down the Adriatic
coast, overtaking Pompey at Brundisium (Brindisi), but failing to prevent
him from embarking with his troops for the East, where the prestige of his
name was greatest. Hereupon Caesar (it is said) exclaimed "I am going to
Spain to fight an army without a general, and thence to the East to fight a
general without an army." He carried out the first part of this programme
with marvellous rapidity. He reached Ilerda (Lerida) on the 23rd of June
and, after extricating his army from a perilous situation, outmanoeuvred
Pompey's lieutenants and received their submission on the 2nd of August.
Returning to Rome, he held the dictatorship for eleven days, was elected
consul for 48 B.C., and set sail for Epirus at Brundisium on the 4th of
January. He attempted to invest Pompey's lines at Dyrrhachium (Durazzo),
though his opponent's force was double that of his own, and was defeated
with considerable loss. He now marched eastwards, in order if possible to
intercept the reinforcements which Pompeys father-in-law, Scipio, was
bringing up; but Pompey [v.04 p.0941] was able to effect a junction with
this force and descended into the plain of Thessaly, where at the battle of
Pharsalus he was decisively defeated and fled to Egypt, pursued by Caesar,
who learnt of his rival's murder on landing at Alexandria. Here he remained
for nine months, fascinated (if the story be true) by Cleopatra, and almost
lost his life in an _emeute_. In June 47 B.C. he proceeded to the East and
Asia Minor, where he "came, saw and conquered" Pharnaces, son of
Mithradates the Great, at Zela. Returning to Italy, he quelled a mutiny of
the legions (including the faithful Tenth) in Campania, and crossed to
Africa, where a republican army of fourteen legions under Scipio was cut to
pieces at Thapsus (6th of April 46 B.C.). Here most of the republican
leaders were killed and Cato committed suicide. On the 26th to 29th July
Caesar celebrated a fourfold triumph and received the dictatorship for ten
years. In November, however, he was obliged to sail for Spain, where the
sons of Pompey still held out. On the 17th of March 45 B.C. they were
crushed at Munda. Caesar returned to Rome in September, and six months
later (15th of March 44 B.C.) was murdered in the senate house at the foot
of Pompey's statue.

It was remarked by Seneca that amongst the murderers of Caesar were to be
found more of his friends than of his enemies. [Sidenote: Caesar's
dictatorship