Strife sprang up between them immediately and they proceeded to arm
themselves secretly against each other. Caesar, who was a master of
dissimulation, made speeches in the Senate in the interest of harmony with
Bibulus, as though he were taking care lest harm should come to the republic
from their disagreement. As he was believed to be sincere, Bibulus was
thrown off his guard. While Bibulus was unprepared and suspecting nothing,
Caesar secretly got a large band of soldiers in readiness and
brought before the Senate measures for the relief of the poor by the
distribution of the public land to them. The best part of this land around
Capua, This land had been
public domain ever since the second Punic war. (
 Velleius, ii. 44.) which was leased for the
public benefit, he proposed to bestow upon those who were the fathers of at
least three children, by which means he bought for himself the favor of a
multitude of men. Twenty-thousand, who had three children each, came forward
at once. As many senators opposed his motion he B.C. 59 pretended
to be indignant at their injustice, and rushed out of the Senate and did not
convene it again for the remainder of the year, Appian and Dion are wrong in affirming that he
ceased to assemble the Senate; for he called them together several
times, among others to make them swear to observe his law and to declare
Ptolemy and Ariovistus friends of the Roman people, etc.
( Duruy, iii. 206.) but harangued the people
from the rostra. In a public assembly he asked Pompey and Crassus what they
thought about his proposed laws. Both gave their approval, and the people
came to the voting-place carrying concealed daggers. The Senate (since no one called it together and it was not lawful for one
consul to do so without the consent of the other) assembled at the house of
Bibulus, but did nothing to counteract the force and preparation of
Caesar. They planned, however, that Bibulus should oppose
Caesar’s laws, so that they should seem to be overcome by force
rather than by their own negligence. Accordingly, Bibulus burst into the
forum while Caesar was still speaking. Strife and tumult arose,
blows were given, and those who had daggers broke the fasces and insignia of
Bibulus and wounded some of the tribunes who stood around him. Bibulus was
in no wise terrified, but bared his neck to Caesar’s partisans and
loudly called on them to strike. If I cannot persuade Caesar to do
right, he said, I will affix upon him the guilt and stigma of my death. 
His friends, however, led him, against his will, out of the crowd and into
the neighboring temple of Jupiter Stator. Cato was indignant at these
proceedings, and, being a young man, forced his way to the midst of the
crowd and began to make a speech, but was lifted up and dragged out by
Caesar’s partisans. Then he went around secretly by another street
and again mounted the rostra; but as he despaired of making a speech, since
nobody would listen to him, he abused Caesar roundly until he was
ejected by the Caesarians, and Caesar secured the
enactment of his laws. The plebeians swore to observe these laws forever, and Caesar
directed the Senate to do the same. Many of them, including Cato, refused,
and Caesar proposed and the people enacted the death penalty to the
recusants. Then they became alarmed and took the oath, including the
tribunes, The text is
somewhat confused here. Mendelssohn suspects a lacuna. for it was
no longer of any use to speak against it after the law had been confirmed by
the others. And now Vettius, a plebeian, ran into the forum with a drawn
dagger and said that he had been sent by Bibulus, Cicero, and Cato to kill
Caesar and Pompey, and that the dagger had been given to him by
Postumius, the lictor of Bibulus. Although this affair was open to suspicion
on both sides, Caesar made use of it to inflame the multitude and
postponed the examination of the assailant. Vettius was thrown into prison
and killed the same night. As this transaction was variously commented on,
Caesar did not let it pass unnoticed, but said that it had been
done by the opposite party who were afraid of exposure. τοὺς δεδιότας, those who were
afraid. Mendelssohn suggests the addition of ἀντιστασιώτας, the opposite party, to complete the
sense. Finally, the people furnished him a guard to protect him
against conspirators, and Bibulus abstained from public business altogether,
like a private citizen, and did not go out of his house for the remainder of
his official term. As Caesar now had the sole administration of public affairs, he did
not make any further inquiry concerning Vettius. He brought forward new laws
to win the favor of the multitude, and caused all of Pompey’s acts to be
ratified, as he had promised him. The so-called knights, who held the middle
place in rank between the Senate and the plebeians, and were extremely
powerful in all ways by reason of their wealth, and of the farming of the
provincial revenues which they contracted for, and who kept for this purpose
multitudes of very trusty servants, had been asking the Senate for a long
time to release them from a part of what they owed to the treasury. The
Senate was consuming time on this question. As Caesar did not want
anything of the Senate then, but was employing the people only, he released
the publicans from a third part of their contracts. For this unexpected
favor, which was far beyond their deserts, the knights extolled
Caesar to the skies. Thus a more powerful body of defenders than
that of the plebeians was added to Caesar’s support through one
political act. He gave spectacles and combats of wild beasts beyond his
means, borrowing money on all sides, and surpassing all former exhibitions
in lavish display and splendid gifts, in consequence of which he was
appointed governor of both Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul for five years,
with the command of four legions. As Caesar saw that he would be away from home a long time, and
believed that envy would be in proportion to benefits conferred, he gave his
daughter in marriage to Pompey, although she was betrothed to
Caepio, because he feared that even a friend might become envious
of his great success. He promoted the boldest of his partisans to the
principal offices for the ensuing year. He designated his friend Aulus
Gabinius as consul, with Lucius Piso as his colleague, whose daughter,
Calpurnia, Caesar married, although Cato cried out that the
government was debauched by marriages. For tribunes he chose Vatinius and
Clodius Pulcher, although the latter had been suspected of an amour with the
wife of Caesar himself during a religious ceremony of women, See vol. i. p. 47. but whom
Caesar did not bring to trial because Clodius was very popular with
the masses; but he divorced his wife. Others prosecuted Clodius for impiety
at the sacred rites, and Cicero made the argument for the prosecution. When
Caesar was called as a witness he refused to testify against
Clodius, but even raised him to the tribuneship as a foil to Cicero who was
already decrying the triumvirate as tending toward monarchy. Thus
Caesar turned a private grievance to useful account and benefited
one enemy in order to revenge himself on another. It appears, however, that
Clodius had previously requited Caesar by helping him to secure the
governorship of Gaul.