damage as he had caused in his former position. Marcellus made forts in proper positions, and connecting his works shut up Ulia and Cassius within his lines; but before they were completed, Cassius sent off all his cavalry for the purpose of preventing Marcellus from getting forage and corn, and to save himself from the necessity of feeding horses which would be of no use to him when he was blockaded. King Bogud arrived in a few days, having added to the legion which he brought several auxiliary Spanish cohorts; for, as it is usual in civil dissensions, some of the Spanish towns were in favour of Cassius, but the greater number declared for Marcellus. Bogud approached the exterior lines of Marcellus: the attack and defence were vigorously made, and both sides had sometimes the advantage; but Marcellus was never driven from his works.

In the meantime Lepidus arrived at Ulia from Hispania Citerior with thirty-five legionary cohorts and a great number of cavalry and auxiliaries. His intention was to settle the quarrel between Cassius and Marcellus without siding with either. Marcellus met Lepidus and submitted himself to his pleasure; but Cassius kept within his defences, either because he thought that more respect was due to himself than to Marcellus, or because he supposed that Lepidus was prejudiced against him by the ready submission of Marcellus. Lepidus made his camp near Ulia and acted in concert with Marcellus. He would not allow any fighting; and he invited Cassius to leave his camp under a promise of protection. Cassius hesitated a long time what he should do and how far he could trust Lepidus, but not seeing what would be the result of persisting in his resolution he asked that the works of Marcellus should be broken down and he should be allowed a free passage. The truce was made, and already men were employed in levelling the works, from which the troops had been withdrawn, when the king's auxiliaries made an attack on the fort of Marcellus which was nearest to Bogud's camp, and surprised many soldiers; for the attack was made contrary to the expeetation of all persons, unless, says the author, Cassius must not be included among all, for there were suspicions about his privity to the treachery. If Lepidus had not indignantly

and quickly stopped the fight, the loss of men would have been greater.

When a road had been cleared for Cassius, Marcellus and Lepidus joined their camps, and went to Corduba with their troops, and Cassius to Carmona. About the same time C. Trebonius arrived as proconsul to take the government of the Further province. Trebonius had been praetor urbanus at Rome in B.C. 48; and, as it has been stated (p. 248), he saw Caesar at Antioch in July B.C. 47, and he reached Rome on the 14th of August. If Caesar did not hear of the misgovernment of Cassius at Alexandria, we may suppose that he did at Antioch, and that he appointed Trebonius to supersede him. It was probably late in the year that Trebonius arrived in Spain. As soon as Cassius heard of his arrival, he placed in winter quarters the legions which were with him and the cavalry; and hastily packing up his property he travelled to Malaca (Malaga) on the south coast of the province and set sail with his vessels, though the weather was bad. The reason for this hasty retreat, as he said himself, was that he would not trust himself in the power of Lepidus, Trebonius, and Marcellus; but, as his friends declared, it was because he did not choose after he had ceased to be governor to pass through a province, a large part of which had abandoned him; as others supposed, he went by sea to prevent the money which he had collected by boundless rapacity from falling into any person's hands. Cassius had a favourable voyage for the winter season, and when he had reached the Iberus (Ebro), he entered the river to pass the night there. He probably took shelter behind the island Buda which lies in front of the aestuary of the Ebro. Though the weather became more tempestuous, he thought that he could continue his voyage without any greater danger, but he met with a violent swell at the mouth of the river, and being unable either to turn the vessel round on account of the strong current of the river, or to keep his course against the waves which met him right in the narrow passage between the mainland and the island, he went down in the ship and perished with all his treasures.'

1 This seems to be the meaning of the author, who, if he did not know the

This story of the misgovernment of Cassius may be rather tedious. The author is not a good writer, and it is not easy to interpret his narrative, and it is impossible to abridge it. We learn however something of the dreadful condition of a Roman province under a bad governor, as we have already seen in the case of Verres in Sicily (vol. iii. chap. iv.); and the evil was aggravated in Spain during a civil war. Cassius did great damage to Caesar's cause in the peninsula and enabled his enemies to make head against him there after his victory seemed complete. It was Caesar's misfortune to have many bad and incapable men about him. He had used them as tools to help him to power and he was obliged to employ them even when he might not have wished. Lepidus had done some service by putting an end to the civil war in Spain, but he had no claim for a triumph. However he did triumph at the close of B.C. 47, though as Dion says (43. c. 1) he had no trophies to display except the money of which he had robbed. the Spaniards; a charge which Dion would not hesitate to make without evidence, if it only enabled him to give a better turn to his sentence.

place, has accurately described the difficulty of sailing out from the mouth of the river.

VOL. V.

U

CHAPTER XXII.

CAESAR IN ASIA.

B.C. 47.

CAESAR sailed' from Egypt to Seleucia Pieria near Suadeiah, a little north of the mouth of the Orontes, on which river stands Antioch. While he was in this city, he saw persons from Rome, who informed him of the state of affairs, and he learned also from letters that the administration was badly conducted. In consequence of the agitation of the tribunes of the plebs there was much disturbance; and the military tribunes and commanders of legions by seeking popularity and indulging the soldiers allowed the ancient and strict military discipline to be weakened. These abuses required his presence at Rome; but his first object was to settle the provinces which he intended to visit, to secure them against internal disorder, to make all necessary regulations and to release them from fear of external enemies. He expected to be able to accomplish this matter in Syria, Cilicia, and Asia in a short time, for there was no war in these parts. In Bithynia and Pontus he saw that he would have more trouble, for he heard that Pharnaces had not quitted Pontus, nor did he expect that he would, for the king was greatly elated by his victory over Domitius Calvinus. Caesar visited most of the chief towns in Syria, rewarded those who deserved it, both individuals and communities; and heard and decided old disputes. Kings, princes (tyranni), and rulers who were near

1 The author has said (B. A. c. 33) that Caesar went to Syria by land, which is almost certainly a mistake. Josephus (Antiq. xiv. 8. 3) says that he went by sea. He had ships enough for his few men. See B. A. c. 69, and c. 65. The statement of Appian, B. C. ii. 91, is perhaps ambiguous, certainly careless.

the borders of the province came to meet him and made their submission, and after accepting the terms imposed of protecting the province, were sent off well satisfied with the dictator and the Roman people. The author of the Alexandrine War tells us all this in a few sentences and does not enter into any particulars. He adds that Caesar stayed only a few days in Syria; but if Caesar did all that the author mentions, he may have stayed a few weeks. Josephus (Antiq. xiv. 8, § 3) reports that when Caesar was in Syria he rewarded Antipater for his services, and confirmed Hyrcanus in the priesthood. Antigonus the son of Aristobulus came also to complain to Caesar that his father was poisoned by means of Antipater and his brother was beheaded by Scipio, and he claimed Caesar's protection. Antipater, who was present, defended himself before Caesar, and Antigonus gained nothing by his appearance. Caesar gave Hyrcanus leave to restore the walls of Jerusalem, which had been demolished by Pompeius, and he sent this permission says Josephus to the consuls to be engraved in the Capitol. Josephus then gives the decree, but by some strange blunder he quotes an older document, which was a league of friendship between the Jews and Romans. However he gives the decree, which he intended to give, in another place (Antiq. xiv. 10. § 5). Caesar appointed his kinsman Sextus Caesar (B. C. ii. 20) commander of the forces and governor of Syria, and sailed with his fleet to Tarsus, the chief place in the Level Cilicia, on the Cydnus, which river at that time was accessible to ships, but the entrance is now closed by a bar. The cities of Cilicia were summoned to meet Caesar at Tarsus, where he settled their affairs and those of other bordering communities. But he was eager to find Pharnaces, and he went by long marches over the Taurus through Cappadocia to Mazaca.

Mazaca was situated at the base of the great volcanic mountain Argaeus (Argish) about 13,000 feet high, and, as Strabo says, always crowned with snow; but the geographer is probably mistaken when he states that from the summit both the Euxine and the Mediterranean are visible. The Roman emperor Tiberius changed the name of Mazaca to Caesareia and it is now Kaisariyeh on the Kara Su, a small