66 A. Urb. 702. Cic. 56. Coss.---Serv. Sulpicius Rufus. M. Claudius Marcellus against whom he had hitherto acted with great fierceness. But Cicero, who knew from the temper and views of them both, how easy it would be to make up matters between them, took occasion to write a congratulatory letter to him upon this advancement, in which he exhorts him with great gravity," to consi"der into what a dangerous crisis his tribunate had fallen, not by chance, but his own choice; what "violence of the times, what variety of dangers hung "over the republic, how uncertain the events of things were, how changeable mens minds, how much treachery and falsehood in human life-he begs of him, therefore, to beware of entering into any new councils, but to pursue and defend what he himself thought right, and not suffer himself to be drawn a"way by the advice of others,"-referring, without doubt, to M. Antony, the chief companion and corrupter of his youth: In the conclusion, he conjures him, to" employ his present power to hinder his pro"vincial trouble from being prolonged by any new act "of the senate 1."-Cicero's suspicions were soon confirmed by letters from Rome; whence Cælius sent him word of Curio's changing sides, and declaring himself for Cæsar: in answer to which, Cicero says, "the last page of your letter in your own hand really "touched me. What do you say? is Curio turned "advocate for Cæsar? who would have thought it be + Sed ut spero et volo, et ut se fert ipse Curio, bonos et senatum malet. Totus ut nunc est, hoc scaturit. Ib. 8. 4. Ep. Fam. 2. 7. A. Urb. 702. Cic. 56. Coss.--Serv. Sulpicius Rufus. M. Claudius Marcellus. "sides myself? for, let me die if I did not expect it! "Good gods, how much do I long to be laughing with "you at Rome §!" A. Urb. 703. Cic. 57. Coss--L. Æmilius Paullus. C. Claudius Marcellus. THE new consuls being Cicero's particular friends, he wrote congratulatory letters to them both upon their election, in which he begged the concurrence of their authority to the decree of his supplication; and, what he had more at heart, that they would not suffer any prolongation of his annual term; in which they readily obliged him, and received his thanks also by letter for that favour*. It was expected, that something decisive would now be done in relation to the two Gauls, and the appointment of a successor to Cæsar, since both the consuls were supposed to be his enemies but all attempts of that kind were still frustrated by the intrigues of Cæsar; for when C. Marcellus began to renew the same motion, which his kinsman had made the year before, he was obstructed by his colleague Paullus, and the tribune Curio, whom Cæsar had privately gained by immense bribes, to suffer nothing prejudicial to his interest to pass during their magistracy †. He is said to have given Paullus § Extrema pagella pupugit me tuo chirographo. Quid ais? Cæsarem nunc defendit Curio? quis hoc putaret præter me? nam ita vivam, putavi. Ib. 13. * Ep. fam. 15. 7, 10, F1, 12, 13. + Sueton. J. Cæs. 29. A. Urb. 703. Cic. 57. Coss---L. Æmilius Paullus. C. Claudius Marcellus. about three hundred thousand pounds, and to Curio much more ‡. The first wanted it to defray the charges of those splendid buildings which he had undertaken to raise at his own cost: the second, to clear himself of the load of his debts, which amounted to about half a million *: for he had wasted his great fortunes so effectually in a few years, that he had no other revenue left, as Pliny says, but in the hopes of a civil war t. These facts are mentioned by all the Roman writers; Momentumque fuit mutatus Curio rerum, Lucan. 4. 819. Caught by the spoils of Gaul, and Cæsar's gold, and Servius applies that passage of Virgil, vendidit bic auro patriam, to the case of Curio's selling Rome to Cæsar. Cicero in the meantime was expecting with impatience, the expiration of his annual term, but, before he could quit the province, he was obliged to see the account of all the money, which had passed through his own or his officers hands, stated and balanced; and three fair copies provided, two to be deposited in two of the principal cities of his jurisdiction, and a third ia the treasury at Rome. That his whole administra. Appian. 1. ii. p. 443. * Sexcenties sestertium æris alieni. Val. Max. 9. 1. Qui nihil in censu habuerit, præter discordiam principum, Plin. Hist. 1. 36. 15. A. Urb. 703. Cic. 57. Cos.-L. Æmilius Paullus. C. Claudius Marcellus. tion therefore might be of a piece, he was very exact and punctual in acquitting himself of this duty, and would not indulge his officers in the use of any public money beyond the legal time, or above the sum prescribed by law, as appears from his letters to some of them who desired it *. Out of the annual revenue, which was decreed to him for the use of the province, he remitted to the treasury all that he had not expended, to the amount of above eight hundred thousand pounds. "This, (says he,) makes my whole company groan; they imagined that it should have "been divided among themselves, as if I ought to "have been a better manager for the treasuries of Phrygia and Cilicia, than for our own. But they did not move me; for my own honour weighed "with me the most: yet I have not been wanting to "do every thing in my power that is honourable and generous to them all †." 66 66 Laodicea me prædes accepturum arbitror omnis publicæ pe cunie-nihil est, quod in isto genere cuiquam possim commodare, &c. Ep. fam. 2. 17. Illud quidem certe factum est, quod lex jubebat, ut apud duas civitates, Laodicensem, et Apamaensem, que nobis maximæ videbantur rationes confectas et consolidatas deponeremus, &c. Ib. 5. 20. Cum enim rectum et gloriosum putarem ex annuo sumptu, qui mihi decretus esset. Me C. Calio quæstori relinquere annum, referre in ærarium ad H. S. cic. ingemuit nostra cohors, omne illud putans distribui sibi oportere: ut ego amicior invenirer Phrygum aut Cilicum ærariis, quam nostro. Sed me non moverunt; nam mea laus apud me plurimum valuit. Nec tamen quicquam honorifice in quemquam fieri potuit, quod prætermiserim. ad Att. 7. I. A. Urb. 703. Cic. 57. Coss.-L. Æmilius Paullus. C. Claudius Marcellus. His last concern was, to what hands he should commit the government of his province upon his leaving it, since there was no successor appointed by the senate, on account of the heats among them about the case of Cæsar, which disturbed all their debates, and interrupted all other business. He had no opinion of his quæstor, C. Cælius, a young man of noble birth, but of no great virtue or prudence; and was afraid, after his glorious administration, that, by placing so great a trust in one of his character, he should expose himself to some censure. But he had no body about him of superior rank, who was willing to accept it, and did not care to force it upon his brother, lest that might give a handle to suspect him of some interest or partiality in the choice *. He dropt the province therefore, after some deliberation, into Cælius's hands, and set forward immediately upon his journey towards Italy. But before he quitted Asia, he begged of Atticus by letter, to send him a particular detail of all the news of the city-"There are odious reports, (says he,) "about Curio and Paullus; not that I see any dan 'ger, while Pompey stands, or I may say indeed, "while he sits, if he has but his health; but in truth, *Ego de provincia decedens quæstorem Cælium præposui provinciæ. Puerum? inquies. At quæstorem; at nobilem adolescentem; at omnium fere exemplo. Neque erat superiore honore usus, quem præficerem. Pontinius multo ante discesserat. A Quinto fratre impetrari non poterat : quem tamen si reliquissem, dicerent iniqui, non me plane post annum, ut senatus voluisset, de provincia decessisse, quoniam alterum me reliquissem. Ep. fam. 2. 15. vid. it. ad Att. 6, 5, 6. |