and lost his Imperium. To avoid this, he had secured approval to stand for the consulship in 48 BC while still in Gaul, but another law backed by Pompey required electoral candidates to be physically present in Rome. Although the two continued to co-operate in public, Pompey increasingly viewed his colleague as a threat, as did much of the Senate. Both of the consuls elected for 50 BC, Paullus and Marcellus, were opponents of Caesar, as was Curio, a plebeian tribune. They initiated legislation to remove Caesar from his command in Gaul, who allegedly bypassed this by bribing Paullus and Curio. The latter now argued both he and Pompey should disarm at the same time, or be declared enemies of the state. This was a clever move crafted by Caesar, since it was popular with those senators who wanted to avoid war, but unacceptable to the optimates. Its rejection made open conflict more likely, and the Senate agreed to fund additional troops. When Pompey fell ill while recruiting shortly after, the celebrations that followed his recovery arguably made him over confident that his popularity would enable him to overcome any opponent. With the Republic sliding towards war, Caesar crossed the Alps with a single veteran legion and arrived at Ravenna, close to the border with Italy. Caesar now proposed a compromise under which both he and Pompey would disband their troops simultaneously, a suggestion that was rejected. By this stage, he clearly believed appearing in Rome without troops or the protection of a consulship risked political oblivion. At the same time, a significant minority within the Senate, led by the two consuls elected for 49 BC, Marcellus and Crus, trusted him with neither. Both sides mistrusted Pompey, who has been criticised for "weak and ineffectual leadership" in this period. On 1 January 49 BC, Caesar sent an ultimatum stating that either his compromise was accepted, or he would march on Rome "to avenge his country's wrongs". With Pompey already recruiting troops in Campania, on 7 January the Senate felt confident enough to declare him a public enemy. Four days later, Caesar crossed the Rubicon into Italy. The Road to Pharsalus When the war began, Pompey could draw on the resources of the Roman state and his clients in the East, while Caesar was a rebel with no navy and a smaller army. Pompey's position was actually weaker than it looked,