caesar-第12部分

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



parts　of　Italy　and　the　provinces　suffered。



　　He　was　now　chosen　a　fourth　time　consul；　and　went　into　Spain



against　Pompey's　sons。　They　were　but　young；　yet　had　gathered



together　a　very　numerous　army；　and　showed　they　had　courage　and　conduct



to　command　it；　so　that　Caesar　was　in　extreme　danger。　The　great



battle　was　near　the　town　of　Munda；　in　which　Caesar；　seeing　his　men



hard　pressed；　and　making　but　a　weak　resistance；　ran　through　the



ranks　among　the　soldiers；　and　crying　out；　asked　them　whether　they　were



not　ashamed　to　deliver　him　into　the　hands　of　boys？　At　last；　with　great



difficulty；　and　the　best　efforts　he　could　make；　he　forced　back　the



enemy；　killing　thirty　thousand　of　them；　though　with　the　loss　of　one



thousand　of　his　best　men。　When　he　came　back　from　the　fight；　he　told



his　friends　that　he　had　often　fought　for　victory；　but　this　was　the



first　time　he　had　ever　fought　for　life。　This　battle　was　won　on　the



feast　of　Bacchus；　the　very　day　in　which　Pompey；　four　years　before；　had



set　out　for　the　war。　The　younger　of　Pompey's　sons　escaped；　but　Didius；



some　days　after　the　fight；　brought　the　head　of　the　elder　to　Caesar。



This　was　the　last　war　he　was　engaged　in。　The　triumph　which　he



celebrated　for　this　victory　displeased　the　Romans　beyond　anything；　for



he　had　not　defeated　foreign　generals　or　barbarian　kings；　but　had



destroyed　the　children　and　family　of　one　of　the　greatest　men　of



Rome；　though　unfortunate；　and　it　did　not　look　well　to　lead　a



procession　in　celebration　of　the　calamities　of　his　country；　and　to



rejoice　in　those　things　for　which　no　other　apology　could　be　made



either　to　gods　or　men　than　their　being　absolutely　necessary。　Besides



that；　hitherto　he　had　never　sent　letters　or　messengers　to　announce　any



victory　over　his　fellow…citizens；　but　had　seemed　rather　to　be



ashamed　of　the　action　than　to　expect　honour　from　it。



　　Nevertheless　his　countrymen；　conceding　all　to　his　fortune；　and



accepting　the　bit；　in　the　hope　that　the　government　of　a　single



person　would　give　them　time　to　breathe　after　so　many　civil　wars　and



calamities；　made　him　dictator　for　life。　This　was　indeed　a　tyranny



avowed；　since　his　power　now　was　not　only　absolute；　but　perpetual



too。　Cicero　made　the　first　proposals　to　the　senate　for　conferring



honours　upon　him；　which　might　in　some　sort　be　said　not　to　exceed　the



limits　of　ordinary　human　moderation。　But　others；　striving　which　should



deserve　most；　carried　them　so　excessively　high；　that　they　made



Caesar　odious　to　the　most　indifferent　and　moderate　sort　of　men；　by　the



pretentions　and　extravagance　of　the　titles　which　they　decreed　him。　His



enemies；　too；　are　thought　to　have　had　some　share　in　this；　as　well　as



his　flatterers。　It　gave　them　advantage　against　him；　and　would　be　their



justification　for　any　attempt　they　should　make　upon　him；　for　since　the



civil　wars　were　ended；　he　had　nothing　else　that　he　could　be　charged



with。　And　they　had　good　reason　to　decree　a　temple　to　Clemency；　in



token　of　their　thanks　for　the　mild　use　he　made　of　his　victory。　For



he　not　only　pardoned　many　of　those　who　fought　against　him；　but；



further；　to　some　gave　honours　and　offices；　as　particularly　to　Brutus



and　Cassius；　who　both　of　them　were　praetors。　Pompey's　images　that　were



thrown　down　he　set　up　again；　upon　which　Cicero　also　said　that　by



raising　Pompey's　statues　he　had　fixed　his　own。　When　his　friends



advised　him　to　have　a　guard；　and　several　offered　their　services；　he



would　not　hear　of　it；　but　said　it　was　better　to　suffer　death　once　than



always　to　live　in　fear　of　it。　He　looked　upon　the　affections　of　the



people　to　be　the　best　and　surest　guard；　and　entertained　them　again



with　public　feasting　and　general　distributions　of　corn；　and　to　gratify



his　army；　he　sent　out　colonies　to　several　places；　of　which　the　most



remarkable　were　Carthage　and　Corinth；　which　as　before　they　had　been



ruined　at　the　same　time；　so　now　were　restored　and　repeopled　together。



　　As　for　the　men　of　high　rank；　he　promised　to　some　of　them　future



consulships　and　praetorships；　some　he　consoled　with　other　offices



and　honours；　and　to　all　held　out　hopes　of　favour　by　the　solicitude



he　showed　to　rule　with　the　general　good…will；　insomuch　that　upon　the



death　of　Maximus　one　day　before　his　consulship　was　ended；　he　made



Caninius　Revilius　consul　for　that　day。　And　when　many　went　to　pay　the



usual　compliments　and　attentions　to　the　new　consul；　〃Let　us　make



haste；〃　said　Cicero；　〃lest　the　man　be　gone　out　of　his　office　before　we



come。〃



　　Caesar　was　born　to　do　great　things；　and　had　a　passion　after



honour；　and　the　many　noble　exploits　he　had　done　did　not　now　serve　as



an　inducement　to　him　to　sit　still　and　reap　the　fruit　of　his　past



labours；　but　were　incentives　and　encouragements　to　go　on；　and　raised



in　him　ideas　of　still　greater　actions；　and　a　desire　of　new　glory；　as



if　the　present　were　all　spent。　It　was　in　fact　a　sort　of　emulous



struggle　with　himself；　as　it　had　been　with　another；　how　he　might　outdo



his　past　actions　by　his　future。　In　pursuit　of　these　thoughts；　he



resolved　to　make　war　upon　the　Parthians；　and　when　he　had　subdued　them；



to　pass　through　Hyrcania；　thence　to　march　along　by　the　Caspian　Sea



to　Mount　Caucasus；　and　so　on　about　Pontus；　till　he　came　into



Scythia；　then　to　overrun　all　the　countries　bordering　upon　Germany；　and



Germany　itself；　and　so　to　return　through　Gaul　into　Italy；　after



completing　the　whole　circle　of　his　intended　empire；　and　bounding　it　on



every　side　by　the　ocean。　While　preparations　were　making　for　this



expedition；　he　proposed　to　dig　through　the　isthmus　on　which　Corinth



stands；　and　appointed　Anienus　to　superintend　the　work。　He　had　also　a



design　of　diverting　the　Tiber；　and　carrying　it　by　a　deep　channel



directly　from　Rome　to　Circeii；　and　so　into　the　sea　near　Tarracina；



that　there　might　be　a　safe　and　easy　passage　for　all　merchants　who



traded　to　Rome。　Besides　this；　he　intended　to　drain　all　the　marshes



by　Pomentium　and　Setia；　and　gain　ground　enough　from　the　water　to



employ　many　thousands　of　men　in　tillage。　He　proposed　further　to　make



great　mounds　on　the　shore　nearest　Rome；　to　hinder　the　sea　from



breaking　in　upon　the　land；　to　clear　the　coast　at　Ostia　of　all　the



hidden　rocks　and　shoals　that　made　it　unsafe　for　shipping　and　to　form



ports　and　harbours　fit　to　receive　the　large　number　of　vessels　that



would　frequent　them。



　　These　things　were　designed　without　being　carried　into　effect；　but



his　reformation　of　the　calendar　in　order　to　rectify　the　irregularity



of　time　was　not　only　projected　with　great　scientific　ingenuity；　but



was　brought　to　its　completion；　and　proved　of　very　great　use。　For　it



was　not　only　in　ancient　time　that　the　Romans　had　wanted　a　certain　rule



to　make　their　months　fall　in　with　the　revolutions　of　the　year；　so　that



their　festivals　and　solemn　days　for　sacrifice　were　removed　by　little



and　little；　till　at　last　they　came　to　be　kept　at　seasons　quite　the



contrary　to　what　was　at　first　intended；　but　even　at　this　time　the



people　had　no　way　of　computing　the　solar　year；　only　the　priests



could　say　the　time；　and　they；　at　their　pleasure；　without　giving　any



notice；　slipped　in　the　intercalary　month；　which　they　called



Mercedonius。　Numa　was　the　first　who　put　in　this　month；　but　his



expedient　was　but　a　poor　one　and　quite　inadequate　to　correct　all　the



errors　that　arose　in　the　returns　of　the　annual　cycles；　as　we　have



shown　in　his　life。　Caesar　called　in　the　best　philosophers　and



mathematicians　of　his　time　to　settle　the　point；　and　out　of　the　systems



he　had　before　him　formed　a　new　and　more　exact　method　of　correcting　the



calendar；　which　the　Romans　use　to　this　day；　and　seem　to　succeed　better



than　any　nation　in　avoiding　the　errors　occasioned　by　the　inequality　of



the　cycles。　Yet　even　this　gave　offence　to　those　who　looked　with　an



evil　eye　on　his　position；　and　felt　oppressed　by　his　power。　Cicero



the　orator；　when　some　one　in　his　company　chanced　to　say　the　next



morning　Lyra　would　rise；　replied；　〃Yes；　in　accordance　with　the　edict；〃



as　if　even　this　were　a　matter　of　compulsion。



　　But　that　which　brought　upon　him　the　most　apparent　and　mortal



hatred　was　his　desire　of　being　king；　which　gave　the　common　people



the　first　occasion　to　quarrel　with　him；　and　proved　the　most　specious



pretence　to　those　who　had　been　his　secret　enemies　all　along。　Those　who



would　have　procured　him　that　title　gave　it　out　that　it　was　foretold　in



the　Sibyls'　books　that　the　Romans　should　conquer　the　Parthians　when



they　fought　against　them　under　the　conduct　of　a　king；　but　not



before。　And　one　day；　as　Caesar　was　coming　down　from　Alba　to　Rome；　some



were　so　bold　as　to　salute　him　by　the　name　of　king；　but　he；　finding　the



people　disrelish　it；　seemed　to　resent　it　himself；　and　said　his　name



was　Caesar；　not　king。　Upon　this　there　was　a　general　silence；　and　he



passed　on　looking　not　very　well　pleased　or　contented。　Another　time；



when　the　senate　had　conferred　on　him　some　extravagant　honours；　he



chanced　to　receive　the　message　as　he　was　sitting　on　the　rostra；　where；



though　the　consuls　and　praetors　themselves　waited　on　him；　attended



by　the　whole　body　of　the　senate；　he　did　not　rise；　but　behaved



himself　to　them　as　if　they　had　been　private　men；　and　told　them　his



honours　wanted　rather　to　be　retrenched　than　increased。　This



treatment　offended　not　only　the　senate；　but　the　commonalty　too；　as



if　they　thought　the　affront　upon　the　senate　equally　reflected　upon　the



whole　republic；　so　that　all　who　could　decently　leave　him　went　off；



looking　much　discomposed。　Caesar；　perceiving　the　false　step　he　had



made；　immediately　retired　home；　and　laying　his　throat　bare；　told　his



friends　that　he　was　ready　to　offer　this　to　any　one　who　would　give



the　stroke。　But　afterwards