James Leigh Strachan-Davidson

“ The regular practice is that, as each magistrate has under the constitution a personal though limited power co-ordinate with that of his colleagues and not a joint power as member of a Board or Cabinet, so in the contest for magistracies each man is chosen separately and independently and each must "fight for his own hand." An election to the consulship is the advance of an individual in the official career, and the door of admission to the most dignified order in the State, not the triumph of a party or of a principle. ”

“ As "nothing succeeds like success," it is important for a candidate to produce the impression that he is assured of overwhelming support. He must lose no opportunity of advertising his strength, and for this purpose must collect an imposing array of "followers." To take part in such a following is an attention which the humblest can offer, and on that ground Cicero defends the practice against Cato's strictures. ”

“ We hear much of the aid given by friends and partisans. In Murena's contested election, for instance, his stepson had feasted his young comrades in the equestrian centuries, his chief engineer had hired seats at the games for his fellow-tribesmen, a Vestal, his kinswoman, had placed her stall at the disposal of the candidate. These proceedings, so Cicero argued with success, did not come within "the blow of the law"; "all such observances count among the dues of friendship, the gratifications of the humbler classes, the attentions looked for from a candidate." ”

“ It is noticeable that the revolutionary faction at Rome, which never respected the constitutional rules and always, when it was strong enough, carried through its measures on the bare initiative of a magistrate, had an organisation more resembling that of modern parties, and tried to elect magistrates in order to carry out schemes of policy and legislation by their means. ”

“ Thus under cover of an Agrarian Law the democratic leaders seem to have designed to secure for themselves the control of the powerful province, which would as they hoped enable them to treat with Pompey on equal terms. ”

“ The populace of the capital was cut off from its supplies of grain; the country-people of Italy found not even the great Appian Road safe from the free-booters; the Roman Knights, who had business relations in all parts of the civilised world, suffered from an interruption of communications ruinous to their interests. ”

“ The one opportunity, which men of humble rank have of earning the thanks and repaying the kindnesses of those in our station, is the service and attendance which they give in our candidatures. Senators and Roman Knights cannot spend all the day in following about their friends when canvassing, and no one expects it of them. ”

“ While other existing magistrates were eligible, Pompey was excluded, almost by name, through a clause which required the personal appearance of each candidate in the Forum; "and can you doubt," says Cicero, [26] "that certain persons are seeking for domination and supremacy over the whole State, when you see that they keep out that man who, as they plainly perceive, will be the defender of your liberties?"
The bill as it stood was fairly open to Cicero's strictures. ”

“ Not one. And yet it is for men who will do all these things that the land of Campania and the great city of Capua is reserved. An army is being got together against yourselves, against your liberty, against Cnæus Pompeius. Capua is set up against this city; bands of desperate ruffians against you; the ten chiefs against Pompey."
When once the bill was put in its true light, as an act of war on Pompey, public opinion declared against it. Cicero was listened to with marked favour by the multitude.—"They gave up to him," says Pliny, [29] "the Agrarian Law, that is to say, their own bread." ”

“ The mission of Piso to Spain is connected with a strange story in which we hear for the first time the name of that Lucius Sergius Catilina, who was destined two years later to cross Cicero's path with momentous consequences to them both. This "first conspiracy of Catiline," as it is called, is assigned to the end of the year 66 and the beginning of the year 65 B.C. Crassus and Cæsar are said to have been implicated in it. A plot which never came to overt acts is a fruitful theme for speculation, and modern writers have expended much ingenuity in discussing it. ”

“ In Cicero's own case it was mainly the influence gained by his practice at the bar which won him the consulship. His brother puts this in the forefront of his advantages: "You will have your fame as an orator to counterbalance your want of noble birth." The Roman advocate was forbidden to accept a fee, but he expected to be repaid by the personal exertions of the client and his friends at the next election; "you must take care," writes Quintus, "that they are as good as their word ”

“ The decemvirs were empowered to buy lands and wplant colonies in whatever part of Italy they chose, or rather, says Cicero, to occupy the strategical points of the country with their garrisons, "keen partisans, eager for violence, ready for rebellion, who at a word from the decemvirs can be armed against the citizens and let loose for slaughter." ”

“ Crassus and Cæsar looked to Egypt as the scene of their [10] operations. Crassus was censor this year, and he proposed to enrol Egypt in the list of provinces on the ground that it had been left to the Roman People by the will of the last king. This king (Ptolemy Alexander II.) had died sixteen years before, in 81 B.C.; but with characteristic hesitation the Senate had never declared whether they considered the bequest valid or whether they meant to accept it. ”

“ Thus fortified Cicero entered on his consulship on the 1st of January 63 B.C.
The year began with an attempt on the part of the democrats to renew the efforts, which they had made under the guidance of Crassus 63 B.C.two years before, to win for themselves some base of operations independent of the power of Pompey. This time, the scheme took the well-known form of an Agrarian Law. A tribune of the plebs, Publius Servilius Rullus, proposed that there should be a great distribution of land to the poorer citizens. ”

“ Men do enjoy the games, you may take my word for it, and not only those who frankly acknowledge their interest, but those who pretend not to care. This was brought home to me when I was a candidate, for I too had the magnificence of a rival's scenery against me ”

“ But "merit" was always liable to be overridden hy "favour" ; "each man who votes considers more frequently what claims the candidate has on him, than what claims he has on the commonwealth." [16] To gain this personal favour was the first business of the candidate. To this end he must be constantly in evidence, and habituate the people to his presence; his face and manner must be familiar in their daily surroundings. "I perceived," says Cicero of himself, [17] "that the ears of the Roman People were somewhat dull but their eyes quick and keen ”

“ On the other side it is maintained, that no such Will exists, that it is unbecoming in the Roman People to seem to be grasping at the possession of kingdoms; that our citizens will be tempted to migrate to that country on account of the richness of the soil and the abundance which reigns there. Well, on this momentous question who is to be judge but Rullus and the rest of the commissioners his colleagues? ”

“ Why should I observe, what is obvious, that it is the populace and the crowd of ignorant men who are so much caught by games? There is no great wonder in that. But that is enough for my argument; for the elections lie with this same common multitude.. ”

“ On these Cicero directed his main attack, and the bill was so loosely and clumsily drawn that it was easy to construe its provisions as an outrage on Pompey's dignity. All the sources of revenue with which Pompey had enriched the State, all the kingdoms and cities which he had conquered, and whose affairs he was in the act of regulating, might be claimed by the rival power. The very ground on which Pompey was encamped might be sold under his feet by virtue of this law. "Pompey," he says, [27] "is determined that whatever you decide, he will consider that he must bear it ”

“ Strange to say, the same considerations seem to have kept Cæsar during his consulship and the triumvirs during their period of supremacy from meddling with Sulla's arrangement, and it was not until the year 49 B.C., while the second Civil War was in progress, that this relic of the first was removed.
Cicero does not appear to have taken any part against a harmless but popular measure proposed by the tribune Labienus, which restored to the people under certain restrictions the power of electing the members of the great priestly colleges. ”

“ If they call at your house each morning, and occasionally escort you down to the Forum and honour you with their company for one turn along the colonnade, you think that they have shown ample consideration and observance. ”