C JE S A ft. 
594 
thefe celebrated Romans would fuffer a fuperior, and the 
fmalleft nutters were fufficient ground for unlheathing the 
fword. Ccefar’s petitions were received with coldnefsor 
indifference by the Roman fenate ; and, by the influence 
of Pompey, a decree was paffed to drip him of his power. 
Antony, who oppofcd it as tribune, fled to Ctcfar’s camp 
with the news ; and the ambitious general no fooner heard 
this, than he made it a plea of refiftance. On pretence of 
avenging the violence which bad been offered to the Cacred 
office of tribune in the perfon of Antony, he croffed the 
Rubicon, which was the boundary of his province. The 
paffage of the Rubicon was a declaration of war, and Cae- 
far entered Italy fword in hand. Upon this, Pompey, 
with all the friends of liberty, left Rome, and retired to 
Dyrrachium; and Cecfar, after he had fubdued all Italy, 
in fixty days, entered Rome, and provided himfelf with 
money from the public treafury. He went to Spain, where 
he conquered the partifans of Pompey, under Petreius, 
Afranius, and Varro ; and, at his return to Rome, was 
declared dictator, and foon after conful. When he left 
Rome, he went in queft of Pompey, obferving that he was 
marching againft a general without troops, after having 
defeated troops without a general inSpain. In the plains 
of Pharfalia, B. C. 48, the two hofiile generals engaged. 
Pompey was conquered, and fled into Egypt, where he 
was murdered. C to far, after he had made a noble ufe of 
victory, purfued his adverfary into Egypt, where he fome- 
times forgot his fame and character in the arms of Cleo¬ 
patra, by whom he had a fon. IIis danger was great while 
at Alexandria; but he extricated himfelf with wonderful 
fuccefs, and made Egypt tributary to his power. After 
feveral conqueds in Africa, the defeat of Cato, Scipio, 
and Juba, and that of Pompey’s fons in Spain, he entered 
Rome, and triumphed over five different nations, Gaul, 
Alexandria, Pontus, Africa, and Spain, and was created 
perpetual didtaior. But now his glory was at an end ; his 
uncommon fuccefs created him enemies, and Hie chiefed 
fenators, among whom was Brutushis mod intimatefriend, 
confpired againd him, and dabbed him in the fenate-houfe 
on the ides of March. He died, pierced with twenty- 
three wounds, the 15th of March, B. C. 44, in the fifty- 
fixtli year of his age. Cafca gave him the fir ft blow, and 
immediately he attempted to make fome refinance: but, 
when he faw Brutus among the confpirators, he fubmitted 
to his fate, and fell down at their feet, muffling up his 
mantle, and exclaiming, Tuquoque , Brute! Ctelar might 
have eleaped the confpirators, if he had liltened to the 
advice of his wife, whole dreams, on the night previous 
to the day of his murder, were alarming. He alfo received, 
as he went to the fenate-houfe, a paper from Artemidorus, 
which difeovered the whole confpiracy to him; but he 
negledled to read what might have faved his life. 
When he was in his fil'd campaign in Spain, he was ob- 
ferved to gaze at a Haute of Alexander, and he even Ihed 
tears at the lecolleftion that that hero had conquered the 
world at an age in which he himfelf had done nothing. 
The learning of Caefar deferves commendation, as well as 
his military charadter. He reformed the calendar. He 
wrote his Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, on the fpot 
where he fought his battles ; and the compofition has been 
admired for the elegance as well as the corre&nefs of its 
Pyle. This valuable book was nearly loll ; and, when 
C.-cfar faved his life in the bay of Alexandria, he was 
obliged to fwim from his (hip, with his arms in one hand, 
and his Commentaries in the other. Befides the Gallic and 
Civil Wars, lie wrote other pieces, which are now loll. 
The hiftoiy of the war in Alexandria and Spain, is attri¬ 
buted to him by fome, and by others to Hirtius. Caefar 
has been blamed for his debaucheries and expences; and 
the firlt year he had a public office, his debts were rated 
at 830 talents, which his friends difeharged ; yet, in his 
public chara&er, he mult be reckoned one of the few 
heroes that now and then make their appearance among 
mankind. IJis qualities were Rich, that in every battle lie 
could not he but conqueror, and in every republic 
mailer ; and to his fenfe of his fuperiority over the reft of 
the world, or to Iris ambition, we are to attribute his faying, 
that he wiffled rather to be firlt in a little village than 
fecond at Rome. It was after his conqueft over Pharnaces 
in one day, that he made ufe of thefe remarkable words 
to exprefs the celerity of his operations; Veni, vidi , via. 
Confciousof the fervices of a man who, in the intervals of 
peace, beautified and enriched the capital of his country 
with public buildings, libraries, and porticos, the fenate 
permitted the dictator to wear a laurel crown on his bald 
liead ; and it is faid, that, to reward his benevolence, they 
were going to give him the title or authority of king all 
over the Roman empire, except Italy, when he was mur¬ 
dered. In his private character, CaTar had been accufed 
of feducing one of the veftal virgins, and fufpedted of be¬ 
ing privy to Catiline’s confpiracy ; and it was his fondnefs 
for the word of debaucheries which made his countrymen 
fay, that he was the hufband of all the women at Rome, 
and the woman of all men. It is faid that he conquered 
300, nations, took 800 cities, and defeated 3,000,000 of 
men, one million of which fell in the field of battle. 
Pliny (vii. c. 25.) fays, that he could employ at the fame 
time, his ears to liden, his eyes to read, his hand to write, 
and his mind to dictate. His death was preceded, as many 
adrological authors mention, by uncommon prodigies ; 
and, immediately after his death, a large comer made its 
appearance. In his literary character, Cat far feents to 
have poffetfed excellencies of a higher kind ; he writes 
his own hiftory, yet with the utmod modelty; fpeaks of 
himfelf in the third perfon with the greated indifference 5 
praifes nothing he does ; is never bitter orfevere againlt 
his enemies : a drong and almoft Angular example of a 
great mind, neither admiring his own performances, nor 
condemning tbofe of others ; but, as intent on high defigns, 
and capable of dill greater exertions, he is always modell, 
grav.e, cool, and difpaffionate. The bed editions of his 
works, are the magnificent one by Dr. Clarke, fol. Lond. 
1712; that oi Cambridge, with a Greek tranflation, 4to. 
1727; that of Oudendorp. 2 vols. 440. L. Bat. 1737 ; and 
that of Elzevir, 8vo. L. Bat. 1635. 
CdE'SAR (Sir Julius), a learned civilian, born of an 
ancient family near Tottenham in Middlefex, in 1557. He 
took the degree of B. A. at Magdalen hall, Oxford; and 
went afterwards to ftudy in the univerfity of Paris ; where, 
in the beginning of 1581, he was created doftor of the 
civil law ; to which degree he was alio admitted, in 1583, 
at Oxford. In the reign of queen Elizabeth, he was 
mader of the court of requeds, judge of the high court 
of admiralty, and mader of St. Catharine’s hofpital near 
the Tower. Upon king James’s acceflion,he wasknighted 
by that prince at Greenwich. He was alfo condituted 
chancellor and under-treafurer of the exchequer; and, 
July 7, 1607, (worn of his majedy’s privy-council. He 
obtained a reverfionary grant of the office of mader of the 
rolls, and fucceeded to it October 1, 1614; upon which he 
refigned his place of chancellor of the exchequer. He 
was continued privy-counfellor by Charles I. and appears 
to have been alfo cudos rotulorum of the county of 
Hertford. Fuller fays, he was chancellor of the duchy 
of Lancader. He died April 28, 1636, aged feventy-nine, 
and lies buried in the church of Great St. Helen within 
Biffiopfgate, London. He was a man of great gravity and 
integrity, and remarkable for hisextenlive bounty and be¬ 
nevolence. He made his grants double kindnefs by ex¬ 
pedition ; and clothed (as Lloyd expreffes it) his very 
denials in fuch robes of courtlhip, that it was not obvioully 
difcermble, whether the requelt or dental were mod decent, 
lie was very cautious of pronufes, lelf, becoming unable 
to perform them, he might multiply his enemies, whilft 
lie intended to create friends. Sir Julius Ctelar’s MSSi 
after having been repeatedly offered to lale for 40I. were 
pledged by their pofleffor for only 20I. They were aRer. 
wards fold by public auition, in November 1 757 » 300I, 
x Many 
