英語背誦文選第二冊(陳冠商)31．Crossing The Rubicon 越過盧比孔河

31．Crossing  The  Rubicon

The  march  to  Italy  was  begun.  The  soldiers  were  even  more  enthusiastic

than caesar (2) himself. They climb- ed mountains, waded rivers, endured

fatigue,  faced  all  kinds  of  danger  for  the  sake  of  their  great  leader.

At last they came to a little river called the Rubicon. It was the boundary

line of caesar's province of Gaul; on the other side of it was Italy. caesar

paused a moment on the bank. He knew that to cross it would be to declare

war  against  Pompey  and  the  Roman  Senate;  it  would  involve  all  Rome  in  a

fearful  strife,  the  end  of  which  no  man  could  foresee.

But  he  did  not  hesitate  long.  He  gave  the  word,  and  rode  boldly  across

the  shallow  stream.

"We have crossed the Rubicon," he cried as he reached the farther shore.

"There  is  now  no  turning  back."

Soon  the  news  was  carried  to  Rome:  "caesar  has  cross-  ed  the  Rubicon;"

and  there  was  great  dismay  among  those  who  had  plotted  to  destroy  him.

Pompey's  soldiers  desert-  ed  him  and  hastened  to  join  themselves  to

caesar's army. The Roman senators and their friends made ready(3) to flee

from  the  city.

"caesar has crossed the Rubicon !" was shouted along the roads and byways

leading  to  Rome;  and  the  country  people  turned  out(4)  to  meet  and  hail

with  joy  the  conquer-  hag  hero.

The  word  was  carried  a  second  time  to  the  city:  "caesar  has  crossed  the

Rubicon,"  and  the  wild  flight  began.  Senators  and  public  officers  left

everything behind and hurried away to seek safety with Pompey. On foot,

on  horseback,  in  litters,  in  carriages,  they  fled  for  their  lives  all

because Caesar had crossed the Rubicon. Pompey was unable to protect them.

He hurried to the seacoast, and, with all who were able to accompany him,

sailed  away  to  Greece.

caesar  was  the  master  of  Rome.