Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/502

 494 OTHO. an overbearing, foreign-seeming man, of gigantic stature, and always dressed in trews and sleeves, after the manner of the Gauls, whilst he conversed with Roman officiala and magistrates. His wife, too, travelled along with him, riding in splendid attire on horseback, with a chosen body of cavalry to escort her. And Fabius Valens, the other general, was so rapacious, that neither what he plundered from enemies nor what he stole or got as gifts and bribes from his friends and allies could satisfy his wishes. And it was said that it was in order to have time to raise money that he had marched so slowly that he was not present at the former attack. But some lay the blame on Caacina, saying, that out of a desire to gain the victory by himself before Fabius joined hira, he committed sundry other errors of lesser consequence, and by engaging unseason- ably and when he could not do so thoroughly, he very nearly brought all to ruin. When he found himself beat off at Placentia, he set off to attack Cremona, another large and rich city. In the mean time, Annius Gallus marched to join Spurina at Placentia ; but having intelligence that the siege was raised, and that Cremona was in danger, he turned to its relief, and encamped just by the enemy, where he was daily reinforced by other officers. Caecina placed a strong ambush of heavy infantry in some rough and woody country, and gave orders to his horse to advance, and if the enemy should charge them, then to make a slow re- treat, and draw them into the snare. But his stratagem was discovered by some deserters to Celsus, who attacked mth a good body of horse, but followed the pursuit cau- tiously, and succeeded in surrounding and routing the troops in the ambuscade ; and if the infantry which he ordered up from the camp had come soon enough to sus- tain the horse, Ciecina's whole army, in all appearance, had been totally routed. But Paulinus, moving too