Opposition In The Senate
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
Fierce Debating In The Senate
Cicero faced a daunting task. On the one hand, he was put in this position for the sole purpose of reforming, and saving the res publica. Yet on the other hand, he was well aware the senators were too stubborn and self-centered to stomach any serious reform. While he was confident his famous oratory skills could win him some of his reforms, he knew words could only get him so far. The simple fact of the matter was, if the optimates threw in their support the populares would be against it, and vice versa. Then there was the fact that few senators would make any meaningful concessions willingly. Cicero was a great mediator and middle man, but even he was not sure he could tackle this political divide.
Yet Cicero was not one to back down from a challenge like this, and set to work. Once again, his door was kept open all day and night, with only his 24 lictors protecting him. Yet, his early attempts at reform were receiving bitter opposition and conflict. Cicero used every oratory trick he knew, but it gained him little ground. In an excerpt from a letter to Atticus, he let loose his frustration:
I am starting to lose faith in the senators I had once revered. Before I said we, the elites of Rome, knew what was best for the people, and knew how to govern. Now however, after conversing with even the poorest men in the city, I am starting to believe they can do better than this group of bickering dogs who claim to work for Rome.
Cicero was truly exhausting his resources. Cato had rallied the optimates to his cause, along with Brutus, but that only further drove the Populares away. Order seemed to breaking down in Rome, and organized mobs seemed to be surfacing again. There was only one thing left Cicero could count on to get his reforms through. It wasn't long before the two consuls, Cicero, and Brutus agreed on a course of action. For the good of the republic, the four men set off to Pompey’s estate in Etruria.
Meeting With Pompey
None of the four men had ever wanted it to come to this. The fact that they were travelling to see Pompey in the first place, showed they had exhausted almost all other options. Being the only person they could count on supporting them with the power to back it up, Pompey may have been the only man who could force Cicero’s staunch opposition to back down. However, Pompey was retired, and there were doubts that he would want to get involved in the tricky situation unfolding. If he would choose to support them however, no doubt the veterans he had given land to all across Italy, as well as the soldiers still in service, would gladly come to his aid if called on. One could say the fate of the republic rested on Pompey’s shoulders.
Whatever went down at Pompey’s villa must have led to the satisfaction of Cicero, Phillippus, Cato, and Brutus. Pompey presumably agreed to make at least a brief return from retirement, and to put an end to the bickering. All he would need to do was make threats of a Sulla esque march on Rome, and hint at a return to the proscriptions or some form of forceful military action. The substance to back up his claims would be there as well, as the senators knew the soldiers, and the people, revered him as a hero. Initially, Pompey gave a letter to Cato, (as Cicero wanted to be seen as having as little involvement in this as was possible) for it to be read in the forum. In “The men who saved Rome”, Titus, writing in the last years of the 1st century BC, gives us a glimpse at what the letter contained.
Pompey handed Cato the letter, with instructions to read it before the senate. In it, Pompey warned the senate to listen to Cicero, and end the violence immediately. If they ignored this, Pompey assured them he would not hesitate to march there himself and restore order. He emphasized that bloodshed, particularly of senators, would possibly be shed if he was forced to return.
When Cato read the letter, some of the senators were taken aghast. Many of the populares backed down. A few however, called it a bluff, guessing he wouldn't dare march on Rome. Pompey, upon seeing that the senators were clearly not getting the message across, proceeded across Italy to gather loyal veterans and volunteers alike, to march on Rome. He never attended to march on the city, expecting a simple show of force would compel the outspoken senators into obedience. His intended goal was achieved, and fearing they would end up like Marius and Cinna before them, the senators fell silent. During the rest of Cicero's dictatorship, Pompey kept his army within a few miles of Rome, making sure the senators fell in line. His opposition brought to heel, and with few suspecting his involvement, Cicero was now able to turn his complete focus to reforming the republic without any interference.