56
siege of Bkundusium.
themselves at Eome, and that they ought to allow Caesar to
act in Italy as he pleased, because he would be sure to incur
the hatred of the people, and thus call forth a reaction against
himself. Pompey had seven legions in Spain, under the com-
mand of Afianius and M. Petreius; but he was of opinion
that they ought not to be withdrawn from that country, but
that fresh forces ought to be concentιated in Gieece, and money
raised in the East. Aftica was, like Spain, occupied by his
party, and it was confidently hoped that Gaul also would rise
against Caesar; and the Pompeian party thus calculated, to
their great satisfaction, that Caesar would work out his own
ruin in Italy.
Pompey went to Biundusium. The army of L. Domitius
was besieged by Caesar in Corfinium. Even here the state of
public opinion became manifest, for Domitius was forsaken by
his troops, who capitulated for themselves, and obtained a fιee
permission to depart; most of them, however, went over to
serve in the ranks of Caesar, and the rest were allowed to go
whither they pleased. Caesar thus rendered it easy for every
one to take up arms for him or to remain quiet. He was ex-
pected at Eome with the utmost fear. Ciceio’s letters of this
period are particularly interesting and instructive ; they shew
the tyranny of the Pompeian faction, for whosoever wished to
remain at Eome was denounced as an enemy of his country;
it was proclaimed that no neutrality would be recognised, and
that after the victory every one who had not joined the camp of
Pompey should be proscribed. Caesar, however, did not go to
Eome, but marched from Coifinium to Brundusium. Pompey
had wished to keep Brundusium, in order to have a place of
arms and a landing-place for his fleet, in case Caesar should go
to Spain. The Pompeian party undoubtedly imagined that
Caesar would not venture upon a siege, as he had scarcely any
ships, whereas the whole of the eastern world with its fleet was
at the command of Pompey, who collected his fleet in the port
of Brundusium. Caesar was obliged to attack him; and he did
it with such resolution and energy ; that Pompey thought it
necessary to quit the town and cross over to Illyricum. This
step afforded Caesar immense advantages, for Brundusiumhad
hitherto been faithful to the interests of the Sullanian party, of
which Pompey was the representative
Caesar now went to Eomej wheιe he acted as absolute master.
CAESAR GOES TO SPAIN.
57
He had the treasury broken open, as the keys were concealed:
he appointed magistrates and disposed of everything like a
sovereign monarch. The opposition of the tribune, L. Metellus
and of his friends, who intended to act a comedy of liberty,
was put down without much ceremony. Before Caesar’s arrival,
everybody at Rome had apprehended that the nephew of Marius
would follow in the footsteps of his uncle; but he did not act
with harshness towards any one. All who were at Rome and
trusted to him, were perfectly safe so far as he could secure
them ; but this was not the case in other parts of Italy, where
everything was not under his personal control. Many of his
soldiers and their officers were guilty of great atrocities; and
public opinion in those places began to turn against Caesar.
After having hastily made the most necessary arrangements
at Rome, he marched through southern Gaul into Spain. The
generals of Pompey did not even come as far as the Pyrenees
to meet their enemy ; they had seven legions, and were far
superior to him in the number of their forces. Caesar had left
troops to besiege Marseilles, which was not absolutely necessary,
for the town would have remained neutral ; but he may have
owed the town a grudge for something it had done before, and
he demanded of its inhabitants the recognition of his party. As
they refused compliance, he left two legates to lay siege to
the place. This siege, which is accurately described by Caesar
in the second book of his History of the Civil War, is a re-
markable example of the mode of besieging a town employed
at that time, which was very different from the Greek method.
After a long siege, and not till Caesar’s return from Spain,
the town was compelled to surrender. He did not destroy the
town, nor treat the inhabitants with cruelty, but only made
them give up their arms, and deprived them for a time of
their free constitution. The triumph over them was very
disgraceful, for the Massilians had always been cordial allies
of the Romans.
Afranius and Petreius were stationed at Ilerda in Catalonia.
Caesar brought all his military talent into play against them,
but conquered them in reality by his own kindness of heart;
for he caused so great a desertion among the enemy’s troops,
that in the end their commanders were obliged to capitulate.
Afranius, an insignificant person, was the first to urge the
necessity of entering into negotiations. Petreius, on the other