A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

484 POMPEIUS. POMPEIUS
fleet to cruise in the Euxine, and seize all vessels and play the part of Sulla. Pompey, however,
that attempted to carry provisions to the king in soon calmed these apprehensions. He disbanded
the Bosporus. his army almost immediately after landing at
In the spring of B. c. 64 Pompey left his winter- Brundisium; but he did not proceed straightquarters in Pontus, and set out for Syria. In his way to Rome, as he was anxious to learn somemarch he passed the field of battle near Zela, what more accurately the state of parties before
where Valerius Triarius, the legate of Lucullus, he made his appearance in the city. When
had been defeated by Mithridates three years be- he at length set out, he was received by all
fore, with a loss of more than 7000 men. Pompey the cities through which he passed with an
collected their bones which still lay upon the enthusiasm which knew no bounds; and as he
field, and buried them with due honours. On his approached the capital, the greatest part of the
arrival in Syria he deposed Antiochus Asiaticus population flocked out to meet him, and greeted
[ANTIOCHUS XIII.], whom Lucullus had allowed him with the wildest acclamations of joy. After
to take possession of the throne, after the defeat remaining in the neighbourhood of the city for
of Tigranes, and made the country a Roman some months, he at length entered it in triumph,
province. He likewise compelled the neighbouring on his birth-day, the 30th of September, B. c. 61.
princes, who had established independent king- Pompey had just completed his forty-fifth year,
doms on the ruins of the Syrian empire, to submit and this was the third time that he had enjoyed
to the Roman dominion. The whole of this year the honour of a triumph. His admirers represented
was occupied with the settlement of Syria, and him as celebrating now his victory over the third
the adjacent countries. continent, just as his first triumph had been gained
Next year, B. c. 63, Pompey advanced further over Africa, and his second over Europe. This
south, in order to establish the Roman supremacy triumph, however, was not only the greatest of the
in Phoenicia, Coele-Syria and Palestine. In the three, but the most splendid that the Romans had
latter country, however, a severe struggle awaited ever yet seen. It lasted for two days, although
it. The country was at the time distracted by a there was no army to lengthen out the procession.
civil war between Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, the In front, large tablets were carried, specifying the
two sons of Aristobulus I., who died B. c. 105. nations and kings he had conquered, and proclaimPompey espoused the side of Hyrcanus; and Aris- ing that he had taken 1000 strong fortresses, and
tobulus, who at first had made preparations for nearly 900 towns and 800 ships; that he had
resistance, surrendered himself to Pompey, when founded 39 cities, that he had raised the revenue
the latter had advanced near to Jerusalem. But of the Roman people from 50 millions to 85 milthe Jews themselves refused to follow the example lions; and that he had brought into the treasury
of their king; the more patriotic and fanatical 20,000 talents, in addition to 16,000 that he had
took refuge in the fortress of the temple, broke distributed among his troops at Ephesus. Next
down the bridge which connected it with the city, followed an endless train of waggons loaded with
and prepared to hold out to the last. They refused the treasures of the East. On the second day
to listen to any overtures for a surrender; and it Pompey himself entered the city in his triumphal
was not till after a siege of three months that the car, preceded by the princes and chiefs whom lie
place was taken. Pompey entered the Holy of had taken prisoners, or received as hostages,
Holies, the first time that any human being, except 3-24 in number, and followed by his legates and
the high-priest, had dared to penetrate into this military tribunes, who concluded the procession.
sacred spot. He reinstated Hyrcanus in the After the triumph, he displayed his clemency by
high-priesthood, and left the government in his sparing the lives of his prisoners, and dismissing
hands, but at the same time compelled him to them to their various states, with the exception of
recognise the authority of Rome by the payment Aristobulus and Tigranes, who, he feared, might
of an annual tribute: Aristobulus he took with excite commotions in Judaea and Armenia rehim as a prisoner. It was during this war in Pales- spectively, if they were set at liberty.
tine that Pompey received intelligence of the death With this triumph the first and most glorious
of Mithridates. [MITHRIDATES, VI.] Pompey part of Pompey's life may be said to have ended.
now led his troops back into Pontus for the winter, Hitherto he had been employed almost exclusively
and began to make preparations for his return to in war, and his whole life had been an almost unItaly. He confirmed Pharnaces, the son and interrupted succession of military glory. But now
murderer of Mithridates, in the possession of the he was called upon to play a prominent part in the
kingdom of Bosporus; Deiotarus, tetrarch of Ga- civil commotions of the commonwealth, a part for
latia, who had supported the Romans in their war which neither his natural talents nor his previous
with Mithridates, was rewarded with an extension habits had in the least fitted him. From the death
of territory, and Ariobarzanes, king of Cappadocia, of Sulla to the present time, a period of nearly twenty
was restored to his kingdom. After making all years, he had been unquestionably the first nlan
the arrangements necessary to secure the Roman in the Roman world, but he did not retain much
supremacy in the East, Pompey set out for Italy, longer this proud position, and eventually diswhich he reached at the end of B. C. 62. His covered that the genius of Caesar had reduced him
arrival had been long looked for by all parties with to a second place in the state. It would seem as
various feelings of hope and fear. The aristocracy if Pompey on his return to Rome hardly knew
dreaded that he would come as their master; himself what part to take in the politics of the
the popular party, and especially the enemies of city. He had been appointed to the command
Cicero, hoped that he would punish the latter against the pirates and Mithridates in opposition
for his unconstitutional proceedings in the sup- to the aristocracy, and they still regarded him with
pression of the Catilinarian conspiracy; and both jealousy and distrust. He could not therefore ally
parties felt that at the head of his victorious himself to them, especially too as some of their most
army le might seize upon the supreme power, influential leaders, such as IM. Crassus, L. Lucullus,