Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.4, 1865).djvu/548

 640 CAIUS GRACCHUS. this business; and proceeded accordingly to bring for- ward such laws as were in reality neither honorable nor advantageous for the public ; his whole. design being to outdo Caius in pleasing and cajoling the populace (as if it had been in some comedy), with obsequious flattery and every kind of gratifications ; the senate thus letting it be seen plainly, that they were not angry with Caius's public measures, but only desirous to ruin him utterly, or at least to lessen his reputation. For when Caius pro- posed the settlement of only two colonies, and mentioned the better class of citizens for that purpose, they accused him of abusing the people ; and yet, on the contrary, were pleased with Drusus, when he proposed the sending out of twelve colonies, each to consist of three thousand persons, and those, too, the most needy that he could find. When Caius divided the public land amongst the poor citizens, and charged them with a small rent, annually, to be paid into the exchequer, they were angry at him, as one who sought to gratify the people only for his own interest ; yet afterwards they commended Livius, though he exempted them from paying even that little acknowl- edgment. They were displeased with Caius, for offering the Latins an equal right with the Eomans of voting at the election of magistrates; but when Livius proposed that it might not be lawful for a Roman captain to scourge a Latin soldier, they promoted the passing of that law. And Livius, in all his speeches to the people, always told them, that he proposed no laws but such as were agreeable to the senate, who had a particular regard to the people's advantage. And this truly was the onty point in all his proceedings which was of any real ser- vice, as it created more kindly feelings towards the sen- ate in the people ; and whereas they formerly suspected and hated the principal senators, Livius appeased and mit- igated this perverseness and animosity, by his profession