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The Policy of Clodius from 58 to 56 B.C.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Frank Burr Marsh
Frank Burr Marsh
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
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Extract

The motive of Clodius in attacking the validity of Caesar's laws in the latter part of 58 B.C. has been the subject of many conjectures on the part of modern historians. In a recent article1 Pocock has propounded a new theory as to the position and policy of the turbulent tribune, which is highly suggestive and deserving of a careful consideration. In the first place Pocock, in opposition to all previous historians, flatly denies that Clodius made any such attack at all, and offers a new explanation of the passage in Cicero's speech for his house where this is asserted. In the oration in question Cicero declares that Clodius called Bibulus before the people and by the testimony of the former consul showed that all Caesar's laws had been passed in disregard of the auspices, drawing from this the conclusion that they should all be annulled by the senate. If the conscript fathers would do this, Clodius offered to bring Cicero back on his own shoulders as the saviour of his country.2 Pocock believes that Cicero has flagrantly misrepresented Clodius and wilfully distorted his meaning. Some of Cicero's friends had denied the legality of Clodius' tribuneship and hence of the great orator's exile, and what Clodius did was to demonstrate that this denial logically involved the repudiation of all the Julian legislation. His offer to bring back Cicero was an ironical difiance, and amounted to telling the nobles that they had better not raise such a question unless they had the courage to cancel all Caesar's laws, something which he knew that they would not dare to do.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Classical Quarterly , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 1927 , pp. 30 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1927

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References

page 30 note 1 Pocock, L. G., Publius Clodius and the Acts of Caesar, in the Classical Quarterly, XVIII., 1924Google Scholar.

page 30 note 2 Be Domo. XV.,Heitland, , The Roman Republic, III., p. 173,Google Scholarhas expressed doubts as to the reliability of Cicero in the details, but accepts the fact of an attack on Caesar's laws.

page 30 note 3 De Har. Resp. XXIII.

page 31 note 1 Att. II. 22 and 23.

page 31 note 2 Ait. I. 16.

page 31 note 3 Plutarch, Catsar XI., says for 830 talents.

page 32 note 1 In 59 Clodius had threatened an attack on Caesar's laws (Att. II. 12 and 22). This was probably a device of Caesar and Crassus to extort Pompey's consent to the banishment of Cicero.

page 33 note 1 Plutarch, Cato minor, 39 and Q. Fr. II. 6.

page 34 note 1 AH. IV. 1.

page 34 note 2 Fam. I. 1.

page 35 note 1 Greatness and Decline of Rome, II. 38. According to Cicero, de Prov. Cons. XI., Pompey approved the unprecedented honours, probably because he saw that they would be voted anyway.

page 35 note 2 It may be of interest to note that, in his speech against Vatinius, Cicero not only refrained from any attack on Caesar, but declared that the proconsul of the Cauls was trusting his case to the senate. Writing to Lentulus Spinther the orator later affirms that at this time Caesar was supporting the senate (Fam. I. 9) and that Pompey had likewise been won over. In a letter to Lentulus, Cicero may not have been entirely candid, especially as he was seeking to justify himself, but his acts confirm his words, He evidently believed that both Caesar and Pompey would acquiesce in a conservative revival. This idea was not wholly wild. If his own position were not touched Caesar cared little about the Campanian land and Pompey alone was helpless. I think, however, that, in his attack on Vatinius, Cicero allowed his personal feelings to run away with him and went beyond the program of his party.

page 35 note 3 Fam. I. 9.

page 35 note 4 Q. Fr. II. 6.

page 35 note 5 Cicero's letters during 59 show this clearly.

page 35 note 6 Q. Fr. II. 3.

page 36 note 1 Fan. I. 9.