_The Grave of Pompeius. His Roll of Fame._
Tunc ne levis aura retectos Auferret cineres, saxo compressit harenam: 790 Nautaque ne bustum religato fune moveret, Inscripsit sacrum semiusto stipite nomen: HIC SITUS EST MAGNUS. . . .
Quod si tam sacro dignaris nomine saxum, 806 Adde actus tantos monimentaque maxima rerum, Adde truces Lepidi motus Alpinaque bella Armaque Sertori revocato consule victa, Et currus quos egit eques, commercia tuta 810 Gentibus et pavidos Cilicas maris: adde subactam Barbariem gentesque vagas et quidquid in Euro Regnorum Boreaque iacet. Die semper ab armis Civilem repetisse togam, ter curribus actis Contentum patriae multos dona.s.se triumphos. 815 Quis capit haec tumulus? Surgit miserabile bustum Non ullis plenum t.i.tulis, non ordine tanto Fastorum, solitumque legi super alta deorum Culmina et exstructos spoliis hostilibus arcus Haud procul est ima Pompei nomen harena, 820 Depressum tumulo, quod non legat advena rectus, Quod nisi monstratum Roma.n.u.s transeat hospes.
LUCAN, _Pharsalia_, viii. 789-793, 806-822.
+Subject.+ Cordus, whom Lucan calls _infaustus Magni comes_ (or according to Plutarch Philippus the faithful freedman of Pompeius), finds the cast-up body of Pompeius and gives it honourable burial.
[Linenotes: 793. +HIC SITUS EST+ = ???ade ?e?ta?, the regular inscription on a tombstone.
808. +truces Lepidi motus.+ Cf. page 178, last note on page.
809. +revocato consule+, i.e. Metellus. Cf. page 180, A., l. 12.
[[Selection B21, "Metello"]]
811. +pavidos Cilicas maris+ = _the Cilicians scared from the sea_.
--Jebb. _Pompeius effecit ut piratae timerent maria quibus ipsi ante gra.s.sabantur_ (= they sailed at will).--Schol.
813-814. +dic semper ... togam+, e.g. after his triumph over Spain 71 B.C., and over Mithridates and the East in 61 B.C.
814-815. +ter curribus ... triumphos+ = (tell how) _content with thrice driving the_ (triumphal) _car he made a present to his fatherland of many triumphs_, i.e. he did not claim them when he might have done so.
817-818. +Non ordine tanto Fastorum+ = _storied with no majestic annals_. --Jebb.
819. +arcus+ = _triumphal arches_, orig. temporary structures of wood, but under the Empire built of marble, e.g. of Septimius Severus.
821. +Depressum ... rectus+ = _sunk low upon a tomb, which the stranger cannot read without stooping_ (+rectus+).--Haskins.]
B62
CIVIL WAR, 49-45 B.C. (13)
_Atrox Animus Catonis, 46 B.C._
Complures interim ex fuga Uticam perveniunt. Quos omnes Cato convocatos una c.u.m trecentis, qui pecuniam Scipioni ad bellum faciendum contulerant, hortatur, ut servitia manumitterent, oppidumque defenderent. Quorum c.u.m partem a.s.sentire, partem {5} animum mentemque perterritam atque in fugam destinatam habere intellexisset, amplius de ea re agere dest.i.tit, navesque eis attribuit, ut in quas quisque partes vellet proficisceretur. Ipse, omnibus rebus diligentissime const.i.tutis, liberis suis L. Caesari, {10} qui tum ei pro quaestore fuerat, commendatis et sine suspicione, vultu atque sermone, quo superiore tempore usus fuerat, c.u.m dormitum isset, ferrum intro clam in cubiculum tulit, atque ita se traiecit. Qui c.u.m anima nondum exspirata concidisset, et, {15} impetu facto in cubiculum ex suspicione, medicus familiaresque continere atque vulnus obligare coep.i.s.sent, ipse suis manibus vulnus crudelissime divellit, atque animo praesenti se interemit.
ASINIUS POLLIO, _de B. Africo_, 88.
+Context.+ After Pharsalus and the flight of Pompeius, we finally part company with Caesar as an author. The _Bellum Alexandrinum_ (Caesar"s perils in Egypt and his settlement of the East 48-47 B.C.), the _B.
Afric.u.m_ (Thapsus 46 B.C.), the _B. Hispaniense_ (Munda 45 B.C.), are the work of eyewitnesses and officers of his army. After a delay of fifteen precious months Caesar landed in Africa (Jan. 46), and by investing Thapsus tempted Scipio (Pompeius" father-in-law) to try to save the city by a battle. His troops were quickly arranged as at Pharsalus, and by a single impetuous charge won a complete victory. The slaughter was terrible: the survivors fled to Utica, where Cato in vain tried to organise a defence and to restore order, and then in despair died by his own sword.
[Linenotes: 1. +Uticam:+ second in importance to Carthage.
19. +animo praesenti+ = _deliberately_.]
+After Thapsus.+ "Caesar left Africa in June 46 B.C., and celebrated a magnificent triumph, not over Roman citizens, but over Gauls and Egyptians, Pharnaces and Juba. As Dictator he remained in Rome several months, in which more permanently valuable work was done than was ever achieved in the same s.p.a.ce of time, unless it were by Cromwell in 1653-4. The senseless outbreak of the Pompeian party in Spain under Labienus and the two sons of Pompeius took him away from Rome: but the victory of Munda (45 B.C.) closed the civil strife. Caesar returned to Rome in September, and six months more of life was all that was left to him." --W. F.
B63
CIVIL WAR, 49-45 B.C. (14)
_Cato Uticensis, 46 B.C._
A. Hic genitus proavo M. Catone, principe illo familiae Porciae, h.o.m.o Virtuti simillimus et per omnia ingenio diis quam hominibus propior, qui nunquam recte fecit, ut facere videretur, sed quia aliter facere non potuerat, cuique id solum visum {5} est rationem habere, quod haberet iust.i.tiae, omnibus humanis vitiis immunis semper fortunam in sua potestate habuit.
VELL. PATERC. ii. 35.
[Linenote: 1. +M. Catone+, the famous Censor of 184 B.C.
+principe+ = _founder_.]
B.
Ut primum tolli feralia viderat arma, Intonsos rigidam in frontem descendere canos 375 Pa.s.sus erat maestamque genis increscere barbam: Uni quippe vacat studiis odiisque carenti Humanum lugere genus . . .
Hi mores, haec duri immota Catonis 380 Secta fuit, servare modum finemque tenere Naturamque sequi patriaeque impendere vitam Nec sibi sed toti genitum se credere mundo.
Huic epulae, vicisse famem; magnique penates, Summovisse hiemem tecto; pretiosaque vestis, 385 Hirtam membra super Romani more Quiritis Induxisse togam . . .
Iust.i.tiae cultor, rigidi servator honesti, 389 In commune bonus: nullosque Catonis in actus Subrepsit partemque tulit sibi nata voluptas.
LUCAN, _Pharsalia_, ii. 374-391 (sel.)
[Linenotes: 377. +uni+ (sc. _Catoni_), as the only true representative of the wise man of the Stoics. --Haskins.
381. +secta+ (sc. _via_, lit. _a beaten way_) here = _disciplina_ = _principles_.
381-383. +servare modum ... mundo.+ These expressions are Stoic maxims. Lucan (the nephew of Seneca) depicts the Stoic idea of virtue in the character of Cato.
382-383. +patriaeque ... mundo.+ Cato"s aim is +patriae impendere vitam+. His devotion to the service of humanity is complete; it is his part +toti genitum se credere mundo+. But this humanity includes Rome in the first place, the rest of the world in a quite secondary sense. --H.
386-387. +hirtam togam+ = _a coa.r.s.e_ (lit. _hairy_) _toga_.
389. +honesti+ = t?? ?a???. Cicero defines +honestum+ as _aut ipsa virtus, aut res gesta virtute_.]
+Cato Uticensis.+ "He was like Caesar alone in this, that he had clear political convictions and acted on them not only with consistency but with justice and humanity. It is "his vain faith and courage" that alone lights up the dark hours of the falling Commonwealth:--
"Victrix causa deis placuit, sed victa Catoni." --W. F.
B64
GAIUS IULIUS CAESAR. (5)
_Caesar dines with Cicero, Dec. 19, 45 B.C._
O hospitem mihi tam gravem ?eta???t??! fuit enim periucunde. Sed c.u.m secundis Saturnalibus ad Philippum vesperi venisset, villa ita completa militibus est, ut vix triclinium, ubi cenaturus ipse Caesar esset, vacaret; quippe hominum ??? ???. {5} Sane sum commotus, quid futurum esset postridie; at mihi Barba Ca.s.sius subvenit: custodes dedit. Castra in agro, villa defensa est. Ille tertiis Saturnalibus apud Philippum ad h. VII, nec quemquam admisit: rationes opinor c.u.m Balbo. Inde ambulavit {10} in litore; post h. VIII in balneum; unctus est, accubuit. Et edit et bibit ?de?? et iucunde, opipare sane et apparate, nec id solum, sed
_bene cocto, condito, sermone bono et, si quaeri", libenter._ 15
Praeterea tribus tricliniis accepti ?? pe?? a?t?? valde copiose.
Libertis minus lautis servisque nihil defuit: nam lautiores eleganter accepti. Quid multa? homines visi sumus. Hospes tamen non is, cui diceres: "amabo te, eodem ad me, c.u.m revertere": semel {20} satis est.
Sp??da??? ??d?? in sermone, f??????a multa. Quid quaeris? delectatus est et libenter fuit. Puteolis se aiebat unum diem fore, alterum ad Baias.
Habes hospitium sive ?p?sta?e?a?, odiosam mihi, dixi, non molestam.
{25}
CICERO, _Ep. ad Att._ xiii. 52.
+Subject.+ We here catch a glimpse of Caesar as he really was. He had spent a night near Puteoli (where Cicero also had a villa) with Philippus, the step-father of Octavia.n.u.s. The Dictator proposed a visit, and Cicero in this memorable letter describes to Atticus what happened.
[Linenotes: 1. +O hospitem ...+ ?eta???t??! = _Oh, what a formidable guest to have had, and yet I have had no reason to repent of it_ (?eta???t??).
10. +rationes+ (sc. _conferebat_) ... +Balbo+ = _he was settling accounts with Balbus, I suppose_. L. Cornelius Balbus, a native of Gades (Cadiz), was Caesar"s confidential secretary and faithful friend. He was the first enfranchised foreigner who attained to the highest magistracy (Consul 40 B.C.).
14-15.