Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/318

LEFT CJESAR 276 CiESAB sceHt from lulus, son of ^neas. The ori- gin of the surname Caesar is uncertain. C^SAR, CAITJS JULIUS, son of a Roman prjetor of the same name, was born July 12, 102 B. C. His circum- stances and connections made him a resolute adherent of the democratic party at Rome. His aunt Julia was wife of Caius Marius; and in 83 B. c. Julius himself was married to Cornelia, JULIUS CAESAR From a bust in the British Museum daughter of Lucius Cinna, one of the principal enemies of Sulla. The anger of the dictator at this marriage cost Caesar his rank, property, and almost his life itself. Feeling that he would be safer abroad for a time, he went to Asia, 81 B. C; but on learning of the death of Sulla (78 B. C), he hurried back to Rome, where he found the popu- lar party in a state of great ferment, and anxious to regain what it had lost under the vigorous, despotism of the aris- tocratic dictator. Cassar, however, took no part in the attempts of Lepidus to overthrow the oligarchy; but he showed his political leanings by prosecuting (77 B. c.) Cnseus Dolabella — a great parti- san of Sulla — for extortion in his prov- ince of Macedonia. To improve his eloquence, he went to Rhodes to study under the rhetor ApoUonius Molo. In 74 B. C. he returned to Rome, where he had been elected pontifex, and now for the first time threw himself ear- nestly into public life. He soon became the most active leader of the democratic party, and had a large share in effect- ing the agreement by which Pompey and Crassus accepted the popular policy. The result was the overthrow of the Sullan constitution in 70 B. c, and the restoration of popular institutions such as the tribunate. In 68 B. C. Csesar ob- tained a quaestorship in Spain. On his return to Rome (67 B. c), he married Pompeia, a relative of Pompey, with whom he was daily becoming more inti- mate. In 65 B. C. he held the curule aedileship, and lavished vast sums of money on games and public buildings, by which he increased his already great popularity. For the next few years Csesar is found steadily active on the popular side. In 63 B. C. he was elected pontifex maximus, and shortly after prsetor. During the same year occurred the famous debate on the Catiline con- spiracy, in which the aristocratic party vainly endeavored to persuade the con- sul, Cicero, to include Caesar in the list of conspirators. In 61 B. c. Caesar ob- tained the province of Hispania Ul- terior. His government of that province was useful to him as giving him mili- tary experience and supplying the means wherewith to meet his enormous debts. On his return he was elected consul, along with Calpurnius Bibulus. With rare tact and sagacity Caesar reconciled the two most powerful men in Rome, who were then at variance, Pom- pey and Crassus, and formed an alli- ance with them, known in history as the First Triumvirate (60 B. c). Caesar's proceedings during his consulship were marked by this policy of friendship to Pompey. To strengthen the union which had been formed, Caesar gave Pompey his daughter Julia in marriage, though she had been promised to Bru- tus. On the expiration of his term of office, he obtained for himself, by the popular vote, the province of Gallia Cis- alpina and Illyricum for five years, to