tulus entreated Caesar to spare his life: he reminded Caesar of their old friendship and of Caesar's services to him; that through Caesar he had obtained a place in the college of Pontifices, the province of Spain after his praetorship (B.c. 60), and that Caesar had assisted him in his canvas for the consulship. Caesar stopped Lentulus by telling him that he had not invaded Italy to do any harm to others, but to protect himself, to restore the tribunes to their authority and to rescue himself and the Romans from the oppression of a small faction. Lentulus was comforted by Caesar's words, and asked permission to return to the town: his pardon, he said, would encourage the rest to hope for the same mercy, for some were so alarmed that they might be driven to commit suicide. Lentulus was permitted to return to Corfinium. It is supposed that Lentulus alluded more particularly to Domitius who in his fright asked his physician for poison and took it, but on hearing of Caesar's clemency he bewailed his rashness, until his physician comforted him by saying that he had only swallowed a sleeping draught (Plutarch, Caesar, c. 34).7

At daybreak on the 21st of February, as we learn from Cicero, Caesar ordered all the senators with their children, and the tribunes and Roman equites to be brought before him. Among them were Domitius, Lentulus, Vibullius Rufus, Sextus Quintilius Varus a quaestor, and L. Rubrius; also a son of Domitius with other youths and a great number of Roman equites and decuriones, whom Domitius had summoned from certain towns, probably as hostages. Caesar protected these men from insult and abuse, briefly reminded some of them of what he had formerly done for them, and set them all free. Domitius had brought with him 6,000,000 sesterces and deposited it in the treasury of Corfinium. The Duumviri of Corfinium brought the money to Caesar, but he restored it to Domitius, though it was known to be public money and to have been given by Pompeius to pay the troops. This be

8

6 Lentulus was cousul in B.C. 57, when Caesar was in Gallia ; and if he helped Lentulus in his canvas (B.C. 58), in which year Caesar was also in Gallia, he must have assisted Lentulus by his letters or by his friends.

7 Suetonius (Nero, 2) has a similar story, but he does not say when or where Domitius attempted to poison himself.

8 Cicero (Ad Attic. viii. 14. 3) says that M. Lepidus reported that the money

haviour to Domitius was a singular and unnecessary act of generosity; but Caesar, as he says, wished to show that he was not more careful in sparing men's lives than in taking their money. Domitius had always been a bitter enemy of Caesar; and Caelius says in a letter to Cicero (Ad Fam. viii. 15. 2) that he wishes the descendant of Venus (Caesar) had put Domitius to death. Caesar ordered the soldiers of Domitius to join his army, and take the military oath of obedience.

After the capture of Corfinium, Caesar's friend Balbus wrote to Cicero and sent him a copy of a letter which Caesar had written to himself and Oppius. Balbus tells Cicero that Caesar will be quite satisfied if he takes no part in the war against him and does not join his adversaries. Caesar had given Balbus permission to be absent from the camp which might be opposed to Lentulus the consul or to Pompeius, that is, absent from Caesar's own camp, for Balbus was under great obligations to Lentulus and Pompeius: he would be content. if Balbus without taking up arms would render him private services in the city, and Balbus might do the same if he liked for Lentulus and Pompeius. Accordingly at that time Balbus was looking after the private affairs of Lentulus in Rome. Caesar's letter, of which Cicero received a copy, is one of few which have been preserved, and it shows Caesar's character. He says to his two friends, "I am much pleased to see from your letter that you greatly approve of what I have done at Corfinium. I shall willingly take your advice, and the more willingly because I had myself resolved to act with the greatest lenity, and to endeavour to conciliate Pompeius. Let us attempt in this way, if we can, to recover the affection of all and to make victory lasting; since others by their cruelty have not been able to escape hatred nor to retain their victory long, except one man, L. Sulla, whom I shall not imitate. Let this be a new way of conquering, to protect ourselves by mercy and generosity. Some things occur to me as suitable for accomplishing this object, and many others may be discovered. I ask you to think about these matters. I have taken N. Magius, a prefect of Pompeius. Of course I followed my was not given up to Domitius; but Caesar says that it was, and his statement is better evidence than that of Lepidus.

usual practice and set him free immediately. Two chiefs of engineers of Pompeius have now come into my power and been set free. If they shall choose to show any gratitude, it will be their duty to urge Pompeius to be my friend rather than the friend of those who have always been most unfriendly both to him and to me, and by their intrigues have brought the Commonwealth into this condition " (Cicero, ad Att. ix. 7. B. C.).

Caesar's generosity was not what Cicero had expected. He received another letter from Caesar's friend Balbus, who exhorted him to endeavour to reconcile Caesar and Pompeius, and told him that Caesar would feel under the greatest obligations to him, if he would go to Rome. Balbus further said that he wished Pompeius would do the same, though at present he rather wished than expected it; but perhaps, when he had recovered from his alarm, Cicero's advice might have great weight with him. Balbus also said that if the consul Lentulus would follow Cicero's advice and trust Caesar, and discharge the remaining time of his consular office at Rome, he had hopes that with the assistance of the Senate Pompeius and Caesar might be reconciled. Balbus was certain that Cicero would approve of Caesar's behaviour at Corfinium. Cicero sent to Atticus (viii. 15) a copy of the letter of Balbus, "that Atticus might grieve for his unhappy condition, when he saw that he was an object of derision." This appears like a confession that his attempts to mediate would be very absurd after all that he had done and written. Cicero however wrote to Caesar in reply to a letter in which Caesar had asked him to return to Rome and give him his advice and countenance; and he speaks of having already thanked Caesar for his behaviour to Lentulus Spinther (Ad Attic. ix. 11). This is the letter in which Cicero declares to Caesar that he is the dearest friend both of Caesar and of Pompeius.

CHAPTER III.

THE FLIGHT OF POMPEIUS.

B.C. 49.

CAESAR was seven days before Corfinium, which he left on the afternoon of the day of the surrender, and yet he made a full day's march (Ad Attic. viii. 14. 1; ix. 1. 1). His course was through the territories of the Marrucini, the Frentani and of the people of Larinum (Larino) into Apulia. Pompeius left Canusium on the morning of the same day on which Caesar left Corfinium, the 21st of February; and Caesar moved so fast that Cicero feared he would reach Brundisium too soon for Pompeius. But the seven days lost before Corfinium prevented Caesar from cutting off the retreat of his enemy, and when he began the pursuit, he was at least one hundred and thirty miles direct distance from Pompeius, and the first part of his march was through a mountainous country. Pompeius ordered the fresh levies to be brought to him; and he armed about three hundred shepherds and gave them horses, from which it appears that he was ill supplied with cavalry (B. C. i. 24).

L. Manlius, the praetor of Alba Fucentia, who made his escape with six cohorts, and Rutilius Lupus praetor of Terracina with three, were, as it appears, going to join Pompeius, but when they saw at a distance Caesar's cavalry, which was commanded by Vibius Curius, the cohorts left their commanders, and passed over to Curius. Other troops also, which were going to Pompeius, fell among Caesar's men on their march or among his cavalry. N. Magius of Cremona, the chief of Pompeius' engineers, was also taken on the road and

brought to Caesar, who sent him to Pompeius with this message; that since they had never had an opportunity of talking together and he was himself going to Brundisium, it was for the interest of the commonwealth that he should have a conference with Pompeius, for when they were at a great distance from one another and terms of agreement were proposed through others, the same results could not be obtained as if they saw one another. Caesar writes as if he were going to pay Pompeius a friendly visit.

It was the 9th of March, as Caesar himself states,' when he arrived at Brundisium with six legions, three of veterans, and the rest newly levied. He had sent forward the cohorts of Domitius from Corfinium to Sicily. Caesar found that the consuls had sailed to Dyrrhachium with a large part of the army, and that Pompeius was in Brundisium with twenty cohorts; but he could not ascertain whether Pompeius remained for the purpose of keeping Brundisium that he might more easily command all the Hadriatic sea by holding the extremity of Italy and the opposite coast of Greece and thus conduct the war on both coasts, or because he had not sufficient ships. Dion (41. c. 12) states that Pompeius sent the consuls off, because he could not trust them, which is probable, for they were in great alarm, and Caesar, as we have seen, had tempted one of them with great offers. Caesar fearing that Pompeius might not intend to quit Italy determined to blockade the port of Brundisium. At the narrowest part of the entrance to the double port, he formed on each side a mole, for the water was shallow in these parts. When the water became deeper and the moles could not be continued, he placed a pair of floats, forming together a square of thirty feet on the side, in the direction determined by the opposite moles, and fixed them by anchors at the four angles. He then fixed other floats of the same size, and covered all of them with earth and other materials.

1 Letter of Caesar to Oppius and Balbus: "I reached Brundisium on the 9th of March. I placed my camp close to the wall. Pompeius is at Brundisium. He sent N. Magius about peace. I gave an answer such as I thought proper. I wished you to know this immediately. When I have hopes that I can do anything about a settlement I shall immediately inform you." (Cicero ad Attic. ix. 13, and ix. 3. 2.) Balbus sent to Cicero a copy of this short letter.