caesar-第11部分

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to　celebrate　this　reconciliation；　where　Caesar's　barber；　a　busy



listening　fellow；　whose　excessive　timidity　made　him　inquisitive　into



everything；　discovered　that　there　was　a　plot　carrying　on　against



Caesar　by　Achillas；　general　of　the　king's　forces；　and　Pothinus；　the



eunuch。　Caesar；　upon　the　first　intelligence　of　it；　set　a　guard　upon



the　hall　where　the　feast　was　kept　and　killed　Pothinus。　Achillas



escaped　to　the　army；　and　raised　a　troublesome　and　embarrassing　war



against　Caesar；　which　it　was　not　easy　for　him　to　manage　with　his　few



soldiers　against　so　powerful　a　city　and　so　large　an　army。　The　first



difficulty　he　met　with　was　want　of　water；　for　the　enemies　had　turned



the　canals。　Another　was；　when　the　enemy　endeavoured　to　cut　off　his



communication　by　sea；　he　was　forced　to　divert　that　danger　by　setting



fire　to　his　own　ships；　which；　after　burning　the　docks；　thence　spread



on　and　destroyed　the　great　library。　A　third　was；　when　in　an　engagement



near　Pharos；　he　leaped　from　the　mole　into　a　small　boat　to　assist　his



soldiers　who　were　in　danger；　and　when　the　Egyptians　pressed　him　on



every　side；　he　threw　himself　into　the　sea；　and　with　much　difficulty



swam　off。　This　was　the　time　when；　according　to　the　story；　he　had　a



number　of　manuscripts　in　his　hand；　which；　though　he　was　continually



darted　at；　and　forced　to　keep　his　head　often　under　water；　yet　he　did



not　let　go；　but　held　them　up　safe　from　wetting　in　one　hand；　whilst



he　swam　with　the　other。　His　boat　in　the　meantime；　was　quickly　sunk。　At



last；　the　king　having　gone　off　to　Achillas　and　his　party；　Caesar



engaged　and　conquered　them。　Many　fell　in　that　battle；　and　the　king



himself　was　never　seen　after。　Upon　this；　he　left　Cleopatra　queen　of



Egypt；　who　soon　after　had　a　son　by　him；　whom　the　Alexandrians　called



Caesarion；　and　then　departed　for　Syria。



　　Thence　he　passed　to　Asia；　where　he　heard　that　Domitius　was　beaten　by



Pharnaces；　son　of　Mithridates；　and　had　fled　out　of　Pontus　with　a



handful　of　men；　and　that　Pharnaces　pursued　the　victory　so　eagerly；



that　though　he　was　already　master　of　Bithynia　and　Cappadocia；　he　had　a



further　design　of　attempting　the　Lesser　Armenia；　and　was　inviting



all　the　kings　and　tetrarchs　there　to　rise。　Caesar　immediately



marched　against　him　with　three　legions；　fought　him　near　Zela；　drove



him　out　of　Pontus；　and　totally　defeated　his　army。　When　he　gave



Amantius；　a　friend　of　his　at　Rome；　an　account　of　this　action；　to



express　the　promptness　and　rapidity　of　it　he　used　three　words；　I　came；



saw；　and　conquered；　which　in　Latin；　having　all　the　same　cadence；　carry



with　them　a　very　suitable　air　of　brevity。



　　Hence　he　crossed　into　Italy；　and　came　to　Rome　at　the　end　of　that



year；　for　which　he　had　been　a　second　time　chosen　dictator；　though　that



office　had　never　before　lasted　a　whole　year；　and　was　elected　consul



for　the　next。　He　was　ill　spoken　of；　because　upon　a　mutiny　of　some



soldiers；　who　killed　Cosconius　and　Galba；　who　had　been　praetors；　he



gave　them　only　the　slight　reprimand　of　calling　them　Citizens　instead



of　Fellow…Soldiers；　and　afterwards　assigned　to　each　man　a　thousand



drachmas；　besides　a　share　of　lands　in　Italy。　He　was　also　reflected



on　for　Dolabella's　extravagance；　Amantius's　covetousness；　Antony's



debauchery；　and　Corfinius's　profuseness；　who　pulled　down　Pompey's



house；　and　rebuilt　it；　as　not　magnificent　enough；　for　the　Romans



were　much　displeased　with　all　these。　But　Caesar；　for　the　prosecution



of　his　own　scheme　of　government；　though　he　knew　their　characters　and



disapproved　them；　was　forced　to　make　use　of　those　who　would　serve　him。



　　After　the　battle　of　Pharsalia；　Cato　and　Scipio　fled　into　Africa；　and



there；　with　the　assistance　of　King　Juba；　got　together　a　considerable



force；　which　Caesar　resolved　to　engage。　He　accordingly　passed　into



Sicily　about　the　winter　solstice；　and　to　remove　from　his　officers'



minds　all　hopes　of　delay　there；　encamped　by　the　seashore；　and　as



soon　as　ever　he　had　a　fair　wind；　put　to　sea　with　three　thousand　foot



and　a　few　horse。　When　he　had　landed　them；　he　went　back　secretly；　under



some　apprehensions　for　the　larger　part　of　his　army；　but　met　them



upon　the　sea；　and　brought　them　all　to　the　same　camp。　There　he　was



informed　that　the　enemies　relied　much　upon　an　ancient　oracle；　that　the



family　of　the　Scipios　should　be　always　victorious　in　Africa。　There　was



in　his　army　a　man；　otherwise　mean　and　contemptible；　but　of　the　house



of　the　Africani；　and　his　name　Scipio　Sallutio。　This　man　Caesar



（whether　in　raillery　to　ridicule　Scipio；　who　commanded　the　enemy；　or



seriously　to　bring　over　the　omen　to　his　side；　it　were　hard　to　say）；



put　at　the　head　of　his　troops；　as　if　he　were　general；　in　all　the



frequent　battles　which　he　was　compelled　to　fight。　For　he　was　in　such



want　both　of　victualling　for　his　men　and　forage　for　his　horses；　that



he　was　forced　to　feed　the　horses　with　seaweed；　which　he　washed



thoroughly　to　take　off　its　saltness；　and　mixed　with　a　little　grass



to　give　it　a　more　agreeable　taste；　The　Numidians；　in　great　numbers；



and　well　horsed；　whenever　he　went；　came　up　and　commanded　the



country。　Caesar's　cavalry；　being　one　day　unemployed；　diverted



themselves　with　seeing　an　African；　who　entertained　them　with　dancing



and　at　the　same　time　played　upon　the　pipe　to　admiration。　They　were



so　taken　with　this；　that　they　alighted；　and　gave　their　horses　to



some　boys；　when　on　a　sudden　the　enemy　surrounded　them；　killed　some；



pursued　the　rest　and　fell　in　with　them　into　their　camp；　and　had　not



Caesar　himself　and　Asinius　Pollio　come　to　their　assistance；　and　put



a　stop　to　their　flight；　the　war　had　been　then　at　an　end。　In　another



engagement；　also；　the　enemy　had　again　the　better；　when　Caesar；　it　is



said；　seized　a　standard…bearer；　who　was　running　away；　by　the　neck；　and



forcing　him　to　face　about；　said；　〃Look；　that　is　the　way　to　the　enemy。〃



　　Scipio；　flushed　with　this　success　at　first；　had　a　mind　to　come　to



one　decisive　action。　He　therefore　left　Afranius　and　Juba　in　two



distinct　bodies　not　far　distant　and　marched　himself　towards　Thapsus；



where　he　proceeded　to　build　a　fortified　camp　above　a　lake；　to　serve　as



a　centre…point　for　their　operations；　and　also　as　a　place　of　refuge。



Whilst　Scipio　was　thus　employed；　Caesar　with　incredible　despatch



made　his　way　through　thick　woods；　and　a　country　supposed　to　be



impassable；　cut　off　one　part　of　the　enemy　and　attacked　another　in



the　front。　Having　routed　these；　he　followed　up　his　opportunity　and　the



current　of　his　good　fortune；　and　on　the　first　carried　Afranius's　camp；



and　ravaged　that　of　the　Numidians；　Juba；　their　king；　being　glad　to



save　himself　by　flight；　so　that　in　a　small　part　of　a　single　day　he



made　himself　master　of　three　camps；　and　killed　fifty　thousand　of　the



enemy；　with　the　loss　only　of　fifty　of　his　own　men。　This　is　the　account



some　give　of　that　fight。　Others　say　he　was　not　in　the　action；　but　that



he　was　too　far　disordered　his　senses；　when　he　was　already　beginning　to



shake　under　its　influence；　withdrew　into　a　neighbouring　fort　where



he　reposed　himself。　Of　the　men　of　consular　and　praetorian　dignity　that



were　taken　after　the　fight；　several　Caesar　put　to　death；　others



anticipated　him　by　killing　themselves。



　　Cato　had　undertaken　to　defend　Utica；　and　for　that　reason　was　not



in　the　battle。　The　desire　which　Caesar　had　to　take　him　alive　made



him　hasten　thither；　and　upon　the　intelligence　that　he　had　despatched



himself；　he　was　much　discomposed；　for　what　reason　is　not　so　well



agreed。　He　certainly　said；　〃Cato；　I　must　grudge　you　your　death；　as　you



grudged　me　the　honour　of　saving　your　life。〃　Yet　the　discourse　he　wrote



against　Cato　after　his　death　is　no　great　sign　of　his　kindness；　or　that



he　was　inclined　to　be　reconciled　to　him。　For　how　is　it　probable　that



he　would　have　been　tender　of　his　life　when　he　was　so　bitter　against



his　memory？　But　from　his　clemency　to　Cicero；　Brutus；　and　many　others



who　fought　against　him；　it　may　be　divined　that　Caesar's　book　was　not



written　so　much　out　of　animosity　to　Cato；　as　in　his　own　vindication。



Cicero　had　written　an　encomium　upon　Cato；　and　called　it　by　his　name。　A



composition　by　so　great　a　master　upon　so　excellent　a　subject　was



sure　to　be　in　every　one's　hands。　This　touched　Caesar；　who　looked



upon　a　panegyric　on　his　enemies　as　no　better　than　an　invective　against



himself；　and　therefore　he　made　in　his　Anti…Cato　a　collection　of



whatever　could　be　said　in　his　derogation。　The　two　compositions；　like



Cato　and　Caesar　themselves；　have　each　of　them　their　several　admirers。



　　Caesar；　upon　his　return　to　Rome；　did　not　omit　to　pronounce　before



the　people　a　magnificent　account　of　his　victory；　telling　them　that



he　had　subdued　a　country　which　would　supply　the　public　every　year　with



two　hundred　thousand　attic　bushels　of　corn　and　three　million　pounds'



weight　of　oil。　He　then　led　three　triumphs　for　Egypt；　Pontus；　and



Africa；　the　last　for　the　victory　over；　not　Scipio；　but　King　Juba；　as



it　was　professed；　whose　little　son　was　then　carried　in　the　triumph；



the　happiest　captive　that　ever　was；　who；　of　a　barbarian　Numidian；　came



by　this　means　to　obtain　a　place　among　the　most　learned　historians　of



Greece。　After　the　triumphs；　he　distributed　rewards　to　his　soldiers；



and　treated　the　people　with　feasting　and　shows。　He　entertained　the



whole　people　together　at　one　feast；　where　twenty…two　thousand　dining



couches　were　laid　out；　and　he　made　a　display　of　gladiators；　and　of



battles　by　sea；　in　honour；　as　he　said；　of　his　daughter　Julia；　though



she　had　been　long　since　dead。　When　these　shows　were　over；　an　account



was　taken　of　the　people　who；　from　three　hundred　and　twenty　thousand；



were　now　reduced　to　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand。　So　great　a　waste



had　the　civil　war　made　in　Rome　alone；　not　to　mention　what　the　other