CN. POMPEIUS
CN. POMPEIUS. Cn. Pompeius was as much beloved by
the Romans as his father was hated. When he was young,
he wholly sided with Sylla, and before he had borne many
offices or was chosen into the senate, he enlisted many
soldiers in Italy. When Sylla sent for him, he returned
answer, that he would not muster his forces in the presence
of his general, unfleshed and without spoils; nor did he
come before that in several fights he had overcome the
captains of the enemy. He was sent by Sylla lieutenant-general
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into Sicily, and being told that the soldiers turned
out of the way and forced and plundered the country, he
sealed the swords of such as he sent abroad, and punished
all other stragglers and wanderers. He had resolved to
put the Mamertines, that were of the other side, all to the
sword; but Sthenius the orator told him, He would do injustice if he should punish many that were innocent for
the sake of one that was guilty; and that he himself
was the person that persuaded his friends and forced his
enemies to side with Marius. Pompey admired the man,
and said, he could not blame the Mamertines for being
inveigled by a person who preferred his country beyond
his own life; and forgave both the city and Sthenius
too. When he passed into Africa against Domitius and
overcame him in a great battle, the soldiers saluted him
Imperator. He answered, he could not receive that
honor, so long as the fortification of the enemy's camp
stood undemolished; upon this, although it rained hard,
they rushed on and plundered the camp. At his return, among other courtesies and honors wherewith Sylla
entertained him, he styled him The Great; yet when he
was desirous to triumph, Sylla would not consent, because
he was not yet chosen into the senate. But when Pompey
said to those that were about him, Sylla doth not know
that more worship the rising than the setting sun, Sylla
cried aloud, Let him triumph. Hereat Servilius, one of
the nobles, was displeased; the soldiers also withstood his
triumph, until he had bestowed a largess among them.
But when Pompey replied, I would rather forego my
triumph than flatter them,—Now, said Servilius, I see
Pompey is truly great and worthy of a triumph. It was a
custom in Rome, that knights who had served in the wars
the time appointed by the laws should bring their horse
into the forum before the censors, and there give an
account of their warfare and the commanders under whom
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they had served. Pompey, then consul, brought also his
horse before the censors, Gellius and Lentulus; and when
they asked him, as the manner is, whether he had served
all his campaigns, All, said he, and under myself as
general. Having gotten into his hands the writings of
Sertorius in Spain, among which were letters from
several leading men in Rome, inviting Sertorius to Rome
to innovate and change the government, he burnt them
all, by that means giving opportunity to ill-affected persons to repent and mend their manners. Phraates, king
of Parthia, sent to him requesting that the river Euphrates
might be his bounds. He answered, the Romans had
rather the right should be their bounds towards Parthia.
L. Lucullus, after he left the army, gave himself up to
pleasure and luxury, jeering at Pompey for busying himself
in affairs unsuitable to his age. He answered, that government became old age better than luxury. In a fit of sickness, his physician prescribed him to eat a thrush; but
when none could be gotten, because they were out of
season, one said, that Lucullus had some, for he kept them
all the year. It seems then, said he, Pompey must not live,
unless Lucullus play the glutton; and dismissing the physician, he ate such things as were easy to be gotten. In a
great dearth at Rome, he was chosen by title overseer of
the market, but in reality lord of sea and land, and sailed
to Africa, Sardinia, and Sicily. Having procured great
quantities of wheat, he hastened back to Rome; and when
by reason of a great tempest the pilots were loath to hoist
sail, he went first aboard himself, and commanding the
anchor to be weighed, cried out aloud, There is a necessity
of sailing, but there is no necessity of living. When the
difference betwixt him and Caesar broke out, and Marcellinus, one of those whom he had preferred, revolted to
Caesar and inveighed much against Pompey in the senate;
Art thou not ashamed, said he, Marcellinus, to reproach
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me, who taught you to speak when you were dumb, and
fed you full even to vomiting when you were starved? To
Cato, who severely blamed him because, when he had
often informed him of the growing power of Caesar, such
as was dangerous to a democracy, he took little notice of
it, he answered, Your counsels were more presaging, but
mine more friendly. Concerning himself he freely professed, that he entered all his offices sooner than he expected, and resigned them sooner than was expected by
others. After the fight at Pharsalia, in his flight towards
Egypt, as he was going out of the ship into the fisher-boat
the king sent to attend him, turning to his wife and son, he
said nothing to them beside those two verses of Sophocles:
Whoever comes within a tyrant's door
Becomes his slave, though he were free before.
As he came out of the boat, when he was struck with a
sword, he said nothing; but gave one groan, and covering
his head submitted to the murderers.
