Editing First Triumvirate (section)

==== Laws for Pompey and Crassus ====
Some time after passage of the agrarian bill, Bibulus withdrew from public business to his home to declare unfavourable omens on all future voting days;{{efn|The effect of declaring unfavourable omens ''in absentia'' was minimal: "It has long been recognised that, in order to be valid... the bad omen... must be announced in person".{{sfn|Morstein-Marx|2021|p=144 n. 108}} "The embarassing effect for those who treat Bibulus' attempted ''servatio'' as if it ought to have been decisive... is that we have ''no'' well-attested instance ''ever'' of the successful use of the practice to prevent or to retroactive annul legislation".{{sfn|Morstein-Marx|2021|p=145|ps=&nbsp;(emphasis in original).}} }} the specific time in the year he did so, however, is not known.{{sfn|Morstein-Marx|2021|pp=142 et seq}} Caesar moved two further bills, first, for ratification of a one-third write-down of the tax bills owed by the ''publicani'' for Crassus, and second, for ratification of Pompey's eastern settlement. Both bills were passed with little or no debate in the senate.{{sfn|Wiseman|1992|p=372}} Lucullus, attempting to oppose Pompey's eastern settlement, was "forced into public humiliation on his knees before Caesar" when the consul threatened prosecution.{{sfnm|Drogula|2019|1p=137|Wiseman|1992|2p=372}} When Cicero, defending his former co-consul [[Gaius Antonius Hybrida]], made an off-hand remark complaining about the political situation, his "deadly enemy [[Publius Clodius Pulcher|P. Clodius]] [had] his long-obstructed 'transition' to the plebs rushed through by Caesar... in good time to stand for the tribunate".{{sfnm|Wiseman|1992|1p=372|Gruen|1995|2p=98}}<ref>{{harvnb|Gruen|1966|p=122|ps=, pinpointing Caesar's reaction to Cicero's public lamentation of the "sad circumstances of contemporary public life" as the inciting incident in Caesar's ratification of Clodius' ''transitio ad plebem''. This was early in the year; by April, Caesar was having second thoughts. {{harvnb|Gruen|1966|p=123}}. }}</ref>

Caesar then moved to lift the exemption of Campania from his agrarian bill some time in May; its passage may have proved the last straw for Bibulus, who then withdrew to his house.{{sfn|Morstein-Marx|2021|pp=143 (Bibulus), 147 (dating to May)}} Pompey, shortly thereafter, also wed Caesar's daughter Julia to seal their alliance.{{sfn|Wiseman|1992|p=374}} An ally of Caesar's, [[Publius Vatinius]] (then-plebeian tribune), also secured the passage of [[Lex Vatinia|a law]] granting to Caesar the provinces of Illyricum and Cisalpine Gaul for five years.{{sfn|Drogula|2019|p=137}} Doing so replaced Caesar's assigned province of the woods and paths of Italy with Gaul; this was in response to growing tensions between the republic and the recent victors of a power struggle in Gaul, which had destabilised the geopolitical situation in the region.{{sfn|Morstein-Marx|2021|pp=172–75, 177–78, 180}} After the death of the governor of Transalpine Gaul – one of Cato's allies – the senate was persuaded also to assign to Caesar that province as well.{{sfn|Morstein-Marx|2021|p=176}}{{sfn|Drogula|2019|pp=137–38}} Both bills were met with little resistance, likely due to Cato and his allies' boycotting of public business.{{sfn|Drogula|2019|p=137}}