Aulus Gabinius Aulus Gabinius was a Roman statesman , general and supporter of Pompey . He was a prominent figure in the later days of the Roman Republic . In 67 BC , when tribune of the plebs , he brought forward the law ( " Lex Gabinia " ) which gave Pompey the command in the war against the Mediterranean pirates , with extensive powers that gave him absolute control over the sea and the coasts for 50 miles inland . By two other measures of Gabinius , loans of money to foreign ambassadors in Rome were made non - actionable ( as a check on the corruption of the Senate ) and the Senate was ordered to give audience to foreign envoys on certain fixed days ( February 1 - March 1 ) . In 65 BC , then a legate to Pompey , he marched with two legions into Northern Mesopotamia . This pressured the Parthian king Phraates III into a treaty with Pompey . In 61 BC , Gabinius , then " praetor " , tried to win public favour by providing games on a scale of unusual splendour , and in 58 BC managed to secure the consulship , although not without suspicion of bribery . During his term of office he aided Publius Clodius Pulcher in bringing about the exile of Marcus Tullius Cicero . In 57 BC Gabinius went as proconsul to Syria . On his arrival he reinstated John Hyrcanus in the high - priesthood at Jerusalem , suppressed revolts , introduced important changes in the government of Judaea , and rebuilt several towns . In 55 BC , Gabinius was sent by Pompey to Ancient Egypt , without the consent of the Senate , to restore Ptolemy XII Auletes to his kingdom . He succeeded in fulfilling his task after a short successful campaign , in which he was supported by the young Mark Antony . He left a part of his troops , the so - called Gabiniani , in Egypt to protect Ptolemy XII . These Gabiniani fought against rebellious subjects of the king and later , after his death , against Gaius Julius Caesar . During Gabinius ' absence in Egypt , Syria had been devastated by robbers , and Alexander , son of Aristobulus , had again taken up arms with the object of depriving Hyrcanus II of the high - priesthood . With some difficulty Gabinius restored order , and in 54 BC handed over the province to his successor , Marcus Licinius Crassus . The Roman " equites " ( knights ) , who as tax collectors had suffered heavy losses during the disturbances in Syria , were greatly embittered against Gabinius , and , when he appeared in the Senate to give an account of his governorship , he was brought to trial on three counts , all involving a capital offence . On the charge of " maiestas " ( high treason ) incurred by having left his province for Egypt without the consent of the senate and in defiance of the Sibylline Books , he was acquitted ; it is said that the judges were bribed , and even Cicero , an enemy of Gabinius , was persuaded by Pompey to say as little as he could . On the second charge , that of " repetundae " ( extortion during the administration of his province ) , with special reference to the 10 , 000 talents paid by Ptolemy XII for his restoration , he was found guilty , in spite of evidence offered on his behalf by Pompey and witnesses from Alexandria and the eloquence of Cicero , who had been induced to plead his cause . Nothing but Cicero ' s wish to do a favour to Pompey could have induced him to take on the task ; it is hinted that the half - heartedness of the defence contributed to Gabinius ' s condemnation . The third charge , that of " ambitus " ( illegalities committed during his canvass for the consulship ) , was consequently dropped ; Gabinius went into exile , and his property was confiscated . After the outbreak of Caesar ' s Civil War , he was recalled by Gaius Julius Caesar in 49 BC and entered his service , but took no active part against his old patron Pompey . After the Battle of Pharsalus , he was commissioned to transport some recently levied troops to Illyricum . On his way by land , he was attacked by the Dalmatians and with difficulty made his way to Salona ( Dalmatia ) . There he defended himself against the attacks of the Pompeian commander , Marcus Octavius , but a few months later died of illness ( 48 BC or the beginning of 47 BC ) . Gabinius married a Roman noblewoman called Lollia from the Lollia ( gens ) , perhaps a daughter of Marcus Lollius Palicanus , tribune of the plebs in 71 BC . Lollia bore him a son called Aulus Gabinius Sisenna . Gabinius in popular culture . Aulus Gabinius is referenced several times in John Maddox Roberts ' SPQR series , notably in " The Tribune ' s Curse " , and appears as a character in " The Princess and the Pirates " ( ISBN 0 - 312 - 33723 - X ) , set in Cyprus in 50 BC during Gabinius ' s exile .