The last episode
ended with the ships carrying the 13th Legion being battered by storms on
their way to join Caesar in Greece. This episode opens with the aftermath. All
the ships have sunk. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are washed onto a small
island in the Adriatic Sea, surrounded by dead bodies. There's no way for them
to survive. There are about 1200 small islands in the Adriatic Sea between
Italy and Greece, and this island is no bigger than the others.
Pullo attempts to catch fish, but Vorenus points out that
there's no fresh water, so they'll die of thirst, not hunger.
Without the 13th Legion, Caesar's is outnumbered by Pompey's army
approximately three to one. Pompey suggests that he should leave Caesar alone,
because his army is running out of food and the soldiers will soon desert. The
senators at Pompey's side, primarily Cato and Scipio, say that this isn't a
noble strategy for a great warrior. He should attack Caesar directly.
There's a battle at Pharsalus. Against all expectations, Caesar wins. As
Pompey explains later in the episode:
"The battlefield was on a plain by a river at the foot of some low hills.
My men held their ground well, so I sent my horses at his right flank, which
is perfectly correct. But the cowards were repulsed. Repulsed by a single
cohort of reserves. They turned and fled. 200 horses. They crashed directly
into my left flank. They rolled up my line like a carpet and put the whole
damned army to flight. That's how Pompey Magnus was defeated. That's how the
Republic died".
Pompey flees with a small band of soldiers, heading to Amphipolis. From there
he intends to sail to Egypt, because he was a friend of the ruler, Pharaoh
Ptolemy XIII. On the way his soldiers desert him, leaving him with only his
family and a few slaves.
Brutus and Cicero ride to Caesar's camp and surrender. They expect to be
punished, but Caesar welcomes them as friends. Caesar is glad to hear that
Pompey has survived. He says he'll show him mercy if he also surrenders.
Back on their miniature island, Vorenus sees that the bodies of dead soldiers
are floating in the water. He says this is because their bodies have been
filled with Plutonic Aether. I don't know what the name for this phenomenon is
in modern medical science, but the two men build a raft out of wooden planks
and dead bodies. They paddle towards Greece, arriving at the
Greek shore more out of luck than skill. As always, good fortune is with them.
They're seen floating unconscious by Pompey's children. They're pulled out of
the water and fed by Pompey's guide.
Pompey himself claims to be a merchant, but Vorenus and Pullo immediately
recognise him. When it becomes clear that they'll take him captive, he begs
that they'll show mercy to his wife and children. Vorenus takes mercy on him
and lets him go.
When Vorenus and Pullo go to Caesar, they're told that out of the 5000 men in
the 13th Legion, only 14 have survived. Caesar is angry with Vorenus for
letting Pompey go, but he doesn't punish him. He says that they found his
standard, they survived a storm and they landed at Pompey's feet.
"They have powerful Gods on their side, and I will not kill any man with
friends of that sort". Now Caesar breaks camp to follow Pompey to Egypt.
Pompey arrives in Egypt in a small boat. Instead of the Pharaoh, he's only
greeted by Lucius Septimius, a former centurion who now works as a mercenary
in Egypt. They shake hands, but Lucius stabs him in the chest and cuts off his
head.
The ignoble death of a great general and defender of Rome. If he'd won the
battle at Pharsalus, all of human history would have run differently. Think
about it. Rome would have remained a Republic. The dynasty of Caesars would
never have ruled. As a Republic, there would have been centuries of peace.
Christians wouldn't have been persecuted. Instead of the dark ages, there
would have been a golden age of science and enlightenment.
But Pompey was slain by a base traitor and lay headless in the Egyptian sea.
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