A feast was held to celebrate the reconciliation,
during which a slave of Caesar, his barber, owing to his timidity in
which he had no equal, leaving nothing unscrutinized, and listening
and making himself very busy, found out that a plot against Caesar was
forming by Achillas the general and Potheinus the eunuch. Caesar being
made acquainted with their design, placed a guard around the
apartment, and put Potheinus to death. Achillas escaped to the camp,
and raised about Caesar a dangerous and difficult war for one who with
so few troops had to resist so large a city and force. In this contest
the first danger that he had to encounter was being excluded from
water, for the canals[551] were dammed up by the enemy; and, in the
second place, an attempt being made to cut off his fleet, he was
compelled to repel the danger with fire, which spreading from the
arsenals to the large library[552] destroyed it; and, in the third
place, in the battle near the Pharos[553] he leaped down from the
mound into a small boat and went to aid the combatants; but as the
Egyptians were coming against him from all quarters, he threw himself
into the sea and swam away with great difficulty. On this occasion it
is said that he had many papers in his hands, and that he did not let
them go, though the enemy were throwing missiles at him and he had to
dive under the water, but holding the papers above the water with one
hand, he swam with the other; but the boat was sunk immediately.
Pages:
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641