Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/506

 498 OTHO. out of Bedriacum to a place fifty fui-longs off, where he pitched liis camp so ignorantly and with such a ridicu- lous want of foresight, that the soldiers suffered extremely for want of water, though it was the spring time, and the plains all around were full of running streams and rivers that never dried up. The next day he proposed to attack the enemy, first making a march of not less than a hundred furlongs ; but to this Paulinus objected, saying they ought to wait, and not immediately after a journey engage men who would have been standing in their arms and arranging themselves for battle at their leisure, whilst they were making a long march with all their beasts of burden and their camp followers to encumber them. As the generals were arguing about this matter, a Numidian courier came from Otho with orders to lose no time, but give battle. Accordingly they consented, and moved. As soon as Caecina had notice, he was much surprised, and quitted his pOst on the river to hasten to the camp. In the mean time, the men had armed themselves mostly, and were receiving the word from Valens; so while the legions took up their position, they sent out the best of their horse in advance. Otho's foremost troops, upon some groundless rumor, took up the notion that the commanders on the other side would come over ; and accordingly, upon their first approach, they saluted them with the friendly title of fellow-soldiers. But the others returned the compliment with anger and disdainful words ; which not only dis- heartened those that had given the salutation, but ex- cited suspicions of their fidelity amongst the others on their side, who had not. This caused a confusion at the very first onset. And nothing else that followed was done upon any plan ; the baggage-carriers, mingling up with the fighting men, created great disorder and division, as well as the nature of the ground ; the ditches and j)its