The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-08-23


 lost ground, obtained possession of the
 city, and the whole of Italy, had put the
 friends of Sulla to death or sent them
 into banishment, and had sought to
 murder hia wife and children. He re-
 turned with a veteran army which was 1 wholly devoted to him and cared noth-
 ing for Rome, or for Italy, except for the plunder they contained. Sulla de- stroyed or dispersed the forces opposed
 to him, entered the city, massacred the
 leaders of the Marian faction, contisca-
 ted their property, and made himself
 dictator with both legislative and exec
 utive powers, for an indefinite term,
 While this blood was flowing, Cicero
 made his first speech in the forum. He
 was then twenty-siX years of age.
 About the same time Sulla ordered Cae-
 sar then twenty-tWo years old, to di-
 vorce his wife Cornelia, whose father
 (Cinna) had been consul of the Ma
 rian faction. Caesar refused to do so,
 and became for Q short time fugitive
 from the vengeance of the tyrant. He
 was saved, however by the interceSsion
 of friends who were members of the
 Sullivan faction.
 Until Sulla brought his legions into the city, anybody who could command
 the proletariate could govern Rome
 This rabble consisted in part of Roman
 citizens and in part of foreigners and
 slaves The latter classes could not
 vote, but as they could swell the crowd,
 and add to the tumult, and join in the | fighting, they were by no means a neg
 ligibe quantity. The rabble required
 bread which it had not the opportunity
 to earn, even if it had the willingness. | It demanded amusements for it's idle
 time, and these were supplied by the
 rich in the form of chariot races and
 combats of wild beasts and gladiators.
 This proletariate was the creation of the upper classes, and I do not see how, in the time of Cicero, it could have been any better than 1t was. It was bound to give it's favor and support to those | who gave their support and favor to 1t, | to such men as Caius Gracchus, Satur- minus, Sulpicius, Cinna, Catiline and | Clodius. These men were political bosses. They commanded the proeta- riate by turns. Their several careers, | together with that of Sulla, taught the lesson that anybody who could conn mand both the rabble inside the walls and victorious army outside could be the ruler of the world, A little later it became plain that the commander of the army could despense with the favor of the rabble, and later still the army found out that itlcould make and un- make its commanders
 The conspiracy of Catiline was over- thrown by Cicero in the year 63. He was then forty-three years old. He had executed the leaders of the plot, ex- cept Catiline himself. who fell in battle a month later. Among the rising poli- ticians of the time was Publius Clodius Pulcher, young patrician of absolute habits, but of engaging manners, ener- gy of character and an eloquent tongue. Like most of the gilded youth of his time, he was overwhelmed with debt and he looked to political career as means of obtaining office and mon- ey. Lucullus was his brother-in-law, and he had accompanied the latter in his campaign against Mithridates, but had not distinguished himself, except by stirring up mutiny In the army. Another brother-in-law was Q. Marcius Rex, who had been consul in the year 6S and who was at this time in com mand of Cilicia. Clodius left Lueullus and joined Rex. While commanding a fleet under the latter, he was captured by pirates, and he applied to Ptolemy king of Cyprus, for money to procure his ransom. This penurious prince ad- vanced only two talents for the purpose, and, Clodius remembered it against him. and a little later "got even with him" by promoting the passage of a law at Rome to depose him and confls- ] cate his treasures. He returned to Rome, and we next hear of him as pros ecuting Catiline for extortion and em- bezzlement in Africa, but he withdrew the accusation for bribe. Shortly af- forwards he obtained an office in Gallia Narbonensis, B. c. GA, where he, too, was accused of plundering the provin- cials. He was back in Rome again in the year 63, and he co-operated with Ci- cero in putting down the conspiracy of Catiline When next we hear of him he was detected in violating the mysteries of the Bona Dea, to which only women were admitted.
 ENORMITY OF CLODIUS' ACTION. !
 It was supposed that he had come at | the invitation of Caesars wife, Pom peia. Plutarch gives a long account of ! the affair but we need not recapitulate [ it, nor would it be worth more notice f than an ordinary police court item but ! for the train of consequences that en- sued Clodius had been elected to the ! Quaestorship just before this adven- ture. His presence at the sacred mys- teries was declared by the College of Pontiffs to be sacrilege and it became f necessary for the senate to take some action upon it, since man guilty of . such an offence could not held the Quaestorship or any other office.
 When the challenges on both sides had been exhausted, and the jury, fifty six in number, before which Clodius was to be tried, stood revealed, "never," said Cicero, was a sorrier lot collected around a gaming table" Yet it con- tained minority of honest men. Cice- TO had advocated with ardor the bill providing for the selection of jurors by the Tractor, but he took no part in the trial except as a witness.
 Clodius had mob present at the trial to overawe the witnesses, and when Ci- zero came forward to testify they sought to intimidate him, but he says that the entire jury interposed their persons for his protection. Then he dds: Our eminent Areopagites ex- claimed that they would not come into