caesar-第7部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！




times；　and　the　ill…government　of　Rome；　where　all　who　were　candidates



for　offices　publicly　gave　money；　and　without　any　shame　bribed　the



people；　who；　having　received　their　pay；　did　not　contend　for　their



benefactors　with　their　bare　suffrages；　but　with　bows；　swords；　and



slings。　So　that　after　having　many　times　stained　the　place　of



election　with　blood　of　men　killed　upon　the　spot；　they　left　the　city　at



last　without　a　government　at　all；　to　be　carried　about　like　a　ship



without　a　pilot　to　steer　her；　while　all　who　had　any　wisdom　could



only　be　thankful　if　a　course　of　such　wild　and　stormy　disorder　and



madness　might　end　no　worse　than　in　a　monarchy。　Some　were　so　bold　as　to



declare　openly　that　the　government　was　incurable　but　by　a　monarchy；



and　that　they　ought　to　take　that　remedy　from　the　hands　of　the　gentlest



physician；　meaning　Pompey；　who；　though　in　words　he　pretended　to



decline　it；　yet　in　reality　made　his　utmost　efforts　to　be　declared



dictator。　Cato；　perceiving　his　design；　prevailed　with　the　senate　to



make　him　sole　consul；　that　with　the　offer　of　a　more　legal　sort　of



monarchy　he　might　be　withheld　from　demanding　the　dictatorship。　They



over　and　above　voted　him　the　continuance　of　his　provinces；　for　he



had　two；　Spain　and　all　Africa；　which　he　governed　by　his　lieutenants；



and　maintained　armies　under　him；　at　the　yearly　charge　of　a　thousand



talents　out　of　the　public　treasury。



　　Upon　this　Caesar　also　sent　and　petitioned　for　the　consulship　and　the



continuance　of　his　provinces。　Pompey　at　first　did　not　stir　in　it；



but　Marcellus　and　Lentulus　opposed　it；　who　had　always　hated　Caesar；



and　now　did　everything；　whether　fit　or　unfit；　which　might　disgrace　and



affront　him。　For　they　took　away　the　privilege　of　Roman　citizens　from



the　people　of　New　Comum；　who　were　a　colony　that　Caesar　had　lately



planted　in　Gaul；　and　Marcellus；　who　was　then　consul；　ordered　one　of



the　senators　of　that　town；　then　at　Rome；　to　be　whipped；　and　told　him



he　laid　that　mark　upon　him　to　signify　he　was　no　citizen　of　Rome；



bidding　him；　when　he　went　back　again；　to　show　it　to　Caesar。　After



Marcellus's　consulship；　Caesar　began　to　lavish　gifts　upon　all　the



public　men　out　of　the　riches　he　had　taken　from　the　Gauls；　discharged



Curio；　the　tribune；　from　his　great　debts；　gave　Paulus；　then　consul；



fifteen　hundred　talents；　with　which　he　built　the　noble　court　of



justice　adjoining　the　forum；　to　supply　the　place　of　that　called　the



Fulvian。　Pompey；　alarmed　at　these　preparations；　now　openly　took　steps；



both　by　himself　and　his　friends；　to　have　a　successor　appointed　in



Caesar's　room；　and　sent　to　demand　back　the　soldiers　whom　he　had　lent



him　to　carry　on　the　wars　in　Gaul。　Caesar　returned　them；　and　made



each　soldier　a　present　of　two　hundred　and　fifty　drachmas。　The



officer　who　brought　them　home　to　Pompey　spread　amongst　the　people　no



very　fair　or　favourable　report　of　Caesar；　and　flattered　Pompey　himself



with　false　suggestions　that　he　was　wished　for　by　Caesar's　army；　and



though　his　affairs　here　were　in　some　embarrassment　through　the　envy　of



some；　and　the　ill　state　of　the　government；　yet　there　the　army　was　at



his　command；　and　if　they　once　crossed　into　Italy　would　presently



declare　for　him；　so　weary　were　they　of　Caesar's　endless　expeditions；



and　so　suspicious　of　his　designs　for　a　monarchy。　Upon　this　Pompey　grew



presumptuous；　and　neglected　all　warlike　preparations　as　fearing　no



danger；　and　used　no　other　means　against　him　than　mere　speeches　and



votes；　for　which　Caesar　cared　nothing。　And　one　of　his　captains；　it



is　said；　who　was　sent　by　him　to　Rome；　standing　before　the　senate…house



one　day；　and　being　told　that　the　senate　would　not　give　Caesar　longer



time　in　his　government；　clapped　his　hand　on　the　hilt　of　his　sword



and　said；　〃But　this　shall。〃



　　Yet　the　demands　which　Caesar　made　had　the　fairest　colours　of



equity　imaginable。　For　he　proposed　to　lay　down　his　arms；　and　that



Pompey　should　do　the　same；　and　both　together　should　become　private



men；　and　each　expect　a　reward　of　his　services　from　the　public。　For



that　those　who　proposed　to　disarm　him；　and　at　the　same　time　to　confirm



Pompey　in　all　the　power　he　held；　were　simply　establishing　the　one　in



the　tyranny　which　they　accused　the　other　of　aiming　at。　When　Curio　made



these　proposals　to　the　people　in　Caesar's　name；　he　was　loudly



applauded；　and　some　threw　garlands　towards　him；　and　dismissed　him　as



they　do　successful　wrestlers；　crowned　with　flowers。　Antony；　being



tribune；　produced　a　letter　sent　from　Caesar　on　this　occasion；　and　read



it　though　the　consuls　did　what　they　could　to　oppose　it。　But　Scipio；



Pompey's　father…in…law；　proposed　in　the　senate；　that　if　Caesar　did　not



lay　down　his　arms　within　such　a　time　he　should　be　voted　an　enemy；



and　the　consuls　putting　it　to　the　question；　whether　Pompey　should



dismiss　his　soldiers；　and　again；　whether　Caesar　should　disband　his；



very　few　assented　to　the　first；　but　almost　all　to　the　latter。　But



Antony　proposing　again；　that　both　should　lay　down　their　commissions；



all　but　a　very　few　agreed　to　it。　Scipio　was　upon　this　very　violent；



and　Lentulus；　the　consul；　cried　aloud；　that　they　had　need　of　arms；　and



not　of　suffrages；　against　a　robber；　so　that　the　senators　for　the



present　adjourned；　and　appeared　in　mourning　as　a　mark　of　their　grief



for　the　dissension。



　　Afterwards　there　came　other　letters　from　Caesar；　which　seemed　yet



more　moderate；　for　he　proposed　to　quit　everything　else；　and　only　to



retain　Gaul　within　the　Alps；　Illyricum；　and　two　legions；　till　he



should　stand　a　second　time　for　consul。　Cicero；　the　orator；　who　was



lately　returned　from　Cilicia；　endeavoured　to　reconcile　differences；



and　softened　Pompey；　who　was　willing　to　comply　in　other　things；　but



not　to　allow　him　the　soldiers。　At　last　Cicero　used　his　persuasions



with　Caesar's　friends　to　accept　of　the　provinces　and　six　thousand



soldiers　only；　and　so　to　make　up　the　quarrel。　And　Pompey　was



inclined　to　give　way　to　this；　but　Lentulus；　the　consul；　would　not



hearken　to　it；　but　drove　Antony　and　Curio　out　of　the　senate…house　with



insults；　by　which　he　afforded　Caesar　the　most　plausible　pretence



that　could　be；　and　one　which　he　could　readily　use　to　inflame　the



soldiers；　by　showing　them　two　persons　of　such　repute　and　authority　who



were　forced　to　escape　in　a　hired　carriage　in　the　dress　of　slaves。



For　so　they　were　glad　to　disguise　themselves　when　they　fled　out　of



Rome。



　　There　were　not　about　him　at　that　time　above　three　hundred　horse



and　five　thousand　foot；　for　the　rest　of　his　army；　which　was　left



behind　the　Alps；　was　to　be　brought　after　him　by　officers　who　had



received　orders　for　that　purpose。　But　he　thought　the　first　motion



towards　the　design　which　he　had　on　foot　did　not　require　large　forces



at　present；　and　that　what　was　wanted　was　to　make　this　first　step



suddenly；　and　so　to　astound　his　enemies　with　the　boldness　of　it；　as　it



would　be　easier；　he　thought；　to　throw　them　into　consternation　by　doing



what　they　never　anticipated　than　fairly　to　conquer　them；　if　he　had



alarmed　them　by　his　preparations。　And　therefore　he　commanded　his



captains　and　other　officers　to　go　only　with　their　swords　in　their



hands；　without　any　other　arms；　and　make　themselves　masters　of



Ariminum；　a　large　city　of　Gaul；　with　as　little　disturbance　and



bloodshed　as　possible。　He　committed　the　care　of　these　forces　to



Hortensius；　and　himself　spent　the　day　in　public　as　a　stander…by　and



spectator　of　the　gladiators；　who　exercised　before　him。　A　little　before



night　he　attended　to　his　person；　and　then　went　into　the　hall；　and



conversed　for　some　time　with　those　be　had　invited　to　supper；　till　it



began　to　grow　dusk；　when　he　rose　from　table　and　made　his　excuses　to



the　company；　begging　them　to　stay　till　he　came　back；　having　already



given　private　directions　to　a　few　immediate　friends　that　they　should



follow　him；　not　all　the　same　way；　but　some　one　way；　some　another。　He



himself　got　into　one　of　the　hired　carriages；　and　drove　at　first



another　way；　but　presently　turned　towards　Ariminum。　When　he　came　to



the　river　Rubicon；　which　parts　Gaul　within　the　Alps　from　the　rest　of



Italy；　his　thoughts　began　to　work；　now　he　was　just　entering　upon　the



danger；　and　he　wavered　much　in　his　mind　when　he　considered　the



greatness　of　the　enterprise　into　which　he　was　throwing　himself。　He



checked　his　course　and　ordered　a　halt；　while　he　revolved　with　himself；



and　often　changed　his　opinion　one　way　and　the　other；　without



speaking　a　word。　This　was　when　his　purposes　fluctuated　most；　presently



he　also　discussed　the　matter　with　his　friends　who　were　about　him　（of



which　number　Asinius　Pollio　was　one）；　computing　how　many　calamities



his　passing　that　river　would　bring　upon　mankind；　and　what　a　relation



of　it　would　be　transmitted　to　posterity。　At　last；　in　a　sort　of



passion；　casting　aside　calculation；　and　abandoning　himself　to　what



might　come；　and　using　the　proverb　frequently　in　their　mouths　who　enter



upon　dangerous　and　bold　attempts；　〃The　die　is　cast；〃　with　these



words　he　took　the　river。　Once　over；　he　used　all　expedition　possible；



and　before　it　was　day　reached　Ariminum　and　took　it。　It　is　said　that



the　night　before　he　passed　the　river　he　had　an　impious　dream；　that



he　was　unnaturally　familiar　with　his　own　mother。



　　As　soon　as　Ariminum　was　taken；　wide　gates；　so　to　say；　were　thrown



open；　to　let　in　war　upon　every　land　alike　and　sea；　and　with　the　limits



of　the　province；　the　boundaries　of　the　laws　were　transgressed。　Nor



would　one　have　thought　that；　as　at　other　times；　the　mere　men　and　women



fled　from　one　town　of　Italy　to　another　in　their　consternation；　but



that　the　very　towns　themselves　left　their　sites　and　fled　for　succour



to　each　other。　The　city　of　Rome　was　overrun；　as　it　were；　with　a



deluge；　by　the　conflux　of　people　flying