entered upon a career of killing and burning, so that on one occasion the holy vessels were carried by the virgins out of the temple of Vesta. [-32-] Once more the senators voted that the master of the horse should guard the city still more scrupulously, and practically the entire town was filled with soldiers.  Yet there was no respite.  Dolabella in despair of obtaining any pardon from Caesar desired to accomplish some great evil and then perish,—­with the idea that he would forever have renown for this act.  So many men in the past have become infatuated with basest deeds for the mere sake of fame!  Under this influence he too wrought universal disturbance, promising even that on a certain specified day he would enact his laws in regard to debts and house-rents.  On receipt of these announcements the crowd erected barricades around the Forum, setting up wooden towers at some points, and put itself in readiness to cope with any force that might oppose it.  At that, Antony brought down from the Capitol about dawn a large body of soldiers, cut down the tablets of the laws and hurled some offenders who still continued to be unruly from the cliffs of the Capitol itself.

[-33-] However, this did not stop the factional disputes.  Instead, the greater the number of those who perished, the more did the survivors raise a tumult, thinking that Caesar had got involved in a very great and difficult war.  And they did not cease until suddenly he himself appeared before them.  Then they became quiet even if unwilling.  Some of them were expecting to suffer every conceivable ill fate, for there was talk against them all through the city, and some made one charge and others another:  but Caesar at this juncture also pursued his usual method.  He accepted their attitude of the moment as satisfactory and did not concern himself with their past conduct:  he spared them all and some of them (including Dolabella) he honored.  To the latter he owed some kindness, which he did not see fit to forget.  For in place of overlooking that favor because he had been wronged, he pardoned him in consideration of the benefit received, and besides bringing him to other honors Caesar not long after appointed him consul, though he had not yet served as praetor.

[-34-] These were the events which were brought about in Rome by Caesar’s absence.  The reasons why he was so long in coming there and did not arrive immediately after Pompey’s death are as follows.

[B.C. 48 (a.u. 708)]

The Egyptians were discontented at the levies of money and highly indignant because not even their temples were left untouched.  They are the most excessively religious people on earth and wage wars even against one another on account of their beliefs, since their worship is not a unified system, but different branches of it are diametrically opposed one to another.  As a result, then, of their vexation at this and their further fear that they might be surrendered to Cleopatra,