Thus the wrangling and escalation continued. Curio vetoed anything that would cause Caesar to lose his command. Now more voices were heard that Pompey had better be ready to make good on his threat to make Caesar obey. Once again many men could not decide what to do or what might happen. Pompey seemed very assured that he could take on Caesar's legions, should the need arise. Caelius, writing to Cicero, believed that Caesar's well trained and experienced army was far more likely to win over anything Pompey could put together, "In peacetime, while taking part in domestic politics, it is most important to back the side that is in the right-but in times of war, the strongest." (Cicero,To Friends, 8.14.). Caelius was hardly the only man to be thinking along such cynical lines. In the years after Sulla's dictatorship there was a generation of young men who didn't want to take the usual path to power, and the chasm between this set of fast living, high rolling men and the senior statesmen of the Senate, with their gravitas and dignitas was getting wider every day. The great orator Hortensius died in the summer of 50 BC leaving a vacancy in the augural college. This office was very prestigious and it involved determining if the right way had been chosen to placate the gods by those who studied portents in the natural world. The arrogant old-line aristocrat Domitius Ahenobarbus was going up against the young upstart Mark Antony to fill the vacancy. Ahenobarbus had the complete support of the senatorial establishment behind him and was favored to win. However, Mark Antony, who had come a long way since the wild days of his youth was elected to the augurate. The gulf between the two factions opened up further and many wondered if a civil war was once again on the horizon. The great majority of people who didn't like either side or liked certain men who represented both factions increasingly found themselves in a funk and didn't know what to do. Cicero said, "I'm fond of Curio, I wish to see Caesar honored in the manner which is his due, and as for Pompey, I would lay down my life for him-all the same, what really counts with me is the Republic itself." War-like sentiments were in the air, those who would make peace were thought of as appeasers and the discussion in Rome was all about war. Deep in the winter, in 50 BC, Gaius Marcellus, one of the two consuls went to Pompey's villa in the Alban Hills. The other consul had begun his term of office on the anti-Caesar side, but had changed his decision like Curio had, and probably for similar reasons. Marcellus had remained unmoving in his opposition to Caesar and with just days left in his term of office, he wanted to appeal to Pompey to oppose Caesar with all his might and once again save the Republic.
A great number of senators and a crowd of worried, yet excited onlookers watched the exchange between the two men. A solemn Marcellus told Pompey, "We charge you to march against Caesar and rescue the Republic." In reply Pompey said, "I will do so, if no other way can be found." (Appian, 2.36). Pompey took the sword and the command of two legions at Capua. Pompey also began to raise fresh levies, which was unconstitutional, and also hypocritically denounced by Caesar's supporters. Curio brought this news to Caesar, who by this time was threateningly stationed at Ravenna with his 13th legion. Curio's term of office had ended and he had no desire to stay in the capital to be targeted with prosecution or even worse. Mark Antony had taken his place as tribune and through the month of December launched a series of vicious attacks on Pompey and used his veto power to stop any anti-Caesarian legislation. Antony again made himself useful to Caesar on 1 January 49 BC, when, despite the stern opposition of the new consuls, who were extremely anti-Caesar, he read a letter to the Senate. This letter had been delivered by Curio himself. In the letter, Caesar, the powerful and war-like proconsul said he wanted peace. He listed his many great achievements and proposed that both he and Pompey end their commands simultaneously. The Senate was anxious about the effect this letter would have on public opinion and suppressed it. Metellus Scipio then stood up and delivered the final knock-out punch to hopes of peace and a compromise solution. He named a date by which Caesar should surrender command of his legions or be considered an enemy of the Republic. This motion was voted on and only two senators opposed it-Curio and Caelius. Mark Antony with his power as a tribune then vetoed the bill. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for the Senate. On 7 January 49 BC a state of emergency was declared. Pompey moved troops into Rome, and the tribunes were told that their safety could no longer be guaranteed. Antony, Curio and Caelius desguised themselves as slaves, hid in a wagon and fled north toward Ravenna. The news of Pompey's emergency powers reached him by 10 January. Caesar immediately sent a detachment of his troops south to seize the nearest frontier towns inside Italy.
The image is a fresco, done in 1464, that is an interpretation of a young Cicero reading. Peace and be well anyone stopping by!
No comments:
Post a Comment