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.Your crime has earned you worse 1320from Caesar than from Pompey.We have lostcivil war’s sole prize, granting life to the beaten.If the tyrant of Pharos did not despise his sister,I could have paid back what the king has earnedand sent to your brother your head, Cleopatra,in return for a service like this.“Why did he raise upthese arms in secret, intruding his own weaponsinto my efforts? So, was it on Thessaly’s fieldsthat we gave sanction to Pella’s blade? Did your realmask to act with such free license? I couldn’t bear 1330for Magnus to rule the Roman world with me.Am I to bear you, Ptolemy? All for nothingwe’ve embroiled the nations in our civil wars,if any power is left in the world but Caesar,if any land has two masters.“I would have turnedmy Latin prows clear of your shore, but a concernfor rumor prevented it, lest I seem to fear,rather than condemn, the bloodlust of Pharos.Do not for a minute think you’ve fooled the victor.The same hospitality was ready for me as well— 1340the fortune of Thessaly makes it that my neckis not being handled that way.Greater indeedthan any could have feared was the hazard riskedwhen we took to arms.I was afraid of exile,my son-in-law’s threats, and Rome.But for flight,the punishment was Ptolemy!“But we’ll be lenientbecause of his age and we forgive his crime.Let the tyrant know that for his butcheryhe can get nothing more than pardon.“You will burythe head of such a great leader in a grave, 1350but not so that your land simply hides its crimes.Offer incense to a proper burial due him,appease his head and gather up his ashesscattered on the beach, give a single urnfor his spirits that have been dispersed.Let him know that his father-in-law has come;may his shade hear my pious words of sorrow.So long as he preferred everything to me,since he chose to owe his life to Pharos,his own client, our people have lost a joyful day: 1360our coming to an accord within this worldhas died.No gods have been in favor of my prayersthat I might lay aside my successful armsand embrace you, ask for your old affectionsand your life, Magnus, and be satisfied,as worthy reward for my labors, to be your equal.Then, with peace secured, I could have convinced youto pardon the gods for defeat, and you could convinceRome to pardon me.”Such were his words,but he found no friend to share in his weeping, 1370nor did the crowd believe that he was mourning.They hid their groans and concealed their heartsbehind a happy face, brazenly looking uponthat bloody wickedness—what fine liberty!—while Caesar spoke his sorrowful lament.BOOK TENCaesar warily enters Alexandria, tours the city, and visits the burial crypt of Alexander the Great (1–24), whose life and career of mad world conquests is recalled (25–64).Cleopatra gets into the palace and supplicates Caesar for support against Pothinus and Achillas, finally bribing him with a night of illicit passion (65–132).Cleopatra throws a lavish, luxurious feast for Caesar (132–213), during which Caesar asks Acoreus the Memphite priest to tell him all about Egypt, especially the source of the Nile and its annual flood (214–40).Acoreus discourses about the Nile’s secrets, the source of its flooding, where it arises, and the extent of its course (241–412).Pothinus sends word to Achillas urging him to attack Caesar in force, or else their own fates are sealed (413–97).Achillas brings on his army, composed mostly of Roman mercenaries, but missing an opportunity to kill Caesar in the night, they besiege the palace where Caesar is now cooped up and outmanned (498–615).They attack the palace also by ship but Caesar sets fire to their sails, which spreads to the city (616–37), giving Caesar a chance to break out on ship and take the lighthouse island of Pharos (638–47) [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]