after the battle of Pharsalia in a small boat, he met two of the enemy’s ships.  Without hesitation he discovered himself, called upon them to surrender, and was obeyed.  At Alexandria he was surprised by a sudden sally of the besieged, and had to leap into the harbor.  He swam two hundred paces to the nearest ship, lifting a manuscript in his left hand to keep it out of the water, and holding his military cloak in his teeth, for he would not have the enemy boast of securing any spoil from his person.

He allowed nothing to stand in his way.  If it suited his policy to massacre a whole tribe, men, women, and children, he gave the order without hesitation, just as he recorded it afterwards in his history without a trace of remorse or regret.  If a rival stood in his way he had him removed, and was quite indifferent as to how the removal was effected.  But his object gained, or wherever there was no object in question, he could be the kindest and gentlest of men.  A friend with whom he was traveling was seized with sudden illness.  Caesar gave up at once to him the only chamber in the little inn, and himself spent the night in the open air.  His enemies he pardoned with singular facility, and would even make the first advances.  Political rivals, once rendered harmless, were admitted to his friendship, and even promoted to honor; writers who had assailed him with the coarsest abuse he invited to his table.

Of the outward man this picture has reached us:  “He is said to have been remarkably tall, with a light complexion and well-shaped limbs.  His face was a little too full; his eyes black and brilliant.  His health was excellent, but towards the latter end of his life he was subject to fainting fits and to frightful dreams at night.  On two occasions also, when some public business was being transacted, he had epileptic fits.  He was very careful of his personal appearance, had his hair and beard scrupulously cut and shaven.  He was excessively annoyed at the disfigurement of baldness, which he found was made the subject of many lampoons.  It had become his habit, therefore, to bring up his scanty locks over his head; and of all the honors decreed to him by the Senate and people, none was more welcome to him than that which gave him the right of continually wearing a garland of bay.”

He was wonderfully skillful in the use of arms, an excellent swimmer, and extraordinarily hardy.  On the march he would sometimes ride, but more commonly walk, keeping his head uncovered both in rain and sunshine.  He traveled with marvelous expedition, traversing a hundred miles in a day for several days together; if he came to a river he would swim it, or sometimes cross it on bladders.  Thus he would often anticipate his own messengers.  For all this he had a keen appreciation of pleasure, and was costly and even luxurious in his personal habits.  He is said, for instance, to have carried with him a tesselated pavement to be laid down in his tent throughout his campaign in Gaul.