Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 2.djvu/969

Rh MARIUS. penetrate into Italy, as is stated by some ancient writers. (Eutrop. iv. 25 ; Obsequ. 98.) The Romans sent an army to defend lUyricura, under the command of Cn. Papirius Carbo, but he was defeated by the barbarians [Carbo, No. 3], who did not, however, follow up their victory, but for some causes unknown to us, retired into Noricum, and marched westward into Switzerland. In the invasion of Ulyricum, mention is made of the Cimbri alone ; and when and where they were joined by the Teutones is uncertain. In Switzer- land their forces were still further augmented by the Tigurini and the Ambrones ; and the barbarians now poured over Gaul, and seem to have plundered and ravaged it in every direction. The Romans sent array after army to defend at least the south- western part of the country, which was now a pro- vince of the Roman state ; but all in vain. In B. c. 109 the consul, M. Junius Silanus, was de- feated by the Cimbri ; in B. c. 107 the Tigurini cut in pieces, near the lake of Geneva, the array of Marius's colleague, the consul L. Cassius Longinus, who lost his life in the battle ; and shortly after- wards M. Aurelius Scaurus was also defeated and taken prisoner. But the raost dreadful loss was still to corae. In b. c. 1 05 two consular armies, coramanded by the consul Cn. Mallius Maximus and the proconsul Cn. Servilius Caepio, consisting of 80,000 men, were completely annihilated by the V)arbarians : only two men are said to have escaped the slaughter. [Caepio, No. 7.] These repeated disasters hushed all party quar- rels. Every one at Rome felt that Marius was the only man capable of saving the state, and he was accordingly elected consul by the unanimous votes of all parties, while he was still absent in Africa. He entered Rorae in triumph on the 1st of January, B. c. 104, which was also the first day of his second consulship, leading Jugurtha in chains in the pro- cession. On this day he gave a striking instance of his arrogance, by entering the senate-house in his triumphal robes. Meanwhile, the threatened danger was for a while averted. Instead of cross- ing the Alps, and pouring down upon Italy, as had been expected, the Cimbri marched into Spain, which they ravaged for the next two or three years. This interval was advantageously employed by Marius in training the new troops, and accus- toming them to hardships and toil. It was pro- bably during this time that he introduced the various changes into the organization of the Roman array, which are usually attributed to him. Not- withstanding the sternness and severity with which he punished the least breach of discipline, he gra- dually became a great favourite with his new troops, who learnt to place implicit confidence in tJieir general, and were especially delighted with the strict impartiality with which he visited the olfences of the officers as well as of the privates. As the enemy still continued in Spain, Marius was elected consul a third time for the year B. c. 103 ; but since they did not make their appearance even during the latter year, the Romans began to recover a little from their panic, and several candi- dates of distinction offered themselves for the consulship. Under these circumstances Marius repaired to Rorae, where he gained over L. Satur- ninus, the most popular of the tribunes, who per- suaded the people to confer the consulship upon Marius again, who was accordingly elected for the fourth time (b.c. 102), although, to save appear- MARIUS. 955 ances, he pretended to be anxious to be released from the honour. And fortunate was it for Rome that the supreme command was still entrusted to him ; for in this very year the long-expected bar- barians at length arrived. The Cimbri, who had returned from Spain, united their forces with the Teutones, though where the latter people had been meantime is quite uncertain. It is, moreover, ex- ceedingly difficult to make out clearly the move- ments of the different armies, since the records of this period of history are very scanty and often contradictory. It appears, however, that Marius first took up his position in a fortified camp on the Rhone, probably in the vicinity of the modern Aries ; and as the entrance of the river was nearly blocked up by mud and sand, he employed his soldiers in digging a canal from the Rhone to the Mediterranean, that he might the more easily ob- tain his supplies from the sea. From thence he marched northwards, and stationed himself at the junction of the Rhone and the Isara (Isere). (Ores. V. 16.) Meantime, the barbarians had divided their forces. The Cimbri quitted the Teutones and Ambrones, and marched round the northern foot of the Alps, in order to enter Italy by the north- east, crossing the Tyrolese Alps by the defiles of Tridentum (Trent). The Teutones and Ambrones on the other hand marched against Marius, intend- ing, as it seems, to penetrate into Italy by Nice and the Riviera of Genoa. Marius, anxious to accustom his soldiers to the savage and strange aj> pearance of the barbarians, would not give thera battle at first. The latter accordingly resolved to attack the Roman camp ; but as they were re- pulsed in this attempt, they broke up their en- campment, aiid pressed on at once for Italy. So great were their numbers, that they are said to have been six days in marching by the Roman camp. As soon as they had advanced a little waj-, Marius also quitted his station and followed them ; and thus the armies continued to march for a few days, the barbarians in the front and Marius be- hind, till they came to the neighbourhood of Aquae Sextiae (Aix). Here the decisive battle was fought. Marius had pitched his camp in a spot which was badly supplied with water, and is said to have done so intentionally. The necessity which the Roman soldiers were under of obtaining their water in the neighbourhood of the barbarians' camp, led to a fierce skinuish between the two armies ; and this was followed, after the lapse of two or three days, by a general engagement. The battle was fiercely contested ; but an ambush of 3000 soldiers, which Marius had stationed under the command of Claudius Marcellus, in the rear of the barbarians, and which fell upon them when they were already retreating before Marius, decided the fortune of the day. Attacked both in front and rear, and also dreadfully exhausted by the excessive heat of the weather, they at length broke their ranks and fled. The carnage was dreadful ; some writers speak of 200,000 slain, and 80,000 taken prisoners (Liv. Ejnt. 68 ; Oros. V. 16) ; others state the number of the slain at 150,000 (Veil. Pat. ii. 12) ; while another state- ment reduces the number to 100,000 (Plut. Mar. 21 ); but whatever may have been the number that fell, the whole nation was annihilated, for those who escaped put an end to their lives, and their wives followed their example. Immediately after the battle, as Marius was in the act of setting iira