Pompey appears to have been quite unprepared for these decisive measures of Cxsar ; sonic of the senators sarcastically desired him to stamp with his foot, as he had formerly boasted that he could by this means raise an ar my to oppose ('irsar. Fie now informed the senate of the necessity of leaving Rome ; and, though he did not avow his intentions, he had resulted on leaving Italy His retreat damped the courage and the zeal of his fol lowers; and, as soldiers seldom voluntarily choose the losing side, even the troops who had been raised to op pose Cesar deserted to him, and greatly ati!;inented his army. Rome was now open to him, but he esteemed the possession of it of no moment, till he should decide who was to be permanent master. He therefore marched in search of Pompey, who fled before him to Ilrundisium : he immediately invested the place, which Pompey de fended only till he got his troops transported to Dyrra cilium on the other side of the gulf.
Cxsar haying made himself master of Italy in sixty clays, now directed his course to Rome. Ile every where made the greatest ostentation of clemency, and gradually dissipated the fears which were generally entertained of another proscription. l le found little, however, at Rome to gratify his feelings ; the consuls and most respectable part of the senate had followed Pompey ; and there was a general air of distrust and desolation. Ile had not even resolution to harangue the people, as he had once proposed ; he avoided public view ; and, having spent only a few days in Rome, he set out for Spain, where lie expected the weight of the war, after having stript the public treasury of all the money which it contained. He was fur a considerable time vigorously resisted in Spain by Afranius and Petreius, Pompey's lieutenants: with his usual ability and success, however, he at last pre vailed, and the whole army was forced to surrender. Witn his usual policy he treated them with the greatest clemency, and gave them liberty to retire to whatever place they pleased. After the reduction of Spain, whilst lie was engaged in the siege of Marseilles, he received intelligence that his party at Rome had procured a de cree of the people, vesting him with the power of dicta tor. He hastened to Rome to take possession of his new dignity, wnich was of some consequence to him in his present circumstances, as lie could then plead the ap pearance of legal authority for his proceedings. lie staid only eleven days in Rome, and then marched after Pompey, who had collected a great force in Macedonia. He landed on the coast of Epirus, before Pompey had any notice of his approach. The latter, however, having the command of the sea, by means of his superior fleet, took possession of Dyrrhachium, where he could easily he supplied with provisions. Cxsar, with an inferior
army, attempted to inclose him in his camp, and cut oil all communication with the land ; but, after incredible exertions of labour and of valour to accomplish this ob ject, he was baffled, and in fact routed ; and had Pom pey known how to improve the advantage lie had gained, there must then have been an end of Cxsar's fortunes. But Pompey, from the high character of Cxsar's 111CD for steadiness and discipline, mistook their flight for a feint, and did not dare to pursue them. " This day," said Cxsar. " victory would have declared for the ene my, if they had had a general who knew how to con quer." He was so much distressed for want sions, that he was under the necessity of immediately retreating : Pompey pressed close upon his rear; but it was evidently the interest of the latter to avoid a battle, and not to give his enemy a chance of retrieving the ad vantages he had lost : and had Pompey been allowed to follow his own inclination, this was the plan which he intended to adopt ; but nis troops, flushed with their late 'Victory, were continually demanding to be led against the enemy ; and Cato alone, of all the officers and sena tors who accompanied him, seconded his plan for delay. AVililst his army was in this disposition, he came up with his enemy, who was encamped at Pnarsalia. Caesar did every thing in his power to provoke an engagement ; but despairing at last of accomplishing his purpose, he was on the point of decamping, and had actually given the signal to march, when it was observed that Pompey's army had advanced considerably farther than usual. Cae sar exclaimed, " the time we have so long wished for is come; let us see how we are to acquit ourselves ;" and immediately gave the signal for battle. Tne result was the complete defeat of Pompey's army, with the loss of 15,000 killed, and 24,000 prisoners, most of whom en listed in the army of (see PHARSALIA.) Porn pey fled almost alone into Egypt, having some claim on the gratitude of the Egyptian court. Cato, with the fleet and the remains of the army, steered his course for the Roman province of Africa, where, in consequence of the assistance of Juba, king of Numidia, the affairs of the republic still wore a flourishing aspect. Caesar, in the mean time, instantly followed Pompey into Egypt : but this formidable enemy was now no longer in a situ ation to cause any disturbance,—he had been basely murdered ; and Cmsar is said to have wept, and to have turned away his face, when Pompey's head was present ed to him.