g them threw them down, so that the
enemy took two and thirty, and Caesar himself had a narrow escape with
his life. A tall, strong man was running away past by Caesar, who
putting his hand upon him, ordered him to stand and face the enemy;
but the man, who was completely confounded by the danger, raised his
sword to strike him, on which Caesar's shield-bearer struck the man
first and cut off his shoulder. Caesar had so completely given up his
cause as lost, that when Pompeius either through caution or from some
accident did not put the finishing stroke to his great success, but
retreated after shutting up the fugitives within their ramparts, Caesar
said to his friends as he was retiring, To-day the victory would be
with the enemy, if they had a commander who knew how to conquer. Going
into his tent and lying down, Caesar spent that night of all nights in
the greatest agony and perplexity, considering that his generalship
had been bad, in that while a fertile country lay near him and the
rich cities of Macedonia and Thessaly, he had neglected to carry the
war thither, and was now stationed on the sea which the enemy
commanded with his ships, and that he was rather held in siege by want
of supplies than holding the enemy in siege by his arms. Accordingly,
after passing a restless night, full of uneasiness at the difficulty
and danger of his present position, he broke up his camp with the
determination of leading his troops into Macedonia to oppose Scipio,
for he concluded that either he should draw Pompeius after him to a
country where he would fight without the advantage of having the same
supplies from the sea, or that he would defeat Scipio if he were left
to himself.

XL. This encouraged the army of Pompeius and the officers about him
to stick close to Caesar, whom they considered to have been defeated
and to be making his escape; though Pompeius himself was cautious
about hazarding a battle for so great a stake, and, as he was
excellently furnished with everything for prolonging the war, he
thought it best to wear out and weaken the vigour of the enemy, which
could not be long sustained. For the best fighting men in Caesar's army
possessed experience and irresistible courage in battle; but in
marchings and making encampments and assaulting fortifications and
watching by night, they gave way by reason of their age, and their
bodies were unwieldy for labour, and owing to weakness, had lost their
alacrity. It was also