Page:Cicero And The Fall Of The Roman Republic.djvu/386

342

. His complaints are consistent only so far as they are always directed against what he esteems his own blindness and folly. Sometimes he blames himself for having taken arms at all; more often he is afraid that he has disgraced himself by not following the fortunes of his party to the last in Africa. Cæsar is detained in Egypt and in Asia, so that he cannot come to speech with him, and he fears that this will prevent a reconciliation. He hears that his brother and nephew have turned against him, and mean to make their own peace by accusing him to Cæsar. This does not prevent his writing to the Dictator on behalf of Quintus, protesting that the responsibility of the flight from Italy was all his own, and that his brother had only borne him company.

At the same time some action of his wife, as to which we have only obscure hints, caused him much displeasure. His beloved daughter was in distress on account of the neglect and infidelities of her husband, and Dolabella's conduct in public matters was also most painful to his father-in-law. He took advantage of Cæsar's absence to dabble in socialistic and revolutionary legislation, much as Cælius had done a year before. This led to riots which Antony put down by military force; eight hundred persons are said to have been killed in these disturbances. Dolabella, however, stopped short of the extravagances of Cælius, and Cæsar checked and forgave him. In the meantime his actions appear to Cicero