Chapter 42: Julia Caesaria (1)
Chapter 42: Julia Caesaria (1)
Verres is dragged away by the soldiers and thrown into his mansion as a prisoner. His mansion, located on the Palatine Hill where only the wealthiest reside, is as large as any noble's but feels cramped due to its excessive decorations of statues and artworks. Every wall is covered with paintings, and even the chairs and tables are gilded. It resembles more of a treasure vault than a home.
Hortensius, who has come to see Verres as his lawyer, enters the reception room and frowns at the cluttered space filled with antiques, leaving little room to move.
But Verres is too preoccupied to notice his lawyer's discomfort.
“Hortensius! You came at last! How can I get out of here?”
“Get out?” Hortensius responds in disbelief.
“You must have a way to turn the situation around in the second trial. You are the best lawyer in Rome, aren’t you?”
“Turn the situation around? Have you seen the flood of evidence against you? The crimes you've committed will be talked about for decades. How could anyone turn this around?”
“But you’re not just any lawyer!”
“Even if Minerva herself were here, she couldn’t get you acquitted!”
Verres’s mouth drops open.
“Then why are you here? You must have some means to apply for a meeting. You can request a recess for up to a year after the first trial, right? If we do that…”
“Even if you applied for a recess for ten years, the verdict wouldn’t change. So give up. Why didn’t you tell me about your crimes beforehand? I would have advised you to voluntarily go into exile.”
“I knew you’d say that, so I didn’t tell you…”
“And that’s why you’ve lost everything. It’s impossible to escape at night or run away with money. Just prepare to be stripped of all your property and exiled to a remote island.”
In cases of serious crimes, a Roman citizen could choose exile over death. Most nobles would escape with enough money to live comfortably, but Verres is unable to do so. He faces the prospect of being driven out without a penny.
“That’s absurd! Are you telling me, Gaius Verres, to live like a beggar for the rest of my life? Is that why you came all this way?”
“I want to ask you the same thing. You’ve made me a laughingstock. I, Hortensius, the best lawyer in Rome, have been reduced to a stepping stone for Cicero, a provincial newcomer! He has absorbed all my fame and career. From now on, he will be known as the best lawyer in Rome. It’s all because of you!”
Hortensius raises his voice, clearly emotional.
“So I must at least collect my fee. If you become penniless, you won’t be able to pay me anyway.”
“You couldn’t even give me a chance to escape, let alone acquit me, and you still want to get paid?”
“It’s not payment, it’s compensation. Let’s be clear about that. But I’ll give you one last piece of advice: before the verdict is handed down, kneel to Crassus and beg for his forgiveness.”
Verres snorts scornfully.
“Crassus? Why should I beg him? He’s a traitor who sent his son to spy on me.”
“You’re so foolish! Have you forgotten that the pirates you sent attacked while Crassus’s eldest son was with Cicero? You tried to kidnap the consul and the eldest son of the wealthiest family in Rome.”
“Hmph! Do you think I knew that?”
Cornered and unable to accept Hortensius’s rational advice, Verres is left with only anger and resentment.
“If you’re going to ignore my advice, do as you please. But I must take my share.”
The reception room is filled with valuable items. Hortensius searches for something he can hide under his toga and chooses a gold statue of Mars.
He hides the statue and takes a final look at Verres before leaving the room.
“It was a mistake to keep all your property in this mansion. You should have hidden it in different places.”
“Ha! This is only a fraction of my property. The rest is stored in my villa, except for the finest artworks.”
“Ha… This isn’t all? You’re truly mad. Verres, let me tell you: you were the most evil and insane criminal I’ve ever encountered. The greatest misfortune of my life was defending you without knowing your true nature.”
“If you had spoken like this during the trial, I wouldn’t be imprisoned now. The best lawyer in Rome? You’re just a loser who was mocked by Cicero!”
Hortensius turns away with a cold sneer, offering no response.
No one visits Verres until the second trial concludes. As expected, the verdict is harsh: Verres is sentenced to death. However, he opts for exile and the confiscation of his property instead of death.
With no chance to embezzle any of his property, he falls into complete poverty and loses his status as a senator and noble.
Ignoring Hortensius’s advice, Verres curses Pompey and Crassus until the end and never repents of his sins.
Did he get what he deserved?
Verres, exiled to Greece, was eventually found by the pirates he had bribed and met a grim fate. His body showed clear signs of severe torture when discovered. It remains unclear how the pirates located him.
No one in Rome mourned Verres, who was no longer a senator or noble. All the artworks and statues he had collected unlawfully were returned to Sicily. The people of Sicily praised Cicero and expressed their gratitude to Rome for delivering a fair verdict.
Thus ended the Verres trial, which had captivated Rome for over a month.
Although the Verres trial concluded, its aftermath reverberated through Rome for a long time.
Cicero emerged as the main beneficiary of the incident. He took over Hortensius’s position, now undisputedly the best lawyer in Rome. Additionally, Cicero managed to confirm and lower the price of wheat in the market.
“I’ll be able to bring in wheat from Sicily much cheaper next year when I serve as quaestor! It’s all thanks to your support,” he told the citizens.
The crowd in the square chanted Cicero’s name and praised him. Other quaestors announced their pledges for the coming year, but they were overshadowed by Cicero and received little attention.
Cicero wasn’t the only one to benefit; Crassus did as well. Senators lauded Crassus for his role at the end of the trial. His intervention allowed the Senate to handle the corrupt senator internally, preserving its honor in a potentially disgraceful situation.
Furthermore, Crassus helped the Metellus family distance themselves from Verres. Quintus and Lucius Metellus, sensing the shifting atmosphere, followed Hortensius’s advice and apologized to Crassus. While Quintus did not explicitly condone Verres’s actions, he admitted feeling ashamed for having accepted money from him.
Crassus demanded that they return all the money they had received from the Roman citizens and gave them an opportunity to make an apology speech. Lucius, in particular, swore to Jupiter that he would restore order in Sicily, which Verres had disrupted. Although Lucius had been involved with Verres, he avoided impeachment by pledging to use his own money to aid Sicily. Crassus’s influence as consul played a significant role in this outcome.
With such pro-Senate actions, the nobles continued to see Crassus as an ally and had no reason to doubt him.
One more individual left a strong impression on the Romans:
“Another person to pay attention to in this case is Marcus Licinius Crassus, the eldest son of the Crassus family. The son of Crassus, previously only rumored, finally made a public appearance. His speech was powerful, righteous, and compelling enough to capture the audience’s attention. We hope he will become a strong pillar for the Senate in the future.”
Septimius smiled with satisfaction as he read aloud from the thin book. It was a memoir of the Verres trial written by Cicero, published shortly after the trial ended.
“That attention-seeking guy… He’s incredibly quick,” Marcus remarked.
“He’s closely connected with Atticus, who runs a publishing house. He was preparing to publish a book even before the trial ended,” Septimius explained.
“He must have prepared his final speech condemning Verres in advance. He’s such a meticulous person,” Marcus observed.
Marcus skimmed through the memoir that Septimius handed him. The writing was calm but subtly self-congratulatory, very much in Cicero’s style. Marcus wondered if enjoying self-praise was a Roman trait, given that Pompey and Caesar also did the same. He appreciated that Cicero had subtly mentioned his name, and decided to thank him later.
“Your name must have made a strong impression on the citizens because of this incident.”
“My name is the same as my father’s, so everyone knew me from the start,” Marcus replied.
“Well, that’s true. To be precise, you made your presence known as the eldest son of the Crassus family this time. But didn’t you say you wanted to avoid excessive attention?”
“Attention that is favorably received by the senators is acceptable. The key is to avoid scrutiny.”
“I understand. What should we do with this invitation?” Septimius asked, handing Marcus a sheet of luxuriously decorated papyrus.
“Caesar says he has been elected as quaestor and wants to invite you to his house to thank you. Aren’t there many senators who dislike Caesar?”
“That’s because Caesar is known for his meddling with their wives. Politically, few see him as a threat. In fact, more people sympathize with me, saying I got stuck with a bad debtor.”
Marcus chuckled as he read the invitation. He quickly understood Caesar’s intentions but decided to accept, as it aligned with his own interests.
He sent a reply through Septimius that he would accept the invitation, and Caesar promptly set a date.
Since it was a personal gesture of gratitude, Caesar did not invite anyone else. Marcus went to Caesar’s house accompanied only by Spartacus, as Septimius and Danae were occupied with other matters.
Marcus rode down the Palatine Hill in a luxurious carriage, which had become a spectacle in Rome. Unlike other noble families, Caesar did not have a residence on any of the seven hills. Instead, his house was in Subura, a district primarily inhabited by commoners.
However, Caesar did not live in an insula, a tenement building. He resided in a detached house on a relatively clean street in Subura. Given Caesar’s renowned debts, some wondered why he still lived in Subura. Despite his lack of aversion to luxury or vanity, Caesar chose not to move to the hills where the wealthy congregated.
Marcus suspected this was a calculated move. Why wouldn’t Caesar want to live in a luxurious mansion? It was likely that he desired it as much as anyone else. However, Caesar had been seen as a champion of the populares since his youth. He deliberately remained in Subura to maintain his image with the common people.
To Marcus’s surprise, Caesar himself came out to greet him upon his arrival. Caesar placed his hand on Marcus’s shoulder and welcomed him warmly.
“Welcome. I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
“Thank you for coming out to greet me,” Marcus said politely.
Caesar laughed heartily in response.
“Ha ha, I owe you so much for lending me money and helping me win the election by a landslide. I must show you this much hospitality. I’ve prepared a meal with very fine ingredients, so eat and drink as much as you like. And don’t worry, I didn’t use lead sugar as a seasoning, as you requested. You said it was bad for your health, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m developing a new seasoning to replace it. It’s almost finished, and I plan to hold a tasting party soon. I’ll send you an invitation, so I hope you can come and try it.”
“I’ll definitely attend if you invite me. That’s nothing between us,” Caesar said, emphasizing their friendship with the word ‘us’ as though they were long-time acquaintances.
He welcomed Marcus into his house and introduced his family naturally.
“This is my wife, Cornelia. She’s far too virtuous for me,” Caesar said, introducing a dignified lady who greeted Marcus pleasantly.
Marcus smiled back and bowed politely.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Marcus Licinius Crassus.”
Marcus was secretly surprised by Cornelia’s beauty. Though she appeared to be in her thirties, she looked much younger, perhaps in her early twenties, and exuded a noble elegance. He couldn’t understand how Caesar could cheat on other married women with such a wife. Cornelia seemed somewhat tired and pale, likely affected by her husband’s behavior.
‘Come to think of it, Caesar has lost a wife before,’ Marcus mused, observing Cornelia’s face.
As Marcus pondered, Caesar, laughing cheerfully, patted him on the back.
“You’re a man after all. To brag a little, my daughter is also like my wife and already receives compliments for her beauty. She’s very smart, just like me, so I think she’ll be a good match for you. Oh, here she comes.”
Caesar pointed, and Marcus saw a girl walking towards them. Dressed in simple but neat clothes, she carried an elegance equal to any noble family. Caesar’s boast about his daughter was not an exaggeration. Though she appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old, she was beautiful enough to catch Marcus’s eye. Even he, accustomed to seeing beautiful women, admired her in secret. She had inherited her mother’s noble aura and intelligent eyes, which were quite impressive.
Though she was still at an age where cuteness prevailed over beauty, Marcus couldn’t help but imagine how stunning she would be in six or seven years.
According to history, Pompey, who married Caesar’s daughter, was so infatuated with her that he focused more on her than on politics. Marcus could easily understand why.
As he met the girl’s gaze, Marcus felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. The girl’s eyes widened as she looked at him, and then she smiled softly, her clear voice ringing out.
“I’m Julia Caesaria. I’m glad to see you again.”