e than the second at Rome." Again in Spain, when he had
some leisure and was reading the history of Alexander,[470] he was for
a long time in deep thought, and at last burst into tears; and on his
friends asking the reason of this, he said, "Don't you think it is a
matter for sorrow, that Alexander was king of so many nations at such
an early age, and I have as yet done nothing of note?"

XII. However, as soon as he entered Iberia, he commenced active
operations and in a few days raised ten cohorts in addition to the
twenty which were already there, and with this force marching against
the Calaici[471] and Lusitani he defeated them, and advanced to the
shores of the external sea, subduing the nations which hitherto had
paid no obedience to Rome. After his military success, he was equally
fortunate in settling the civil administration by establishing
friendly relations among the different states, and particularly by
healing the differences between debtors and creditors;[472] for which
purpose he determined that the creditor should annually take
two-thirds of the debtor's income, and that the owner should take the
other third, which arrangement was to continue till the debt was paid.
By these measures he gained a good reputation, and he retired from the
province with the acquisition of a large fortune, having enriched his
soldiers also by his campaigns and been saluted by them Imperator.

XIII. As it was the law at Rome that those who were soliciting a
triumph should stay outside the city, and that those who were
candidates for the consulship should be present in the city, Caesar
finding himself in this difficulty, and having reached Rome just at
the time of the consular elections, sent to the senate to request
permission to offer himself to the consulship in his absence through
the intervention of his friends. Cato at first urged the law in
opposition to Caesar's request, but seeing that many of the senators
had been gained over by Caesar, he attempted to elude the question by
taking advantage of time and wasting the day in talking, till at last
Caesar determined to give up the triumph and to secure the consulship.
As soon as he entered the city, he adopted a policy which deceived
everybody except Cato; and this was the bringing about of a
reconciliation between Pompeius and Crassus, the two most powerful men
in Rone, whom Caesar reconciled from their differences, and centering
in himself the united strength of the two