hrone, the elder having
perished in the course of the contest. Cleopatra afterward joined Caesar
at Rome, and bore him a son named Caesarion.

After bringing the Alexandrine War to a close, toward the end of March,
B.C. 47, Caesar marched through Syria into Pontus in order to attack
Pharnaces, the son of the celebrated Mithridates, who had defeated Cn.
Domitius Calvinus, one of Caesar's lieutenants. This war, however, did
not detain him long; for Pharnaces, venturing to come to an open battle
with the Dictator, was utterly defeated on the 2d of August near Zela.
It was in reference to this victory that Caesar sent the celebrated
laconic dispatch to the Senate, _Veni, vidi, vici_, "I came, I saw, I
conquered." He then proceeded to Rome, caused himself to be appointed
Dictator for another year, and nominated M. AEmilius Lepidus his Master
of the Horse. At the same time he quelled a formidable mutiny of his
troops which had broken out in Campania.

Caesar did not remain in Rome more than two or three months. With his
usual activity and energy he set out to Africa before the end of the
year (B.C. 47), in order to carry on the war against Scipio and Cato,
who had collected a large army in that country. Their forces were far
greater than those which Caesar could bring against them; but he had too
much reliance on his own genius to be alarmed by mere disparity of
numbers. At first he was in considerable difficulties; but, having been
joined by some of his other legions, he was able to prosecute the
campaign with more vigor, and finally brought it to a close by the
battle of Thapsus, on the 6th of April, B.C. 46, in which the Pompeian
army was completely defeated. All Africa now submitted to Caesar with the
exception of Utica, which Cato commanded. The inhabitants saw that
resistance was hopeless; and Cato, who was a sincere Republican,
resolved to die rather than submit to Caesar's despotism. After spending
the greater part of the night in perusing Plato's _Phaedo_, a dialogue on
the immortality of the soul, he stabbed himself. His friends, hearing
him fall, ran up, found him bathed in blood, and, while he was fainting,
dressed his wounds. When, however, he recovered feeling, he tore off the
bandages, and so died.

Caesar returned to Rome by the end of July. He was now undisputed master
of the Roman world. Great apprehensions were entertained by his enemies
lest, notwithstanding his former clemency, he should imitate Marius