At
last, when the King had gone over to the enemy, Caesar attacked and
defeated them in a battle in which many fell and the King[554] himself
disappeared. Leaving Kleopatra[555] Queen of Egypt, who shortly after
gave birth to a child that she had by Caesar, which the Alexandrines
named Caesarion, he marched to Syria.
L. From Syria continuing his march through Asia he heard that Domitius
had been defeated by Pharnakes[556] son of Mithridates, and had fled
from Pontus with a few men; and that Pharnakes, who used his victory
without any moderation, and was in possession of Bithynia and
Cappadocia, also coveted Armenia, called the Little, and was stirring
up all the kings and tetrarchs in this part. Accordingly Caesar
forthwith advanced against the man with three legions and fighting a
great battle near Zela drove Pharnakes in flight from Pontus, and
completely destroyed his army. In reporting to one of his friends at
Rome, Amantius,[557] the celerity and rapidity of this battle, he
wrote only three words: "I came, I saw, I conquered." In the Roman
language the three words ending in the like form of verb, have a
brevity which is not without its effect.
LI. After this, passing over to Italy he went up to Rome at the close
of the year for which he had been chosen Dictator[558] the second
time, though that office had never before been for a whole year; and
he was elected consul for the following year.
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