Jt O M A N E M P I R !:. 



403 



in she got on board a small vessel and l.u.dt d mar the 

 J.n,|)irc. palace, she was wrapped up in a coverlet, and c.iriird 

 ~" ~~ ' by one A*polodurus into ( ...u-'s chamber, where she 

 succeeded in intere.sting him in IHT c:m-e. Arsinoe, 

 who likewise aspired to the sovereignty, hud, through 

 the influence of one Ganymede, her confidant, created 

 a strong interest in the Egyptians. She caused Achillas 

 to In- murdered, and giving the command to her fa- 

 vourite, she carried on the liege of Alexandria with 

 renewed vigour. Ganymede gained several advantages 

 over the besieged, and seizing a bridge which joined 

 t!i Isle of Pharos to the main land, nn action en- 

 sued, in which the Romans were pnniostruck and 

 thrown into confusion. Caesar retired into a ship, in- 

 to which he was followed by such crowds, that fearing 

 it would sink, he threw himself into the sea and swam 

 to the fleet before the palace. 



As Caesar had seized upon the young king, the 

 \ ptians employed every kind of artifice to get him 

 into their possession ; and pretending a great anxiety 

 for peace, they requested their king to ratify it by his 

 signature. Caesar saw through their schemes, but sur- 

 ruidered the king, who exerted himself in carrying on 

 the war with new vigour. 



Mithridates, king of Pontus, one of Caesar's faithful 

 allies, had collected a numerous army in Syria for the 

 purpose of relieving Caesar. He accordingly took 

 Pelusium, and defeating the Egyptians, he joined his 

 forces to those of Caesar, and then attacking their camp, 

 he put great numbers to the sword. Ptolemy, who 

 had escaped on board a vessel, was drowned by the 

 sinking of the ship ; and Caesar having thus obtained 

 the mastery over his enemies, appointed Cleopatra and 

 her younger brother joint sovereigns of Egypt, and ba- 

 nished Arsinoe and Ganymede from the country, 

 t'ssar Seduced by the charms of the Egyptian queen, 



marches in- Caesar abandoned himself for a while to the dissipations 

 to Asia. of peace; but when he proposed to accompany Cleo- 

 patra to Ethiopia, his brave troops remonstrated against 

 his conduct, and being thus roused to a proper sense 

 of his duty, he tore himself from the spells of his en- 

 chantress, and marched against Pharnaces king of 

 Pontus, who had gained some advantages over Cneius 

 Domitius Calvinus governor of Asia. 



When Caesar was approaching to Armenia, Phar- 

 naces attempted to deceive him by offers of peace ; 

 but Caesar understanding his object, appeared very 

 desirous of meeting his views. When Caesar arrived 

 in Pontus, and had collected his forces, Pharnaces of- 

 fered him a crown of gold and his daughter in mar- 

 riage. Caesar offered him conditions of peace, to which 

 Pharnaces assented ; but being dilatory in fulfilling 

 them,CsEsar attacked him unexpectedly in his camp, and 

 defeated him with great loss. Caesar divided the spoils 

 of his camp amon rt the soldiers, and made Mithridates 

 Pergameus the king of Bosphorus sovereign of Pontus. 

 Caewrre- Having thus settled the affairs of Pontus, and left 

 turns to Domitius in it with adequate forces, Caesar returned to 

 Italy. Italy, and found Rome agitated by commotions which 



Mark Antony had given rise to by the riotous and 

 unprincipled life which he led. Cxsar, however, treat- 

 ed all parties with moderation and humanity ; and 

 when he had given tranquillity to the capital, and 

 established his own authority, he set out on an expe- 

 dition to Africa, where Scipio and Cato, aided by Juba 

 king of Mauritania, still supported the cause of Pom- 

 pey. Caesar invested the city of Thapsus, and having 

 thus drawn to its relief Scipio and Juba, he brought 

 on a general engagement, in which his enemies were 

 6 



totally overthrown. Juba and his general Pe'reius Roman 

 slew each other in a fit of distraction, and Scipio was * 

 slain in an attempt to escape into Spain. Cato retired .T"J ''""""' 

 to Utica, but finding his adherents unwilling to stand ^ 

 a siege, he stabbed himself with his sword. AfrkL 



The war in Africa being thus ended, Caesar returned in c*taf' 

 triumph to Rome. The splendour of this triumphal pro- triumph, 

 cession exceeded every thing that had formerly been 

 seen. The procession continued four days, one for 

 (i-jul, one for Egypt, a third for Asia, and a fourth for 

 Africa. Every soldier received about '150, and every 

 citi/en ten bushels of corn, ten pounds of oH, and a sum 

 equivalent to <2. The populace were entertained at 

 20,000 tables, and Rome was crowded with visitors 

 from every part of Italy to witness the celebration of 

 Cffsar's glory. 



The popularity of Caesar rose to the most unexam- Cam re- 

 pled pitch. He received the title of emperor, and fa- ** 

 ther of his people ; his person was declared sacred, and *"** ** Eou 

 every species of incense was offered to this great war- **"** 

 rior. Flattering as these marks of favour were to a 

 mind like Cxsar's, there never was a sovereign who 

 used his power with more wisdom and moderation. 

 The first act of his authority was to repress vice, and 

 promote private and public virtue. He restrained the 

 luxuries of the rich by sumptuary laws, and he vested 

 the power of judicature in the senate and the knights. 

 From the midst of these wise regulations he was sudden- 

 ly called into Spain, to oppose an army under the two 

 sons of Pompey and Labienus. The insurgent leaders Cwar de- 

 endeavoured to protract the war ; but Caesar at last fcau Pom- 

 forced them to a battle on the plains of Munda, P7 > 

 where, after a desperate and bloody encounter, Pompey s i )min - 

 was defeated with the loss of 30,000 men. B ' a *** 



Having thus acquired, by the force of his arm?, the 

 whole Roman empire, Caesar returned to Rome the 

 master of the world. lie pardoned all who had carried 

 arms against him ; he allowed the people to nominate 

 the consuls; he enlarged the number of the senators; 

 and, with his usual liberality, he again set up the su- 

 tues of Pompey. Besides these acts of moderation and 

 political wisdom, he ornamented Rome with the most 

 magnificent buildings; he rebuilt Carthage and Co- 

 rinth ; and he conceived many noble projects both of a 

 pacific and a military character, which he was not des- 

 tined to realise. 



The fresh honours with which the senate continued Conspiracy 

 to load Caesar, gave rise no doubt to the envies and gaint 

 jealousies of a body of men, who conspired against his 

 life. At a public festival Caesar had repeatedly refused 

 a diadem, which Mark Antony had offered for his ac- 

 ceptance ; and, notwithstanding this, a rumour was 

 widely circulated that he aspired to the name of an of- 

 fice, cf which he enjoyed all the splendid realities. 

 Whatever were his designs, he conducted himself in a 

 way which put down every suspicion ; and when he 

 was informed of the jealousies of particular individuals, 

 he declared that he would rather die once by treason 

 than live in the continual apprehension of it. He went 

 so far even as to disband his Spanish body guards, and 

 thus to throw himself upon the affections of the Roman 

 people. 



Notwithstanding this generous confidence in his ene- 

 mies, the conspiracy which wu have already mentioned 

 became more daring in proportion to the facility of car- 

 rying it into execution. No fewer than sixty senators 

 had combined themselves against him ; and at the head 

 of this band of pretended patriots stood Brutus and 

 Cassius, the same men whose lives Caesar had spared 



