this spectacle Stroke Caesar's heart with fear, his hair stood up, And faintness numbed his steps there on the brink: He thus cried out: Thou thunderer that guard'st Rome's mighty walls, built on Tarpeian rock, Yet gods of Phrygia and Julus line, Quirinus' rites and Latian Jove advanced On Alba hill, O vestal flames, O Rome, My thoughts' sole goddess, aid mine enterprise. I hate thee not, to thee my conquests stoop, Caesar is thine, so please it thee, thy soldier; He, he afflicts Rome that made me Rome's foe. This said, he laying aside all lets of war, Approached the swelling stream with drum and ensign, Like a lion of scorched desert Afric, Who seeing hunters pauseth till fell wrath And kingly rage increase, then having whisked His tail athwart his back, and crest heaved up, With jaws wide open ghastly roaring out; (Albeit the moor's light javelin or his spear Sticks in his side) yet runs upon the hunter.
In summer time the purple Rubicon, Which issues from a small spring, is but shallow, And creeps along the vales, dividing just The bounds of Italy from Cisalpine France; But now the winter's wrath and wat'ry moon, Being three days old, enforced the flood swell, And frozen Alps thawed with resolving winds.
The thunder hooved horse in a crooked line, To scape the violence of the stream first waded, Which being broke, the foot had easy passage.
As soon as Caesar got unto the bank And bounds of Italy; here, here (saith he) An end of peace; here end polluted laws; Hence leagues, and covenants; Fortune, thee I follow, War and the destinies shall try my cause.
This said, the restless general through the dark (Swifter than bullets thrown from Spanish slings, Or darts which Parthians backward shoot) marched on And then (when Lucifer did shine alone, And some dim stars) he Arriminum entered: Day rose and viewed these tumults of the war; Whether the gods, or blust'ring south were cause I know not, but the cloudy air did frown; The soldiers having won the market place, There spread the colours, with confused noise Of trumpets clang, shrill cornets, whistling fifes; The people started; young men left their beds, And snatched arms near their household gods hung up Such as peace yields; worm-eaten leathern targets, Through which the wood peered, headless darts, old swords With ugly teeth of black rust fouly scarred.
But seeing white eagles, and Rome's flags well known, And lofty Caesar in the thickest throng, They shook for fear, and cold benumbed their limbs, And muttering much, thus themselves complained: O walls unfortunate too near to france, Predestinate ruin; all lands else Have stable peace, here war's rage first begins, We bide the first brunt; safer might we dwell Under the frosty bear, or parching east, Wagons or tents, than in this frontier town. We first sustained the uproars of the Gauls, And furious Cimbrians and of Carthage moors, As oft as Rome was sacked, here 'gan the spoil.
Thus sighing whispered they, and none durst speak And show their fear, or grief: but as the fields When birds are silent thorough winter's rage; Or sea far from the land, so all were whist.
Now light had quite dissolved the misty night, And Caesar's mind unsettled musing stood; But gods and Fortune pricked him to this war, Infringing all excuse of modest shame, And labouring to approve his quarrel good.
The angry senate urging Gracchus' deeds, From doubtful Rome wrongly expelled the tribunes That crossed them; both which now approached the camp, And with them Curio, sometime tribune too, One that was fee'd for Caesar, and whose tongue Could tune the people the nobles' mind. 'Caesar' (said he) 'while eloquence prevailed, And I might plead, and draw the commons' minds To favour thee against the Senate's will, Five years I lengthened thy command in France: But law being put to silence by the wars, We from our houses driven, most willingly Suffered exile: let thy sword bring us home. Now while their part is weak, and fears, march hence. Where men are ready, lingering ever hurts: In ten years wonn'st thou France; Rome may be won With far less toil, and yet the honour's more; Few battles fought with prosperous success May bring her down, and with her all the world. Nor shalt thou triumph when thou com'st Rome, Nor capital be adorned with sacred bays; Envy denies all, with thy blood must thou Aby thy conquest past: the son decrees To expel the father; share the world thou canst not; Enjoy it all thou mayest.' Thus Curio spake, And therewith Caesar prone enough war, Was so incensed as are Eleius' steeds With clamours: who though locked and chained in stalls, Souse down the walls, and make a passage forth. Straight summoned he his several companies Unto the standard: his grave look appeased The wrestling tumult, and right hand made silence: And thus he spake: 'You that with me have borne A thousand brunts, and tried me full ten years, See how they quit our bloodshed in the north, Our friends' death, and our wounds, our wintering Under the Alps; Rome rageth now in arms As if the Carthage Hannibal were near; Cornets of horse are mustered for the field; Woods turned to ships; both land and sea against us. Had foreign wars ill thrived; or wrathful France Pursued us hither, how were we bested When 'coming conqueror Rome afflicts me thus? Let come their leader whom long peace hath quailed Raw soldiers lately pressed, and troops of gowns; Brabbling Marcellus; Cato whom fools reverence; Must Pompey's followers with strangers' aid, (Whom from his youth he bribed) needs make him king? And shall he triumph long before his time, And having once got head still shall he reign? What should I talk of men's corn reaped by force, And by him kept of purpose for a dearth? Who sees not war sit by the quivering judge; And sentence given in rings of naked swords, And laws assailed, and armed men in the Senate? 'Twas his troop hemmed in Milo being accused; And now, lest age might wane his state, he casts For civil war, wherein through use he's known To exceed his master, that arch-traitor Sylla.