Presently, in the temple of the god of gods, side by side with the statue of Jupiter, Caesar found his own statue with “Caesar, demi-god,” at its base.  The captive chiefs disappeared in the Tullianum, and a herald called, “They have lived!” Through the squares jesters circulated, polyglot and obscene; across the Tiber, in an artificial lake, the flotilla of Egypt fought against that of Tyr; in the amphitheatre there was a combat of soldiers, infantry against cavalry, one that indemnified those that had not seen the massacres in Thessaly and in Spain.  There were public feasts, gifts to everyone.  Tables were set in the Forum, in the circuses and theatres.  Falernian circulated in amphorae, Chios in barrels.  When the populace was gorged there were the red feathers to enable it to gorge again.  Of the Rome of Romulus there was nothing left save the gaunt she-wolf, her wide lips curled at the descendants of her nursling.

Later, when in slippered feet Caesar wandered through those lovely gardens of his that lay beyond the Tiber, it may be that he recalled a dream which had come to him as a lad; one which concerned the submission of his mother; one which had disturbed him until the sooth-sayers said:  “The mother you saw is the earth, and you will be her master.”  And as the memory of the dream returned, perhaps with it came the memory of the hour when as simple quaestor he had wept at Gaddir before a statue that was there.  Demi-god, yes; he was that.  More, even; he was dictator, but the dream was unfulfilled.  There were the depths of Hither Asia, the mysteries that lay beyond; there were the glimmering plains of the Caucasus; there were the Vistula and the Baltic; the diadems of Cyrus and of Alexander defying his ambition yet, and what were triumphs and divinity to one who would own the world!

It was this that preoccupied him.  The immensity of his successes seemed petty and Rome very small.  Heretofore he had forgiven those who had opposed him.  Presently his attitude changed, and so subtly that it was the more humiliating; it was not that he no longer forgave, he disdained to punish.  His contempt was absolute.  The senate made his office of pontifix maximus hereditary and accorded the title of Imperator to his heirs.  He snubbed the senate and the honors that it brought.  The senate was shocked.  Composed of men whose fortunes he had made, the senate was not only shocked, its education in ingratitude was complete.  Already there had been murmurs.  Not content with disarranging the calendar, outlining an empire, drafting a code while planning fresh beauties, new theatres, bilingual libraries, larger temples, grander gods, Caesar was at work in the markets, in the kitchens of the gourmets, in the jewel-boxes of the virgins.  Liberty, visibly, was taking flight.  Besides, the power concentrated in him might be so pleasantly distributed.  It was decided that Caesar was in the way.  To put him out of it a pretext was necessary.