Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-08
Continued from Third page1

fled and was captured He bribed his
captors and escaped. Powerful mem.
hers of the aristocracy pied for him
until Sulla consented to let him live.
Take him, since you will have it So"
said the dictator, but / would AVE
YOU know that the youth for whom
YOU are so earnest will one day over
throw the aristocracy. In
this young Caesar there are many
Mariuses."
Aflve and married, Caesar left for
Rhodes to study under the famous
teacher Apollonius. His vessel was
boarded by pirates. who held him for
ransom. He raised the sum, gave it
to them. and SO secured his liberty.
But hardly had his boat touched shore
when he engaged sailors and q ship,
armed them and himself, pursued the
pirates, overlook them. led his men in
a hand-to-hand fight with them, recap.
tured the ransom and never paused
till Z ny pirate was dead. Then he
went on TO Rhodes to study philoso.
ply. Here was man with the cour.
age Of Alexander and the ability of
Napoleon. but capable of such con.
trolled intelligence as Alexander never
won and mellowed with all the culture
OF his time into such maturity and
depth as could never come to Napo.
Icons half.barharic soul.
y
He had left his young wife behind
in Rome. There in IS BIC. she sud
denly fell i'll and died. Caesar re.
turned TO mourn and honor her mem.
CRY. But year later, thinking it
better not to burn. he married again.
more wisely but not SO well. a rich
girl named Pompiia. lie had by this
time shed all theology. and rioting in
the license of one whose moral code
has lost its base, he made Il name for
himself as young man of many sins.
the inevitable correspondent in ev y
fashionable divorce" omnium MULE.
rum virum the husband OF all the
women" We cannot know IL these
tales are more than the ISLANDERS of
his political enemies. If they are true.
Caesar was clever enough to make
their verification impossible. The
arfstocracy might have forgiven him
his democratic politics, but not his
popularity with their wives.
One OF these intimacies seems to
have been carried on with Servilia.
sister OF a conservative statesman,
Cato the Younger. Story told in later
days that Brutus, who stabbed Caesar
to death. was Servilia's and Caesars
son. Some accept while others reject
the tale, but in general 1t is well to
suspect biographers who would turn
all heroes into saints. More certain
il Ia that Caesars wife believed these
stories Apparently she initiated him,
and when her name was too publicly
connected with that Of Clodius, Caesar
divorced her on the ground that Gaze
sar's wife must be above suspicion"
Meanwhile. the last character in the
drama had risen rapidly-Cnaeus Pom
pey, "a high-spirited. ornamental
YOUTH" as Froude calls him. with
soft. melting eyes, as good as he was
beautiful. and SO delightful to women
that it was said they all longed to bite
him"
When pirates were making the Med.
1terranean unsafe for Roman trade
and one commander after another
tshared with the Senate) and remained
content with failure. Pompey, sup
ported by q middle class that ragged
against the incompetent venality Of
the Senate. went out and cleared the
sea within three months. Then he
sailed TO Asia Minor. defeated Mithrf-
dates. who had rebelled against Rome.
and came back laden with spoils and
victories that doubled the revenue OF
Rome 1912 Bel All Italy looked
upon him as the successor OF Alex
ander.
BY this time Caesar had held vari-
Gus offices-priest, quaestor, praetor-
financed in every candidacy by Cras-
sus. his wealthy friend. The road to
ofice In those days lay through the
provision OF great festivals and spec
go a. So -
the people. BY paying the expenses
Of gladiatorial games one won the
privilege OF serving Rome. Person.
ally. Caesar did not care for these
bloody contests. and showed his scorn
OF them by reading or writing while
ths butchery went on. Soon the Sen.
ate came to fear his popularity. When
an alliance between Pompey and Cae.
sar-therefore. between the middle
classes and the simpler citizens
seemed imminent, senatorial gossips
carefully spread the story that Caesar
had seduced Muc!a, Pompey's wife.
the double standard. sent Mucia a
write OF divorce. But on returning
from Asia he renewed his friendship
with Caesar and sealed Ii by marrying
Caesars daughter. Julia.
In 50 Be, with the support Of
Pom pey, Caesar was elected consul.
Ills first act was to establish the
Acta Diurna. q daily bulletin publish.
ing the doings OF the Senate. lie
trusted that this publicity would go
some slight way in lessening corrup-
ton. Then he proposed bill dis.
trfbuting state lands among the SOL
disrs and the prolstariat. and ordered
that state lands recently sold TO rich
nen At low prices should he repur.
chased At the same price and included
"A the redistribution. II was an un.
selfish policy. far-sighted in states.
iaanship. for while IL sent from Rome
The very men whose votes were Cae.
~ar's for the asking. and on whom he
depended for election 10 Office. IL aimed
10 relieve unemployment in the capt.
a.. 10 restore the decadent country.
side and enable the state TO recapture
some Of its ancient health and
strength. But the genate refused
even 10 consider the bill. They called
II an attack upon property. Their
ldea was that the fruits 0f every con.
test should 20 TO the Senate. while
the soldiers were sent of to face new
hardships and win for their masters
new spoiis.
All through the year the Senate
opposed Caesars bills, and EibuIus
piousIy pronounced the season holy.
TOO sacred for legislation. But in
every case Caesar went directly 10 the
people. put his bills through the A..
ssmb'y, and set about resoluteiy 10
enforce them. These laws became
known an the Leges Juliae, and
marked an epoch in the history of
Rome. They aimed with offensive
d;recsHess 10 put AN end TO corrIp.
ton in the Judiciary, I'm the treasury,
in the temples. in tbs elections. In
Y,4stsIfp contracts and ira y.Snviueiaf al,