POMPEIUS, CNEIUS MAGNUS. 



i-atrs, SEXTUS MAGNUS. 



which Crwr repeatedly made to him. Hii own plan wu to 

 > hi* enemy without fighting a battle ; but Cicsar recriveJ rein- 

 foroemenU from lUly, and Pompey wu cot off from Dyrrhachium. 

 In battle which ensued Cn*ar wu defeated, and directed his march 

 into Theualy. 



After this nteeew the senstorUl party imagined tbat all the work 

 was done, and that they might without any danger return to Italy ; 

 and when Pompey declared that Greece must first be cleared of the 

 emmy , they urged the immediate necessity of battle. Cteear, knowing 

 this disposition of his adversaries, compelled them, on tho 9th of 

 August n.c. 48, to give battle in the plains of Phanalua. Pompey 

 was defeated, and though he had still considerable forces at liis com- 

 mand, he wu disheartened. He fled to the month of the river 

 Peneus, and thence sailed to Lesbox, whither he had sent his wife 

 Cornelia and his younger son. By the advice of one of his friends he 

 determined to seek refuge in Egypt, whom king was indebted to Mm 

 for the restoration of his father. Ho landed there on the 28th of 

 September, but was treacherously murdered in the presence of the 

 king and bis army by the tribune Septimius, at the instigation of 

 Achillas and Theodotus, who feared the anger of Cicsar. The wife 

 and child of Pompey, who were still on board the ship, and saw the 

 murder, hastened away. The murderers cut off the head of Pompey 

 and left the body on the beach, where it was buried by a freedman 

 and a veteran. Caesar, who arrived in Egypt three days later, abed 

 tears at the sight of the head of Pompey, and put hia murderers to 

 death. 



Pompey wai fifty-eight yean old at tho time of hia death. It is 

 difficult to form a correct judgment of bis character, for .ho was not, 

 like Mariue, Sulla, and Crrsar, a ir.an of singleness of principle and 

 purpose, but he changed his position according to the circumstances 

 in which be was placed, and which he waa unable to control. Though 

 by birth not belonging to the senatorial party, he was by his immense 

 furtune placed on a level with them, and made himself their cham- 

 pion, though they could never sympathise with him ; and when he 

 joined the popular party it was to satisfy his own ambitious views. 

 He wai thus in reality throughout his life floating between two parties, 

 and was neither in hia private nor public life a faithful friend. His 

 object was to be looked upon as the first man of the state, and he 

 objected to no means of accomplishing this end, even though they 

 tended to subvert the constitution. In his civil administration of the 

 tate, and during the whole period from his great triumph to the war 

 with Caesar, the little that he did was not calculated materially to 

 improve the condition of his country. His real fame must rest on 

 his conduct as a general, though be was inferior in this respect to 

 other great generals of his age. In his private lifo however he formed 

 a contrast to most of his contemporaries, for though immensely rich, 

 he lived limply, and abstained from all debauchery and excesses. It 

 ii also generally acknowledged that he did not enrich himself by 

 extortion in bis provinces, though no man had ever had more oppor- 

 tunities, and that be was conscientious in the application of the public 

 money. As regards his intellectual powers, he was not above 

 mediocrity, although he sometimes affected to be the patron of 

 science and literature. Cicero judged of him differently at different 

 time*, according as he was governed by momentary impulse or by 

 what he considered the good of the state. (See the articles CICEUO, 

 CSUR, SEitronius, MITBRIDATES, and especially Pompey'g Life in 

 Ilrumann's 'Geschichte Roms/ &c., vol. iv., p. 1124-150.) 



British Unseam. Actual i. 



(This cola wu not (truck by Pompcjr lilm-clf, but by his son Bcxtnu. It mtut 

 have been .truck at the time when Sutun hid Ukrn poucMlon of Bldly ami 

 ttsUKd UM title of I roper, tor ' for tbe wcoml lime. The ring'f hrud on one 

 Ide 1* bellrrrd to be tbat of Pomper Uic Triumvir ; tho two smaller licmU arc 

 thoat of his two sou.) 



POMPEIUS, CNEIUS MAGNUS, tho elder of the two sons of the 

 triumvir Pompey and of Mucia, wu born about B.c. 77. According to 

 Appian, he and his brother Seztns accompanied their father on his 

 expedition SRainst the pirate*. When the war with Cottar broke out 

 he waa tent to Egypt to collect troops, and when he returned to hi* 

 father's fleet in tho Adriatic with 500 horsemen and 60 ships, and 

 found that Ctcsar had been allowed to cross the Adriatic, ho burnt 

 several of the hoi-tile *hi| i. After tbe defeat of his father, he sent 

 his squadron back to Alexandria, and remain* d witli the main anna- 

 nca.- Corcyra, justly observing that with nuch a fleet there could 

 bo no reason for despair. In the KI ring of lu;. 47, when sailing with 

 the fleet to Africa, he wu informed by his brother of the murder of 

 bis father. He now proceeded towards the Spanish const, and, after 

 having taken poueHion of several small islands, landed in Spain 

 (n.c. 46). Cncius noon collected an army of 13 legions, but Ciccar did 

 not at first think him an adversary of any consequence, and sent only 



hi* legato (.'. Ditliua againat him. At the end of the year however he 

 found it necessary to follow himself. On the 17th of March i 

 Cneius wu defeated in the bloody battle of Hunda (Uonda in 

 Granada), and flying to Carteia, attempted to ricape across the sea. 

 Ik-ing thwarted in this attempt, be directed his steps towards the 

 interior of Spain. His enemies followed, and overtook him iu the 

 neighbourhood of Lauron, where he waa killed. Being naturally of a 

 passionate disposition, tbe fate of his father had filled him with an 

 insatiable desire of revenge, and changed his natural boldneas into a 

 kind of savage audacity. (See the article C.UAR, and tho detailed 

 account of tbe war iu Spain in the book ' Do Hello Ilispanienti.') 



POMPEIUS, SEXTUS MAGNUS, the younger son of the triumvir 

 and of Mucia, wu born in n.o. 75. At the time of the war with tho 

 pirates ho wu a boy of eight yean of age, and when his father fought 

 the battle of Pharsalns he was with his step-mother Cornelia in 

 Lesbos. After witnessing the murder of I. is father in Egypt, he fled 

 with Cornelia to Cyprus, and soon after joined hia brother Cneius, 

 who was sailing with the fleet to Africa. When the senatorial party 

 was defeated at Thai BUS he went with Labienua and others to 

 to rejoin his brother, but stopped at Corduba. After learning the 

 unhappy issue cf the battle of Munda he left Corduba for the country 

 of the Lacetani. A number of malcontents and fragment* of the 

 army of his brother soon assembled around him, an i v. iih them ho 

 began to carry on a kind of guerilla warfare. Supported by the 

 natives (Dion Cassius, xlv. 10), he took several towns, and i 

 C. Carrinas nor Aainius Pollio was able to cope with him. Ho soon 

 made himself master of all Itetica and a part of Hispania Tarraco- 

 ncns-i*, and assumed the title of impcrator. The only object of 

 Sextus, as he himself afterwards declared, was to be restored to hi< 

 country and to recover the confiscated estates of his father. (Cio., 

 ' Ad Alt.,' xvi. 4.) It waa proposed in the senate to recall him and to 

 give him from the public treasury a sum of money equivalent to the 

 property of his father. The proposal was supported by Antony 

 Sextus, mistrusting the optimates as well as the veterans of Cicsar, 

 advanced with his forces as far aa Maeailia to watch thorn 

 events in Italy. The senate made him chief admiral of the fleet, but 

 when Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus formed a new triumvirate, 

 Sextus was declared an outlaw, lining however supported by I. is 

 fleet, he cruied as a pirate in the Mediterranean, and at lot n. 

 in taking possession of Sicily. The number of proscribed or rnimd 

 individuals and of slaves who flocked to his standard increased daily, 

 as he promised them higher rewards than his enemies offered for hia 

 head. Ha also received reinforcements from A. Coriiiticius, governor 

 of the province of Africa. (Dion Cuss., xlviii. 17.) Home at this time 

 suffered from scarcity, and Octavian sent out Q. Salvidienus Unfits 

 (B.C. 42) with a squadron, who however only succeeded in protecting 

 the coasts of Italy. During the campaign of Philippi, Hcxtua 

 remained inactive, confining himslf to the defence of Sicily, and only 

 harassing the coasts of Italy, whereby he increased the scarcity of 

 provisions at Rome. 



When, in the spring of the year n.o. 40, Antony on his return from 

 Egypt found the gates of I)rundnium closed upon him by Oe.tavian, 

 he requested Sextus Pompey to assist him against Octavian. Pompey 

 without hesitation sent a division of cavalry and a H|H .dron to 

 southern Italy, lint tho triumvirs soon became reconciled, aim 

 roiichiding a fresh treaty among themselves (foxlus Brundusinum), 

 they determined to make war upon Pompey, who now recomn 

 cutting off all supplies from Rome. The city was thus thrown into 

 such a stite of Buffering and discontent, that at last the ]>eople iu 

 open rebellion compelled tho triumvirs to a reconciliation with Pom- 

 pey. In B.C. 39 a treaty was concluded with him, in which hen! 

 the proconsulship of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and A chain, and pro- 

 mised to supply Italy with provisions. Hut this reconciliation proved 

 to be little more than a farce, for when Sextus returned to Sicily, 

 Antony refused to give up Achaia, and Octavian complained that 

 Pompey allowed piracy to be carried on in the Mediterranean. A 

 rupture between Pouipry and Octavian ensued, and Menodorns, the 

 admin! cf tin' former, wrnt over to Octavian, and treacherously sur- 

 rendered to him Sardinia and Corsica. Octavian wu now but upon 

 destroying the Poinpcian party, but hi* fleet was twice defeated l>y thu 

 admirals of Pompey, first nearCumn and then near Messina. Pompey 

 however, as usual, did not avail himself of his victorit H, and allowed 

 Octavian to repair his losses. Tho faithless Meuodorus now returned 

 with seven ships to his former master. M. Viptanius Agrippa was 

 appointed 1>y Octavian as chief admiral of bin fleet, and a landing wu 

 to be made on three parti of the island of Sicily at once ; but the 

 fleet wu dispersed by a storm, and Lepidus alone reached Lilj 

 Pompey oven now remained inactive, and offered sacrifice); to Neptune, 

 whose son he called himself. (Dion Cass., xlviii. 10; Horat, ' I 

 0.) Menodorus again deserted Pompey, and in a sea fiuht off Myl;c 

 against Agrippa, Pompey lost thirty ships and was unable to ] 

 Oct iviau from lauding at Tauroiiieniuiii. After several skin 

 Ap ipi'ii at length (n.c. 36) in a great sea-fight near Naulochus decided 

 the fate of Poinp-v, who, when he heard of the desertion of his land- 

 troops, lied with Ms daughter and seventeen shipu from Mes ina to 

 Asia. He was not followed by Octavian, and found on ho. 

 reception with C. r'urnius, the legato of Antony. Hut he soon lost the 

 confidence of his host by sending secret envoys to tho Parthians and 



