughter, who was not unengaged either, but
promised to Sylla's son, Faustus. A little time after, Caesar
married Calpurnia, the daughter of Piso, and got Piso made
consul for the year following. Cato exclaimed loudly against
this, and protested with a great deal of warmth, that it was
intolerable the government should be prostituted by marriages,
and that they should advance one another to the commands of
armies, provinces, and other great posts, by means of women.
Bibulus, Caesar's colleague, finding it was to no purpose to
oppose his bills, but that he was in danger of being murdered in
the forum, as also was Cato, confined himself to his house, and
there let the remaining part of his consulship expire. Pompey,
when he was married, at once filled the forum with soldiers, and
gave the people his help in passing the new laws, and secured
Caesar the government of all Gaul, both on this and the other
side of the Alps, together with Illyricum, and the command of
four legions for five years. Cato made some attempts against
these proceedings, but was seized and led off on the way to
prison by Caesar, who expected he would appeal to the tribunes.
But when he saw that Cato went along without speaking a word,