Spanish War

Carteienses, dum Caesar in itinere reliqua oppida oppugnat, propter Pompeium dissentire coeperunt. Pars erat quae legatos ad Caesarem miserat, pars erat quae Pompeianarum partium fautores essent. Seditione concitata portas occupant. Caedes fit magna; saucius Pompeius naves viginti occupat longas et profugit. Didius qui [ad] Gadis classi praefuisset . . . ad quem simul nuntius adlatus est, confestim sequi coepit. Partim pedibus et equitatu ad persequendum celeriter iter faciebant, item confestim consequentes. Quarto die navigationis quod imparati a Carteia profecti sine aqua fuissent, ad terram adplicant. Dum aquantur, Didius classe accurrit, navis incendit, nonnullas capit. 38With a few friends, Pompey escaped to a place strongly fortified by nature; of which the troops sent in pursuit of him having certain intelligence by their scouts, followed day and night. He was wounded in the shoulder and left leg, and had besides sprained his ankle, all which greatly retarded his flight, and obliged him to make use of a litter. A Lusitanian having discovered the place of his retreat, he was quickly surrounded by our cavalry and cohorts. Seeing himself betrayed, he took refuge in a post fortified by nature, and which could easily be defended by a few men, the approach to it being extremely difficult. We attempted to storm it, but were repulsed, and pursued by the enemy; and meeting with no better success after several trials, we at length resolved to lay siege to the place, it seeming too hazardous to force it. Accordingly, a terrace was raised, and lines drawn round the place; which the enemy perceiving, thought it best to betake themselves to flight.

Pompeius cum paucis profugit et locum quendam munitum natura occupat. Equites et cohortes quae ad persequendum missi essent, speculatoribus ante missis certiores fiunt, diem et noctem iter faciunt. Pompeius umero et sinistro crure vehementer erat saucius. Hoc accedebat ut etiam talum intorsisset; quae res maxime inpediebat. Ita lectica ad turrem quen[dam cum] esset ablatus, in ea ferebatur Lusitanis more militari. Cum Caesaris praesidio fuisset conspectus, celeriter equitatu cohortibusque circumcluditur. Erat accessus loci difficultas. Nam idcirco [propter suo praesidio fuisset conspectus celeriter ad] munitum locum natura ceperat sibi Pompeius, quamvis magna multitudine adduct[a ut pauc]i homines ex superiore loco defendere possent. Subeunt in adventu nostri depellunturque telis. Quibus cedentibus cupidius insequebantur adversarii et confestim tardabant ab accessu. Hoc saepius facto animum advertebatur nostro magno id fieri periculo. opere circummunire instituit. Pari autem [cupiditate] ex celeri festinatione circumm[un]itiones iugo derigunt, ut aequo pede cum adversariis congredi possent. a quibus cum animadversum esset, fuga sibi praesidium capiunt. 39Pompey as we have observed above being lame and wounded, was in no condition to make a speedy retreat; and the rather, because the place was such that he could use neither horse nor litter. Slaughter was dealt on all hands by our troops, his fortress having been stormed, and his resources cut off. In this extremity he fled to a cave, where he could not easily be discovered, unless by the information of the captives. Here he was slain, his head was brought to Hispalis on the day before the ides of April, and exhibited before the people when Caesar was at Gades.

Pompeius, ut supra demonstravimus, saucius et intorto talo idcirco tardabatur ad fugiendum, itemque propter loci difficultatem neque equo neque vehiculo saluti suae praesidium parare poterat. Caedes a nostris undique administrabatur. Exclusus a munitione amissisque auxiliis ad convallem exesumque locum in speluncam Pompeius se occultare coepit, ut a nostris non facile inveniretur nisi captivorum indicio. Ita ibi interficitur. Cum Caesar Gadibus fuisset, Hispalim pridie Idus Apriles caput adlatum et populo datum est in conspectum. 40After the death of young Pompey, Didius, proud of his success, retired to the nearest fortress and hauled some of his vessels on shore to be refitted. The Lusitanians, who had escaped from the battle, rallying in great bodies, advanced to Didius. Though the preservation of the fleet principally engaged his attention, he was obliged to leave his fort in order to restrain the frequent sallies of the enemy. These daily skirmishes gave them an opportunity of projecting an ambuscade; for which purpose they divided their troops into three bodies. Some were prepared to set fire to the fleet, and in the mean time others were to come to their relief. These were so arranged that they could advance to the battle without any one seeing them. Didius sallied out according to custom; when upon a signal being given, one of the parties advanced to set fire to the fleet; and another, counterfeiting a retreat, drew him insensibly into the ambuscade, where he was surrounded and slain with most of his followers, fighting valiantly. Some escaped in boats which they found upon the coast; others endeavored to reach the galleys by swimming; and, weighing anchor, stood out to sea. A great many saved themselves in this manner, but the Lusitanians got all the baggage. Caesar meanwhile returned from Gades to Hispalis.

Interfecto Cn. Pompeio adulescente Didius quem supra demonstravimus, illa adfectus laetitia proximo se recepit castello nonnullasque naves ad reficiendum subduxit et quodvis essent . . . brachium ex utrisque partibus . . . Lusitani qui ex pugna superfuerunt, ad signum se receperunt et bene magna manu comparata ad Didium se reportant. Huic etsi non aberat diligentia ad naves tuendas, tamen nonnumquam ex castello propter eorum crebras excursiones eliciebatur et prope cotidianis pugnis [cum Lusitanis confligebat. tum illi] insidias ponunt et tripertito signa distribuunt. Erant parati qui naves incenderent, incensisque qui subsidium repellerent; hi sic dispositi erant ut a nullo [conspici possent. reliqui in] conspectu omnium ad pugnam contendunt. Ita cum ex castello Didius ad propellendum processisset cum copiis, signum a Lusitanis tollitur, naves incenduntur, simulque qui in castello ad pugnam processerant, eodem signo fugientes latrones dum persequuntur, a tergo insidiae clamore sublato circumveniunt. Didius magna cum virtute cum compluribus interficitur. Nonnullique ea pugna scaphas quae ad litus fuerant occupant, item complures nando ad naves quae in salo fuerunt, se recipiunt, ancoris sublatis pelagus remis petere coeperunt. Quae res eorum vitae fuit subsidio. Lusitani praeda potiuntur. Caesar Gadibus rursus ad Hispalim recurrit. 41Fabius Maximus, whom he had left to continue the siege of Munda, conducted it with great zeal; so that the enemy, seeing themselves shut up on all sides, sallied out, but were repulsed with great loss. Our men seized this opportunity to get possession of the town, and took the rest prisoners, in number about fourteen thousand. Thence they retreated toward Ursao, a town exceedingly strong both by nature and art, and capable of resisting an enemy. Besides, there is not, within eight miles of the place any spring but that which supplies the town, which was a decided advantage to the besieged. In addition to all this, the wood necessary for building towers and other machines had to be fetched from a distance of six miles. And Pompey, to render the siege more difficult, had cut down all the timber round the place, and collected it within the walls, which obliged our men to bring all the materials for carrying on the siege from Munda, the nearest town which they had subdued.

Fabius Maximus quem ad Mundam praesidium oppugnandum reliquerat, operibus adsiduis [diurnis et noc]turnis circumsedit. Interclusi inter se decernere; facta bene magna . . . faciunt. Nostri ad oppidum recuperandum occasionem non praetermittunt et reliquos vivos capiunt, XIIII milia. Ursaonem proficiscuntur. Quod oppidum magna munitione continebatur, sic ut ipse locus non solum opere, sed etiam natura adiutus ad oppugnandum hostem impediret. Hoc accedebat ut aqua praeterquam in ipso oppido unam circumcirca nusquam reperiretur propius milia passuum VIII. Quae res magno erat adiumento oppidanis. tum praeterea accedebat ut aggerem . . . materiesque unde soliti sunt turris agi, propius milia passuum vi non reperiebatur. Hoc Pompeius ut oppidi oppugnationem tutiorem efficeret, omnem materiem circum oppidum succisam intro congessit. Ita necessario deducebantur nostri, ut a Munda quod proxime ceperant, materiem illo deportarent. 42During these transactions at Munda and Ursao, Caesar, who had returned from Gades to Hispalis, assembled the citizens, and made the following speech: "That when he was advanced to the quaestorship, he had chosen their province in preference to all others, and during his continuance in that office, had done them every service in his power; that during his praetorship he had obtained for them from the senate the abolition of the taxes imposed by Metellus, declared himself their patron, procured their deputies a hearing at Rome, and made himself many enemies by undertaking the defense both of their private and public rights. In fine, that when he was consul, he had, though absent, rendered the province all the services in his power; that instead of making a suitable return for so many favors, they had always discovered the utmost ingratitude both toward him and the people of Rome; as well in this last war as the preceding. "You," says he, "though no strangers to the law of nations and the rights of Roman citizens, have yet like barbarians often violated the sacred persons of Roman magistrates. You attempted in open day, in the public square, to assassinate Cassius. You have been always such enemies to peace that the senate could never suffer the province to be without legions. You take favors for offenses, and insults for benefits, are insolent and restless in peace, and cowardly and effeminate in war. Young Pompey, though only a private citizen, nay a fugitive, was yet received among you, and suffered to assume the ensigns of magistracy. After putting many citizens to death, you still furnished him with forces, and even urged him to lay waste the country and province. Against whom do you hope to be victorious? Can you be ignorant that even if I should be destroyed, the people of Rome have still ten legions, capable not only of opposing you, but even of pulling down heaven? With whose praises and virtues ... (NOTE: The end of the book is lost.)

Dum haec ad Mundam geruntur et Ursaonem, Caesar ad Hispalim cum Gadibus se recepisset, insequenti die contione advocata: Initio quaesturae suae eam provinciam ex omnibus provinciis peculiarem sibi constituisse et quae potuisset eo tempore beneficia largitum esse. Insequente praetura ampliato honore vectigalia quae Metellus inposuisset, a senatu petisse et eius pecuniae provinciam liberasse simulque patrocinio suscepto multis legationibus ab se in senatum inductis simul publicis privatisque causis multorum inimicitiis susceptis defendisse. Suo item consulatu absentem quae potuisset commoda provinciae tribuisse. Eorum omnium commodorum et immemores et ingratos in se et in populum Romanum hoc bello et praeterito tempore cognosse. 'Vos iure gentium et civiumque Romanorum institutis cognitis more barbarorum populi Romani magistratibus sacrosanctis manus [semel] et saepius attulistis et luce clara Cassium in medio foro nefarie interficere voluistis. Vos ita pacem semper odistis ut nullo tempore legiones desitae populi Romani in hac provincia haberi. Apud vos beneficia pro maleficiis et maleficia pro beneficiis habentur. Ita neque in otio concordiam neque in bello virtutem ullo tempore retinere potuistis. Privatus ex fuga Cn. Pompeius adulescens a vobis receptus fasces imperium[que] sibi arripuit, multis interfectis civibus auxilia contra populum Romanum conparavit, agros provinciamque vestro impulsu depopulavit. In quo vos victores extabatis? An me deleto non animum advertebatis decem habere legiones populum Romanum quae non solum vobis obsistere, sed etiam caelum diruere possent? Quarum laudibus est virtute . . .