ABSTRACT
The Poet having ended the foregoing Book with the Death of Pompey, begins this with his Apotheosis; from thence, after a short Account of Cato’s gathering up the Relicks of the Battel of Pharsalia, and transporting them to Cyrene in Africa, he goes on to describe Cornelia’s Passion upon the Death of her Husband. Amongst other things, she informs his Son Sextus of his Father’s last Commands, to continue the War in Defence of the Commonwealth. Sextus sets sail for Cato’s Camp, where he meets his elder Brother Cn. Pompeius, and acquaints him with the Fate of their Father. Upon this Occasion the Poet describes the Rage of the elder Pompey, and the Disorders that happen’d in the Camp, both which Cato appeases. To prevent any future Inconvenience of this kind, he resolves to put them upon Action, and in order to that to join with Juba. After a Description of the Syrts, and their dangerous Passage by ’em, follows Cato’s Speech to encourage the Soldiers to march through the Desarts of Libya; then an Account of Libya, the Desarts, and their March. In the middle of which is a beautiful Digression concerning the Temple of Jupiter-Ammon, with Labienus’s Persuasion to Cato to enquire of the Oracle concerning the Event of the War, and Cato’s famous Answer. From thence, after a warm Elogy upon Cato, the Author goes on to the Account of the Original of Serpents in Africk; and this, with the Description of their various Kinds, and the several Deaths of the Soldiers by ’em, is perhaps the most poetical Part of this whole Work. At Leptis he leaves Cato, and returns to Cæsar, whom he brings into Ægypt, after having shown him the Ruins of Troy, and from thence taken an Occasion to speak well of Poetry in General, and himself in Particular. Cæsar, upon his Arrival on the Coast of Ægypt, is met by an Ambassador from Ptolemy with Pompey’s Head. He receives the Present (according to Lucan) with a feign’d Abhorrence, and concludes the Book with Tears, and a seeming Grief for the Misfortunes of so great a Man.
