In my view, this action is more glorious for Caesar than having defeated<hr>
Pompey, for he was accompanied in battle, but he alone wept for his enemy. Moreover, he<hr>
clearly showed that he did not consider Pompey as a personal foe,<hr>
but rather as an adversary to the Republic. Not only did he forgive every member of his camp who sought to surrender, but he also took particular care of Pompey's friends, <hr>
proving thus that he did not hate them personally, but simply strove to put a stop to their unjust plans and harmful intentions towards the Republic. Anyone other than Caesar, following victory, would have<hr>
prioritized their own safety, exiling some, causing others to die, and distancing from the rest. Yet he chose to aid Pompey's strays rather than protect himself. It seemed as if his army had been scattered by defeat so much<hr>
he stayed at this place to gather his troops. He showed such kindness and gentleness<hr>
toward those who switched camps, rallying under his flag. He even wrote to Rome that the sweetest fruit of victory was saving his fellow citizens' lives every day. Lepidus, tyrants do not speak this way!<hr>
       Thereafter, to demonstrate the sincerity of his intentions and prove that his victory was not<hr>
a whim of fate, but the fulfillment of divine will, he did not stop being victorious in all other initiatives he undertook. The Egyptian and Armenian wars, about which he wrote to Rome that he came, saw, and conquered, sufficed as proof. After seizing three enemy camps in a single day, he killed fifty thousand men and lost only fifty of his soldiers. In your opinion, Lepidus,<hr>
was it the arm of Caesar that fought thus, or rather, that of the gods? Despite this victory, he<hr>
did not turn merciless. When it was announced to him that Cato had taken his own life, he cried out: "Oh Cato, a door to lamentation opens for me at your death, since you have deprived me the opportunity to save you." Perhaps some will claim that if Cato had lived, Caesar wouldn't have done what he said, but it's easy to imagine that the one who forgave Brutus and Cicero, who fought alongside Pompey, would have also forgiven Cato. But, Lepidus, I do not want Caesar to be judged by my knowledge of him, or by his friends' words. I simply wish for him to be evaluated by the honors all Romans bestowed on him, in life and death. The erection of the Temple of Clemency serves as valid proof, for no conqueror has ever perfectly embodied this quality in victory. But tell me, Lepidus, how is it that these Romans, who since the war’s end cannot blame Caesar for any act of suprema authority, that these same men who built this Temple of Clemency in gratitude for his kindness, could label him a tyrant? In history, we find examples of triumphal arches erected by tyrants for their own glory. Through their brutal tactics and orders, even their statues stood on altars.<hr>
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