Chapter 81: The Opening of the Play >
Caesar gave a week’s time for the senators to discuss the bill thoroughly.
However, among the aristocratic faction, it seemed that less than twenty people, including Cato and Cicero, had read the bill to the end.
Caesar knew that fact, but he pretended not to and solemnly declared the start of the meeting.
“Dear senators, I have given you enough time to read the bill carefully and think of any improvements. Now I want to have a constructive debate on this issue. Who would like to speak first?”
As Caesar looked around the audience, Bibulus raised his hand eagerly.
He didn’t even ask for permission to speak and shouted roughly as he stood up from his seat.
“I think this act is not beneficial for Rome at all. So I oppose it.”
“Do you refuse to debate?”
“Of course! I oppose not only the debate but also the bill itself. This is a bill that should not be passed.”
Caesar asked again with a puzzled expression.
“What is wrong with this bill? I want more people to settle on the land and farm. I proposed this law with the intention of sharing the blessing of the earth goddess with many Romans. If you oppose this bill, please tell me why.”
“···The reason why I oppose is because the person who brought this bill is Julius Caesar. I can read his intention. This is not for the farmers! It’s a bill for his own greed. If we pass this, the senate will be corrupted and cursed.”
“That’s an illogical argument. You say I’m trying to satisfy my greed? Please back up your claim with evidence. How exactly am I benefiting from this bill? Is there any clause like that?”
“The name of this bill is Julius Agrarian Law. That fact alone proves his name. Caesar is looking for an opportunity to boost his reputation with this. I can see it. The good citizens of Rome don’t know that they are being fooled by Caesar’s trickery. Stenographer, record my words clearly. I’ll say it again. Rome is being deceived!”
Caesar snorted.
He opposed the bill because its name was Julius Agrarian Law.
Some senators even shook their heads at this absurd and ridiculous excuse.
It was a very normal process to name a bill after the proposer’s clan name in Rome.
Many laws had borrowed the clan name of the proposer, such as Sempornius Law that guaranteed the right of appeal to Romans, Licinius Law that related to the election of magistrates, etc.
Bibulus’ claim was so illogical that even ordinary Roman citizens would sneer at it.
“Dear Bibulus, you are trying to solve this issue emotionally. I beg you again. Give me a logical reason for your opposition. If not, please take the debate seriously. Then I’ll tell you why this bill should be passed from the beginning.”
“No, there’s no need for that. I don’t want to debate or criticize. I just oppose it!”
“So you’re saying your opinion is just to oppose this bill because I, Caesar, proposed it?”
“Yes! Don’t mock my decision as biased. This is a very serious issue. People’s intentions show in any action they take. And Caesar’s intention has always been clear. It’s the collapse of the senate order! I can see it! And I will never let Caesar achieve his goal.”
Caesar didn’t frown or get angry.
He kept his composure and signaled him to sit down quietly when his speech was over.
Bibulus sat down proudly in his seat amid the applause of the aristocratic faction senators.
Then Lucullus, one of the top leaders of the senatorial faction, requested to speak.
He had lost face to Pompey, but Lucullus was still one of the most outstanding generals under Sulla and a former magistrate.
His influence in the senate was still quite large.
Unlike Pompey, who was a follower of Sulla to the bone, Lucullus regarded Caesar as an axis of evil.
The old lion who had not yet completely decayed did not even bother to hide his anger.
“The passage of the agrarian law is obviously nonsense! Caesar cunningly speaks as if he is the only one who cares about Rome’s veterans. But I am also a commander who led a large army and fought for seven years.
Although Pompey took all the credit for my work, anyway, it was my merit that pacified the East! When I see it, this bill makes no sense.
I heard from Cato that according to this bill, the soldiers who followed Pompey would have the right to rent public land first. Why do the soldiers who followed Pompey have priority? I will make this my reason for opposition. This bill is unfair!”
Finally, a counterargument came out and Caesar smiled broadly.
He rebutted Lucullus’ opinion with a kind and thoughtful voice.
“I gave the opportunity to the soldiers who followed Pompey Magnus because it was a way of honoring their achievements. If we don’t reward them properly, who would be willing to devote themselves to the state? The benefits that Pompey brought to Rome are immeasurable, and the soldiers who fought under him deserve to be rewarded for their achievements.”
“That’s nonsense! Pompey is nothing but a crow who stole my work! If you have to give priority to the soldiers who followed him, then you should also give the same right to those who fought under me!”
Before Caesar could open his mouth, Pompey, who was furious, jumped up.
He scolded Lucullus and growled like an angry beast.
“What did you say? A crow? I took over the war that you couldn’t finish for seven years and ended it in no time. You were dragged down from the commander position without even getting the respect of your subordinates. How dare you criticize me, who conquered the whole East? Know your place, Lucullus!”
“Are you denying that I weakened their army? If you had kept me as the commander, I could have done as much as you!”
“Ha! You would have been refused by your soldiers again. And Lucullus, what have you done for your soldiers?
He had given his soldiers a hefty bonus on top of their wages.
And he had promised them land as well.
He was still working hard to keep that promise.
That was the attitude a commander should show to his subordinates! Not like him, who hoarded artworks for himself and amassed a fortune, living like a pig every day!
“
“What did you say! Say that again to my face!”
Pompey and Lucullus exchanged insults and personal attacks for a long time.
The meeting fell into chaos as their bitter rivalry escalated into a verbal fight.
Caesar, who decided that the meeting could not continue in this atmosphere, declared a recess.
And he took advantage of the confusion to sneak up to Lucullus, who was still fuming with anger.
Instead of persuading him, Caesar left a small piece of paper in front of him and walked away.
Lucullus looked at the note that Caesar had left with a puzzled expression on his face.
His face turned pale.
It was a list of corruption charges that Lucullus had committed during his tenure as governor of Asia Minor.
It was information that Marcus had obtained from his conquest of the East.
Lucullus sat quietly in a corner of the meeting hall like a half-witted person from then on.
The aristocratic senators asked him to speak bravely as he had done before, but there was no answer.
Lucullus’s political career was effectively over with this.
Cato, who could not stand it any longer, pulled out his trump card.
He tried to paralyze the meeting with his specialty: long-winded speeches.
“Senators, do you know who Xenon of Elea is? He was a philosopher who lived about 400 years ago, before the time of Socrates. By the way, he is a different person from Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school that I follow.”
“Thank you for explaining the knowledge that no one wants to know, Cato. But what does that have to do with the agrarian law?”
“I will explain it now! But before I do that, I think I need to explain Xenon’s paradoxes first.”
Cato started a speech with the theme that everything we feel now is an illusion, based on the philosophy of Parmenides.
Then, at some point, the discussion shifted to the philosophy of the Stoic school.
And then he talked about the origin of the food he ate yesterday, and then changed the topic to a lecture on the history of that place.
Cato did not even mention the farmers of the agrarian law, and kept talking until sunset.
Pompey stormed out cursing loudly, and the other senators quietly followed him.
Marcus kept his seat with a calm expression on his face, but cursed inwardly all kinds of swear words, and Caesar openly fell asleep on the consul’s seat.
When Cato’s speech was over, only Caesar and his bodyguards led by Rictor, Cato and Marcus were left in the meeting hall.
Caesar said he would convene a meeting at the same time tomorrow and left his seat.
And the next day, as soon as the meeting started, Cato requested speaking rights and began his speech.
Today’s topic was ‘Which hand should we use when eating food: right or left?’
Caesar did not listen to Cato’s speech indefinitely as he did yesterday.
After listening to Cato’s words for about thirty minutes, Caesar called Rictor when he saw no sign of ending his speech.
“I order by the authority of the consul. Remove Cato for obstructing the proceedings.”
“Wait! I’m about to get to the point······.”
Caesar did not listen to Cato’s excuses and ordered him to be detained.
Cato was released after the meeting was over that day.
He succeeded in dragging him out and shutting his mouth every time Cato started a long-winded speech after that, but the meeting did not move forward at all.
The senators of the Senate were not afraid to expose their speeches and devoted themselves to holding back Caesar’s ankles.
But they were not sure if they could drag on time like this for a year.
It was because countless farmers from all over the country gathered in Rome for the Ceres Festival.
Caesar had been patiently watching the failed meetings for this moment.
He declared formally when the Senate meeting broke up without any conclusion as usual.
“I’m afraid I can’t say that I respect and love you today. So I’ll say this. Senators, I have submitted a bill that is rational and reasonable to anyone.
And I expected you to review this bill and improve any possible problems. If you oppose it, I wanted to have a productive discussion with rational arguments. But unfortunately, you proved with your whole body that you have no intention of doing so. So I have no choice but to send this bill to the plebeian assembly.”
Bibulus shouted that this was tyranny.
Of course, Caesar’s actions were all legal and based on the law.
Caesar set the date of the plebeian assembly three days before the Ceres Festival.
He did not want to drag on the bad news until after the festival and make the mood dull.
The citizens naturally cheered at Caesar’s decision.
The passage of the agrarian law, which had been dragging on for more than 60 years, was finally in sight.
As the date set by Caesar approached, the Forum Romanum was crowded with people who had flocked from all over the country, creating a sea of people.
It was no less than the number of people who had rushed in when Marcus had reformed the finance system.
At the very front of the rostrum were Pompey’s retired soldiers, who showed a menacing attitude and occupied their seats.
Their lives depended on whether the law passed or failed today.
It was a matter of livelihood, so they had to be desperate.
There were also many poor people who were eligible for land distribution, filling the square.
They had been waiting for almost a month, so they knew almost everything about the Julian agrarian law.
When Caesar, the chairman of the plebeian assembly, took the rostrum with Rictor, the citizens greeted him with enthusiastic cheers.
Then, when the senators of the Senate followed Caesar’s entrance, they were met with tremendous boos and jeers.
The public opinion was divided to extremes even before the assembly started.
The faint-hearted senators were pale with the pressure from the crowds that had gathered much more than they expected.
Of course, Cato was different.
He had the guts to say what he wanted to say in front of hundreds of thousands, not just thousands.
Caesar decided that he had to break him first, who was the spiritual pillar of the aristocrats.
He announced the start of the meeting with a ceremonial greeting.
And he went straight to the point without any delay.
“Citizens, we have been waiting for more than 60 years. Many of you must feel that something is wrong with the current land system.
There are many aristocrats who build large farms with hundreds of slaves on fertile land, but there are also many people who do not even own ten jugerums of land.
Even those who bravely volunteered for the army to protect the country have no land to farm when they retire. This is not right.
I am convinced that the country is going in the wrong direction. So I proposed the Julian agrarian law to reverse this wrong flow. I will skip the detailed explanation of the content as it has already spread everywhere.”
Caesar paused for a moment and looked around at the citizens.
He could vividly feel their intense desire as they looked at him.
He smiled and continued his speech.
“I originally wanted this bill to pass under the leadership of the senators of the Senate. I wanted to prove to you that Rome’s privileged class was not a being that only cared for its own interests.
But unfortunately, the Senate did not respond to my wish. They seem to think that there is something wrong with this bill. So I ask you again in this place. Porcius Cato. Please make your position clear on this bill.”
Cato, who was named first, stepped forward bravely as if he had hoped for it.
He opened his mouth boldly with an expression like a martyr.
But what he said was no different from his usual long-winded speech to obstruct the proceedings.
“Citizens, consul Caesar is now riding on public opinion and doing whatever he wants. This is an act that goes against the spirit of republicanism. Originally, republicanism means······.”
Before Cato could continue his words, angry crowds spat curses and pushed forward.
The other senators tried to block them with their bodies, but it was useless.
The garbage that flew onto the rostrum hit Cato’s face squarely.
Cato vomited out garbage while gagging, and crowds who climbed onto the rostrum tried to drag him down.
If it weren’t for the other senators who protected him, it would have been a big trouble.
Caesar and Pompey intervened and stopped them when things got too serious.
The crowds who barely calmed down returned to their seats.
The senators who witnessed the tremendous anger of the citizens shuddered at the thought that they might have been mistaken all along.
Bibulus staggered in shock and whispered to Marcus.
“Do you see that scene? We’ve been targeting the wrong person all along!”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe consul Caesar wasn’t leading this whole thing.”
“It’s not maybe, it’s almost certain. We were all blinded by Cato’s absurd overestimation of Caesar.
Pompey pretended to be weak against us while secretly courting Caesar and waiting for an opportunity! Come to think of it, Caesar has always sided with Pompey. Caesar agreed to pay off some of his debts with Pompey’s wealth from conquering the East, and if Caesar became Pompey’s servant, everything would make sense.”
Bibulus tried to say something more, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening cheers.
Caesar named Bibulus as the next speaker after Pompey.
When he took the rostrum, Caesar kindly explained to the citizens.
“Bibulus, who is the consul with me this year, has said that he will exercise his veto. Let’s hear his reason.”
Bibulus, who had seen what had happened to Cato just before, was frozen by the jeers of the crowd.
He rolled his eyes, looking for an excuse, and barely opened his mouth as he looked at the birds in the sky.
“···I am an augur who reads the will of the gods through flying birds. According to what I saw, this year is not a good year to discuss laws about land. That’s why I opposed it.”
The angry citizens’ booing filled the square.
Caesar stepped forward and asked with a smile.
“Bibulus, what other position do I hold besides consul?”
“···The pontifex maximus.”
“That’s right. So I asked other augurs and they said that there was no problem with this year’s fortune. I declare as the pontifex maximus that this year is the best year to pass the agrarian law.”
Bibulus, who tried to use the authority of religion, ended up not being able to say anything and came down from the rostrum.
The citizens’ ridicule and jeers stuck to his back.
The Senate ordered their allies, the tribunes of the plebs, to exercise their veto as a last resort.
But even the tribunes, who had inviolability, did not have the guts to exercise their veto in such an atmosphere.
In the end, Caesar put the agrarian bill to a vote in the plebeian assembly.
The result was obvious.
The Julian agrarian law was unanimously passed in all eighteen electoral districts.
The Senate had no choice but to retreat one step back so as not to be killed by the angry citizens.
It was still a gain that they confirmed that Caesar and Pompey had formed an alliance.
They had no choice but to console themselves with that for now.
Cato, who had garbage all over his head, gritted his teeth as he spat out the foreign matter in his mouth.
“It’s not over yet. Pompey and Caesar’s alliance won’t last anyway. Now Pompey has an overwhelming position, so Caesar will obediently follow him, but as soon as his power grows, disaster will happen.”
As Cato said, political alliances always resulted in splitting into two without exception.
They might have temporarily united for their mutual interests, but they would inevitably split up when their interests clashed.
The Senate changed their policy and decided to sow discord between Pompey and Caesar.
They never imagined it.
That there were more than two members in this alliance.
Marcus watched them with a cold and sunken gaze as they debated more heatedly than ever how to deal with Caesar and Pompey’s alliance.
< End of Chapter 81. Opening of the Play >
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