Page:Cicero And The Fall Of The Roman Republic.djvu/123

64 B.C.]

, whether he would have had an easy victory, if he had not been aided by an external circumstance. The candidature of Catiline and Antonius began to alarm the constitutional party. Already during the early summer of the year 64 B.C. Catiline had begun to lay the foundations of a desperate conspiracy against the State. His plans got abroad through the vapourings of one of his associates, a foolish young spendthrift, to his mistress. The woman gave information to the government, and the Nobles, who had hitherto looked askance on Cicero's candidature, now withdrew their opposition. Cicero was returned by acclamation at the top of the poll, and Antonius headed Catiline by a few votes for the second place. Caius Antonius was a man of high birth but of indifferent character and small reputation, who had been closely connected with Catiline, and who was supposed to be ready to give at least a passive support to his plans. Cicero's first effort was to detach him from the conspiracy, and he purchased his support by giving up to him the lucrative province of Macedonia. Thus fortified Cicero entered on his consulship on the 1st of January 63 B.C.

The year began with an attempt on the part of the democrats to renew the efforts, which they had made under the guidance of Crassus two years before, to win for themselves some base of operations independent of the power of Pompey. This time, the scheme took the well-known form of an Agrarian Law. A tribune of the