628 



POMPEII POMPEY. 



her charms began to fade, and she could only main- 

 tain her influence with the king by furnishing him 

 other objects for the gratification of his passions, 

 she turned her attention to state affairs. She filled 

 the most important offices with her favourites, and 

 contributed to produce those evils which afterwards 

 pressed so heavily on France. It is said to have 

 been principally owing to her that France became 

 involved in the war against Frederic II. The em- 

 press Maria Theresa had propitiated her favour by 

 writing to her with her own hand. The burdens 

 and sufferings which this war brought upon France 

 must be laid at her door, since she removed Bernis, 

 who was in favour of peace, and supplied his place 

 by Choiseul, effected the recall of 'marshal d'Es- 

 trees at the moment of triumph, and promoted inca- 

 pable generals to the command. She died in 1764, 

 at the age of forty-four years, little regretted by the 

 king (see Louis XP'.), and hated and reviled by the 

 nation. The memoirs and letters which appeared 

 under her name are not genuine, but are attributed 

 to the younger Crebillon. See the Memoires of 

 Mad. Campan, and those of Du Hausset. 



POMPEII ; an ancient city of Campania, formerly 

 celebrated for its commerce, which was partly des- 

 troyed by an earthquake, A. D. 63, and together 

 with Herculaneum, was buried by a stream of lava, 

 or rather by a shower of ashes, A. D. 79, and first 

 discovered in 1748. It lies about twelve miles 

 south-east from Naples. Pompeii is said to have 

 been founded by the Opici, and, at a later period, 

 was in the possession of the Samnites, who, having 

 revolted, were replaced by Roman colonists. Al- 

 though a less considerable city than Herculaneum, 

 it contained many fine works of art, a large theatre, 

 and many handsome buildings. (For an account 

 of the excavations, see Herculaneum.) The exca- 

 vations are still continued. The bed of ashes was 

 about eighteen feet in depth. Although two-thirds 

 are still covered, it is estimated that the town was 

 three quarters of a mile in length by nearly half a 

 mile in breadth. The walls are from eighteen to 

 twenty feet high, and twelve thick, and contained 

 several main gates, of which six, have been uncov- 

 ered. Twenty streets, fifteen feet wide, paved with 

 lava, and having foot-ways of three feet broad, have 

 also been excavated. The houses are joined toge- 

 ther, and are generally only two stories, with ter- 

 races for roofs. The fronts are often shops, with 

 inscriptions, frescoes and ornaments of every kind. 

 The principal rooms are in the rear : in the centre 

 is a court, which often contains a marble fountain. 

 In some of the houses the rooms have been found 

 very richly ornamented. A forum, surrounded with 

 handsome buildings, two theatres, an arena, temples, 

 baths, fountains, statues, urns, utensils of all sorts, 

 &c., have been discovered. Most of the objects of 

 curiosity have been deposited in the museums of 

 Naples and Portici : among them are a great num- 

 ber of manuscripts. It is probable that most of the 

 inhabitants escaped, as few skeletons have been 

 found. For further information see Gell and Gaudy's 

 Pompeiana (London, 1817 19), and the new series, 

 conducted by the former, Pompeiana (part x., Lon- 

 don, 1831); Wilkins's Views of Pompeii ; Cooke's 

 Delineations (London, 1827, 2 vols., folio, 90 

 plates) ; the account of Pompeii in the Library of 

 Entertaining Knowledge ; Bibent's Plan of Ponv- 

 peii (Paris, 1826), showing the progress of the exca- 

 vations from 1763 to 1825 ; and Goro's Wander- 

 ungen durch Pompcji (Vienna, 1825). 



POMPEY (CNEIUS POMPEIUS), surnamed the 

 Great (Magnus), born B. C. 107, was the son of 

 Cneius Pompeius Strabo, an able general, but hated 

 for his severity and avarice. The young Pompey 



had received from nature a pleasing person, and a 

 graceful dignity, and early displayed talents which 

 promised him equal success in the field and the 

 forum, lie first served under his father, who com- 

 manded an army against Ciiuia, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Rome during the Marian war. Here he 

 narrowly escaped being assassinated by his comrade 

 Terentius, who had been hired by China to murder 

 father and son. Having received information of 

 the plot, he abandoned his tent in the evening, and 

 secured his father's life, by stationing a guard round 

 tile pnetorium. Soon after a mutiny broke out in 

 the army, and the soldiers had formed the resolution 

 to desert their obnoxious commander ; but Pompey, 

 then a youth of nineteen years of age, presented 

 himself among the rioters, and, after trying remon- 

 strances and prayers without effect, threw himself 

 before the gate of the camp, and declared that they 

 should go out only over his body. This firmness 

 had the desired effect. By his gracious words and 

 manner, he reconciled the soldiers to his father, 

 who soon after perished by lightning. The party 

 of Marius and Cinna gained the ascendency, and 

 deluged Rome with blood. Pompey, who had re- 

 tired to the neighbourhood of Picenum, where his 

 estates lay, raised a body of troops on his own ac- 

 count, on the approach of Sylla, and compelled the 

 neighbouring cities to declare themselves for this 

 general. His popularity enabled him to raise three 

 legions, with which he joined Sylla in Campania. 

 Three leaders of the opposite party had attempted 

 to obstruct his march, but he defeated them suc- 

 cessively, and was received by Sylla with the high- 

 est marks of esteem, and saluted by him as impera- 

 tor, although he had not yet attained the senatorial 

 age, being but twenty-three years old. A series 

 of sanguinary engagements ensued, by which the 

 Marian faction was annihilated in Italy, and Sylla 

 became the absolute master of Rome. To bind 

 Pompey more closely to his interests, Sylla per- 

 suaded him to divorce his wife Antistia, and 

 to marry his own step-daughter ^Emilia. It was 

 fortunate for Pompey's fame that he was employ- 

 ed, while Sylla was perpetrating his atrocities in 

 the capital, in Sicily against the Marian general 

 Perpenna. He drove Perpenna from the island, 

 and won the affection of the Sicilians by his clemen- 

 cy. The Marian party had, meanwhile, collected in 

 force in Africa, under Domitius Ahenobarbus, and 

 received aid from the king of Numidia. Sylla ob- 

 tained a decree of the senate, intrusting the com- 

 mand in that province to Pompey. Making* a sud- 

 den attack on Domitius, at the head of five legions, 

 he dispersed the greater part of his forces, stormed 

 his camp, killed Domitius, took the Numidian king 

 captive, and gave his dominions to one of his own 

 partisans. This rapid and decisive success which 

 occupied only fourteen days, excited the jealousy 

 of Sylla, who commanded him to dismiss his forces 

 and return to Rome. But the soldiers, who saw 

 their hopes of plunder disappointed, broke out into 

 a mutiny, and were reduced to obedience only by 

 Pompey's threat to kill himself, if they persisted in 

 their designs. 



On his return, Pompey was received by Sylla 

 with every mark of favour. According to Plutarch, 

 it was from Sylla, but, according to Livy, from his 

 flatterers, that Pompey received the surname if 

 Magnus, which he thenceforward continued to bear. 

 The jealousy of the dictator was, however, revived, 

 when the former demanded a triumph. Sylla 

 declared to him that he should oppose this claim 

 with all his power ; but Pompey did not hesitate to 

 reply, that the people were more ready to worship 

 the rising than the setting sun, and Sylla yielded. 



