[-42-] The people in the City on hearing this for a time held him in contempt, but when they heard that Antony and Lepidus had become of one mind they began again to court his favor,—­for they were in ignorance of the propositions he had made to Antony,—­and assigned to him charge of the war against the two.  Caesar was accordingly ready to accept even this if he could be made consul for it.  He was working in every way to be elected, through Cicero among others, and so earnestly that he promised to make him his colleague.  When he was not even then chosen, he made preparations, to be sure, to carry on war, as had been decreed, but meanwhile arranged that his own soldiers (of their own motion, of course) should suddenly take an oath not to fight against any legion that had been Caesar’s.  This had a bearing on Lepidus and Antony, since the majority of their adherents were of that class.  So he waited and sent as envoys to the senate on this business four hundred of the soldiers themselves.

[-43-] This was the excuse that they had for an embassy, but in addition they demanded the money that had been voted them and urged that Caesar be appointed consul.  While the senators were postponing their reply, which required deliberation, as they said, they asked (naturally on the instructions from Caesar) that amnesty be granted to some one who had embraced Antony’s cause.  They were not really anxious to obtain it, but wanted to test the senators and see if they would grant the request, or, if such were not the issue, whether to pretend to be displeased about it would serve as a starting point for indignation.  They failed to gain their petition, for while no one spoke against it there were many preferring the same request on behalf of others and thus among a mass of similar representations their demand also was rejected on some plausible excuse.  Then they openly showed their anger, and one of them issued from the senate-chamber and grasping a sword (they had gone in unarmed) said:  “If you do not grant the consulship to Caesar, this shall grant it.”  And Cicero interrupting him answered:  “If you exhort in this way, he will get it.”  Now for Cicero this instrument had destruction in readiness.  Caesar did not censure the soldier’s act, but made a complaint because they had been obliged to lay aside their arms on entering the senate and because one of them was asked whether they had been sent by the legions or by Caesar.  He summoned in haste Antony and Lepidus (whom he had attached to him through friendship for Antony), and he himself, pretending to have been forced to such measures by his soldiers, set out with all of them against Rome. [-44-] Some[22] of the knights and others who were present they suspected were acting as spies and they consequently slew them, besides injuring the lands of such as were not in accord with them and doing much other damage with this excuse.  The senators on ascertaining their approach sent them their money before they came near, hoping that when