Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/563

Rh CAESAR. country. In consequence of these representations, Caesar commanded Ariovistus, who had received the title of king and friend of the Roman people in Caesar's own consulship, to abstain from intro- ducing any more Germans into Gaul, to restore the hostages to the Aedui, and not to attack the latter or their allies. But as a haughty answer was returned to these commands, both parties prepared for war. Caesjir advanced northwards through the countrj' of the Sequani, and took possession of ^'esontio (Besan^on), an important town on the Dubis (Doubs), and some days afterwards fought a decisive battle with Ariovistus, who suffered a total defeat, and fled with the remains of his army to the Rhine, a distance of fifty miles. Only a very few, and among the rest Ariovistus himself, crossed the river ; the rest were cut to pieces by the Roman cavalry. [Ariovistus.] Having thus completed two very important wars in one summer, Caesar led his troops into their quarters for the winter early in the autumn, where he left them under the command of Labienus, while he himself went into Cisalpine Gaul to at- tend to his civil duties in the province. The following year, b. c. 57, was occupied with the Belgic war. Alarmed at Caesar's success, the various Belgic tribes, which dwelt between the Sequana (Seine) and the Rhine, and were the most warlike of all the Gauls, had entered into a con- federacy to oppose Caesar, and had raised an army of 300,000 men. Caesar meantime levied two new legions in Cisalpine Gaul, which increased his army to eight legions ; but even this was but a small force compared with the overwhelming num- bers of the enemy. Caesar was the first to open the campaign by marching into the country of the Remi, who submitted at his approach, and entered into alliance with him. He then crossed the Axo- na (Aisne), and pitched his camp on a strong posi- tion on the right bank. But, in order to make a diversion, and to separate the vast forces of the enemy, he sent Divitiacus with the Aedui to attack the country of the Bellovaci from the west. The enemy had meantime laid siege to Bibrax (Bievre), a town of the Remi, but retired when Caesar sent troops to its assistance. They soon, however, began to suffer from want of provi- sions, and hearing that Divitiacus was approaching the territories of the Bellovaci, they came to the resolution of breaking up their vast army, and re- tiring to their own territories, where each people could obtain provisions and maintain themselves. This determination was fatal to them : together they might possibly have conquered; but once sepa- rated, they had no chance of contending against the powerful Roman army. Hitherto Caesar had remained in his entrenchments, but he now broke up from his quarters, and resumed the offensive. The Suessiones, the Bellovaci, and Anibiani were subdued in succession, or surrendered of their own accord ; but a more formidable task awaited him when he came to the Nervii, the most warlike of all the Belgic tribes. In their country, near the river Sabis (Sambre), the Roman army was sur- prised by the enemy while engaged in marking out and fortifying the camp. This part of the country was surrounded by woods, in which the Nervii had concealed themselves ; and it seems, as Napoleon has remarked, that Caesar was on this occasion guilty of great imprudence in not having explored tlic coimtry properly, as he was well pro- CAESAR 545 vided with light armed troops. The attack of the Nervii was so unexpected, and the surprise bo complete, that before the Romans could form in rank, the enemy was in their midst : the Roman soldiers began to give way, and the battle seemed entirely lost. Caesar used every effort to amend his first error; he hastened from post to post, freely exposed his own person in the first line of the battle, and discharged alike the duties of a brave soldier and an able geneml. His exertions and the discipline of the Roman troops at length triumphed ; and the Nervii were defeated with such immense slaughter, that out of 60,000 fight- ing-men only 500 remained in the state. The Aduatici, who were on their march to join the Nervii, returned to their o^vn country when they heard of Caesar's victory, and shut themselves up in one of their towns, which was of great natural strength, perhaps on the hill called at pre- sent Falais. Caesar marched to the place, and laid siege to it ; but when the barbarians saw the mili- tary engines approaching the walls, they surren- dered to Caesar. In the night, however, they attempted to surprise the Roman camp, but, being repulsed, paid dearly for their treachery ; for on the following day Caesar took possession of the town, and sold all the inhabitants as slaves, to the number of 53,000. At the same time he received intelligence that the Veneti, Unelli, and various other states in the north-west of Gaul, had sub- mitted to M. Crassus, whom he had sent against them with one legion. Having thus subjugated the whole of the north of Gaul, Caesar led his troops into winter-quarters in the country of the Camutes, Andes, and Turones, people near the Ligeris (Loire), in the central parts of Gaul, and then proceeded himself to Cisalpine Gaul. When the senate received the despatches of Caesar an- nouncing this victor)', they decreed a public thanks- giving of fifteen days — a distinction which had never yet been granted to any one : the thanks- giving in Pompey's honour, after the Mithridatic war, had lasted for ten days, and that was the longest that had hitherto been decreed. At the beginning of the following year, b. c. 56, which was Caesar's third campaign in Gaul, he was detained some months in Italy by the state of affairs at Rome. There had been a mis^ understanding between Pompey and Crassus ; and L. Domitius Ahenobarbus, who had become a can- didate for the consulship, threatened to deprive Caesar of his army and provinces. Caesar accord- ingly invited Pompey and Crassus to come to him at Luca (Lucca), where he reconciled them to one another, and arranged that they should be the con- suls for the following year, and that CrasSiis should have the province of Syria, and Pompey the two Spains. They on their part agreed to obtain the prolongation of Caesar's government for five years more, and pay for his troops out of the public trea- sury. It was not through any want of money that Caesar made the latter stipulation, for he had obtained immense booty in his two campaigns in Gaul ; but so corrupt was the state of society at Rome, that he knew it would be difficult for him to retain his present position unless he was able to bribe the people and the leading men in the city. The money which he had acquired in his Gallic wars was therefore freely expended in carrying the elections of those candidates for public offices who would support his interests, and also in pre- 2n