by the Senate in the case of Clodius. Then Pompey replied very much 'en grand seigneur'; he said that the authority of the Senate weighed heavily with him on all occasions and had always done so, and so on at great length. Next the consul Messalla asked Pompey in the Senate, what was his opinion regarding the sacrilege and regarding the bill that had been proposed. He replied by praising in general terms all the decrees of that House; and as he sat down again beside me, he remarked—'I suppose I have said enough on your business as well.'"
It is not surprising that this hesitation and inability to speak his mind should have produced a bad impression on Pompey's contemporaries. The desire to keep things open and the weak love of silence and reserve could only be indulged in at the expense of his reputation for honesty and straightforwardness. It is of no avail that a man has been seen to make great sacrifices on occasion to the cause of duty, if his daily bearing contradicts the idea of his sincerity. Cicero was strongly provoked with Pompey's conduct and expressed his vexation in no measured language to his friend[1]—" there is no courtesy, no candour in him, no sense of honour in politics, nothing high-minded or vigorous or straightforward."
On the other hand the leading Optimates were much to blame in not exerting themselves to win Pompey. Whenever he made advances, they were coldly received. Pompey showed what he wished, when he proposed a series of matrimonial alliances
- ↑ Ad Att., i., 13, 4.
