tween themselves.
Crassus received the command of the army sent to Asia against the
Parthians and was killed (53). Pompey remained at Rome. Caesar went to
Gaul where he stayed eight years subjecting the country and making an
army for himself.

Pompey and Caesar were now the only persons on the stage. Each wished
to be master. Pompey had the advantage of being at Rome and of
dominating the Senate; Caesar had on his side his army, disciplined by
eight years of expeditions. Pompey secured a decree of the Senate that
Caesar should abandon his army and return to Rome. Caesar decided then
to cross the boundary of his province (the river Rubicon), and to
march on Rome. Pompey had no army in Italy to defend himself, and so
with the majority of the senators took flight to the other side of the
Adriatic. He had several armies in Spain, in Greece, and in Africa.
Caesar defeated them, one after another--that of Spain first (49), then
that of Greece at Pharsalus (48), at last, that of Africa (46).
Pompey, vanquished at Pharsalus, fled to Egypt where the king had him
assassinated.

On his return to Rome Caesar was appointed dictator for ten years and
exercised absolute power. The Senate paid him divine honors, and it is
possible that Caesar desired the title of king. He was assassinated by
certain of his favorites who aimed to reestablish the sovereignty of
the Senate (44).

=End of the Republic.=--The people of Rome, who loved Caesar, compelled
Brutus and Cassius, the chiefs of the assassins, to flee. They
withdrew to the East where they raised a large army. The West remained
in the hand of Antony, who with the support of the army of Caesar,
governed Rome despotically.

Caesar in his will had adopted a young man of eighteen years, his
sister's son,[143] Octavian, who according to Roman usage assumed the
name of his adoptive father and called himself from that time Julius
Caesar Octavianus. Octavian rallied to his side the soldiers of Caesar
and was charged by the Senate with the war against Antony. But after
conquering him he preferred to unite with him for a division of power;
they associated Lepidus with them, and all three returned to Rome
where they secured absolute power for five years under the title of
triumvirs for organizing public affairs. They began by proscribing
their adversaries and their personal enemies. Antony secured the death
of Cicero (43). Then they left for the East to destroy the army of the
conspirators