Caius Marius   

the assistance of Caecilius Metellus, of whose family he as well as
his father were dependents, obtained the office of tribune of the
people. In which place, when he brought forward a bill for the
regulation of voting, which seemed likely to lessen the authority of
the great men in the courts of justice, the consul Cotta opposed
him, and persuaded the senate to declare against the law, and called
Marius to account for it. He, however, when this decree was
prepared, coming into the senate, did not behave like a young man
newly and undeservedly advanced to authority, but, assuming all the
courage that his future actions would have warranted, threatened
Cotta, unless he recalled the decree, to throw him into prison. And on
his turning to Metellus, and asking his vote, and Metellus, rising
up to concur with the consul, Marius, calling for the officer outside,
commanded him to take Metellus into custody. He appealed to the
other tribunes, but not one of them assisted him; so that the
senate, immediately complying, withdrew the decree. Marius came
forth with glory to the people and confirmed his law, and was
henceforth esteemed a man of undaunted courage and assurance, as
well as a vigorous opposer of the senate in favour of the commons. But
he immediately lost their opinion of him by a contrary action; for
when a law for the distribution of corn was proposed, he vigorously
and successfully resisted it, making himself equally honoured by
both parties, in gratifying neither, contrary to the public interest.
After his tribuneship, he was candidate for the office of chief
aedile; there being two orders of them, one the curules, from the
stool with crooked feet on which they sat when they performed their
duty; the other and inferior, called aediles of the people. As soon as
they have chosen the former, they give their voices again for the
latter. Marius, finding he was likely to be put by for the greater,
immediately changed and stood for the less; but because he seemed
too forward and hot, he was disappointed of that also. And yet
though he was in one day twice frustrated of his desired preferment
(which never happened to any before), yet he was not at all
discouraged, but a little while after sought for the praetorship and
was nearly suffering a repulse, and then, too, though he was
returned last of all, was nevertheless accused of bribery.
Cassius Sabaco's servant, who was observed within the rails among
those who voted, chiefly occasioned the suspicion, as Sabaco was an
intimate friend of Marius; but on being called to appear before the
judges, he alleged, that being thirsty by reason of the heat, he
called for cold water, and that his servant brought him a cup, and
as soon as he had drunk, departed; he was, however, excluded from
the senate by the succeeding censors, and not undeservedly either,
as was thought, whether it might be for his false evidence, or his
want of temperance. Caius Herennius was also cited to appear as
evidence, but pleaded that it was not customary for a patron (the
Roman word for protector) to witness against his clients, and that the
law excused them from that harsh duty; and both Marius and his parents
had always been clients to the family of Herennii. And when the judges
would have accepted of this plea, Marius himself opposed it, and
told Herennius, that when he was first created magistrate he ceased to
be his client; which was not altogether true. For it is not every
office that frees clients and their posterity from the observance
due to their patrons, but only those to which the law has assigned a
curule chair. Notwithstanding, though at the beginning of the suit
it went somewhat hard with Marius, and he found the judges no way
favourable to him, yet at last, their voices being equal, contrary
to all expectation, he was acquitted.
In his praetorship he did not get much honour, yet after it he
obtained the further Spain; which province he is said to have
cleared of robbers, with which it was much infested, the old barbarous
habits still prevailing, and the Spaniards, in those days, still
regarding robbery as a piece of valour. In the city he had neither
riches nor eloquence to trust to, with which the leading men of the