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militibus atque in porta consistit. Consequuntur hunc centuriones eius cohortis, quae in statione erat: paulisper una proelium sustinent” (BG 6.38). Despite Baculus being ill, he still goes out of the tent to fight. Not only does he help out by physically standing at the gate, his doing this encourages other Centurions to stand firmly as well. Caesar portrays Q. Cicero and Baculus with much respect during battle. Both Cicero and Baculus are described as selfless, as they fight through their sickness and still manage to overcome the enemy. This supports the fact that Caesar chooses to write about his most respectable military officers overcoming illness during battle.
On the other hand, during Caesar’s Civil War, he portrays his former co-consul Bibulus as contemptuous. Bibulus wanted to veto a proposal by Caesar that gave land to Pompey and his soldiers as well as made more religious holidays. When Bibulus intervened with Caesar at the assembly, he was shamed and left the consulship, leaving Caesar with complete control. Bibulus then formed an alliance against Caesar with Pompey, who was a political enemy of Caesar. (Grey-Fow 180-181). While leading one of Pompey’s fleets on the Adriatic Sea against Caesar, “graviore morbo ex frigore et labore implicitus, cum neque curari posset neque susceptum officium deserere vellet, vim morbi sustinere non potuit. Eo mortuo ad neminem unum summa imperii redit, sed separatim suam quisque classem ad arbitrium suum administrabat” (BC 3.18). Bibulus was ill while trying to capture Caesar’s fleet, but he refused treatment and eventually died. This, unfortunately, led to a lack of leadership on Bibulus’s behalf, as there was no one to take over. Eventually, his fleet was divided under several different commanders, but this gave Caesar enough time to call for reinforcements, which led to Caesar defeating Pompey. Caesar previously writes about how his respectable military commanders are able to overcome their sickness in battle. In contrast, he writes how Bibulus attempts to overcome his sickness but ends up dying. In many ways, it is shown how Bibulus is not as respectable. While Bibulus is described as being more selfish, not wanting to give up his leadership position in the battle, before dying. Then leaving his men with no commander. Caesar does not state how despite sickness, he still went out and fought as he did with
Cicero and Baculus. Instead, he writes how he tried to overcome his sickness because he did not want to give up his esteemed office. By writing that Bibulus dies while trying to overcome his illness in battle, it proves that Caesar uses illness as a way to convey how respectable he believed a person was.
Caesar also used illness as an excuse for failure to protect his reputation. There is evidence of Caesar having a mysterious illness, although researchers are unsure of what exactly it is. In The Nature of Caesar’s Illness, Hamlyn writes about Caesar’s different symptoms and what his illness could be. Hamlyn writes about one occasion where Caesar, while Caesar while receiving an honor, claimed he was not able to stand before the senate because he was suffering from diarrhea at the time. What the public did not know was that Caesar did not believe he should receive this honor, which is why he didn’t want to stand before the senate and receive it. However, it is revealed later that Caesar lied, as he stood up and walked home later that day (362). He also writes, “Caesar was unable to maintain control of his troops during the battle. This undermined the reputation for clemency that Caesar had been carefully cultivating, so an absence due to sickness would help exculpate him from the affair” (362). Although research points out that Caesar may have had the illness before his death, a lot of small symptoms may have actually been different excuses for military failure or believing he was unworthy of honor. He possibly did this to make himself look better in the eyes of the people of Rome. This demonstrates how Caesar used sickness as an excuse for military failure or dishonor.
Finally, Caesar uses medicine as a way to gain more political power. Caesar was able to rise to political power by gathering the support of his military men. In battle, Caesar was very logical and careful in making his plans. In terms of sick and injured men, “Caesar, who recounts a critical contest in which the wounded were not given permission to retire to the rear for rest and assistance and that those unable to continue the fight, dropped to the rear; this was custom at the time,” (Byrne 268). Byrne also writes that Caesar used the sick and injured as a, “...rearguard, a group charged with this duty, and we may even