Senators, we finally have gotten to an issue that should have been addressed weeks ago. However, the malevolent yearning for personal power has prevented us thus far from dealing with the most important issues at hand. Now that Dolabella, Octavius and Lepidus have met a deserving demise, and Antony awaits his, we can finally broach the subject of Julius Caesar’s acta.
I agree with Aulus Hirtius in that I, too, am very torn about what to do about Caesar’s acta. However, my hesitance and indecision arise not out of respect for the dead man, but out of fear of consequences. I think that all of us can agree that complete abolition of the acta would wreak havoc on our Republic and cause absolute chaos. Many of us owe our positions to Caesar, and would be out of power if the acta were destroyed. Mass elections would have to be held to fill these numerous positions, and in our present state of uproar with Antony roving about, such a period of transition would leave the Republic vulnerable to attack.
Though abolishing the acta would put us in a most dangerous position, validating them would also have negative consequences. It makes me shudder to think that a dead man, one known for his overindulgent vices and his obsession with power, should continue to control the workings of our noble Republic. How foolish will we look to the people and the provinces, assassinating our tyrant in vain? For in vain it will be, if we confirm all of his future plans for our state.
At this point, we have operated somewhat according to the acta by allowing many of Caesar’s political appointments. However, we have also witnessed the errors inherent in his plan for Rome. Caesar selected Dolabella to become consul in his stead when he departed for the Parthian Campaign later this year. In an attempt to avoid unnecessary squabbling and untimely elections, we confirmed this designation. We soon learned that Caesar was not the best judge of character. I for one, was not surprised, when I heard the rumors that Dolabella was allowing Antony to bribe him. And I was even less surprised when the Senate learned that Dolabella had betrayed the Republic and joined the reckless rogues Octavius and Lepidus in pursuit of power. For how could a man who destroyed the Republic beyond recognition and indulged himself in contemptible luxury of all kinds be able to recognize decency in others? Lepidus and Octavius themselves, both heirs to Caesar’s legacy, also demonstrated their depravities when they violated the Constitution and left Rome and amassed troops to undermine the power of this Senate and become the next tyrants.
However, due to our good luck, and the fact that some upstanding and honorable citizens do still exist in Romulus’ cesspool, some of Caesar’s designates have risen above his deplorable example. Brutus, Caesar’s protégé and consul designate for 41, though Caesar’s continued tyranny would have assured him unending power and wealth, decided that the Republic was more important than the life of one man and liberated us from a tyrant. Aulus Hirtius, Caesar’s consul designate for 43, has revealed his true loyalty to the Republic by forgoing his consulship for next year in order to serve us nobly in our present time of need.
It is evident that Caesar’s acta have thus far been neither wholly negative nor wholly successful. We cannot destroy them, causing chaos and denying some of the honorable Senators’ their appointments, but we cannot publicly and completely confirm them, submitting still to the tyrannical yoke of the dead Caesar and ignoring his acta’s recent failures. I propose that we continue on the same path we have begun and finish out 44 with Caesar’s appointments still standing. However at the end of the year, as wise Piso has suggested, we should hold elections as normal and let the Romans decide their leaders for themselves. Regarding Caesar’s plans for Rome, as much as I detest the name of that vile cinaedus, none of us can deny that some of his intentions were surprisingly wise and much-needed. Thus, I believe these plans should be brought before the Senate for discussion, and that we proceed accordingly—judging which proposals should be carried out and which should be tossed aside.
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