The weekly Anglo-African., 1859-10-01
CESAR CROSSES THE RUBIcoN.

On the ever memorable night when Jul
Illus Caesar had resolved to take the first
step (and in such case the first step, as
regarded the power of retreating, was also
the final step which placed him in arms
against the state, it happened that his
quarters were at some distance from the
little river Rubicon, which formed the
boundary of his province. With his usual
caution, that no news of his motions might
run before himself, on this night Caesar
gave an entertainment to his friends, in the
midst Of which he Skipped away unobserved,
and with small retinue proceeded through
the woods to a point of the river at which
he designed to cross The night was
stormy, and by the violence of the wind
all the torches of his escort were blown
| out, so that the whole party lost their road
having probably at first Intentionally
deviated from the main road-and wander
ed about through the whole night, until
! the early dawn enabled them to recover
their tue course The light was still grey
and uncertain as Caesar and hisretinue rode
down upon the banks of the fatal river, to
4 cross which with arms in his hands, since
the further bank lay within the territory
of the Republic, mpSo f@cto proclaimed any
Roman a rebel and traitor. No man, the
firmest or most obtuse, could be otherwise
than deeply agitated when looking down
upon this little brook, so insignificant IN
itself, but invested by law with a sanctity SO
awful, and so dire a conRcration The
whole course of future history and the fate
of every nation would necessarily be deter
mined by the irretrievable act of the next
half hour.
In these moments, and with this specta-
Gle before him, and contemplating these
Unreasonable consequences consciously
for the last time that could allow him re-
treat impressed also by the solemnity
and deep tranquility of the dawn, whilst
the exhaustion of his nights wanderings
predisposed him to usirritation- Ce-
sar, we may be sure, was profoundly agi-
tated. The whole element of the scene
was almost sceneally disposed, the law OF
antagonism having perhaps never been
employed with so much effect-the little
quiet brook presenting direct antithesis
to its grand political character, and the in
nocent dawn, with its pure, untroubled re-
pose, contrasting potently, to man of any
intellectual sensibility, with the long chaos
of bloodshed, darkness, and anarchy which
was to take its rise from the apparently tri-
fling acts Of this one morning. SO prepar-
ed, we need not much wonder at what fol-
lowed. Caesar was yet lingering on the
hither bank, when suddenly, at point
not far distant from himself an apparition
was deserted in a sitting posture, and hold
ing in its hand what seemed flute. This
| phantom was ofunusual size, and of beau
ty more than human, so far as its Inca
ments could be traced in the early dawn
What is singular, however, in the story, on
any hypothesis which would explain it out
of Caesars individual condition, is that 9th
ers saw it as well as he-both pastoral la
borerS Iwho were present, probably,i in the
capacity of guides) and some Of the senti.
nels stationed at the passage Of the river.
These men fancied even that strain of
music issued from this aerial flute; and
some, both Of the shepherds and the Ro-
man soldiers, who were holder than the
re- ; advanced towards the figure. Among
this party it hal ,ened that there were
few Roman trunraters. From one of these,
the phantom, rising as they advanced near
er, suddenly caught trumpet, and blowing
through it a blast of superhuman strength,
plunged into the Rubicon, passed to the
other bank, and disappeared in the dusky
twilight of the dawn. Upon which Caesar
exclaimed: 1t is finished The die is
cast Let us follow whittier the guiding
portents from Heaven and the malice of
our enemy alike summon us to go' SO
saying, he crossed the river with impotuos-
ity, and, in sudden rapture of passionate
and vindictive ambition, placed himself and
his retinue upon Italian soil; and, as if by
inspiration from Heaven, in one moment
involved himself and his followers in trea-
son, raised the standard of revolt, put his
foot upon the neck of the invincible Re
public which had humbled all the kings of
the earth, and founded an empire which
was to last for thousand and a half thou
sand years. In what manner this spectral
appearance was managed-whether Caesar
was its author or its dupe-willremain nm
known forever Quincy.