ROME. 



him in all his meafures. " Let us march to Rome," they 

 exclaimed with one voice ; " lead us on to avenge the caufe 

 of opprefTed liberty." Sylla readily liftened to the cry, and 

 led his conquering army towards Rome : they entered the 

 city fword in hand ; Marius n.id his partifans fled with preci- 

 pitation, and Sylla ruled for a time triumphant. He fullied 

 the glory of his victories by many acts of cruelty and bar- 

 barity ; afl'umed the title and power of perpetual dictator 

 in the year 82 ; and after maflacring many thoufands in cold 

 blood, returned to the ftation of a private man. It mould, 

 however, be obferved, that previoufly to this he had en- 

 gaged perfonally in the Mithridatic war, and that during his 

 abSence, Marius returned to Italy, and joining his forces to 

 thofe of Cinna, laid Siege to Rome, and compelled the city 

 to abfolute fubmiffion. After a tremendous and unfparing 

 maflacre of all whom they regarded as their enemies, Marius 

 and Cinna proclaimed themfelves confuls, without the for- 

 mality of an election, but Marius died within a very few 

 days after this had happened. 



The death of thefe rivals did not give peace to Rome : 

 Lepidus afpired to fucceed Sylla in his power, and Pompey, 

 who was, by much, his fuperior in talents, cherifhed the 

 fame ambition. While Pompey was employed in the re- 

 duction of the revolted provinces of Afia, the conspiracy 

 of Catiline threatened the entire destruction of Rome. It 

 was, however, extinguished by the prudence, forefight, and 

 patriotic zeal of Cicero. The next confiderable candidate 

 for popularity and Sovereign power was Julius CaeSar, who 

 in the reign of Sylla had been numbered among the pro- 

 fcribed. From the danger attached to his Situation he had 

 learned prudence ; and while Pompey and Craflus were con- 

 tending for the command of the republic, CaeSar, who, by 

 attaching himSelS to either rival, would infallibly make the 

 other his enemy, (hewed his talents and wifdom by recon- 

 ciling them, and thus acquiring the favour and friend- 

 ship of both. They accordingly agreed to a partition of 

 power, and hence the firft triumvirate was formed. Caefar 

 was elected conSul : and he had the command of four le- 

 gions, and the government of Tranfalpine Gaul and Illyria. 

 The death of CraSTus, in an expedition againft the Parthians, 

 diflolved the triumvirate, and the others, Pompey and Cx- 

 far, aSpired, as rivals, to an undivided dominion. The term 

 of Caeiar's government was near expiring, but to fecure to 

 himfelf that power which was the object of his ambition, he 

 procured a propofal to be made in the fenate by one of his 

 friends, which had the appearance of moderation and 

 jultice, namely, that CaeSar and Pompey Should either both 

 continue in their governments, or both be deprived of them, 

 as they were equally capable of endangering public liberty 

 by an abufe of power. The motion palled, and Caefar of- 

 fered to refign, but Pompey refufed, and refolved to main- 

 tain his right by force of arms ; a civil war was the necef- 

 fary confequence. The fenate were chiefly attached to 

 Pompey, but Caefar had on his fide a victorious army, 

 confifting of ten legions, and the great body of the Roman 

 citizens, whom he had won to his inters!! by his liberality. 

 Mark Antony and Cafiius, at that time tribunes of the peo- 

 ple, left Rome for Caefar's camp. The Senate, apprehenfive 

 of his defigns, and dreading the effects of his power and po- 

 pularity, pafled a decree, branding with the crime of parri- 

 cide any commander who Should dare to pafs the Rubicon, a 

 river which was the boundary between Italy and the Gauls, 

 with a Single cohort without their permiffion. Caefar Set at 

 defiance their decree, and marched direct to Rome. Pom- 

 pey, to whom the fenate had committed the defence of the 

 ftate, was without an army. He quitted Rome, followed 

 by the confuls and a part of the fenate, and endeavoured 



haflily to levy troops over all Italy and Greece, while Caefar 

 had triumphantly entered the city, amidft the acclamations 

 of the people, feized the public treafury, and poileffed him- 

 felf of fupreme authority without any oppofition. Having 

 fecured the capital, he let out to meet the lieutenants of 

 Pompey, who had poSTeffion of Spain. He defeated them, 

 and Subdued the whole country in the fpace of forty days. 

 On his return, he found he had, during his abfence, been 

 nominated dictator ; and in the fucceeding election he was 

 chofen conful, and thus invefted by a double title, with the 

 right of acting in the name of the republic. Pompey had 

 now raifed a uumerous army, and in the field of Pharfalia 

 the rival armies met : Caefar was victorious, leaving 15,000 

 of his enemies dead, while 24,000 furrendered themfelves as 

 his prifoners. The battle of Pharfalia, for fo it has been 

 named, which happened in the year B.C. 48, decided the 

 fate of the rival chiefs, and that of the empire. 



In the fpace of two years Caefar gave law to the known 

 world ; but his fuccefs accelerated his ruin. He took part 

 with Cleopatra againft Ptolemy : a war enSued, in which 

 Ptolemy was killed, and Egypt was Subdued by the Roman 

 arms. In this war the famous library at Alexandria was 

 burnt to allies. A revolt of the Afiatic provinces, under 

 Pharnaces, the fon of Mithridates, was Signally chaftifed ; 

 and the report of the conqueror to the Roman fenate was 

 conveyed in three words, veni, vidi, vici. Caefar having 

 added Mauritania to the number of the Roman provinces, 

 returned to Rome abfolute mailer of the empire. It is, 

 however, much to his credit, that from this moment his at- 

 tention was directed folely to the profperity and happinefs of 

 the people. He remembered no longer that there had been 

 oppofite parties : he was beneficent alike to the friends of 

 Pompey as to thofe attached to himfelf. He laboured to re- 

 form every fpecies of abufe and grievance : and in return 

 he was hailed " the father of his country" — was created 

 conful for ten years, and perpetual dictator. His perfon 

 was declared facred, and he had the title of Imperator be- 

 llowed upon him. Thus the Roman republic finally, by 

 its own adts, refigned its liberties. A conSpiracy was formed 

 againlt him by Sixty of the fenators, at the head of whom 

 were Brutus and Caffius, and the dictator was ftabbed, in 

 the year 44, at the foot of Pompey's ilatue. Mark An- 

 tony improved this favourable opportunity, and became maf- 

 ter of the commonwealth : he found, however, a formidable 

 competitor in Odtavius, the grand nephew and adopted heir 

 of Caefar, who, at this critical moment, arrived in Rome, 

 and who gained the fenate to his intereft. The conteft ter- 

 minated in a civil war, in the courfe of which Octavius and 

 Antony were reconciled, and they Strengthened their hands 

 by admitting Lepidus into their aflociation. Thus was 

 formed the fecond triumvirate, the effects of whofe union 

 were beyond meafure destructive. They divided among 

 themSelves the provinces, and cemented their union by a de- 

 liberate Sacrifice, made by each, of his friends to the ven- 

 geance of his aflociates. Antony gave up his uncle Lucius 

 to death ; Lepidus his brother Paulus ; and Odtavius his 

 guardian Toranius and his friend Cicero. Befides thefe il- 

 luftrinus characters, 300 fenators and 3000 knights were put 

 to death. A confpiracy was excited againft the triumvirs. 

 Odtavius and Antony marched againft them ; an engagement 

 enfued at Philippi, which decided the fate of the empire : 

 the republican party was annihilated. Antony now fought 

 a recompence for his troops by the plunder of the Eaft. 

 He became the willing conqueft of Cleopatra, for whom he 

 abandoned, and even forgot, glory, ambition, and fame. 

 Octavius faw this phrenzy with delight, and co ntemplated 

 in it his rival's ruin ; and from Lepidus he had nothing to 



dread, 



