Oder: Und ich möchte lieber unter diesen der Erste als in Rom der Zweite sein.
Original altgriechisch: Παρὰ τούτοις εἶναι μᾶλλον πρῶτος ἢ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις δεύτερος.
Lateinisch gehts auch: Mallem hic primus esse quam Romae secundus.

Zusammenhang:

1. Joh. Friedr. Sal. Kaltwasser

11. Nach Endigung der Prätur fiel Cäsarn Spanien zu seiner Provinz zu. Da er mit seinen Gläubigern, die sich seiner Abreise durchaus widersetzten, und großen Lärm gegen ihn erregten, nicht aufs Reine kommen konnte, wendete er sich an Crassus, den reichsten Mann unter den Römern. Dieser war der Hitze und des unternehmenden Geistes Cäsars benöthiget, um den Absichten des Pompejus entgegen zu arbeiten; daher befriedigte er die dringendsten und ungestümmsten Gläubiger, und verbürgte sich für achthundert und dreyßig Talente, worauf dann endlich Cäsar in seine Provinz abging.

Auf der Reise über die Alpen kam er, wie man erzählt, bey einem kleinen Städchen vorbey, das von wenigen armseligen Barbaren bewohnt wurde, und da seine Begleiter aus Scherz und lachend die Frage aufwarfen: "Sollte es wohl auch hier Bewerbungen um Aemter, Rangstreitigkeiten und Neid unter den Großen geben?" - versetzte Cäsar in vollem Ernste: "Ich für meine Person wollte doch lieber bey diesem Völkchen der erste als in Rom der zweyte seyn." Eben so soll er ein ander Mal in Spanien, da er bey guter Muße Alexanders Geschichte las, lange Zeit im Nachdenken vertieft gewesen, und endlich in Thränen ausgebrochen seyn. Seine Freunde fragten ihn voller Verwunderung um die Ursache. "Ey, versetzte er, meynt ihr nicht, daß ich Ursache zur Betrübniß habe, da Alexander in den Jahren schon über so viele Völker herrschte, ich aber noch gar nichts großes und rühmliches gethan habe." *)

*) Nach Suetonius K.7. und Dio Cassius B.37. K.52. ließ Cäsar sich diese Worte einige Jahre früher verlauten, da er als Quästor in Spanien zu Gades im Tempel des Herkules eine Bildsäule Alexanders des Großen erblickte.

Des Plutarchus von Chäroneia vergleichende Lebensbeschreibungen. Aus dem Griechischen übersetzt mit Anmerkungen von Johann Friedrich Salomon Kaltwasser, Professor am Gymnasium in Gotha, G. Ch. Keil, Magdeburg 1803, Siebenter Theil, Caius Julius Cäsar, 11 (S.20f); gefunden: reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/fs1/object/display/bsb10237852_00030.html & books.google.de/books?id=77A-AAAAcAAJ&hl=de&pg=PA20

2. University of Chicago

11 1 Immediately after his praetorship Caesar received Spain as his province, and since he found it hard to arrange matters with his creditors, who obstructed his departure and were clamorous, he had recourse to Crassus, the richest of the Romans, who had need of Caesar's vigour and fire for his political campaign against Pompey. 2 And it was only after Crassus had met the demands of the most importunate and inexorable of these creditors and given surety for eight hundred and thirty talents, that Caesar could go out to his province.

3 We are told that, as he was crossing the Alps and passing by a barbarian village which had very few inhabitants and was a sorry sight, his companions asked with mirth and laughter, "Can it be that here too there are ambitious strifes for office, struggles for primacy, and mutual jealousies of powerful men?" 4 Whereupon Caesar said to them in all seriousness, "I would rather be first here than second at Rome." 5 In like manner we are told again that, in Spain, when he was at leisure and was reading from the history of Alexander, he was lost in thought for a long time, and then burst into tears. 6 His friends were astonished, and asked the reason for his tears. "Do you not think," said he, "it is matter for sorrow that while Alexander, at my age, was already king of so many peoples, I have as yet achieved no brilliant success?"

penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Caesar*.html

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

11 Caesar, in the meantime, being out of his praetorship, had got the province of Spain, but was in great embarrassment with his creditors, who, as he was going off, came upon him, and were very pressing and importunate. This led him to apply himself to Crassus, who was the richest man in Rome, but wanted Caesar's youthful vigour and heat to sustain the opposition against Pompey. Crassus took upon him to satisfy those creditors who were most uneasy to him, and would not be put off any longer, and engaged himself to the amount of eight hundred and thirty talents, upon which Caesar was now at liberty to go to his province.

In his journey, as he was crossing the Alps, and passing by a small village of the barbarians with but few inhabitants, and those wretchedly poor, his companions asked the question among themselves by way of mockery, if there were any canvassing for offices there; any contention which should be uppermost, or feuds of great men one against another. To which Caesar made answer seriously, "For my part, I had rather be the first man among these fellows than the second man in Rome." It is said that another time, when free from business in Spain, after reading some part of the history of Alexander, he sat a great while very thoughtful, and at last burst out into tears. His friends were surprised, and asked him the reason of it. "Do you think," said he, "I have not just cause to weep, when I consider that Alexander at my age had conquered so many nations, and I have all this time done nothing that is memorable."

classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/caesar.html