34o CRASSUS.

any measure of consequence., except that Crassus made a great sacrifice to Hercules, and feasted the people at ten thousand tables, and measured them out corn for three months. When their command was now ready to expire, and they were, as it happened, addressing the people, a Roman knight, one Onatius* Aurelius, an ordinary pri- vate person, living in the country, mounted the hustings, and declared a vision he had in his sleep : u Jupiter," said he, " appeared to me, and commanded me to tell you, that you should not suffer your consuls to lay down their charge before they are made friends." When he had spoken, the people cried out that they should be recon- ciled. Pompey stood still and said nothing, but Crassus, first offering him his hand, said, "I cannot think, my countrymen, that I do any thing humiliating or unworthy of myself, if I make the first offers of accommodation and friendship with Pompey, whom you yourselves styled the Great, before he was of man's estate, and decreed him a triumph before he was capable of sitting in the senate." This is what was memorable in Crassus's consulship, but as for his censorship, that was altogether idle and in- active, for he neither made a scrutiny of the senate, nor took a review of the horsemen, nor a census of the peo- ple, though he had as mild a man as could be desired for his colleague, Lutatius Catulus. It is said, indeed, that when Crassus intended a violent and unjust measure, which was the reducing Egypt to be tributary to Rome, Catulus strongly opposed it, and falling out about it, they laid down their office by consent. In the great conspir- acy of Catiline, which was very near subverting the gov- ernment, Crassus was not without some suspicion of being

• The text is probably corrupt, another word. He is called Caius

The word Onatius is made up most Aurelius in the life of Pompey. likelv of the name Caius and