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rtyreecr, JfidouA ^®ae6«/' and &~ > &mfieu had fought a 

 great battle for control of Rome. Pompey wielded the advantage of 

 numbers, but on his side Caesar had Mars, god of war, and Venus, his own 

 divine ancestress— and no one can resist the gods. Beaten but still dangerous, 

 Pompey fled to Pelusium, which sent Ptolemy into a panic. Should Pompey ; 

 be welcomed as an honored guest, or was he a troublemaker who should be 

 driven from the shore? Ptolemy's tutor argued persuasively that Pompey 

 should be killed. After all, as everyone knows, a dead man does not bite. And 

 so the deed was done. 



Four days later Caesar arrived in Alexandria. Shown Pompey' s severed head 

 and signet ring, he wept great tears for his rival. Then he donned a purple- 

 edged toga and left his ship to march through the city. By nightfall he had 

 commandeered my family's royal palace, at the cost of several lives. 



Caesar ordered my brother and me to appear before him. Ptolemy did as 

 he was bidden: leaving his troops at Pelusium, he arrived in Alexandria and 

 moved into the royal palace. Abandoning all pomp and ceremony, 1 made my 

 own journey there in a small boat. The landing was accomplished 

 at nightfall, and I was smuggled into the palace. Striding 

 straight to Caesar's apartments, I demanded and won his private 

 audience to state my case. 



Julius Caesar was the most powerful man in the world, yet I 

 found him physically undistinguished. Thirty years older than 

 me, he had dark eyes, a pale face, and thinning hair. But he was 

 above all an intelligent man, a superb orator, good-humored and 

 amusing. As we talked long into the night, it became clear that we 

 had much in common. We were both ambitious; both prepared to 

 take risks to achiev e our goals. We both had reason to ensure that 

 Egypt did not succumb to civil war. Aid, dare I say it, we were both 

 lonely. Caesar had lost his only child and suffered from terrible 

 nightmares. 1, estranged from my younger brothers and sister, had 

 lost my mother, my two older sisters, and my father. I knew that 

 Caesar needed Egypt's wealth, while I needed Rome's protection 

 to keep possession of my throne. Even if we had felt no other connection, a 

 political alliance was an obvious step. 



When he heard of my new alliance, Ptolemy flew into a tantrum, ripping 

 off his diadem and flinging it to the ground. The people of Alexandria- 

 shortsighted fools that they were— gave Ptolemy their support. But Caesar 

 made it clear that he expected mv brother and me to rule Egj pi together, 

 under his guidance. This Ptolemy could not accept, and he summoned his 

 troops. They started the five-day march from Pelusium, and die atmosphere 

 grew tense. Securing the palace, Caesar hasiilv sent for reinforcements. 



Four months of vicious land and sea battles followed, bringing devastalio 

 to my beloved city. Trapped in the royal place. I kept mv own counsel. Mv 



