ROMAN 



Jloman hastened hia death, which took place in the 6'Oth year 



of his age. 'I hi- public honoured him \vitli H 

 "/'' nifici-nt funeral, and a monument, with an inscription 

 written by himself, was erected to his memory in the 

 field of Mars. 



.\lumt thi> time, Caesar and Pompey, who had been 

 long di.stinguished by theirmilitary achievements, began 

 that career of rivalry and ambition which prov. 

 fatal to their country. After the death of Marius and 

 China, Srrtorius fled to Spain, where he established an 

 independent republic. Pompey and Metellus, who were 

 sent against him, were defeated in every battle, and, 

 though the best generals of the age, they were com- 

 pelled to abandon their enterprise against him. The 

 officers of Sertorius, however, jealous of his fame, con- 

 spired against him. At a public banquet, Perpenna 

 ^ t ' overturned a glass of wine as a signal to the conspira- 



tors, and immediately Antonius, another officer, stab- 

 bed the aged general to the heart. Destitute of ta- 

 lents, the conspirators were unable to supply the place 

 of their former leader; and Pompey put a speedy ter- 

 mination to the Spanish war. 



Rebellion < ^ ne tranquillity of the republic was now disturbed 

 f'Spar- by Spartacus, a Thracian shepherd, who was one of 

 ucu?, the gladiators kept at Capua, in the house of Lentulus. 

 Escaping from his confinement with thirty of his com- 

 panions, he took up arms against the Romans. At the 

 head of 10,000 men he laid waste the country, hiding 

 himself at first in the solitary regions of Campania; but 

 as his army increased in numbers, and improved in dis- 

 cipline, he engaged the Romans in open battle, and de- 

 feated with great loss two consuls that were sent against 

 him. Crassus was next placed at the head of a power- 

 who it de- ful army, and though he at first despaired of success, 

 feated by yet he at last succeeded in defeating Spartacus in a 

 Crassus. bloody engagement, and putting 12,000 of the slaves to 

 j the sword. Spartacus displayed great personal valour 

 in this encounter. When wounded in the leg he fought 

 on his knees, wielding his sword in the one hand, and 

 shielding himself with his buckler in the other ; and 

 when he was overpowered by an irresistible force, he 

 breathed his last above a heap of Romans who had 

 fallen beneath his sword. A part of the army of Spar, 

 tacus, however, rallied after their defeat, and, being 

 routed by Pompey, this ambitious leader claimed too 

 great a portion of the glory which was due to Crassus. 

 Pompey was now chosen consul along with Crassus ; 

 and it soon became evident that the commonwealth was 

 to suffer from the ambition of these two rivals. After 

 they had with difficulty been made to lay down their 

 arms, they entered mto a contest for popular favour. 

 Pompey attempted to ingratiate himself with the peo- 

 ple, by reinstating the tribunes in their rights, of which 

 Sylla had deprived them. Crassus, who was the richest 

 man in Rome, and whose property exceeded consider- 

 ably a million of English money, entertained the popu- 

 lace in the most liberal manner at 10,000 tables, and 

 distributed among them corn sufficient to serve their 

 families for three months. 



Great power With the view of putting down the numerous pira- 



eonferred gjes which prevailed, Pompey received absolute nutho- 



n Pompey. r j t y f or tnree vears over a )I the isles within the Pillars 



of Hercules, and over all the countries 400 furlongs 



from the sea. He was authorised to raise soldiers and 



sailors, to take the necessary sums out of the public 



treasury without being accountable for them, and toselect 



fifteen senators as his lieutenants. The tribune Roscius 



attempted in vain to resist this grant of power and of 



H .: .-. 

 I.-. ;,.! 



EMPIRE. 399 



money. The law wa* pasted, and Pomppy executed 

 the duties of hi.s office to the satisfaction of his country. 

 Without resigning his sovereignty of the seas, he was 

 nominated general of all the forces in Aiia, by a law 

 which was supported by Ca?ar and by Cicero. This 

 great charge he executed with the highest success, and 

 completed the conquest of Pontus and other eastern 

 countries. 



Rome was at this time nearly destroyed by the con- Catiline'* 

 spiracy of Catiline, to which it has been said that both eofttpinrjr. 

 Caesar and Crassus were privy. The history of the con- B. C. 64. 

 spiracy, and an account of the defeat and death of Ca- 

 tiline, have already been given under our article CA- 

 TILINE. 



In the absence of Pompey, Caesar rose rapid ily in favour 

 with the people. In the year of Catiline's conspiracy, 

 he was chosen Pontifex Maximus. He was next ad- 

 vanced to the practorship, and, when this office exp red, 

 lie \vas appointed by lot to the government of Lusi- 

 tania. Having subdued several nations in Spain that 

 had not before been subject to Rome, Caesar publicly 

 claimed a triumph. Ambitious, however, of the con- 

 sulship, he waved his pretensions to the triumph, and 

 entered Rome. 



Here he found Pompey and Crassus struggling for Triunm- 

 popularity and power. Under the mask of friendship nte of C*. 

 for both, he proposed to them to forget their differ- ** r ' Po j?' 

 ences, to unite their interests, and to form a triumvi- {^^~ 

 rate, in which the whole power of the senate and the jj.C. 60. 

 people should be centred in Pompey, Crassus, and 

 Caesar. This secret league was soon formed and ra- 

 tified by mutual oaths. Through the influence of his 

 colleagues, Caesar was raised to the consulship, and, in 

 order to root himself more deeply in the affections of 

 the people, he passed the Agrarian law, by which a 

 provision was to be made for 20,000 of the poorer ci- 

 tizens. To secure the influence of the knights, he 

 abated a third part of the rents which they annually 

 paid into the treasury, and he was thus able during 

 the rest of his consulship to govern Rome with the most 

 despotic sway. The influence of Pompey, however, 

 stood in the way of Ca?sar's ambition. A strong mili- 

 tary force was necessary to the accomplishment of his 

 schemes, and, through the influence of his friends, he 

 was appointed proconsul of Cisalpine and Transalpine 

 Gaul for a period of five years, and with an army of 

 four legions. During this period he carried on eight 

 campaigns in Gaul, and made two descents on Britain, 

 a full account of which he has lefc behind him in his 

 Commentaries; and he thus gained the two great ob- 

 jects of his ambition, the highest military renown, and 

 a victorious army devoted to his cause. 



Pompey and Crassus having been raised to the con- 

 sulship, waited on Caesar at Lucca, where they arranged 

 their new schemes of mutual ambition. It was stipu- 

 lated between them, that Crassus was to have the go- 

 vernment of Syria and the eastern provinces; that Pom- 

 pey was to govern Spain and Africa ; while Cassar was 

 contented with the continuance of his command in Gaul 

 for other five years. 



Crassus having undertaken an expedition against the fht Ro- 

 Parthians, he was met in an extensive plain by the Par- mans under 

 thian army under Surena, by whom he was defeated Crassus sur- 

 with a loss of 20,000 killed, and 10,000 prisoners. 

 Crassus and the rest of his army escaped by the dark- 

 ness of the night ; but the mutiny of his soldiers, and 

 the treachery of his guides, compelled him to surren- 

 der himself to the Parthian general, who cut off his 



