The Shasta courier., 1863-05-09
SH ASIA COURIER.
julius Cesar.

an 1luStrlouS family lie was Dorm ABOUT
nehundred years before the birth Of Christ.
It is said that in early boyhood he indicated
such genius ttar those who knew him pre-
dicted for him distinguished career. There
were two parties which then agitated the Ro-
man Empire. The aristocratlc party was
headed by Sylla and afterwards BY Pomrey.
Caesar, who was to Rome what Napoleon was
to France, espoused the popular cause, and
was speedily recognized BY the people as their
leader. lie married Cornelia, the daughter
Of CHINA, distinguished advocate of plebe-
ian rights. Sylla, the relentless and blood
stained dictator, ordered Caesar to repudiate
Cornelia. He refused and fed from Rome.
Soldiers were sent to bring his head to the
tyrant. Influential friends interposed and
his life was spared, though the sagacious ty-
rant declared that in the energetic stripping
he foresaw danger to the State.
Like all great men, Caesar was fully con-
scious of the power which highly cultivated
mind confers upon man. and devoted his
early years with intense assiduity to study,
30 that he became one of the most accomplish
ed of the Intellectual men of Rome. Both as
an orator and a historian he took rank among
the most ilustrious names. In company
with Cicero he visited Rhodes to pursue his
studies under very distinguished. teacher
there.
In an excursion on the Mediterranean he
was taken prisoner by some Greek pirates.
The imperial will of one born to command
overawed those semi barbarians. Fer thirty
sight days he was held by them as a captive,
while emissaries were sent to obtain the
money for his ransom. lie laughed at their
demand of about S3S, 900 for his release, and
told them that they did not know hin-that
ba,- hos frvin oh
but that afterwards he would return with
feet, burn out their pirate nest and cruelty
every one of them. He called them ounces
and barbarans, ordered them to keep still
when he wished ID sleep, and treated them
with perfect contempt. as il they were his
slaves rather than his captors.
The money was paid, and Caesar ransomed.
He Immediately raised, through his own en-
ergy, a small naval force, sank their ships
and crucified the pirates. Soon after this,
Casar's wife, Cornelia, died. The accom-
plisEed scholar pronounced an eulogy upon
her character, which, for its polished diction
and glowing eloquence, excited the admira
tinn of the most distin guished literati OF Rome
His bold advocacy of the rights ofthe people
made him daily more Of a favorite with the
populace. It'll said Caesar was. at this time,
a man of proiigate habits. The whole Ro
man world, then, with rare exceptions. ap-
pears to have been in that state moral de-
basement, graphically described in Paul's
letter to the Romans.
Ponpey was now at the head of the aristo-
cratic Roman Commonwealth. Caesar was
the recognized leader of the rapidly growing
popular party. Cataline was an ultra demo-
crat-a red republican, conspiring for a
bloody overthrow CT the government, and for
the domination of himself and his partisans.
There Is remarkable analogy between the
state of things in Rome at this time and the
condition OF France during the great revolu-
ton. The Bourhons are represented by Pom
pey and the mobiles; Napoleon by Caesar and
the people; Marat by Cataline and the mob.
Upon the overthrow of the conspiracy of
Catalne, Caesar made q remarkable speech
in the senate, urging that the conspirators
should be punished with banishment instead
of death, since death, being only annihila-
tion, was not punishment severe enough.
This emphatic denial Of the Immortality OF
the soul, was received by the senate, without
dissent which seems to prove that the mass
of thinking men, in that day, had no belief
in future state.
Caesar soon after married pompeia 1t
was a custom of the times for the ladies to
observe religious ceremony, called the
"Mysteries ofthe Good Goddess" The rites
were of such nature that even the your gest
male child was not allowed to be present,
and the portrait of n man could not remain
upon the walls. A dehauched young noble,
who had a beardess face, by bribing the fe-
male slave OF Pompeia, in the disguise of a
woman, gained admission. 10 the utter con-
sternation of the ladies, he was discovered in
the midst of their rites. 1t was intimated al
the trial OF this yopng noble, Clodius, that he
had been admitted through the concurrence
of Pompeia. Caesar Immediately repudiated
his wife, saying proudly but inhumanly,
Cesar's wife must not be Suspected
Caesar was sent to Spain. as second in COM
mand in that province. At Cadiz he saw a
statue of Alexander. Sadly he said g AL
exander, at the age of thirty, was master OF
the world. / have lived thirty five years.
and yet how little have | accomplished. "
As Cesar was crossing the Alps on his way
to Spain. he came upon miserable little vii
lage buried in a ragine. One of his attend
ants said, Can there be envy and ambition
here, as we see among the great?' Cesar
replied very earnestly, .. | assure you | had
rather be the first man here than the second
man in Rome From Spain he returned
immensely rich, and formed coalition with
Pompey and with Crassus, who was then
probably the richest man in the world. feI
the division of the Roman Empire Thi.
powerful trumvirate swept all opposition be
fore them. To cement this union Pompey
married Julia. the daughter of Caesar. Ii
the division of the spoils of the empire Caesar
took Gaul and adjacent provinces Pompey
took Asia, and Crassus Rome Still all thret
of these mea were eoAtsnding. each to o. tair
for himself the dictatorship. Ponpey and
Crassus united against Caesar. and allied
themselves with the mobiles, AT this time
Pompey's wife. Julia. died. and was buried,
with her infant, in the same grave. This
sundered the lie of relationship when had
bound Pompey and Caesar together Pom
pey managed so adroitiy that he became. al
bound. monsrch of the Roman Empire
Crassus being sent of to Syria, and Cesar
placed in the position of the general of an
army in Gaui.
Caesar was annoyed beyond measure al
this result and ambition gnawed like vul
ture at his heartstrings. But Cesar was not
man to he laid upon shelf With the i'm
mense wealth he extortcd from his province
by military power, he commenced vast works
of public utility at Rosue. and established
magnificent spectacles. To acquire more
wealth. though he had been slave, he be
came democratic slave trader. burning the
cities of the Gauls and selling their young