Page:Cicero And The Fall Of The Roman Republic.djvu/423

45 B.C.] Puteoli in the month of December, 45; but the conversation was all on literary topics, "of serious matters not a word"; on these "serious matters" Cæsar had no intention of listening to counsel, and he was daily revealing to the eyes of the Romans that he had spoken his last word in politics, and that the yoke which they abhorred was to be fixed on their necks for ever. "There would be no complaint," writes Mommsen, "at least on the score that Cæsar left the public in the dark as to his view of his position; as distinctly and formally as possible he came forward not merely as monarch but as very King of Rome." After the Spanish War was over, he accepted for the firse time, under the title of Dictator for life, absolute and unlimited dominion; and he never even pretended that he would voluntarily set a term to his power, as Sulla had done. Cæsar was not only greedy of the substance of power, but was caught by the glitter of its trappings. Though he knew the hatred which the Romans had cherished for centuries to the name of King, he suffered his partisans to play with the offer of the diadem, the symbol of Oriental monarchy. This offer which took place in January, 44, (see below p. 397) really, says Cicero, cost Cæsar his life. Meanwhile he set up his statue along with those of the Seven Kings of Rome, and adopted the golden throne and the robes which tradition assigned to them. He thus wilfully trampled on the