Still more naturally, when the enterprise had failed, the partners of higher position applied every effort to conceal their participation in it.

And at a later period, when the former conspirator had himself become the target of political plots, the veil was for that very reason drawn only the more closely over those darker years in the life of the great man, and even special apologies for him were written with that very object.( 21) Total Destruction of the Democratic Party For five years Pompeius stood at the head of his armies and fleets in the east; for five years the democracy at home conspired to overthrow him.

The result was discouraging.

With unspeakable exertions they had not merely attained nothing, but had suffered morally as well as materially enormous loss.

Even the coalition of 683 could not but be for democrats of pure water a scandal, although the democracy at that time only coalesced with two distinguished men of the opposite party and bound these to its programme.
But now the democratic party had made common cause with a band of murderers and bankrupts, who were almost all likewise deserters from the camp of the aristocracy; and had at least for the time being accepted their programme, that is to say, the terrorism of Cinna.