Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/215

 956 GALLIA TBAK& defended bj Cicero ; part of whose oratton oa this occasion U extant Another jrovemor of the Provincia, dnring b. c. 66, 65, C. Calpamins Piso (consul b. c 67), was proeecute<l bjr C. Julius Caesar b. g. 63 on a charge of repetnndoe and other oflfences. Cicero defended him, and he was acquitted. In the consulship of Cicero (b. c. 63) Catilina and his desperate associates made proposals to the ambassadors of the Allobroges who were then at Some. The ambassadors had come to get protec* tion from the senate against the greediness of the Roman governors. They were overwhelmed with debt, both the state and individuals; a common complaint of the provincial subjects of Rome. The Romans levied heavy contributions on those people who had made most resistance, and both com- munities and individuals felt it-. Besides this, the Gallic cultivator seems to have been always in debt. He borrowed money from the Roman n^otiatores at a high rate, and his profits would be hardly suffi- cient to pay the inteiest of the money. The pn>> fitable business of feeding sheep and cattle was in the hands of Romans, who probid>ly got the exclusive use of much of the pasture knd. As the Allobroges were a conquered people, we may conjecture that their waste lands had been seized by the Roman state, and were covered with the flocks of Romans who paid to the Roman treasury a small sum for the right of pasture. P. Quinctius, for whom Cicero made a speech which is extant, had a good business in Gallia as a flock 'master (^ Pecuaria res satb ampla,** pro P, QuinctiOj c. 3). A Roman named Umbrenus, who had been a ** n^otiator" in Gallia, undertone to open the conspiracy of Catiline to the Allobroges, and he promised them great things if their nation would join in the rising. From fear, however, or some other eause, the Allobroges betrayed the oonspi- ratofB to the consul Cicenx (Sallust, Cal, 40 ; Appian, B, C, vL 4.) It does not appear that the ambas- sadors got anything for their pains, though they well deserved it There were signs of insurrection in Southern Italy as well as in Gallia Citerior and Ulterior, and the revehitions of the ambassad<»s saved Rome at least from a dvil war. The Albbroges at home were not satisfied with the mission to Rome, for they rose against the Romans, and ravaged the country about Narbotme. Manlius Lentinus, a legatus of the governor C. Pomptinns, narrowly escaped perishing with bn army near the Ttirey having fallen into an ambus- eade laid by Catoe^t, the commander of the Galli. By sending fresh forces across tiie Rhone, Pomptinus defeated the Galli near Solonium (perhaps So^foiMKs), and ended the war by taking the place. (Dion Cass, xxxvii. 47 ; Liv. JEpiL 103.) Though the Greek and Roman writers give us no satisfactory information about the Cimbri and Teu- tones, they are quite dear about the people whom they call Germani. The German! were on the east side of the Rhine, opposite to the Helvetii, with whom they were constantly fighting (Caes. jB. G. i 1), and to the other Celtic and Belgic peoples who lived along the Rhine from the territories of the Helvetii northward. The Germani had got a footing in the country of the Belgae long before Caesar 8 Ume [Bbloab] ; and the Tribocci, also a German people, were settled in the plain between the Votget and the Rhine about SMutburffy and consequently within the limits of the Celtae. A quarrel between the Aedni, who were east of the GALLU TRAN& iSb^'and m the valley of the Dombt^ bfooght fret Germans into Cbdlia. One matter in dispcite ws the tolls on the navigation of the Arar. (Strak p 192.) The Sequani made an allianee with th« Arvemi to annoy the Aedui on one side, and en the other they brought over the Rliine Ariovistiia, a chief of the Suevi. The German came with fab hardy men, and soon reduced the Aedni to anb- mission. An Aednan named Divitaacua, « Dmid, who had the title and rank of Vergobntns, escaped into the Proviuda,and thence made his waj to Bone to complain of the tyranny of the German. (CaeSb B, G, I 30.) Cicero (de Dwm. i. 40) entertained this learned Celt at Rome, and his brother Qoxntas was acquainted with him when be was one cf Caeoir^s legati in the Gallic War. Ariovistns;, alter defiBating the Aedui, took poasesaon of one tfainl part of the lands of his frienda the Sequani ; and, as new comers from the other side <yf the river had to be provided with lands, ha demanded of the Seqnai another Uiird. (i9. G, L 31.) This was the state of affairs in that part of Gallia when (b. c 60) a nnmnr reached Rome that the Hdvetii were preparing te move from their country. (B. G, L 2.) The BotnaBs had already suffered from the arms of the T^nriBi, one of the four Helvetic pagi. This morement cf a whole people was an attempt to seize the snpre- macy of Galha, and in the end to eject the l^*"^ In B. c. 59 C. Julius Caesar was consul ; and it hap- pened that during this year Gallia was qoict, partlf owing to Caesar's own contrivance, perhaps, lor it was during his OMisnlship that the savage Genaaa Ariovistus was honoured with the title of " Bex atqne amicus " (B. (r. i. 35) by the Roman senate. Caesar obtained for his ** provincia,** after the ex- piration of his consulship, Galfia Cisalpina and lUyricum, with Gallia noith of the Alpe, for five years ; and he had a general oommissian for doiag what he liked north ^ the Alps under the naaw of protecting the friends and allies of the Roman people. {B. G. i. 35.) Early in b. c 58 he beard that the Helvetii were beginning to move from their country, and the road they were going to take was through the Provincia. Caesar hastily quitted Rome, crossed the Alps, and in a few days he was at Geneva. The conquest of GalKa by Caesar is told with great brevity by himself. His purpose was to de- scnbe his military operations, and he telis us vefy little more about Gallia than what strictly beioi^ to the matter. In one instance (vL 1 1 — ^20) he has made a digression to speak of the institutions and manners of the people; but he has given no de- scription of the country except his brief introdoe- tion (A G, i. 1). All the rest that we learn abont tbe oonntiy and the people b told as part of bis military operations ; but we may learn from it moie of the state of Gallia than from the learned hbo^nn of a modem compiler. His war with the Hdvvdt may be more conveniently spoken of under that hewling. [Hklvietii.] After driving this nation back to their homes he went against the Gcnnaa Ariovistus. His course was to Vestnitio {BemMt^am% the capital of the Sequani, on the 2>o«&t, the posi- tion of which he has wdl described. From Bemm^om the direction of bis mardi is not cleariy stated : bat he reached a large plain, and defeated Arioristns five mUes from the Rhine ; lor five miles is the tme reading,not fifty. {Cw».B. G, L 31^54.) The battle was fought in the plun between the Vo^et and the Rhine, somewhere north of Bah. Nothing men is