Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
inhumanity to Carbo, seeming rather to insult over his
misfortunes, than to chastise his crimes. For if there had
been a necessity, as perhaps there was, that he should be taken
off, that might have been done at first, as soon as he was
taken prisoner, for then it would have been the act of him that
commanded it. But here Pompey commended a man that had been
thrice consul of Rome, to be brought in fetters to stand at the
bar, he himself sitting upon the bench in judgment, examining
the cause with the formalities of law, to the offense and
indignation of all that were present, and afterwards ordered
him to be taken away and put to death. It is related, by the
way, of Carbo, that as soon as he was brought to the place, and
saw the sword drawn for execution, he was suddenly seized with
a looseness or pain in his bowels, and desired a little
respite of the executioner, and a convenient place to relieve
himself. And yet further, Caius Oppius, the friend of Caesar,
tells us, that Pompey dealt cruelly with Quintus Valerius, a
man of singular learning and science. For when he was brought
to him, he walked aside, and drew him into conversation, and
after putting a variety of questions to him, and receiving
answers from him, he ordered his officers to take him away, and
put him to death. But we must not be too credulous in the case
of narratives told by Oppius, especially when he undertakes to
relate anything touching the friends or foes of Caesar. This
is certain, that there lay a necessity upon Pompey to be severe
upon many of Sylla's enemies, those at least that were eminent
persons in themselves, and notoriously known to be taken; but
for the rest, he acted with all the clemency possible for him,
conniving at the concealment of some, and himself being the
instrument in the escape of others. So in the case of the
Himeraeans; for when Pompey had determined on severely
punishing their city, as they had been abettors of the enemy,
Sthenis, the leader of the people there, craving liberty of
speech, told him, that what he was about to do was not at all
consistent with justice, for that he would pass by the guilty,
and destroy the innocent; and on Pompey demanding, who that
guilty person was that would assume the offenses of them all,
Sthenis replied, it was himself, who had engaged his friends by
persuasion to what they had done, and his enemies by force;
whereupon Pompey being much taken with the frank speech and
noble spirit of the man, first forgave his crime, and then
pardoned all the rest of the Himeraeans. Hearing, likewise,
that his soldiers were very disorderly their march, doing
violence upon the roads, he ordered their swords to be sealed
up in their scabbards, and whosoever kept them not so, were
severely punished.
Whilst Pompey was thus busy in the affairs and government of
Sicily, he received a decree of the senate, and a commission
from Sylla, commanding him forthwith to sail into Africa, and
make war upon Domitius with all his forces: for Domitius had
rallied up a far greater army than Marius had had not long
since, when he sailed out of Africa into Italy, and caused a
revolution in Rome, and himself, of a fugitive outlaw, became a
tyrant. Pompey, therefore, having prepared everything with the
utmost speed, left Memmius, his sister's husband, governor of
Sicily, and set sail with one hundred and twenty galleys, and
eight hundred other vessels laden with provisions, money,
ammunition, and engines of battery. He arrived with his fleet,
part at the port of Utica, part at Carthage; and no sooner was
he landed, but seven thousand of the enemy revolted and came
over to him, while his own forces that he brought with him
consisted of six entire legions. Here they tell us of a
pleasant incident that happened to him at his first arrival.
For some of his soldiers having by accident stumbled upon a
treasure, by which they got a good sum of money, the rest of
the army hearing this, began to fancy that the field was full of
gold and silver, which had been hid there of old by the
Carthaginians in the time of their calamities, and thereupon
fell to work, so that the army was useless to Pompey for many
days, being totally engaged in digging for the fancied
treasure, he himself all the while walking up and down only,
and laughing to see so many thousands together, digging and
turning up the earth. Until at last, growing weary and
hopeless, they came to themselves, and returned to their
general, begging him to lead them where he pleased, for that
they had already received the punishment of their folly. By
this time Domitius had prepared himself; and drawn out his army
in array against Pompey; but there was a watercourse betwixt
them, craggy, and difficult to pass over; and this, together
with a great storm of wind and rain pouring down even from
break of day, seemed to leave but little possibility of their
coming together, so that Domitius, not expecting any engagement
that day, commanded his forces to draw off and retire to the
camp. Now Pompey, who was watchful upon every occasion, making
use of the opportunity, ordered a march forthwith, and having
passed over the torrent, fell in immediately upon their
quarters. The enemy was in a great disorder and tumult, and in
that confusion attempted a resistance; but they neither were
all there, nor supported one another; besides, the wind having
veered about, beat the rain full in their faces. Neither
indeed was the storm less troublesome to the Romans, for that
they could not clearly discern one another, insomuch that even
Pompey himself, being unknown, escaped narrowly; for when one
of his soldiers demanded of him the word of battle, it happened
that he was somewhat slow in his answer, which might have cost
him his life.
The enemy being routed with a great slaughter, (for it is said,
that of twenty thousand there escaped but three thousand,) the
army saluted Pompey by the name of Imperator; but he declined
it, telling them, that he could not by any means accept of that
title, as long as he saw the camp of the enemy standing; but if
they designed to make him worthy of the honor, they must first
demolish that. The soldiers on hearing this, went at once and
made an assault upon the works and trenches, and there Pompey
fought without his helmet, in memory of his former danger, and
to avoid the like. The camp was thus taken by storm, and among
the rest, Domitius was slain. After that overthrow, the cities
of the country thereabouts were all either secured by
surrender, or taken by storm. King Iarbas, likewise, a
confederate and auxiliary of Domitius, was taken prisoner, and
his kingdom was given to Hiempsal.
Pompey could not rest here, but being ambitious to follow the
good fortune and use the valor of his army, entered Numidia;
and marching forward many days' journey up into the country, he
conquered all wherever he came. And having revived the terror
of the Roman power, which was now almost obliterated among the
barbarous nations, he said likewise, that the wild beasts of
Africa ought not to be left without some experience of the
courage and success of the Romans; and therefore he bestowed
some few days in hunting lions and elephants. And it is said,
that it was not above the space of forty days at the utmost, in
which he gave a total overthrow to the enemy, reduced Africa,
and established the affairs of the kings and kingdoms of all
that country, being then in the twenty-fourth year of his age.
When Pompey returned back to the city of Utica, there were
presented to him letters and orders from Sylla, commanding him
to disband the rest of his army, and himself with one legion
only to wait there the coming of another general, to succeed
him in the government. This, inwardly, was extremely grievous
to Pompey, though he made no show of it. But the army resented
it openly, and when Pompey besought them to depart and go home
before him, they began to revile Sylla, and declared broadly,
that they were resolved not to forsake him, neither did they
think it safe for him to trust the tyrant. Pompey at first
endeavored to appease and pacify them by fair speeches; but
when he saw that his persuasions were vain, he left the bench,
and retired to his tent with tears in his eyes. But the
soldiers followed him, and seizing upon him, by force brought
him again, and placed him in his tribunal; where great part of
that day was spent in dispute, they on their part persuading
him to stay and command them, he, on the other side, pressing
upon them obedience, and the danger of mutiny. At last, when
they grew yet more importunate and clamorous, he swore that he
would kill himself if they attempted to force him; and scarcely
even thus appeased them. Nevertheless, the first tidings
brought to Sylla were, that Pompey was up in rebellion; on
which he remarked to some of his friends, "I see, then, it is
my destiny to contend with children in my old age;" alluding at
the same time to Marius, who, being but a mere youth, had given
him great trouble, and brought him into extreme danger. But
being undeceived afterwards by better intelligence, and finding
the whole city prepared to meet Pompey, and receive him with
every display of kindness and honor, he resolved to exceed them
all. And, therefore, going out foremost to meet him, and
embracing him with great cordiality, he gave him his welcome
aloud in the title of Magnus, or the Great, and bade all that
were present call him by that name. Others say that he had
this title first given him by a general acclamation of all the
army in Africa, but that it was fixed upon him by this
ratification of Sylla. It is certain that he himself was the
last that owned the title; for it was a long time after, when
he was sent proconsul into Spain against Sertorius, that he
began to write himself in his letters and commissions by the
name of Pompeius Magnus; common and familiar use having then
worn off the invidiousness of the title. And one cannot but
accord respect and admiration to the ancient Romans, who did
not reward the successes of action and conduct in war alone
with such honorable titles, but adorned likewise the virtues
and services of eminent men in civil government with the same
distinctions and marks of honor. Two persons received from the
people the name of Maximus, or the Greatest, Valerius, for
reconciling the senate and people, and Fabius Rullus, because
he put out of the senate certain sons of freed slaves who had
been admitted into it because of their wealth.
Pompey now desired the honor of a triumph, which Sylla opposed,
alleging that the law allowed that honor to none but consuls
and praetors, and therefore Scipio the elder, who subdued the
Carthaginians in Spain in far greater and nobler conflicts,
never petitioned for a triumph, because he had never been
consul or praetor; and if Pompey, who had scarcely yet fully
grown a beard, and was not of age to be a senator, should enter
the city in triumph, what a weight of envy would it bring, he
said, at once upon his government and Pompey's honor. This was
his language to Pompey, intimating that he could not by any
means yield to his request, but if he would persist in his
ambition, that he was resolved to interpose his power to humble
him. Pompey, however, was not daunted; but bade Sylla
recollect, that more worshiped the rising than the setting sun;
as if to tell him that his power was increasing, and Sylla's in
the wane. Sylla did not perfectly hear the words, but
observing a sort of amazement and wonder in the looks and
gestures of those that did hear them, he asked what it was that
he said. When it was told him, he seemed astounded at Pompey's
boldness, and cried out twice together, "Let him triumph," and