by an act that had a
friendly appearance, changed the form of government without its being
observed. For it was not, as most people suppose, the enmity of Caesar
and Pompeius which produced the civil wars, but their friendship
rather, inasmuch as they first combined to depress the nobility and
then quarrelled with one another. Cato, who often predicted what would
happen, at the time only got by it the character of being a morose,
meddling fellow, though afterwards he was considered to be a wise, but
not a fortunate adviser.

XIV. Caesar,[473] however, supported on both sides by the friendship of
Crassus and Pompeius, was raised to the consulship and proclaimed
triumphantly with Calpurnius Bibulus for his colleague. Immediately
upon entering on his office he proposed enactments more suitable to
the most turbulent tribune than a consul, for in order to please the
populace he introduced measures for certain allotments and divisions
of land.[474] But he met with opposition in the Senate from the good
and honourable among them, and as he had long been looking for a
pretext, he exclaimed with solemn adjurations, that he was driven
against his will to court the favour of the people by the arrogance
and obstinacy of the Senate, and accordingly he hurried to the popular
assembly and placing Crassus on one side of him and Pompeius on the
other, he asked them if they approved of his legislative measures.
Upon their expressing their approbation, he entreated them to give him
their aid against those who threatened to oppose him with their
swords. Pompeius and Crassus promised their assistance, and Pompeius
added, that he would oppose swords with sword and shield. The nobility
were annoyed at hearing such mad, inconsiderate words drop from
Pompeius, which were unbecoming his own character and the respect that
he owed to the Senate; but the people were delighted. Caesar, whose
secret design it was to secure the influence of Pompeius still more,
gave him to wife his daughter Julia,[475] who was already betrothed to
Servilius Caepio; and he promised Caepio that he should have the
daughter of Pompeius, though she also was not disengaged, being
betrothed to Faustus, the son of Sulla. Shortly after Caesar married
Calpurnia, the daughter of Piso, and got Piso named consul for the
next year, though Cato in this matter also strongly protested and
exclaimed that it was an intolerable thing for the chief power to be
prostituted by marriage bar