The Republic. R O 
greatest terror; and indeed not without reason, for they had 
been extremely negligent in making preparations against 
such a formidable opponent. Pompey himself, no less 
alarmed than the rest, left Rome with a design to retire to 
Capua, where he had two legions whom he had formerly 
draughted out of Caesar’s army. He communicated his 
intended flight to the senate; but at the same time acquainted 
them, that if any magistrate or senator refused to follow 
him, he should be treated as a friend to Caesar and an enemy 
to his country. In the mean time Caesar, having raised 
new troops in Cisalpine Gaul, sent Marc Antony with a 
detachment to seize Aretium, and some other officers to 
secure Pisaurum and Fanum, while he himself marched at 
the head of the thirteenth legion to Auximum, which opened 
its gates to him. From Auximum, he advanced into Pi- 
cenum, where he was joined by the twelfth legion from 
Transalpine Gaul. As Picenum readily submitted to him, 
he led his forces against Corfinium, the capital of the Peligni, 
which Domitius Ahenobarbns defended with thirty cohorts. 
But Caesar no sooner invested it, than the garrison betrayed 
their commander, and delivered him up with4nany senators, 
who had taken refuge in the place, to Caesar, who granted 
them their lives and liberty. 
Pompey, thinking himself no longer safe at Capua after the 
reduction of Corfinium, retired to Brundusium, with a design 
to carry the war into the east, where all the governors were 
his creatures. Caesar followed him closte; and arriving with 
his army before Brundusium, invested the place on the 
land-side, and undertook to shut up the port by a stoccade 
of his own invention. But, before the work was completed, 
the fleet which had conveyed the two consuls with thirty 
cohorts to Dyrrhachium being returned, Pompey contrived to 
make his escape, with all his troops. 
Caesar seeing himself, by the flight of his rival, master 
of all Italy from the Alps to the sea, advanced towards 
Rome; and on his march wrote to all the senator then in 
Italy, desiring them to repair to the Capitol, and assist him 
with their counsel. Above all, he was desirous to see 
Cicero; but could not prevail upon him to return to Rome. 
As Caesar drew near the capital, he quartered his troops in 
the neighbouring municipia; and then advancing to the 
city, out of a pretended respect to the ancient customs, he 
took up his quarters in the suburbs, whither the whole city 
crowded to see the famous conqueror of Gaul, who had 
been absent near ten years. And now such of the tribunes of 
the people as had fled to him for refuge reassumed their 
functions, mounted the rostra, and endeavoured by their 
speeches to reconcile the people to the head of their party. 
Marc Antony particularly, and Cassius Longinus, two of 
Caesar’s most zealous partisans, moved that the senate should 
meet in the suburbs, that the general might give them an 
account of his conduct. Accordingly, such of the senators 
as were at Rome assembled; when Caesar made a speech 
in justification of all Ins proceedings, and concluded his 
harangue with proposing a deputation to Pompey, with 
offers of an accommodation in an amicable manner. He 
even desired the conscript fathers, to whom in appearance 
he paid great deference, to nominate some of their venerable 
body to carry proposals of peace to the consuls, and the 
general of the consular army; but none of the senators 
would take upon him that commission. He then began to 
think of providing himself with the necessary sums for- 
carrying on the war, and had recourse to the public treasury. 
But Metellus, one of the tribunes, opposed him; alleging a 
law forbidding any one to open the treasury, but in the pre¬ 
sence and with the consent of the consuls. Caesar, however, 
threatened to kill him if he gave him any farther disturbance; 
which so terrified Metellus,' that he withdrew. Caesar took 
out of the treasury, an immense sum; some say, 300,000 
pounds weight of gold. With this supply of money he raised 
troops all over Italy, and sent governors into all the pro¬ 
vinces subject to the republic. 
To Marc Antony he gave the command of the armies in 
Italy; to his brother, C. Antonius, the government of 
M E. The Republic. 247 
Illyricum; and to Licinius Crassus, that of Cisalpine Gaul' 
He gave the charge of the capital to iEmilius Lepidus, and 
he set over his fleets P. Cornelius Dolabella, and the younger 
Hortensius. As Pompey had placed governors over the same 
provinces, the flames of a civil war raged in almost every 
part of the world. 
After settling his affairs at Rome, Caesar hastened to Spain; 
but when he arrived in Transalpine Gaul, he found that 
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus had arrived at Marseilles with 
a squadron of seven galleys, and had takep possession of the 
city in the name of Pompey. He therefore built twelve 
galleys at Arles, and invested Marseilles with those legions 
which he left under the care of C. Trebonius. He likewise 
sent forward Q. Fabius with three legions, to take possession 
of the Pyrenees, and immediately followed him with the rest 
of his army. Having learned on his arrival that Africanus 
and Petreius had posted on a hill, near Lerida, their combined 
forces, consisting of 5 legions, 20 native cohorts, and 5000 
horse, Caesar encamped on a plain between the Segro and 
Cinca, and attempted to seize a small eminence between the 
enemy’s camp and Lerida, from which they derived their 
provisions. After a severe conflict, which continued five 
hours, Africanus maintained his position. The failure of 
Caesar in the first action, was followed by calamities of the 
most distressing kind. From the continued rains, the 
two rivers, between which Caesar had encamped, swelled 
to such a degree that they broke down all his bridges, 
and inundated the neighbouring country. By this ac¬ 
cident he could no longer receive supplies from the 
cities that had declared for him; though he attempted to 
rebuild his bridges, yet the force of the current would* not 
permit it, and his army was on the eve of perishing with 
want. ■ 
The adherents of Pompey in Rome began to show their 
opinions when the intelligence of Caesar’s distresses reached 
the Capitol. Even Cicero, whom Caesar himself Ipul re¬ 
quested to remain neutral, set off for Dyrrachium, where 
Pompey received him in the most friendly manner. 
The distress of Caesar, however, was only temporary. The 
resources of his great mind increased with his calamities, and 
when he found it in vain to erect his bridges, he built a num¬ 
ber of boats with singular expedition; and while Africanus 
was attempting to intercept the succours sent him from Gaul, 
he conveyed his boats during the night on carriages to a 
distance of twenty-two miles, when a large detachment 
passed the Segro, and pitching their camp on the opposite 
bank, erected a bridge in two days, and, saving the sup¬ 
plies from Gaul, relieved the necessities of the army. Thus 
preserved from the horrors of famine, Caesar pursued the 
armies of Africanus and Petreius, and without coming to a 
general engagement, he forced them to lay down their arms, 
and thus possessed himself of all southern Spain. Varro, 
who commanded in farther Spain, followed the example of 
Africanus, and left Caesar in the quiet possession of the whole 
kingdom. 
Leaving Cassius with the legions as governor of Spain, 
Caesar returned to Rome by way of Marseilles, which he' 
found on the eve of surrendering to Trebonius. Upon his 
arrival at Rome, M. iEmilius Lepidus, one of the praetors, 
in opposition to the wishes of the senate, nominated Caesar 
dictator, an office which he immediately accepted. During 
the eleven days which he held that office, he acquired by 
his moderation the affection of all classes. He recalled 
those who were banished, and conferred the rights of Ro¬ 
man citizens on all the Gauls beyond the Po. As dictator 
he presided at the election of the consuls, and resigning 
that office, he and Servilius Isauricus, one of his best friends, 
were elected consuls for the next year. 
Determined to carry his arms into the east, he sent twelve 
legions to Brundusium. In the beginning of the year he 
arrived with five legions and 600 horse, in Chaonia in 
Epirus, and sent back two ships to bring over the rest of 
his army. Pompey was equally active in marshalling his 
forces; and had received reinforcements of extraordinary 
magnitude 
