(2) DE BELLO CIVILI.—This work, in three Books, is similar in plan to the De Bello Gallico. It describes the events of the Civil War during the years 49-48 B.C. Book III. ends abruptly with the words:
Haec initia belli Alexandrini fuerunt.
| Book | I. | B.C. 49. | Caesar crosses the Rubicon. Follows Pompeius to Brundusium and conquers Afranius in Spain. |
| „ | II. | „ 49. | Caesar takes Massilia. Submission of Varro in Further Spain. Defeat and death of Curio before Utica. |
| „ | III. | „ 48. | Caesar follows Pompeius into Illyria. The lines of Dyrrachium and the Battle of Pharsalus. The beginning of the Alexandrine War. |
(3) OTHER WORKS.—All Caesar’s other writings (Speeches, Poems, &c.) have been lost, with the exception of a few brief Letters to Cicero.
3. Style.
Remarkable for brevity, directness, and simplicity. The simplest facts told in the simplest way. Ars est celare artem.
‘Caesar’s Commentaries are worthy of all praise; they are unadorned, straightforward, and elegant, every ornament being stripped off as if it were a garment.’—Cicero.
[ MARCUS PORCIUS CATO, 234-149 B.C.]
1. Life.
CATO.