two important events, one looking back into the past, the other
forward into the future — the victory of the Republic over its radical
enemies and the birth of Augustus. As we look back now upon
these twelve months, we can see that they constitute a period of
desperate struggle between the radicals and the conservatives,
culminating toward the end in the outbreak of the Catilinarian
conspiracy. In this contest Labienus took an active part. It
began with proposals for the cancellation of debts, for the restora-
tion to the rights of citizenship of those proscribed by Sulla, and with
the land bill of Publius Servilius Rullus. This agrarian bill pro-
vided for the sale of large tracts of public land in Italy, Sicily, Asia,
Macedonia, Spain, and Africa and for the use of the proceeds to buy
land in Italy for poor citizens. Its provisions were to be carried out
by a commission of ten men, who were to hold office for five years.
Caesar would of course have been in control of the commission, and
Pompey was cleverly made ineligible by a clause requiring candi-
dates for places on the commission to present themselves in person.
The extraordinary powers to be granted to the commissioners and
their term of office went a long way toward overthrowing the prin-
ciples on which the oligarchical government was founded. The
fact that Cicero delivered four speeches against the measure shows
the importance which he attached to its defeat. The radical course
which Labienus followed during the year 63 and his active partici-
pation in Caesar's political projects make it certain that he vigor-
ously supported all these proposals. We do know of three attacks
made this year on the boni which Labienus himself led. Cassius
Dio in his restrained way tells us (37.21) that Pompey used once,
on returning from his Eastern campaigns, certain privileges granted
him during his absence. The story of these privileges is recounted
with more brutal frankness and particularity by Velleius Paterculus,
who writes (ii. 40. 4) "absente Cn. Pompeio T. Ampius et T.
Labienus tribuni pi. legem tulerant, ut is ludis circensibus corona
aurea et omni cultu triumphantium uteretur, scaenicis autem prae-
texta coronaque aurea. Id ille non plus quam semel, et hoc sane
nimium fuit, usurpare sustinuit." The effect of this magnificence
on Pompey's bearing when he returned is clearly reflected in one
of Cicero's letters to Atticus (Ad Att. i. 18. 6) of 60 B.C.: "Pompeius