that his duty to his country obliges him to abide fast by his principles. That this resolve was final, is clear from one of the early letters of the next year,[1] in which he says: "Meantime I pursue my studies with a mind quiet, and even cheerful and contented; for it never occurs to me to envy Crassus, or to regret that I did not prove false to myself."
It may be doubted, even if Cæsar had gained Cicero's adhesion, whether he could so far have modified his own course of action as to keep the union unimpaired. The presence of an ally who objected to breaking the law would have seriously hampered his proceedings. In seeking Cicero's support, he must either have hoped that this support would enable him to carry out his projects by milder means, or else he must have calculated that Cicero, once committed to his party, would have been unable to shake himself loose, and would have been drawn along wherever it suited Cæsar to carry him.
As it was, Cicero stood aloof; the coalition was organised as a triumvirate, and Cæsar went on his way unchecked by any scruples. His plan was at once simple and effective. He knew exactly what he wanted, and was prepared to pay the price. Let his confederates give him an extraordinary command for a term of years of a province and an army, and he will undertake to secure for them anything else which they desire. All that they had been vainly striving to obtain for the last two years was to be theirs at once. Pompey was to have his acts in Asia confirmed, and his soldiers were to get their lands;
- ↑ Ad Att., ii., 4, 2.
