Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/410

402 CATO THE YOUNGER. Caesar, therefore, resolving to let fall his pretensions to the triumph, came into the town, and immediately made a friendship with Poinpey, and stood for the consulship. And so soon as he was declared consul elect, he married his daughter Julia to Pompey. And having thus combined themselves together against the commonwealth, the one proposed laws for dividing the lands among the poor peo- ple, and the other was present to support the proposals Lucullus, Cicero, and their friends, joined with Bibulus, the other consul, to hinder their passing, and, foremost of them all, Cato, who already looked upon the friendship and alliance of Pompey and Coesar as very dangerous, and declared he did not so much dislike the advantage the people should get by this division of the lands, as he feared the reward these men would gain, by thus court- ing and cozening the people. And in this he gained over the senate to his opinion, as likewise many who were not senators, who were offended at Ctesar's ill conduct, that he, in the office of consul, should thus basely and dishon- orably flatter the people ; practising, to win their favor, the same means that were wont to be used only by the most rash and rebellious tribunes. Caesar, therefore, and his party, fearing they should not carry it by fair dealing, fell to open force. First a basket of dung was thrown upon Bibulus as he was going to the forum ; then they set upon his lictors and broke their rods ; at length sev- eral darts were thrown, and many men wounded ; so that all that were against those laws, fled out of the forum, the rest with what haste they could, and Cato, last of all, walking out slowly, often turning back and calling down vengeance upon them. Thus the other party not only carried their point of dividing the lands, but also ordained, that all the senate should swear to confirm this law, and to defend it against whoever should attempt to alter it, inflicting great penal-