Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/548

Rh 630 GAECINA. many, and was employed by Germanicus, in the following year, in the war against Arrainius. With the view of distracting the attention of the eneni}', Caecina was sent with forty cohorts through the territory of the Bructeri to the river Amisia ; and when Germanicus determined upon retreating after a hard-fought but indecisive battle with Arminius, he ordered Caecina to lead back his division of the army to the Rhine. His way lay through an ex- tensive marsh, over which there was a causeway known by the name of the Long Bridges. Here his army was attacked and nearly destroyed by Arminius ; but he eventually defeated the Germans with great slaughter, and reached the Rhine in safety. [Arminius.] On account of this victory, he received the insignia of a triumph. (Tac. Ann. i. 31, 32, 56, 60, 63—68, 72.) This is the last military command which Caecina appears to have held. He is mentioned in a. d, 20 as the author of a proposition in the senate that an altar should be erected to the goddess of Ven- geance, on account of the suppress'on of Piso's con- spii-acy ; and again in a. d. 21, as proposing that the governors of provinces should not be allowed to take their wives with them into their provinces. Tacitus gives a speech of his on the latter of these motions, in which he states, that he had always lived in hannony with his wife, who had borne him six children. His motion, which was opposed by Valerius Messallinus and Drusus, was not car- ried. (Tac. Ann. iii. 18, 33, 34.) 5. Caecina Paetus, was put to death by the emperor Claudius in A. d. 42. The heroism of his wife Arria on this occasion is mentioned under Arria. His daughter married Thrasea, who was put to death by Nero. (Plin. Ep. iii. 16; Dion Cass. Ix. 16 ; Martial, i. 14 ; Zonaras, xi. 9.) 6. C. Caecina Largus, consul a. d. 42 with the emperor Claudius, inhabited the magnificent house which formerly belonged to Scaurus, the con- temporary of Cicero. (Dion Cass. Ix. 10; Ascon. in Scaur, p. 27, ed. Orelli ; Plin. H. N. xvii. 1.) 7. P. Caecina Largus, one of the chief friends of the emperor Claudius, was perhaps the brother of No. 6, unless indeed he is the same person, and C should be read in Tacitus instead of P. (Tac. Ann. xi. 33, 34.) 8. Caecina Tuscus, the son of Nero's nurse, had been appointed in a. d. 56, according to Fabius Rusticus, praefect of the Praetorian troops in the place of Afranius Burrus, but did not enter upon the office, as Burrus was retained in the command through the influence of Seneca. Caecina was sub- sequently appointed governor of Egypt by Nero, but was afterwards banished for making use of the baths which had been erected in anticipation of the emperor's arrival in Egypt. He probably re- turned from banishment on the death of Nero, a. d. 68, as we find him in Rome in the following year. (Tac. Ann. xiii. 20 ; Suet. Ner. 35 ; Dion Cass. Ixiii. 18 ; Tac. Hist. iii. 38.) 9. A. Caecina Alienus (called in the Fasti A. Licinius Caecina), was quaestor in Baetica in Spain at the time of Nero's death, A. d. 68, and was one of the foremost in joining the party of Galba, He was rewarded by Galba with the com- mand of a legion in Upper Gennany ; but, being shortly afterwards detected in embezzling some of the public money, the emperor ordered him to be prosecuted. Caecina, in revenge, induced his trcops to revolt to Vitellius. Caecina was a great CAECINA. favourite with the soldiers. His personal presence was commanding ; he was tall in sUiture, comely in person, and upright in gait ; he possessed consider- able ability in speaking; and, as he was ambnious, he used every means to win the favour of his troops. After persuading them to espouse the side of Vitel- lius, he set out at the beginning of the year (a. d. 69), on his march towards Italy at the head of an army of 30,000 men, the main strength of which consisted in one legion, the twenty-first. In his march through Switzerland, he ravaged the couiitiy of the Helvetians in a frightful manner, because they had refused to own the authority of Vitellius. He crossed the Great St. Bernard and marched through northern Italy without meeting with any oppo- sition. Upon entering Italy, he observed greater discipline than he had done previously, and pre- vented his troops from plundering the country • but his dress gave great offence to the citizens, be- cause he wore in receiving them a military cloak of various colours, and also trowsers, which wore reckoned as characteristic of barbarians. People were also scandalized at his wife Salonina riding as it were in state upon a beautiful horse, and dressed in purple. As Placentia was garrisoned bj' the troops of Otho, who had now succeeded Galba, Caecina crossed the Po, and proceeded to attack that city. He was, however, repulsed in his attack with con- siderable loss, and thereupon recrossed the Po and retired towards Cremona. Otho's troops were com- manded by Suetonius Paullinus and Celsus, the for- mer a general of great skill and military experience, who frustrated all the plans of Caecina. Anxious to retrieve his honour before he was joined by Fa- bius Valens, who was advancing with the other division of the German army, Caecina determined to make a vigorous effort to gain some decisive ad- vantage. He accordingly laid an ambush at a place called Castorum, twelve miles from Cremona ; but his plans were betrayed to the enemy, and he suf- fered a signal defeat. Shortly afterwards, he was joined by Fabius Valens, and their united forces then gained a victory over Otho's troops at Bedri- acum, which established the power of Vitellius in Italy. The unhappy country, however, was now exposed to pillage in every direction, as neither Caecina nor Valens attempted to restrain his sol- diers, the former through desire of preserving his popularity with them, the latter because he him- self took part in the plunder. After obtaining possession of Rome, Caecina and Valens were advanced to the consulship, and entered upon the office on the 1st of September, a. d. 69. Meantime, Antonius Primus, who had declared in favour of Vespasian, was preparing to invade Italy, and Caecina was accordingly sent against him. Caecina met with Antonius in the neighbourhood of Verona, and might with his numerous army have easily crushed him ; but he resolved to desert the cause of Vitellius, and concerted measures for that purpose with Lucilius Bassus, who meditated the same treachery and had the command of Vitel- lius's fleet. But when he attempted to persuade his soldiers to take the oath of allegiance to Ves- pasian, they rose against him and put him in irons. In this state of things, they were attacked by An- tonius, who conquered them near Bedriacum, and forthwith proceeded to assault Cremona, Avhere most of the conquered had taken refuge. Alarmed at the success of Antonius, Caecina was released