Senators and the sons of
senators; the heirs of the names and fortunes of the ancient Roman
families; the leaders of society in Roman saloons, and the chiefs of the
political party of the optimates in the Curia and Forum, were here present
on the field; representatives in person and in principle of the traditions
of Sylla, brought face to face with the representative of Marius. Here
were the men who had pursued Caesar through so many years with a hate so
inveterate. Here were the haughty Patrician Guard, who had drawn their
swords on him in the senate-house, young lords whose theory of life was to
lounge through it in patrician _insouciance_. The other great actions
were fought by the ignoble multitude whose deaths were of less
significance. The plains of Pharsalia were watered by the precious blood
of the elect of the earth. The battle there marked an epoch like no other
in the history of the world.
For some days the two armies had watched each other's movements. Caesar,
to give his men confidence, had again offered Pompey an opportunity of
fighting. But Pompey had kept to positions where he could not be attacked.
To draw him into more open ground, Caesar had shifted his camp
continually. Pompey had followed cautiously, still remaining on his guard.
His political advisers were impatient of these dilatory movements.
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