After this success, he ventured to measure his strength with the principal men of Rome. The office of Ponti fex Maximus falling vacant by the death of Metellus, Lutatius Catulus, prince of the senate, and Servilius Isauricus, a man of high military reputation, under whom Cxsar had served his first campaign, declared them selves candidates. Cxsar, though greatly inferior both in age and dignity, ventured, nevertheless, to enter the lists with these powerful competitors. He seems to have staked his prospects and his influence on the issue of this contest ; for when his mother, on the day ofelec tion, expressed her anxiety, lie declared, that she should that day either sue him high priest, or an exile. Never was any election inure keenly contested. It was a trial of strength between the patrician and popular parties ; and the ti itunpil of C.:csar was so complete, as scarcely to leave any room fur contest in future ; for on taking the suffrages, he had Inure votes against them in their own tribes, than they were able to procure among all the other citizens. Surton. in Cces. xiii The same year in \cinch Caesar obtained the priest hood, Catiline planned his famous conspiracy, which has been so ably recorded by Sallust the historian, and which procured so much eclat to Cicero, from the vigour w hicli he manifested in its suppression. Caesar was not only suspected, but publicly accused, of being privy to this conspiracy ; and it perhaps would be difficult to de fend him from the charge ; lie had probably more sense than to join his flourishing fortunes with such a desperate adventurer as Catiline ; but it is as probable that he would rejoice in any conimotion, perhaps even in the subver sion of the state, as this would affiird a proper field the exhibition of its tab !its, and for procuring that abso lute ascendency at which uniformly aimed. Ills speech, recommending lenity to the conspirators, was in judicious, cooside•iog toe suspicions which were attach ed to him, and had nearly been attended with fatal conse quences to hiruscif: for Cato's spe:ch in opposition to the sentiments of C...esar, and in which, as Plutarch in forms us, he expressed his suspicions of his principles, had produced such a spirit of enthusiasm on the minds of all who heard it, that the Roman knights, who had as sembled as a voluntary guard around the person of Ci cero, rushed upon Caesar with their swords, as he left the senate-house, and looking to the consul for a nod of approbation, would have instantly dispatched him, had Cicero given his assent. At this critical moment, Ci cero interposing, and covering him with his gown, res cued him from his dangerous situation.
Cush was next, in the regular gradation of office, ad vanced to the pranorship, and during his administration of this department, the commonwealth enjoyed a short respite from his intrigues. A disagreeable occurrence, however, happened in his family, which seemed to give him but very little uneasiness. Publius Clodius, a young Patrician, of high birth and ample fortune, but of the most abandoned and profligate character, had entertain ed a criminal passion for Pompeia, Caesar's wife, which she did not discourage ; but they had no proper oppor tunity of an interview, on account of the vigilance of C.a.. sar's mother. It was therefore agreed, that Clodius should be introduced in woman's clothes, during the ce lebration of the mysteries of the Bona Dee, to which no male creature was admitted.* One maid only was in the
secret, but she happening to be out of the way when Clo dius entered, he was discovered by his voice, and w ith difficulty escaped from the fury of the enraged matrons. This story made a great noise at the time; but Cxsar took it very coolly : he said, that he did not believe it ; but he nevertheless divorced Pompeia, alleging as the reason, not her guilt, but the sacredness of his honour, and saying, that Caesar's wife ought not even to be sus pected. The truth is, he was anxious to conciliate Clo dius, who was the most popular and the most furious demagogue that ever appeared in Rome, and whose as sistance he saw must be of infinite service to him.
On the expiry of his office as proctor, Cztsar obtained his first military command, and was appointed, by lot, to the government of Lusitania, comprehending- nearly the modern Portugal and Andalusia. Ile had so com pletely involy ed himself by his boundless profusion, that his creditors interfered, and prevented his departure. On this occasion, Crassus stood forward as his for considerably more than a million of our money, (Ma mille8 et quingenties.) Cxsur made a joke of tl.is cir cumstance, and said that he wanted this suns to be worth just nothing- at all. In modern times no man could think of repairing such a ruined fortune ; yet Coesar soon fou,id means of repaying the sum, and of undertaking, at his own expellee, the most magnificent public works that ever had been seen at Rome. This is easily ac counted for, when we consider that extensive provinces were entirely at the mercy of their governors, who could make whatever exactions they pleased ; and though they were often accused of peculation, yet it was never till they had amassed such a fortune as to render them formidable ; and, in general, completely to screen them from punishment. In passing the Alps, on his way to Spain, one of his attendants, pointing to a small village, said, litre too, it is probable, there arc /zanies, and con testa for power. To which emsar replied, " i would rather he the first man here, than the second man in Rome." In his government in Spain he contrived to quarrel with the natives, that he might have an opportunity of bringing into view those military talents which he pos sessed in such an eminent degree ; and his success was such, that on his return to Rome he publicly claimed a triumph. Unfortunately, however, he had two objects in view, which could not easily be reconciled ; he solicit ed at the same time a triumph, and the consulship : to obtain the first object, it was necessary, according to immemorial custom, that he should remain without the city, till the sentence of the senate should be known ; and there had been instances of commanders waiting for months in that situation, in hopes of being able to enter the city in triumph. On the other hand, in order to ob tain the consulship, it was necessary that the candidate should be within the city, to solicit in person the suffrages of the people. Cesar at first tried to get this law dis pensed with, but as Cato violently opposed the innova tion, he resigned his pretensions to the triumph, that he might enjoy the more substantial honours of the consul ship.