Chapter 154: Back to Rome 1
Chapter 154: Back to Rome 1
Curio, who carried Caesar’s letter, arrived in Rome around the time Aurelia’s funeral had just ended.
The reason for the delay of the funeral was that the populist and the optimates had a disagreement over the funeral procedures.
Piso, Caesar’s father-in-law, asked for permission to hold a public funeral for Aurelia.
Of course, the optimates opposed this.
This was not a baseless claim.
“Dear Piso, the tragedy that Caesar has suffered is also very heartbreaking for us, but there is no precedent for holding a public funeral for a woman. The strict traditionalists will regard this as an insult to the state.”
The person who led the opposition from the optimates was none other than Cato.
Cicero also expressed his disapproval of the public funeral.
“Precedent is very important. There has never been a case where a woman was given a public funeral and her ashes were buried in the Campus Martius.”
Despite the opposition of the optimates, the populist did not give up on the public funeral.
It was the mother of Caesar, the leader of the populist.
If they held a public funeral for her, how many citizens would attend the ceremony?
And not just for political reasons, but Aurelia deserved such treatment.
“If there is no precedent, then we can make one. Is there any law that says women cannot have a public funeral?”
“Even if it is not written in law, there are customs and traditions, are there not?”
“Hah, even laws that are written down change over time. Where is there an eternal custom? Aurelia was a role model for all women in Rome. She was an example of how parents should raise their children. If we do not hold a public funeral for such a person, it will be hard to avoid criticism that Rome ignores and oppresses women.”
The populist ignored Cato’s opposition and put the funeral procedures to a vote.
More than 60% of the senators voted in favor of the public funeral.
Only after a round of debate did the funeral take place.
Normally, it was the family’s duty to close the eyes of the deceased and put a coin in their mouth, but Aurelia had no direct descendants in Rome at the moment.
In the end, Caesar’s wife Calpurnia put a denarius coin in Aurelia’s mouth, hoping that she would get the best seat on Charon’s boat.
The Forum Romanum was crowded with an enormous number of citizens.
Caesar was popular enough, but Aurelia was also a very popular woman among the commoners.
Despite being a noblewoman of high rank, she lived with the commoners in Subura and raised Caesar well in difficult circumstances.
In Rome, where child education was considered the highest virtue, that alone was enough reason to praise her.
In addition, she had organized various religious events with the Vestal Virgins instead of Caesar, who often left Rome for a long time.
It was natural that more people gathered than at any other senator’s funeral.
Curio did not have to stir up the crowd; they were already sorry that Caesar could not attend the funeral.
How ironic it was that Rome’s highest priest could not mourn at his mother’s funeral.
Curio took advantage of this atmosphere and did various propaganda work.
He was chosen by Caesar for his excellent eloquence and he stood on the rostrum of the assembly before attending the senate meeting.
He asked his friend Clodius to give him a chance to speak and he explained Caesar’s situation with tears in his eyes.
“Dear citizens, not long ago, we held a public funeral for Aurelia, the great mother of Rome.
Many nobles and citizens participated in her funeral and prayed for her soul, but the person who should have been there could not attend.
The son who devoted his whole life to raising him well could not attend his mother’s funeral. You might ask if it was unavoidable because Caesar was on an expedition.
But that is not true. Caesar’s expedition had been successfully completed. Gaul and Britain were completely pacified and he had barely tasted the joy before he received shocking news. But even then, Caesar did not show his emotions in front of his subordinates for fear of affecting their morale.”
The citizens’ faces were filled with deep sorrow as they listened to Curio’s speech.
Curio judged that the mood was ripe and cleared his throat before finally getting to the point.
“We cannot treat such a hero who has done immeasurable service for Rome like this. Look at what Caesar has achieved.
We are now free from the fear that Gaul barbarians might invade Rome. Do you think it makes sense that Caesar could not even see his mother’s ashes being buried in the Campus Martius?
If he wants to enter Rome, he has to give up his governorship, his authority to command the legions, and even his right to a triumph. This is not a loss for Caesar personally. It is the deprivation of the opportunity for a triumph for the legionaries who have fought in the north for years.
Caesar said that he could not give up his command of the legions yet. Because he does not know if the Germans beyond the Rhine will target Rome like the Gauls. So he is trying to turn his eyes away from the death of his only mother in the world. Why should a hero who fought for Rome with his life taste such a tragedy? Do you think this is normal, everyone!”
“Oooh!”
“That’s absurd!”
“That’s right! It does not make sense. So I ask you, citizens. Please allow Caesar, the great hero of Rome, to enter Rome while maintaining his authority. Please gather your strength so that he can fight for Rome again in the north after exercising his rightful rights!”
Curio’s earnest appeal was met with generous applause from the citizens.
The citizens’ opinion was now completely tilted towards Caesar.
Curio confidently attended the senate meeting and delivered a speech similar to what he had done in the assembly.
Cato foamed at the mouth and opposed, but he could not exert any more influence than throwing stones at the incoming tide.
The demand of Caesar, who had already won the public opinion, was not something that the optimates could refuse even if they tried hard.
Cicero persuaded the optimates to propose a bill that would grant privileges to both Caesar and Marcus at the same time.
Of course, no one refused.
But there was still one problem left even if Marcus came to Rome.
Could he really restrain Caesar and Pompey?
The Bibulus, who knew Caesar’s fearsomeness well, bit his lips and asked.
“Marcus has military power, but so do Caesar and Pompey. Can he really balance them?”
“Think about what Marcus has shown so far. I think he can do it.”
“If we only judge by what he has shown, he cannot surpass both Caesar and Pompey. Especially Caesar’s legions are located in northern Italy. If he really starts a military action, Rome will not be able to stop it.”
Cicero and Cato could not properly refute this part.
The biggest pressure that the optimates felt was the location of Caesar’s forces.
Honestly, if you look at the territories they ruled, Caesar’s land was less valuable than the other two.
Pompey had Greece, one of the richest places in the western world.
Marcus had Anatolia and Egypt, which were the best granaries of Rome, and he also got Mesopotamia.
On the other hand, Caesar’s land was only Gaul and Britain, where barbarians were rampant.
Of course, it was a very fertile land that would boast high productivity if cultivated, but it was still an undeveloped land.
But the problem was that only Caesar’s legion could enter Rome by land.
It would take a long time for Marcus’s army stationed in Asia Minor to return to Rome.
This was also true for Pompey, so it could be offset somehow, but Caesar was different.
His legion stationed in Cisalpine Gaul was looking down at Rome right below.
Of course, except for Cato, no one thought that Caesar would really lead his army to Rome.
But even then, the pressure of uncertainty weighed heavily on the senators’ chests.
Even if they called Marcus in a hurry, it did not seem to be easily resolved.
“There is one more thing. It’s Clodius. We have to deal with that bastard who doesn’t know how high the sky is.”
“Ah…that’s right. He was there too.”
They had so many things to worry about that they did not pay attention to Clodius.
Cicero gave a bitter smile and scratched his chin.
“But didn’t I agree to take care of his trial? Are you still anxious?”
“What fills my chest now is not anxiety but anger. You should also keep in mind that you can suffer the same thing as me. Even if I am acquitted in the trial, my reputation has fallen to the ground and the citizens openly criticize me as a corrupt person. Why do I have to suffer this?”
“That is truly regrettable. Clodius may be trying to undermine our authority by doing this.”
“A shameless bastard…well, that’s why he chose to become a commoner and abandon his noble name.”
Metellus seemed unlikely to lose in the trial, but Clodius did not suffer much either.
If he felt that the trial was unfavorable, he could withdraw and pay compensation.
Clodius, who was a famous rich man in Rome, would not be burdened by paying compensation as specified by law.
And the optimates suspected that Clodius’s actions were part of the populist’ strategy.
It was different from the truth, but just this suspicion made the tension between the two factions increase.
The optimates agreed on calling Marcus first as an urgent matter.
Cicero proposed a bill before the populist took the initiative and put it to a vote.
The content of the law was that a governor who ruled multiple provinces could temporarily suspend his imperium and enter Rome if necessary.
This was because he had to coordinate with Rome frequently since he managed several provinces.
No one did not know that this was a blindfolded act.
It was a special case that a single governor ruled multiple provinces when there was a big war in that area.
Anyone could see that this bill was intended to give Caesar and Marcus the same authority as Pompey.
The populist had no reason to reject it and they readily voted for it.
“The urgent matters are over, so now I have some breathing room.”
Calvinus muttered to himself, shaking his head slightly, after the voting was all done.
But all the senators of the Senate felt the same way.
They didn’t know how the political situation in Rome would unfold, but at least until Caesar and Marcus arrived, nothing significant seemed to happen.
However, as if to mock their expectations, Clodius caused another big trouble.
This time, he accused Ahenobarbus, a member of the aristocratic faction and a candidate for the next consulship.
“Ahenobarbus committed bribery and embezzlement during his tenure as a praetor and tried to incite violence among the citizens. I hereby bring him to court by the authority of the tribune.”
The aristocrats vehemently opposed this absurd accusation.
In fact, Ahenobarbus did receive bribes.
But he only received a small amount of money that was customary for the high-ranking officials of Rome.
If they applied the bribery charge to him, no one could escape the hammer of justice.
There was a saying in ancient Rome that a clean official was not someone who did not take bribes at all, but someone who only took enough money to cover the election expenses.
The charge of inciting violence was also equally ridiculous.
All Ahenobarbus did was to label Clodius’s organization, which he gathered by agitation, as an illegal group.
Clodius claimed that this was an attempt to oppress them by defining them as thugs instead of good citizens.
The aristocrats could not tolerate this outrageous behavior.
“Those populists must think that their world has come.”
“If we let this blatant act go on, Clodius will keep poking us with his ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. We need to break their momentum once and for all.”
“It will be too late when Pompey and Caesar enter Rome. We have to strike now.”
Cato tried to dissuade his colleagues from using violence, but he was not enough to stop the aristocrats who were enraged by excitement.
When Clodius had another tribune accuse another aristocratic senator, the situation escalated beyond control.
Even Cato and Cicero could not restrain their angry colleagues.
The populists tried to restrain Clodius, sensing that the situation was serious, but he did not listen to anyone.
He did not even explain his reasons to his friend Curio.
Eventually, some aristocrats suggested using thugs to counter Clodius’s organization.
Titus Annius Milo, a plebeian noble who was a former tribune, caught the eye of the aristocrats.
Milo gathered the scoundrels from the back alleys and smashed all the makeshift courts that Clodius set up.
Clodius did not sit idly by either.
He mobilized his followers to start a street fight with Milo’s forces.
The populists and the aristocrats did not try to resolve this chaos, but only clashed in the Senate and exacerbated the conflict.
The only one who could fix this situation, Pompey, was tied up in the Campus Martius for preparing for his triumph.
Rome, which had become a mess in no time, became more and more tense as the days went by.
Now they were only indirectly fighting with thugs, but they didn’t know when it would escalate into a direct confrontation.
Caesar, who was about to return to Rome right away, also stopped and waited for the situation after receiving this news.
And a week later, finally Marcus’s ship docked at the port city of Brundisium.
Marcus did not care about the commotion that was happening in Rome.
He led his escorts guaranteed by law to the governor and headed north to Rome on horseback.
When he heard this news, Caesar did not hesitate and crossed the Rubicon River with only a few escorts.
Rome, which was plunged into chaos, desperately awaited the return of the hero who could resolve this situation.