"Clodius," says Dion Cassius, "had discovered that among the
senators Cicero was more feared than loved. There were few of them who had
not been hit by his irony, or irritated by his presumption." Those who
most agreed in what he had done were not ashamed to shuffle off upon him
their responsibilities. Clodius, now omnipotent with the assembly at his
back, cleared the way by a really useful step; he carried a law abolishing
the impious form of declaring the heavens unfavorable when an inconvenient
measure was to be stopped or delayed. Probably it formed a part of his
engagement with Caesar. The law may have been meant to act
retrospectively, to prevent a question being raised on the interpellations
of Bibulus. This done, and without paying the Senate the respect of first
consulting it, he gave notice that he would propose a vote to the
assembly, to the effect that any person who had put to death a Roman
citizen without trial, and without allowing him an appeal to the people,
had violated the constitution of the State. Cicero was not named directly;
every senator who had voted for the execution of Cethegus and Lentulus and
their companions was as guilty as he; but it was known immediately that
Cicero was the mark that was being aimed at; and Caesar at once renewed
the offer, which he made before, to take Cicero with him.
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