caesar-第3部分

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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　offended；　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　vigour



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　honourable　name　of



Imperator。



　　There　is　a　law　among　the　Romans；　that　whoever　desires　the　honour



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　quarrelling　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



counsellor。



　　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　the　division　of　lands；



simply　to　please　the　commonalty。　The　best　and　most　honourable　of　the



senators　opposed　it；　upon　which；　as　he　had　long　wished　for　nothing



more　than　for　such　a　colourable　pretext；　he　loudly　protested　how



much　it　was　against　his　will　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　that　he　would　appeal　to



the　tribunes。　But　when　he　saw　that　Cato　went　along　without　speaking



a　word；　and　not　only　the　nobility　were　indignant；　but　the　people　also；



out　of　respect　for　Cato's　virtue；　were　following　in　silence；　and



with　dejected　looks；　he　himself　privately　desired　one　of　the



tribunes　to　rescue　Cato。　As　for　the　other　senators；　some　few　of　them



attended　the　house；　the　rest；　being　disgusted；　absented　themselves。



Hence　Considius；　a　very　old　man；　took　occasion　one　day　to　tell



Caesar　that　the　senators　did　not　meet　because　they　were　afraid　of



his　soldiers。　Caesar　asked；　〃Why　don't　you；　then；　out　of　the　same



fear；　keep　at　home？〃　To　which　Considius　replied；　that　age　was　his



guard　against　fear；　and　that　the　small　remains　of　his　life　were　not



worth　much　caution。　But　the　most　disgraceful　thing　that　was　done　in



Caesar's　consulship　was　his　assisting　to　gain　the　tribuneship　for



the　same　Clodius　who　had　made　the　attempt　on　his　wife's　chastity　and



intruded　upon　the　secret　vigils。　He　was　elected　on　purpose　to　effect



Cicero's　downfall；　nor　did　Caesar　leave　the　city