Julius Caesar | Page 4

joined Publius Sylla
and Lucius Autronius, who, after they had been chosen consuls, were
convicted of bribery. The plan of the conspirators was to fall upon the
senate at the opening of the new year, and murder as many of them as
should be thought necessary; upon which, Crassus was to assume the
office of dictator, and appoint Caesar his master of the horse [22].
When the commonwealth had been thus ordered according to their
pleasure, the consulship was to have been restored to Sylla and
Autronius. Mention is made of this plot by Tanusius Geminus [23] in
his history, by Marcus Bibulus in his edicts [24], and by Curio, the
father, in his orations [25]. Cicero likewise seems to hint at this in a
letter to Axius, where he says, that Caesar (7) had in his consulship
secured to himself that arbitrary power [26] to which he had aspired
when he was edile. Tanusius adds, that Crassus, from remorse or fear,
did not appear upon the day appointed for the massacre of the senate;
for which reason Caesar omitted to give the signal, which, according to
the plan concerted between them, he was to have made. The agreement,
Curio says, was that he should shake off the toga from his shoulder. We
have the authority of the same Curio, and of M. Actorius Naso, for his

having been likewise concerned in another conspiracy with young
Cneius Piso; to whom, upon a suspicion of some mischief being
meditated in the city, the province of Spain was decreed out of the
regular course [27]. It is said to have been agreed between them, that
Piso should head a revolt in the provinces, whilst the other should
attempt to stir up an insurrection at Rome, using as their instruments
the Lambrani, and the tribes beyond the Po. But the execution of this
design was frustrated in both quarters by the death of Piso.
X. In his aedileship, he not only embellished the Comitium, and the rest
of the Forum [28], with the adjoining halls [29], but adorned the
Capitol also, with temporary piazzas, constructed for the purpose of
displaying some part of the superabundant collections (8) he had made
for the amusement of the people [30]. He entertained them with the
hunting of wild beasts, and with games, both alone and in conjunction
with his colleague. On this account, he obtained the whole credit of the
expense to which they had jointly contributed; insomuch that his
colleague, Marcus Bibulus, could not forbear remarking, that he was
served in the manner of Pollux. For as the temple [31] erected in the
Forum to the two brothers, went by the name of Castor alone, so his
and Caesar's joint munificence was imputed to the latter only. To the
other public spectacles exhibited to the people, Caesar added a fight of
gladiators, but with fewer pairs of combatants than he had intended.
For he had collected from all parts so great a company of them, that his
enemies became alarmed; and a decree was made, restricting the
number of gladiators which any one was allowed to retain at Rome.
XI. Having thus conciliated popular favour, he endeavoured, through
his interest with some of the tribunes, to get Egypt assigned to him as a
province, by an act of the people. The pretext alleged for the creation of
this extraordinary government, was, that the Alexandrians had violently
expelled their king [32], whom the senate had complimented with the
title of an ally and friend of the Roman people. This was generally
resented; but, notwithstanding, there was so much opposition from the
faction of the nobles, that he could not carry his point. In order,
therefore, to diminish their influence by every means in his power, he
restored the trophies erected in honour of Caius Marius, on account of

his victories over Jugurtha, the Cimbri, and the Teutoni, which had
been demolished by Sylla; and when sitting in judgment upon
murderers, he treated those as assassins, who, in the late proscription,
had received money from the treasury, for bringing in the heads of
Roman citizens, although they were expressly excepted in the
Cornelian laws.
XII. He likewise suborned some one to prefer an impeachment (9) for
treason against Caius Rabirius, by whose especial assistance the senate
had, a few years before, put down Lucius Saturninus, the seditious
tribune; and being drawn by lot a judge on the trial, he condemned him
with so much animosity, that upon his appealing to the people, no
circumstance availed him so much as the extraordinary bitterness of his
judge.
XIII. Having renounced all hope of obtaining Egypt for his province, he
stood candidate for the office of chief pontiff, to secure which, he had
recourse to the most profuse bribery. Calculating, on this