Page:Cicero And The Fall Of The Roman Republic.djvu/255

59 B.C.] were received with rounds of applause, and the actor Diphilus was rapturously encored, when he turned on Pompey with the words— "By our misery thou art Great."

To Cæsar all this signified little; indeed it was so far to his advantage that the unpopularity of Pompey made him the less able to dispense with his allies. Cæsar had now ample force at his command, and all else was indifferent to him; think what they might, Cæsar could rig an assembly to vote whatever he should please. This was indeed so evident that the Senate at his request added Transalpine Gaul to his province in order to prevent that too being given away over their heads by decree of the People. When his year of office was over, Cæsar ventured to give a yet more striking proof of the lengths to which he could go with the Senate. Two of the new prætors foolishly brought the question of the validity of Cæsar's acts before the House. Law and right were absolutely on their side; but force was not. Cæsar accepted the challenge, and with a feigned courtesy begged the Senate to decide the question once for all under the eyes of his soldiers. The Senate was, of course, helpless, and could only evade a formal surrender by ignominiously declining to entertain the question. While he could thus trample the Senate under foot, it was not likely that Cæsar should trouble himself about any other