Dios Rome, Vol. 2 | Page 9

borne, by
her you were reared. You must be a slave to whatever is for her
advantage, not shrinking from any hardship or danger to secure it. And
should it become necessary for you to lose your life, you must in that
case not await your fated day but embrace whatever death meets you.
[-29-] But truly I am ridiculous to give you this advice,--you who in so
many great conflicts have exhibited both your bravery and your love
for your country. Heed me, therefore, and these citizens here; do not
fear because some are envious. Rather press on all the more for this
very reason to a goal which is the friendship of the majority and the
common advantage of us all, and scorn your traducers. Or, if you are
willing to grieve them a little, take command for this very reason, that
you may distress them by serving and winning glory contrary to their
expectations, and that you may in person set an ending worthy of
yourself beside your former accomplishments, by ridding us of many
great evils."
[-30-] When Gabinius had thus expressed himself, Trebellius strove to
make a dissenting speech; but as he did not receive leave to speak he
proceeded to oppose the casting of a vote. Gabinius was incensed, and
delayed the balloting regarding Pompey, but introduced a new motion
concerning the same man. The first seventeen tribes to register an
opinion decided that Trebellius was at fault and might be no longer
tribune. And not until the eighteenth was on the point of voting the
same way, was he barely induced to maintain silence. Roscius, seeing
this, did not dare utter a word, but by a gesture of his raised hand urged
them to choose two men, so that he might by so doing cut off a little of
Pompey's supremacy. At this gesticulation of his the crowd gave a great
threatening shout, whereat a crow flying above their heads was so
startled that it fell as if smitten by lightning. After that Roscius kept not
only his tongue but his hand still. Catulus was for remaining silent, but
Gabinius urged him to make some speech, inasmuch as he ranked
among the foremost in the senate and it seemed likely that through his

agency the rest might reach a harmonious decision; it was Gabinius's
hope, likewise, that he would join in approving the general desire from
the fact that he saw the tribunes in bad straits. Accordingly Catulus
received permission to speak, since all respected and honored him as
one who at all times spoke and acted for their advantage, and delivered
an address about as follows:
[-31-] "That I have been exceedingly zealous, Quirites, in behalf of
your body, all of you, doubtless, clearly understand. This being so, it is
requisite for me to set forth in simple fashion and quite frankly what I
know to be for the good of the State; and it is only fair for you to listen
to it calmly and afterward to deliberate. For, if you raise an uproar, you
will fail of obtaining some perhaps very useful suggestion which you
might have heard, but if you pay attention to what is said you will be
sure to discover definitely something to your advantage. I for my part
assert in the first place most emphatically that it is not proper to confide
to any one man so many positions of command, one after another. This
has been forbidden by law, and by test has been found to be most
perilous. What made Marius such a monster was practically nothing
else than being entrusted with so many wars in the briefest space of
time and being made consul six times as rapidly as possible: and
similarly the cause of Sulla's frenzy was that he held command of the
armies so many years in succession, and later was appointed dictator,
then consul. It does not lie in man's nature for a person, not necessarily
young but mature quite as often, after exercise in authority for a
considerable period to be willing to abide by ancestral customs.[-32-] I
do not say this in any spirit of condemnation of Pompey, but because it
does not appear at all advantageous to you on general grounds, and
further it is not permitted according to the laws. For if an enterprise
brings honor to those deemed worthy of it, all whom that enterprise
concerns ought to obtain honor; this is the principle of democracy: and
if it brings labor, all ought to share that labor proportionately; this is
mere equity.
"Again, in such an affair it is to your advantage for many individuals to
have practice in exploits, so that as a result of trial your choice may be
an easy one from among