Conscience and patriotism should have alike held him to the
reforming party; and political instinct, if vanity had left him the use of
his perception, would have led him in the same direction. Possibly before
he received the votes of the patricians and their clients he had bound
himself with certain engagements to them. Possibly he held the Senate's
intellect cheap, and saw the position which he could arrive at among the
aristocracy if he offered them his services. The strongest intellect was
with the reformers, and first on that side he could never be. First among
the Conservatives[7] he could easily be; and he might prefer being at
the head of a party which at heart he despised, to working at the side of
persons who must stand inevitably above him. We may regret that gifted men
should be influenced by personal considerations, but under party
government it is a fact that they are so influenced, and will be as long
as it continues. Caesar and Pompey were soldiers. The army was democratic,
and the triumph of the democracy meant the rule of a popular general.
Cicero was a civilian, and a man of speech. In the forum and in the Curia
he knew that he could reign supreme.
Cicero had thus reached the highest step in the scale of promotion by
trimming between the rival factions. Caesar was rising simultaneously
behind him on lines of his own.
Pages:
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185