POMPEY THE GREAT. CReillS Pompeins _Magnus, son of Cneius Pompeins Strabo. was born in 106 n.c. At the early age of 17 he began to learn the military art under his father by service in the field against the Italians in the Social war. Though so young. he gave proof of extraordinary valor and Of remarkable energy of character. On the death of his father in 87 n.c., when he was only 10 years of age, be was left without a protector, and during the temporary triumph of the Marian party, he was for some time in considerable danger. When Sulla, to whose side he was attached, returned from Greece to Italy to oppose Marius, Pompey hastened into Picenum, where he had con siderable estates and influence, and there raised an army of three legions, with which he successfully opposed the forces of the 3Iarian party, compelling them to quit the dis trict, and effecting a junction with Sulhu. During the rest of the war he behaved with great prudence and valor, and with such remarkable success, that, on the restoration of peace in Italy, the conduct of the war against the remains of the Marian faction in Africa and Sicily was intrusted to him. He speedily performed his commission, and on his return to Rome was honored with the name of MAGNUS (i.e., "the great"), and with a triumph, which, for one who had not yet held any public office, and was merely an 1 eques, was an unprecedented distinction. His next exploits were the reduction of the followers of Lepidus, whom he drove out of Italy, and the extinction of the Marian party in Spain, led on' by the brave Sertorius. This latter work was one of no small difficulty. Pompey suffered some severe defeats at the hands of Sertorius, and it was only after Sertorius had been assassinated that he was able to put an end to the war. In returning to Italy after an absence of five or six years in Spain, he fell in with and defeated the remnants of the army of Spa•taeus, and thus claimed the credit of conclud ing the Servile war. He was now the idol of the people, and though legally ineligible to the consulship, was elected to that important office for the year TO, the senate reliev ing him of his disabilities rather than provoke him to extremities. Hitherto Pompey had belonged to the aristocratic party; but, as he had of late years been looked upon with suspicion by some of the leading men, he publicly espoused the people's cause. He carried a law restoring the tribunician power to the people, and hided largely in intro ducing the bill of Aurelius Cotta (lex Aurelia), that the judices should for the future be taken from the senate, the equites, and the tribuni aemrii, instead of from the senate alone. In 67-66 13.C. Pompey performed a noble service to the republic in clearing the Mediterranean of the pirates who infested it in immense numbers; and during the next four years, 65-69, he conquered Mithridates, king of Pontus, Tigranes, king of Armenia, and Autiochus, king of Syria. At the same time he subdued the Jewish nation, and captured Jerusalem. On his return to Italy he disbanded his army, and entered Rome in triumph for the third time in 61 B.C. And now his star began to dim. Hencefor
ward we find him distrusted by the aristocracy, and second to Caesar in popular favor. After his return.he was anxious that his acts in Asia should be ratified by tile senate, and certain lands apportioned among his veteran soldiers. But the senate declined to accede to his wish, and he therefore formed a close intimacy with Caesar, who promised to secure for him the accomplishment of his objects, if he in turn would assist Cesar in the attainment of his aims. Crassus, who possessed enormous wealth, and who in con sequence exercised a wide influence at Rome, was induced to forego his grudge to Pompey, and thus these three men formed among themselves that coalition which is commonly called "the first triumvirate," and which for a time frustrated all the efforts of the aristocratic party. This small oligarchy carried all before them; Pompey's acts in Asia were ratified; Crcsar's designs were all gained; his agrarian law, distributing land in Campania among the poorer citizens was passed, and thus, too, Pompey's promises to his troops were fulfilled. Caesar's daughter, Julia, was given in marriage to Pompey, and private relationship was thus made to bind tighter the tie of political interest. And DOW, for some years following, Caesar was reaping laurels in Gaul, and rising higher in popular esteem as a warrior and statesman, while Pompey was idly wasting his time and his energies at Rome. But Pompey could not bear a rival. Jealousies sprang up; Julia died in 54 B.C., and thus father-in-law and were sundered by a yet wider gulf, which no bridge could span. Pompey now returned to his former friends, the aristocracy, whose great desire was to check Caesar's views, and strip him of his com mand. Cmsar was ordered to lay down his office and return to Rome, which he con sented to do, provided Pompey, who had an army near Rome, would do the same. The senate insisted on an unconditional resignation, and ordered him to disband his army by a certain day, otherwise he would be declared a public enemy. To this resolution two of the tribunes in vain objected; they therefore left the city and cast themselves on Cesar for protection. It was on this memorable occasion that he crossed the Rubicon, and thus defied the senate and its armies, which were under Pompey's command. The events of the civil war which followed have been recorded in the life of Caesar (q.v.). It remains only to mention, that after being finally defeated at Pharsalia in 48 B.C., Pompey escaped to Egypt, where, according to the order of the king's ministers, lie was treacherously murdered by a former centurion of his own, as he was landing from the boat. His head was cut off, and afterward presented to Caesar on his arrival in Egypt_ But Cesar was too magnanimous to delight in such a sight. The murderer of Poinpey was, by his orders, put to death. The body lay on the beach for some time, but was at length buried by a freedman, Philippus, who had accompanied his master to the shore.