Caius Cassius had long since abandoned the graces of Rome for the relaxation of his Campanian hometown, Salernum, with excuse of the slumber of all things public. He took his sons, his precious bride-to-be Cassia Prima and his wife Aelia with him, and started a tour of his estates in Campania. With little to do besides farming, Cassius showed magnificent skills in farming as indifference in studying the reports coming from his freedmen back in Rome, keeping him in touch with the government’s proceedings. Nothing of significance was ever done these past months, he was certain – so, no reading while in vacations!

By his nature an avaricious man, which was the only undoing he always tried to keep in check, Cassius took great care to inspect his farms and their productivity, the lodgers kept by the freedmen managers he had appointed upon purchase of the farm, the slaves and their reports, the incomes and expenses of the entire year and that of the year before and many other things that kept his people at the edge of their toes – if the master was disappointed, was it possible that he would sell them all with the worse recommendations imaginable? Knowing him, Cassius only forgot his avariciousness when he wanted to get back at someone. So, he wouldn’t give a fig for the money he was going to lose, should he sell away his slaves with bad recommendations, if that meant that they would spent the rest their lives in some silver mine in Spain or some stone quarry in Italy, baked to death by the remorseless Italian sun.

The fears of the lot grew even worse when Caius Cassius dismissed - with an embarrassing manner - the most senior of his managers on reason that he had participated in activities without his approval. But Cassius took no further action, having provided his people with his point: nothing avoided his gaze. Leaving the servants and the managers at peace, he spent his last days making walks around the farmlands with his children and wife. At one of these walks, while the children were carried away by their games, Aelia was walking alone with her husband. Taking Cassius by the arm, Aelia rested her head upon his shoulder as they walked slowly around the farm. Caressing his arm affectionately, Aelia thought that was the time to speak her mind.

“Husband”, she said, “it’s been some time I haven’t seen you concerning over things public. That’s most unusual of you. You don’t read the reports from Rome, and you do not study any case for the courts. What’s the matter?”. A caress of his husband’s body accompanied the question.

“There’s nothing wrong, if that’s what you are worried for. But there’s nothing of importance done, either. I hadn’t had a case to try at the courts for some weeks, the Senate slumbers, and besides the juicy news coming from Sicily there are just no news!”

“It’s obvious you’re bored and that’s not what I asked you”, said Aelia, not parting from his side. “If that is so, and nothing is being done, why don’t you take some action? I remember what you’ve said about Mago – what about him?”

“The Gods know I’ve tried, wife.”, said Cassius with a sigh, slowly straitening her hair with his fingers. “Don’t you recall that speech I spent nights on to write for delivery in the Senate? That was about King Alexander of Epirus, our most expensive client King up to now. As for Mago… Claudius Nero is on his heels, there’s nothing worse that I can do to him!”

“So, you’ll just eat away your days in farming? Is that what you idea?” asked Aelia suddenly pulling away from Cassius, a tone of contempt in her voice.

“I can’t see what’s wrong with farming. My ancestors farmed these lands. Your ancestors farmed other places. So did everyone’s ancestors. Why should I be ashamed of farming?” asked Cassius standing still, knowing what his wife had to say next.

“Because farming is the occupation of New Men, Caius, that’s why!”

“And from where, do you recon dearest Aelia, do our Senators gain their incomes if not from farming? If the occupation of New Men is farming, is it safe to assume that our nobles are nothing than New Men themselves?”

“This is not a sophism competition, husband! You know what I mean!” said Aelia irritably. “Proper Romans do not spend their time farming; they employ others to do that for them, and they simply collect the monies. Proper Romans concentrate on the Republic. Do that.”

“And what am I to do about the Republic? I told you already that there’s nothing going on that I can budge the Senate about.”

“Budge them about that King. You thought that it was important enough to make a speech in the first place, so concentrate on that.”

“I’ve done that already. To no avail.”

“Then keep on budging them, Caius! By the Good Goddess, hear me out just this once!” she said with passion, halting her walk. “You have no real accomplishments of your own as of yet, other than you’ve made it to the Praetorship twice. You have no money, either. How are you to continue your career? Oh, husband, I implore you – go back to Rome and do something to get yourself known to the People!”

“What would you have me do?” asked Cassius.

“I don’t know – something! Keep budging the Senate for that issue with the King. Propose a motion. Call on an assembly of the people and put your arguments to them! Just do something! Caius, please; let’s go back in Rome. Immediately.”

He thought on that for a while. And, after he spent some time considering his options, he realized that he wasn’t going to be allowed a moment’s rest would he chose to stay in Campania an hour more. So, he smiled on his wife’s steadfastness on getting him all fired up and motivated for some good deed in the service of Rome that he ordered his company to immediately pack and begin their ways back to Rome.