Thus Julia suddenly saw her ambitions gratified.  She became at twenty-one the next lady of the empire after Livia, and perhaps even the first in company with and beside her.  Young, beautiful, intelligent, cultured, and loving luxury, she represented at Livia’s side and in opposition to her, the trend of the new generation in which was growing the determination to free itself from tradition.  She lavished money generously, and there soon formed about her a sort of court, a party, a coterie, in which figured the fairest names of the Roman aristocracy.  Her name and her person became popular even among the common people of Rome, to whom the name of the Julii was more sympathetic than that of the Claudii, which was borne by the sons of Livia.  The combined popularity of Augustus and of Agrippa was reflected in her.  It may be said, therefore, that toward 18 B.C., the younger, more brilliant, and more “modern” Julia began to obscure Livia in the popular imagination, except in that little group of old conservative nobility which gathered about the wife of Augustus.  So true is this that about this time, Augustus, wishing to place himself into conformity with his law de maritandis ordinibus, reached a significant decision.  Since that law fixed at three the number of children which every citizen should have, if he wished to discharge his whole duty toward the state, and since Augustus had but a single daughter, he decided to adopt Caius and Lucius, the first two sons that Julia had borne to Agrippa.  This was a great triumph for her, in so far as her sons would henceforth bear the very popular name of Caesar.

But the difficulties which the first marriage with Marcellus had occasioned and which Augustus had hoped to remove by this second marriage soon reappeared in another but still more dangerous form, for they had their roots in that passionate, imperious, bold, and imprudent temperament of Julia.  This temperament the Roman education had not succeeded in taming; it was strengthened by the undisciplined spirit of the times.  And with it Julia soon began to abuse the fortune, the popularity, the prestige, and the power which came to her from being the daughter of Augustus and the wife of Agrippa.  Little by little she became possessed by the mania of being in Rome the antithesis of Livia, of conducting herself in every case in a manner contrary to that followed by her stepmother.  If the latter, like Augustus, wore garments of wool woven at home, Julia affected silks purchased at great price from the oriental merchants.  These the ladies of the older type considered a ruinous luxury because of the expense, and an indecency because of the prominence which they gave to the figure.  Where Livia was sparing, Julia was prodigal.  If Livia preferred to go to the theater surrounded by elderly and dignified men, Julia always showed herself in public with a retinue of brilliant and elegant youths.  If Livia set an example of reserve,