Plutarch on Caesar in Baetica
Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-c.122): influential Greek philosopher and author, well known for his biographies and his moral treatises. His biography is here; the following fragment is from his Life of Julius Caesar.
In 61/60, Julius Caesar was governor of Andalusia, or Baetica, to use its ancient name. He used the opportunity to launch a campaign against the Lusitanians in what is now called Portugal. The Greek author Plutarch of Chaeronea describes what happened in chapter 12-13 of his Life of Julius Caesar.
The translation below was made by Robin Seager.
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[13.1] The law was that those who desired the honor of a triumph had to wait outside the city, while candidates for the consulship had to be present in the city in person. Caesar, who arrived at Rome just at the time of the consular elections, was therefore in a dilemma and sent to the Senate asking permission for his name to be put forward for the consulship by his friends, while he himself remained outside the city. |
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[13.2] [His opponent] Cato, however, first opposed the request by insisting that it was illegal, and then, when he saw that many senators had been won over by Caesar's attentions, managed to get a vote on the matter put off by wasting time and speaking for the entire day. Caesar then decided to forgo the triumph and to try for the consulship. |