nd these proved very numerous because the contestants were
struggling for the greatest interests,--he could not attach himself to
either side without danger. It was impossible for him to please both. The
one side wished to run riot, the other to be unharmed: the one side to
get the other's property, the other to hold what belonged to it. As
often as he gave the preference to the interests of this party or that,
according as he found it necessary, he incurred the hatred of the others:
and he did not meet with so much gratitude for the favors he conferred as
with anger for what he failed to yield. Those benefited took all that was
given them as their due and regarded it as no kindness, and the opposite
party was wrathful because robbed of their own belongings. And as a
result he continued to offend either this group or the other, at one
time reproached with being a friend of the people and again with being
a friend of the army. He could make no headway, and further learned by
actual experience that arms had no power to hold those injured friendly
toward him, and that it was possible for all such as would not submit to
perish by the use of weapons, but out of the question for any one to be
forced to love a person whom he will not. After this, though reluctantly,
he stopped taking anything from the senators; previously he used to deem
it his right to distribute everything that was theirs, asking seriously:
"From what source else shall we pay the prizes of war to those who have
served?"--as if any one had commanded him to wage war or to make such
great promises. He also kept his hands off the valuables,--whatever
costly objects women had for dowries, or others had less in value than
the land individually given to the old soldiers. [-9-] When this was done
the senate and the rest, finding nothing taken from them, became fairly
resigned to his rule, but the veterans were indignant, regarding his
sparingness and the honor shown to the others to be their own dishonor
and loss, since they were to receive less. They killed not a few of the
centurions and the other intimates of Caesar who tried to restrain
them from mutiny, and came very near compassing their leader's own
destruction, using every plausible excuse possible for their anger. They
did not cease their irritation till the land that belonged to their
relatives and the fathers and sons of those fallen in battle but was held
by somebody else was granted to these three classes