PLUTARCH –The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar

PLUTARCH –The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar

100-44 BC

  

 For thirty-eight days, with all the freedom in the world, he amused himself with joining in their exercises and games if they had not been his keepers, but his guards. He worse verses and speeches, and made them his auditors, and those who did not admire them, he called to their faces illiterate and barbarous, and would often in raillery, threaten to hang them. They were greatly taken with this, and attributed his free talking to a kind of simplicity and boyish playfulness.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 577

Cicero was the first who had any suspicions of his designs upon the government, and as a good pilot is apprehensive of a storm when the sea is most smiling, saw the designing temper of the man, through this disguise of good humour and affability, and said that, in general, in all he did and undertook, he detected the ambition for absolute power, “but when I see his hair so carefully arranged, and observe him adjust it with one finger, I cannot imagine it should enter into such a man’s thoughts to subvert the Roman state.”

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 578

Upon this, Cato, much fearing some movement among the poor citizens, who were always the first to kindle the flame among the people, and placed all their hopes in Caesar, persuaded the senate to give them a monthly allowance of corn, and expedient which put the allowance of corn, an expedient which put the commonwealth to the extraordinary charge of seven million five hundred thousand drachmas in the year, but quite succeeded in removing the great cause of terror for the present, and very much weakened Caesar’s power, who at that time was just going to be made praetor, and consequently would have been more formidable by his office.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 580

A little time after, Caesar married Calpurina, the daughter of Piso, and got Piso made consul for the year following. Cato  exclaimed loudly against this, and protested with a great deal of warmth, that it was intolerable the government should be prostituted by marriages, and that they should advance one another to the commands of armies, provinces, and other great posts, by means of women.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 582

It was usual with him to sit with his hands joined together behind his back, and so to put his horse to its full speed. And in this way he disciplined himself so far as to be able to dictate letters from on horseback, and to give directions to two who took notes at the same time, or as Oppius says, to more.
And it is thought that he was the first who contrived means for communicating with friends by cipher, when either press of business, or the large extent of the city, left him no time for a personal conference about matters that required dispatch.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 584

All who were candidates for offices used his assistance, and were supplied with money from him to corrupt the people and buy their votes, in return of which, when ty were chose, they did all things to advance his power.
Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 586

He put forth an edict declaring the city to be in a state of anarchy, and left it with orders that the senate should follow him, and that no one should stay behind who did not prefer tyranny to their country and liberty.
The consuls at once fled without making even the usual sacrifices; so did most of the senators, carrying off their own goods in as much haste as if they had been robbing their neighbours. Some who had formerly much favoured Caesar’s cause, in the prevailing alarm quitted their own sentiments,

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 591

He, in despair of maintaining the defence, requested a physician, whom he had among his attendants, to give him poison; and taking the dose, drank it, in hopes of being despatched by it. But soon after, when he was told that Casesar showed the utmost clemency towards those he took prisoners, he lamented his misfortune, and blamed the hastiness of his resolution. His physician consoled him by informing him that he had taken a sleeping draught, not a poison; upon which, much rejoiced, and rising from his bed, he went presently to Caesar, and give him the pledge of his hand, yet afterwards again went over to Pompey.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 591

Caesar had found great difficulties in his march, for no country would supply him with provisions, his reputation being very much fallen since his late defeat. But after he took Gomphi, a town of Thessaly, he not only found provisions for his army, but a physic too. For there they met with plenty of wine, which they took very freely, and heated with this, sporting and reveling on their march in bacchanalian fashion, they shook off the disease, and their whole constitution was relieved and changed into another habit. 

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 594

Caesar, as a memorial of his victory, gave the Thessalians their freedom, and then went in pursuit of Pompey. When he was come into Asia, to gratify Theopompus, the author of the collection of fables, he enfranchised the Cnidians, and remitted one-third of their tribute to all the people of the province of Asia. When he came to Alexandria, where Pompey was already murdered, he would not look upon Theodotus, who presented him with his head, but taking only his signet, shed tears.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 596

In his letter to his friends at Rome, he told them that the greatest and most signal pleasure his victory had given him was to be able continually to save the lives of fellow-citizens who had fought against him.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 596

Others blame the ministers of the king, and especially the eunuch Pothinus, who was the chief favourite and had lately killed Pompey; he had banished Cleopatra, and was now secretly plotting Caesar’s destruction. …he was intolerable in his affronts to Caesar, both by his words and actions. For when Caesar’s soldiers had musty and unwholesome corn measure out to them, Pothinus told them they must be content with it, since they were fed at another’s cost.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 596

Achillas escaped to the army, and raised a troublesome and embarrassing war against Caesar, which it ws not easy for him to manage with his few soldiers against so powerful a city and s large an army. The first difficulty he met ws want of water, for the enemies had turned the canals. Another was, when the enemy endeavoured to cut off his communication by sea, he was forced to divert that danger by setting fire to his own ships, which after burning the docks, thence spread on and destroyed the great library. A third was, when in an engagement near Pharos, he leaped from the mole into a small boat to assist his soldiers who were in danger, and when the Egyptians pressed him on every side, he threw himself into the sea, and with much difficulty swam off. This was the time when, according to the story, he had a number of manuscripts in his hand, which, thought he was continually darted at, and forced to keep his head often under water, yet he did not let go, but held them up safe from wetting in one hand, whilst he swam with the other. His boat, in the meantime, was quickly sunk.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 596

Caesar immediately marched against him with three legions, fought him near Zela, drove him out of Pontus, and totally defeated his army. When he gave Amantius, a friend of his at Rome, an account of this action, to express the promptness and rapidity of it he used three words, “I came, saw, and conquered,” which in Latin, having all the same cadence, carry with them a very suitable air of brevity.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 597

He was also reflected on for Dolabella’s extravagance, Amantius’s covetousness, Antony’s debauchery, and Corfinius’s profuseness, who pulled down Pompey’s house and rebuilt it, as not magnificent enough; for the Romans were much displeased with all these. But Caesar, for the prosecution of his own scheme of government, though he knew their characters and disapproved them, was forced to make use of those who would serve him. Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 596

For he was in such a want both of victualling for his men and forage for his horses, that he was forced to feed the horses with seaweed, which he washed thoroughly to take off its saltiness, and mixed with a little grass to give it a more agreeable taste.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 597

The triumph which he celebrated for this victory displeased the Romans beyond anything, for he had not defeated foreign generals or barbarian kings, but had destroyed the children and family of one of the greatest men of Rome, though unfortunate; and it did not look well to lead a procession in celebration of the calamities of his country , and to rejoice in those things for which no other apology could be made either to gods or men than their being absolutely necessary.

Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Caesar, Great Books, Volume 14, pg. 598