30
C. JULIUS CAESAB.
offices; but from the fourth to the seventh century it entirely
disappears, and it is only about the end of that period that it
comes forth from its obscurity. The patrician rank had then
so little meaning that, with the exception of Sulla and a few
others the patricians sided with the popular party. Such also
was the case with the Julii. Juha, the sister of Caesar’s father,
was married to the elder Marius; and Caesar therefore was
attached to his uncle Marius and his recollections, from his
early youth, just as Plato was attached to his mother’s uncle.
He himself was married to Cornelia, the daughter of Cinna, and
Sulla wished to dissolve this marriage; but Caesar, young as
he was, shewed his noble soul, for where all trembled, he
refused to bend, and resisted. They might take her from him
by force, and might threaten his life, but he would not consent
to divorce the wife he loved. Her dowry however was taken
away, because the property of her father was confiscated. Cae-
sar was not on the proscription list of Sulla, but was obliged to
conceal himself, for he was persecuted, with the knowledge of
the dictator, by his catchpolls, the Cornelii, and was reduced to
the necessity of purchasing his own life. Caesar, according to
the custom of the young nobles, had married very early, and
was still very young at the time of Sulla’s tyranny: but there
was something so extraordinary in his character, that even
some of the savage agents of Sulla could not bear the thought
that so distinguished a young man should be sacrificed; and
Sulla was at last induced, though not without great difficulty,
to stop the persecution against him. Caesar now returned to
Pome. Had Cicero been as thoughtful as Cæsar, he would
have been a happier man, for Caesar possessed the greatest
boldness and resolution, combined with an incredible degree of
prudence and cunning; so long therefore as Sulla lived, Caesar
spent his time in the active pursuit of study, like an ordinary
man of good education; and he, who was afterwards the
greatest general of his age, shewed no trace of military ambi-
tion, and received no military training. When he went to
Spain as quaestor he, for the first time, commanded a detach-
ment of troops, and became a great general at once, just like
Moreau who served in his first campaign as commander of a
division. Frederic the Great too never went through any
military training. After his quaestorship, Caesar obtained the
aedileship, in which he distinguished himself by his extraor-
C. JULIUS CAESAR.
31
dinary munificence and splendour, although he was by no
means rich. He was unconcerned about money matters, reckon-
ing upon great things that were to come; and whoever lent
him money had in Caesar’s heart a security that he would be
repaid tenfold, if Caesar should come into power.
It was during his aedileship that he attracted general atten-
tion, by placing himself at the head of the remnants of the
Marian party, for the party of Sulla was already sinking in
public opinion. In this spirit he had honoured his aunt Julia,
the wife of Marius, with a splendid funeral oration, the first
that was ever delivered upon a woman. It was an unworthy
act of the victorious party that it had destroyed all the monu-
mental honours of Marius, and had removed his statues and
monuments; but Caesar one night secretly caused the statue
of Marius to be restored in the Capitol, together with a statue
of Minerva putting a crown on the head of Marius, and an
inscription recording all his titles. This created such a terror
at Rome, that the aged Catulus, in his folly, wished the
senate to interfere and accuse Caesar; but public opinion was
in favour of the latter. After his aedileship, Caesar became
praetor, and four years after Cicero’s consulship, he was elected
consul, A. u. 693.
There are many isolated facts in ancient history, to which
attention is not usually paid, although to an attentive observer
they are of the highest interest. One such is the account—
whether it is true or not I cannot decide—that when Cicero
as a young man went to Rhodes to complete his education,
and consulted the oracle of Delphi about his life, the Pythia
advised him to live for himself, and not to take the opinions
of others as his guide.11 If this is an invention, it was cer-
tainly made by one who saw very deeply, and perceived the
real cause of all Cicero’s sufferings. If the Pythia did give
such an answer, then this is one of the oracles which might
tempt us to believe in an actual inspiration of the priestess.
11 Hiitarch, Cicero, 5.