Chapter 67

When Caesar approached closer to Pontus and the boundaries of Gallograecia, he was met by Deiotarus. Although the latter’s position at that time as tetrarch of practically the whole of Gallograecia was disputed by all his fellow tetrarchs as inadmissible both by law and by tradition, he was, however, indisputably hailed as king of Lesser Armenia by the Senate; and now he laid aside his royal insignia and, dressed not merely as a private person but actually in the garb of defendants in the courts, he came to Caesar as a suppliant to beg his pardon for having been on the side of Cn. Pompeius. He explained that, situated as he was in a part of the world which had had no garrisons of Caesar’s to protect it, he had been compelled to do so by orders backed by armed force for it had been no business of his to act as judge in the disputes of the Roman people, but only to obey the commands of the moment.