Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
were not above six thousand slain, as is stated by Asinius
Pollio, who himself fought in this battle on Caesar's side.
When Caesar's soldiers had taken the camp, they saw clearly the
folly and vanity of the enemy; for all their tents and
pavilions were richly set out with garlands of myrtle,
embroidered carpets and hangings, and tables laid and covered
with goblets. There were large bowls of wine ready, and
everything prepared and put in array, in the manner rather of
people who had offered sacrifice and were going to celebrate a
holiday, than of soldiers who had armed themselves to go out to
battle, so possessed with the expectation of success and so
full of empty confidence had they gone out that morning.
When Pompey had got a little way from the camp, he dismounted
and forsook his horse, having but a small retinue with him; and
finding that no man pursued him, walked on softly afoot, taken
up altogether with thoughts, such as probably might possess a
man that for the space of thirty-four years together had been
accustomed to conquest and victory, and was then at last, in
his old age, learning for the first time what defeat and flight
were. And it was no small affliction to consider, that he had
lost in one hour all that glory and power, which he had been
getting in so many wars, and bloody battles; and that he who
but a little before was guarded with such an army of foot, so
many squadrons of horse, and such a mighty fleet, was now
flying in so mean a condition, and with such a slender retinue,
that his very enemies who fought him could not know him. Thus,
when he had passed by the city of Larissa, and came into the
pass of Tempe, being very thirsty, he kneeled down and drank
out of the river; then rising up again, he passed through
Tempe, until he came to the seaside, and there he betook
himself to a poor fisherman's cottage, where he rested the
remainder of the night. The next morning about break of day he
went into one of the river boats, and taking none of those that
followed him except such as were free, dismissed his servants,
advising them to go boldly to Caesar, and not be afraid. As he
was rowing up and down near the shore, he chanced to spy a
large merchant-ship, lying off, just ready to set sail; the
master of which was a Roman citizen, named Peticius, who,
though he was not familiarly acquainted with Pompey, yet knew
him well by sight. Now it happened that this Peticius dreamed,
the night before, that he saw Pompey, not like the man he had
often seen him, but in a humble and dejected condition, and in
that posture discoursing with him. He was then telling his
dream to the people on board, as men do when at leisure, and
especially dreams of that consequence, when of a sudden one of
the mariners told him, he saw a river boat with oars putting
off from shore, and that some of the men there shook their
garments, and held out their hands, with signs to take them in;
thereupon Peticius looking attentively, at once recognized
Pompey, just as he appeared in his dream, and smiting his hand
on his head, ordered the mariners to let down the ship's boat,
he himself waving his hand, and calling to him by his name,
already assured of his change and the change of his fortune by
that of his garb. So that without waiting for any further
entreaty or discourse, he took him into his ship, together with
as many of his company as he thought fit, and hoisted sail.
There were with him the two Lentuli, and Favonius; and a little
after they spied king Deiotarus, making up towards them from
the shore; so they stayed and took him in along with them. At
supper time, the master of the ship having made ready such
provisions as he had aboard, Pompey, for want of his servants,
began to undo his shoes himself; which Favonius noticing ran to
him and undid them, and helped him to anoint himself, and
always after continued to wait upon, and attend him in all
things, as servants do their masters, even to the washing of
his feet, and preparing his supper. Insomuch that anyone
there present, observing the free and unaffected courtesy of
these services, might have well exclaimed,
O heavens, in those that noble are,
Whate'er they do is fit and fair.
Pompey, sailing by the city of Amphipolis, crossed over from
thence to Mitylene, with a design to take in Cornelia and his
son; and as soon as he arrived at the port in that island, he
dispatched a messenger into the city, with news very different
from Cornelia's expectation. For she, by all the former
messages and letters sent to please her, had been put in hopes
that the war was ended at Dyrrhachium, and that there was
nothing more remaining for Pompey, but the pursuit of Caesar.
The messenger finding her in the same hopes still, was not able
to salute or speak to her, but declaring the greatness of her
misfortune by his tears rather than by his words, desired her
to make haste if she would see Pompey, with one ship only, and
that not of his own. The young lady hearing this, fell down in
a swoon, and continued a long time senseless and speechless.
And when with some trouble she was brought to her senses again,
being conscious to herself that this was no time for
lamentation and tears, she started up and ran through the city
towards the seaside, where Pompey meeting and embracing her, as
she sank down, supported by his arms, "This, sir," she
exclaimed, "is the effect of my fortune, not of yours, that I
see you thus reduced to one poor vessel, who before your
marriage with Cornelia, were wont to sail in these seas with a
fleet of five hundred ships. Why therefore should you come to
see me, or why not rather have left to her evil genius one who
has brought upon you her own ill-fortune? How happy a woman
had I been, if I had breathed out my last, before the news came
from Parthia of the death of Publius, the husband of my youth,
and how prudent if I had followed his destiny, as I designed!
But I was reserved for a greater mischief, even the ruin of
Pompey the Great."
Thus, they say, Cornelia spoke to him, and this was Pompey's
reply: "You have had, Cornelia, but one season of a better
fortune, which it may be, gave you unfounded hopes, by
attending me a longer time than is usual. It behoves us, who
are mortals born, to endure these events, and to try fortune
yet again; neither is it any less possible to recover our
former state, than it was to fall from that into this."
Thereupon Cornelia sent for her servants and baggage out of the
city. The citizens also of Mitylene came out to salute and
invite Pompey into the city, but he refused, advising them to
be obedient to the conqueror, and fear not, for that Caesar was
a man of great goodness and clemency. Then turning to
Cratippus, the philosopher, who came among the rest out of the
city to visit him, he began to find some fault, and briefly
argued with him upon Providence, but Cratippus modestly
declined the dispute, putting him in better hopes only, lest by
opposing, he might seem too austere or unseasonable. For he
might have put Pompey a question in his turn, in defense of
Providence; and might have demonstrated the necessity there was
that the commonwealth should be turned into a monarchy, because
of their ill government in the state; and could have asked,
"How, O Pompey, and by what token or assurance can we
ascertain, that if the victory had been yours, you would have
used your fortune better than Caesar? We must leave the divine
power to act as we find it do."
Pompey having taken his wife and friends aboard, set sail,
making no port, nor touching anywhere, but when he was
necessitated to take in provisions, or fresh water. The first
city he entered was Attalia, in Pamphylia, and whilst he was
there, there came some galleys thither to him out of Cilicia,
together with a small body of soldiers, and he had almost sixty
senators with him again; then hearing that his navy was safe
too, and that Cato had rallied a considerable body of soldiers
after their overthrow, and was crossing with them over into
Africa, he began to complain and blame himself to his friends
that he had allowed himself to be driven into engaging by land,
without making use of his other forces, in which he was
irresistibly the stronger, and had not kept near enough to his
fleet, that failing by land, he might have reinforced himself
from the sea, and would have been again at the head of a power
quite sufficient to encounter the enemy on equal terms. And in
truth, neither did Pompey during all the war commit a greater
oversight, nor Caesar use a more subtle stratagem, than in
drawing the fight so far off from the naval forces.
As it now was, however, since he must come to some decision,
and try some plan within his present ability, he dispatched his
agents to the neighboring cities, and himself sailed about in
person to others, requiring their aid in money and men for his
ships. But, fearing lest the rapid approach of the enemy might
cut off all his preparations, he began to consider what place
would yield him the safest refuge and retreat at present. A
consultation was held, and it was generally agreed that no
province of the Romans was secure enough. As for foreign
kingdoms, he himself was of opinion, that Parthia would be the
fittest to receive and defend them in their present weakness,
and best able to furnish them with new means and send them out
again with large forces. Others of the council were for going
into Africa, and to king Juba. But Theophanes the Lesbian,
thought it madness to leave Egypt, that was but at a distance
of three days' sailing, and make no use of Ptolemy, who was
still a boy, and was highly indebted to Pompey for the
friendship and favor he had shown to his father, only to put
himself under the Parthian, and trust the most treacherous
nation in the world; and rather than make any trial of the
clemency of a Roman, and his own near connection, to whom if he
would but yield to be second, he might be the first and chief
over all the rest, to go and place himself at the mercy of
Arsaces, which even Crassus had not submitted to, while alive;
and, moreover, to expose his young wife, of the family of the
Scipios, among a barbarous people, who govern by their lusts,
and measure their greatness by their power to commit affronts
and insolencies; from whom, though she suffered no dishonor,
yet it might be thought she did, being in the hands of those
who had the power to do it. This argument alone, they say, was
persuasive enough to divert his course, that was designed
towards Euphrates, if it were so indeed that any counsel of
Pompey's, and not some superior power, made him take this other
way.
As soon, therefore, as it was resolved upon, that he should fly
into Egypt, setting sail from Cyprus in a galley of Seleucia,
together with Cornelia, while the rest of his company sailed
along near him, some in ships of war, and others in merchant
vessels, he passed over sea without danger. But on hearing
that king Ptolemy was posted with his army at the city of
Pelusium, making war against his sister, he steered his course
that way, and sent a messenger before to acquaint the king with
his arrival, and to crave his protection. Ptolemy himself was
quite young, and therefore Pothinus, who had the principal
administration of all affairs, called a council of the chief
men, those being the greatest whom he pleased to make so, and
commanded them every man to deliver his opinion touching the
reception of Pompey. It was, indeed, a miserable thing, that
the fate of the great Pompey should be left to the
determinations of Pothinus the eunuch, Theodotus of Chios, the
paid rhetoric master, and Achillas the Egyptian. For these,
among the chamberlains and menial domestics, that made up the