But even in the midst of danger Pompeius was fortunate in
the general affection of the people, for though many blamed the
generalship, there was not one who hated the general, but one might
have found that those who were not willing to leave Pompeius were more
numerous than those who left the city for the cause of liberty.
LXII. A few davs after, Caesar entered and took possession of
Rome.[344] He behaved with moderation to all and pacified everybody,
except Metellus[345] one of the tribunes who attempted to hinder him
from taking money out of the treasury, on which Caesar threatened him
with death and added to his threat still harsher words, for he said,
That to say this was harder for him than to do it. Having thus put
Metellus to flight and taken what he wanted, Caesar pursued Pompeius,
being anxious to drive him out of Italy before his troops from Iberia
arrived. Pompeius who had got possession of Brundisium and had plenty
of ships, immediately put on board the consuls and with them thirty
cohorts and sent them over before him to Dyrrachium: Scipio his
father-in-law and his own son Cneius he sent to Syria to get a fleet
ready. After barricading the gates and placing on the walls the
soldiers who were most lightly armed, he ordered the people of
Brundisium[346] to keep quiet in their houses, and he then broke up
all the ground in the city and intersected it with ditches, and filled
up all the streets with stakes except two through which he went down
to the sea.
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