200 



C M S A R. 



Czsar. thcr with Curio, fled in the night to the camp of 

 v Cxsar- The consuls repaired to Pompey in the sub- 

 urbs, and claimed his assistance in the discharge of 

 their duty. Cassar, upon hearing of these measures, 

 called out his troops then at Ravenna, enumerated 

 the injuries which he had received, depicted, in glow- 

 ing colours, the injustice of his enemies, and exhort- 

 ed his soldiers to support the honour of their gene- 

 ral, under whom they had so long, so gloriously, and 

 so successfully served their country. He was an- 

 swered by a general acclamation from the ranks, that 

 they were ready to avenge the. injuries done to their 

 general, and to the tribunes of the people. At this 

 time Ccesar had but a small force on the side of Ita- 

 ly, and it was not supposed that he was in a situation 

 immediately to commence hostile operations : and, so 

 long as he did not bring, any alarming force towards 

 Rome, his enemies continued secure, and made no 

 effectual provision to resist him ; so that the seem- 

 inf neglect with which he suffered himself to be ta- 

 ken, was probably a preconcerted measure, and the 

 best preparation he could make for beginning the 

 war. He had most to apprehend from Pompey's 

 legions in Spain ; and he had made the best disposi- 

 tion against them, by placing the strength of his 

 army between the Pyrenees and the Alps. 



On the very day in which he harangued his sol- 

 diers at Ravenna, he passed the Rubicon, the bound- 

 ary between his province and Italy, by which he vir- 

 tually declared war against the state. Plutarch, and 

 others, have given us an account of the scruples and 

 agitations which disturbed his mind on the passage 

 of this famous stream ; he himself makes no mention 

 of any such scruples in recording this event, and, in- 

 deed, it is very unlikely that he should have had any, 

 after the lengths he had gone. He who had held it as 

 a maxim, Nihil esse rempublicam, appellatifonem mo- 

 do, sine corpore et specie ; and who had overleapt the 

 most sacred laws which had been devised for the de- 

 fence of the state, was not likely to feel compunction 

 on crossing a trifling stream. 



He immediately seized Ariminum, the first forti- 

 fied town beyond the Rubicon. Here he again ad- 

 dressed his soldiers ; presenting rfie tribunes to them 

 in the same dress in which they had fled from Rome, 

 " See," said he, " to what extremities persons vest- 

 ed with the sacred office of tribunes are reduced, for 

 having supported their friends, and pleaded the cause 

 of an injured army." Some advances were now made 

 by Pompey, probably merely with the view of gain- 

 ing time ; these Caesar knew well how to evade. Ac- 

 cordingly he was continually making offers of peace, 

 that he might throw the odium of the war upon his 

 enemies ; whilst, at the same time, he was pushing 

 his military operations with the utmost vigour. As 

 fast as troops could march, he seized Pisaurum, Fau- 

 num, Auximum, Ancona, and every other pl.iee 

 which was necessary to give him the command of the 

 country, or to open his way to Rome. 



Pompey appears to have been quite unprepared 

 for these decisive measures of Caesar ; sorm- of the se- 

 nators sarcastically desired him to stamp with his foot, 

 as he had formerly boasted that he could by this 

 means raUe -\a army to oppose Csesar. He now in- 



formed the senate of the necessity of leaving Rome ; 

 and, though he did not avow his intentions, he had 

 resolved on leaving Italy. His retreat damped the 

 courage and the zeal of his followers ; and, as soldier* 

 seldom voluntarily choose the losing side, even the 

 troops who had been raised to oppose Caesar desert- 

 ed to him, and greatly augmented his army. Rome 

 was now open to him, but he esteemed the possession 

 of it of no moment, till he should decide who was to 

 be permanent master. He therefore marched in search 

 of Pompey, who fled before him to Brundisium : he 

 immediately invested the place, which Pompey de- 

 fended only till he got his troops transported to Dyr- 

 rachium, on the other side of the gulf. 



Cassar having made himself master of Italy in sixty 

 days, now directed his course to Rome. He every- 

 where made the greatest ostentation of clemency, and 

 gradually dissipated the fears which were generally 

 entertained of another proscription. He found little, 

 however, at Rome to gratify his feelings ; the con- 

 suls and most respectable part of the senate had fol- 

 lowed Pompey ; and there was a general air of dis- 

 trust and desolation. He had not even resolution to 

 harangue the people, as he had once proposed ; he 

 avoided public view ; and, having spent only a few 

 days in Rome, he set out for Spain, where he ex- 

 pected the weight of the war, after having stript the 

 public treasury of all the money which it contained. 

 He was for a considerable time vigorously resisted in 

 Spain by Afranius and Petnrius, Pompey's lieute- 

 nants : with his usual ability and success, however, 

 he at last prevailed, and the. whole army was forced 

 to surrender. With his usual policy he treated them 

 with the greatest clemency- and gave them liberty 

 to retire to whatever place they pleased. After the 

 reduction of Spam, whilst he was engaged in tht 

 siege of Marseilles, he received intelligence, that his 

 party at Rome had procured a decree of the people, 

 vesting him with the power of dictator. He hasten- 

 ed to Rome to take possession of his new dignity, 

 which was of some consequence to him in his present 

 circumstances, as he could then plead the appearance 

 of legal authority for his proceedings. He staid 

 only eleven days in Rome, and then marched after 

 Pompey, who had collected a great force in Mace- 

 donia. He landed on the coast of Epirus, before 

 Pompey had any notice of his approach. The latter, 

 however; having the command of the sea, by means of 

 his superior fleet, took possession of Dyrrhachium, 

 where -he could easily be supplied with provisions. 

 Caesar, with an inferior army, attempted to inclose 

 him in his camp, and cut off all communication with 

 the laud ; but, after incredible exertions of labour and 

 of valour to accomplish this object, he was baffled-, 

 and in fact routed 1 ; and had Pompey known how to 

 improve the advantage he had gained, there must 

 then have been an end of Caesar's fortunes. But 

 Pompey, from the high character of Caesai J s men for 

 steadiness and discipline, mistook their flight for a 

 feint, and did not dare to pursue them. " This day," 

 said Caesar, " victory would have declared for the 

 e;;emy, if they had had a general who knew how to 

 conquer." He was so much distressed for want of 

 provisions, that he was under the necessity of imme- 



