on
as it was day, the talk went through Rome of the desecration of the
sacred rites by Clodius, and how he ought to be punished for his
behaviour, not only to the persons whom he had insulted, but to the
city and the gods. Accordingly one of the tribunes instituted a
prosecution against Clodius for an offence against religion, and the
most powerful of the senators combined against him, charging him,
among other abominations, with adultery with his sister, who was the
wife of Lucullus. The people set themselves in opposition to their
exertions and supported Clodius, and were of great service to him
with the judices, who were terror-struck and afraid of the people.
Caesar immediately divorced Pompeia, and when he was summoned as a
witness on the trial, he said he knew nothing about the matters that
Clodius was charged with. This answer appearing strange, the accuser
asked him, "Why have you put away your wife?" to which Caesar replied,
"Because I considered that my wife ought not even to be suspected."
Some say that this was the real expression of Caesar's opinion, but
others affirm that it was done to please the people who were bent on
saving Clodius. However this may be, Clodius was acquitted, for the
majority of the judices gave in their votes[468] written confusedly,
that they might run no risk from the populace by convicting Clodius
nor lose the good opinion of the better sort by acquitting him.

XI. On the expiration of his Praetorship, Caesar received Iberia[469]
for his province, but as he had a difficulty about arranging matters
with his creditors, who put obstructions in the way of his leaving
Rome, and were clamorous, he applied to Crassus, then the richest man
in Rome, who stood in need of the vigour and impetuosity of Caesar to
support him in his political hostility to Pompeius. Crassus undertook
to satisfy the most importunate and unrelenting of the creditors, and
having become security for Caesar to the amount of eight hundred and
thirty talents, thus enabled him to set out for his province. There is
a story that as Caesar was crossing the Alps, he passed by a small
barbarian town which had very few inhabitants and was a miserable
place, on which his companions jocosely observed, "They did not
suppose there were any contests for honors in such a place as that,
and struggles for the first rank and mutual jealousy of the chief
persons:" on which Caesar earnestly remarked, "I would rather be the
first man her