The Republic. R 0 
to the mountains, leaving the archers and slingers to be cut 
to pieces by the enemy. The successful cohorts now 
advanced against the flank and rear of Pompey’s left, which 
made a brave resistance, till Caesar’s third line attacked them 
in front, and forced them to fly to their camp. The auxi¬ 
liaries had fled, while Pompey’s right wing was fighting with 
great bravery; but Caesar, seeing that the issue of the con¬ 
flict was no longer doubtful, cried out to his men to pursue 
the strangers, but to spare the Romans. The auxiliary 
troops were slaughtered in great numbers; but the Romans 
laid down their arms, and received quarter. Notwithstand¬ 
ing this great overthrow of his enemy, Caesar considered his 
victory as incomplete until he was in possession of Pompay’s 
camp. He therefore marched on foot at the head of his 
army, and incited them to complete the victory which they 
had already achieved. The cohorts and the Thracian troops 
who defended the camp made a bold resistance; but they 
were driven from the trenches, and forced to take refuge in 
flight. As a strong body of the fugitives had retired to the 
mountains, Caesar thought it necessary to pursue them; and, 
after various operations, he at last compelled them to surren¬ 
der. When Caesar saw the field covered with the bodies of 
his countrymen, he exclaimed to one who stood near, “ They 
would have it so.” He treated the vanquished with great 
humanity; and the honours which he acquired as a victor 
were soon rendered more glorious by the attributes of 
clemency and moderation by which he was ennobled. Cassar 
lost about 2000 men, and Pompey 15,000. No fewer than 
24,000 laid down their arms, and entered into Caesar’s 
anny. 
After this unfortunate event Pompey fled, and Caesar 
followed him into Alexandria with about 4000 men; but he 
had no sooner landed, than he heard of Pompey’s assassina¬ 
tion by the king of Egypt, and was soon presented by one 
of the murderers with the head and ring of his great rival. 
Disliking their alliance with the Romans, the Egyptians 
conceived the design of breaking off their allegiance. Photi- 
nus, the eunuch, not only behaved with disrespect to Caesar, 
but he even attempted to murder him. Conscious of the 
inadequacy of his military force, Caesar checked the resent¬ 
ment which these circumstances had raised; but he sent 
privately for the Roman legions which were nearest to Egypt. 
When these reinforcements arrived, Caesar avowed his inten¬ 
tion, as Roman consul, to settle the succession to the crown 
of Egypt, which was then contested between Ptolemy and 
his sister Cleopatra. Although the Roman senate had taken 
the part of Ptolemy, and. had therefore concurred in the 
banishment of Cleopatra and her sister Arsinoe into Syria, 
yet Caesar treated the question as undecided, and commanded 
Cleopatra and Ptolemy to appear before him to plead their 
cause. Enraged at this proposal, Photinus, the guardian of 
Ptolemy, sent an army of 20,000 men to besiege Caesar in 
Alexandria. The Egyptians were soon repulsed; but Caesar 
finding Alexandria too extensive to be defended by this small 
army, resolved to make a stand in the palace which com¬ 
manded the harbour. Achillas, the Egyptian commander, 
attacked him in this position, and attempted to seize his fleet; 
but Caesar set fire to the ships, and having afterwards taken 
the Isle of Pharos, &c. the key to the harbour, he was abun¬ 
dantly supplied with every thing, and resolved to oppose 
every attempt on the part of the enemy. 
Although Cleopatra had raised an army in Syria, yet she 
trusted principally to the influence of her personal charms in 
engaging Caesar in her cause. As all the avenues to the 
palace were occupied by the enemy, she got on board a small 
vessel and landed near the palace; she was wrapped up in a 
coverlet, and carried, by one Aspolodorus into Caesar’s cham¬ 
ber, where she succeeded in interesting him in her cause. 
Arsinoe, who likewise aspired to the sovereignty, had, 
through the influence of one Ganymede, her confidant, 
created a strong interest in the Egyptians. She caused 
Achillas to be murdered, and giving the command to her fa¬ 
vourite, she carried on the siege of Alexandria with renewed 
vigour. Ganymede gained several advantages over the 
vol. XXII. No. 1498. 
M E. The Republic. 249 
besieged, and seizing a bridge which joined the Isle ofPharo 3 
to the main land, an action ensued, in which the Romans 
were panic-struck and thrown into confusion. Caesar retired 
into a ship, into which he was followed by such crowds, that 
fearing it would sink, he threw himself into the sea and swam 
to the fleet before the palace. 
As Caesar had seized upon the young king, the Egyptians 
employed every kind of artifice to get him into their posses¬ 
sion ; and pretending a great anxiety for peace, they requested 
their king to ratify it by his signature. Caesar saw through 
their schemes, but surrendered the king, who exerted himself 
in carrying on the war with new vigour. 
Mithridates, king of Pontus, one of Caesar’s faithful allies, 
had collected a numerous army in Syria for the purpose 
of relieving him. He accordingly took Pelusium, and 
after defeating the Egyptians, joined his forces to those of 
Caesar, and then attacking their camp, he put great num¬ 
bers to the sword. Ptolemy, who had escaped on board a 
vessel, was drowned by the sinking of the ship; and Caesar 
having thus obtained the mastery over his enemies, appointed 
Cleopatra and her younger brother joint sovereigns of Egypt, 
and banished Arsinoe and Ganymede from the country. 
Seduced by the charms of the Egyptian queen, Caesar 
abandoned himself for a while to the dissipations of peace; 
but when he proposed to accompany Cleopatra to Ethiopia, 
his brave troops remonstrated against his conduct, and being 
thus roused to a sense of duty, he tore himself from her arms, 
and marched against Pharnaces, king of Pontus, who had 
gained some advantages over Cneius Domitius Calvinus, 
governor of Asia. 
Caesar attacked him unexpectedly in his camp, and 
defeated him with great loss. He divided the spoils of the 
camp among the soldiers, and made Mithridates Pergameus, 
the king of Bosphorus, sovereign of Pontus. He now 
returned to Italy, and found Rome agitated by com¬ 
motions which Marc Anthony had given rise to by 
the riotous and unprincipled life which he led. Caesar, 
however, treated all parties with moderation and humanity; 
and when he had given tranquillity to the capital, and esta¬ 
blished his own authority, he set out on an expedition to 
Africa, where Scipio and Cato, aided by Juba, king of 
Mauritania, still supported the cause of Pompey. Having- 
invested the city of. Thapsus, and thus drawn to its 
relief Scipio and Juba, he brought on a general engage¬ 
ment, in which his enemies were totally overthrown. Juba 
and his general Petreius slew each other, and Scipio was 
killed in an attempt to escape into Spain. Cato retired to 
Utica, but finding his adherents unwilling to stand a siege, he 
stabbed himself with his sword. 
The war in Africa being thus ended, Caesar returned in 
triumph to Rome. The splendour of this triumphal proces¬ 
sion exceeded every thing that had formerly been seen. The 
procession continued four days, one for Gaul, one for Egypt, 
a third for Asia, and a fourth for Africa. Every soldier 
received about £150, and every citizen ten bushels of com, 
ten pounds of oil, and a sum equivalent to £2. The popu¬ 
lace were entertained at 20,000 tables, and Rome was 
crowded with visiters from every part of Italy to witness the 
celebration of Caesar’s glory. 
The popularity of Caesar rose to the most unexampled 
pitch. He received the title of imperator, and father of his 
people; his person was declared sacred, and every species of 
incense was offered to this great warrior. Flattering as these 
marks of favour were to a mind like Caesar’s, there never 
was a sovereign who used his power with more wisdom and 
moderation. The first act of his authority was to repress 
vice, and promote private and public virtue. He restrained 
the luxuries of the rich by sumptuary laws, and he vested 
the power of judicature in the senate and the knights. From 
the midst of these wise regulations he was suddenly called 
into Spain, to oppose an army under the two sons of Pom¬ 
pey and Labienus. The insurgent leaders endeavoured to 
protract the war; but Caesar at last forced them to a battle on 
the plains of Munda, where, after a desperate and bloody 
3 S encounter, 
