The Roman People Favor Caesar

When I was a Praetor-elect, the Catilinarian conspiracy was known to the Republic and to the Senate. Catiline brought a group together to overthrow our great Republic, but Consul Cicero discovered the plot, and Catiline fled Rome. The senate wanted the deaths of all involved, but I proposed a different course. Each wrong-doer should be imprisoned, but in different towns that each other. Their ultimate punishment should be that their estates will be confiscated to the Republic they wanted destroyed. I insisted upon the Senate that if they pressed their views or ideas of prosecuting the Catilinarians, the people would gain a hatred to them. Most people had the same view as I, but the consul-elect, Decimus Silanus, had his own ideas. I blocked the proceedings, believing that my view was the right one, until Roman equites threatened my life. I had to give up my opposition, especially when they came armed, unsheathing their swords at me until most of my companions fled my side, leaving a few to huddle against me as my last line of defense against these equites. It wasn't that I was afraid of them, but I feared more foul play. I kept away from the senate house for whole year.
My first day of my praetorship was a busy one. Quintus Catulus was in charge of restoring the Capitol, and he had made so little progress that I felt in my power to question Catulus that answers are to be made to the Roman people. I made a decision that his commission should be taken from Catulus and given to someone who could get the restoration done. The Optimate party and the newly elected consuls heard me speaking to Catulus, and they offered Catulus dogmatic resistance to me. Of course, I had to withdraw my proposal.
Caecilius Metellus, a tribune, proposed bills that I believed should have been put through the senate. Of course, they were vetoes, but Metellus and I were behind the bill until the Senate suspended us. However, I kept my position, but I was warned I would be removed by force, if needed. I was fed up with the whole situation. I took off my Praetorian toga, and I went home, in a quicker pace. Since the Catilinarian incidents, politics seemed more of a nuisance to me. I decided to retire from politics. However, it didn't last long. The next day, a crowd of my fellow Romans appeared at my residence. They were up in arms because of how the senate wanted me out. My fellow Romans offered to put me back on the tribunal. I waved at them, humbled by their admiration for my position. The Senate were so surprised by the people's demonstration in front of my house that they hurriedly dealt with the situation. They sent a deputation of high officials of Rome to thank me, publically. After the thanks by the high officials, they asked for my presence in the Senate House. They showered praises on me, and they revoked their decree. Furthermore, they confirmed my praetorship. The people have spoken...

Sources Used:

Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Penguin Classics Revised Edition, December 18, 2007. Print