Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
commands by them to their wives, for they would shortly be with them.
As soon as they were passed and had gone on a little distance ahead,
Marius began to move, and follow them at his leisure, always
encamping at some small distance from them; choosing also strong
positions, and carefully fortifying them, that he might quarter with
safety. Thus they marched till they came to the place called
Sextilius's Waters, from whence it was but a short way before being
amidst the Alps, and here Marius put himself in readiness for the
encounter.
He chose a place for his camp of considerable strength, but where
there was a scarcity of water; designing, it is said, by this means,
also, to put an edge on his soldiers' courage; and when several were
not a little distressed, and complained of thirst, pointing to a
river that ran near the enemy's camp: "There," said he, "you may
have drink, if you will buy it with your blood." "Why, then,"
replied they, "do you not lead us to them, before our blood is dried
up in us?" He answered, in a softer tone, "let us first fortify our
camp," and the soldiers, though not without repining, proceeded to
obey. Now a great company of their boys and camp-followers, having
neither drink for themselves nor for their horses, went down to that
river; some taking axes and hatchets, and some, too, swords and darts
with their pitchers, resolving to have water though they fought for
it. These were first encountered by a small party of the enemies;
for most of them had just finished bathing, and were eating and
drinking, and several were still bathing, the country thereabouts
abounding in hot springs; so that the Romans partly fell upon them
whilst they were enjoying themselves, and occupied with the novel
sights and pleasantness of the place. Upon hearing the shouts,
greater numbers still joining in the fight, it was not a little
difficult for Marius to contain his soldiers, who were afraid of
losing the camp-servants; and the more warlike part of the enemies,
who had overthrown Manlius and Caepio, (they were called Ambrones,
and were in number, one with another, above thirty thousand,) taking
the alarm, leaped up and hurried to arms.
These, though they had just been gorging themselves with food, and
were excited and disordered with drink, nevertheless did not advance
with an unruly step, or in mere senseless fury, nor were their shouts
mere inarticulate cries; but clashing their arms in concert, and
keeping time as they leapt and bounded onward, they continually
repeated their own name, "Ambrones!" either to encourage one another,
or to strike the greater terror into their enemies. Of all the
Italians in Marius's army, the Ligurians were the first that charged;
and when they caught the word of the enemy's confused shout, they,
too, returned the same, as it was an ancient name also in their
country, the Ligurians always using it when speaking of their
descent. This acclamation, bandied from one army to the other before
they joined, served to rouse and heighten their fury, while the men
on either side strove, with all possible vehemence, the one to
overshout the other.
The river disordered the Ambrones; before they could draw up all
their army on the other side of it, the Ligurians presently fell upon
the van, and began to charge them hand to hand. The Romans, too,
coming to their assistance, and from the higher ground pouring upon
the enemy, forcibly repelled them, and the most of them (one
thrusting another into the river) were there slain, and filled it
with their blood and dead bodies. Those that got safe over, not
daring to make head, were slain by the Romans, as they fled to their
camp and wagons; where the women meeting them with swords and
hatchets, and making a hideous outcry, set upon those that fled as
well as those that pursued, the one as traitors, the other as
enemies; and, mixing themselves with the combatants, with their bare
arms pulling away the Romans' shields, and laying hold on their
swords, endured the wounds and slashing of their bodies to the very
last, with undaunted resolution. Thus the battle seems to have
happened at that river rather by accident than by the design of the
general.
After the Romans were retired from the great slaughter of the
Ambrones, night came on; but the army was not indulged, as was the
usual custom, with songs of victory, drinking in their tents, and
mutual entertainments, and (what is most welcome to soldiers after
successful fighting) quiet sleep, but they passed that night, above
all others, in fears and alarm. For their camp was without either
rampart or palisade, and there remained thousands upon thousands of
their enemies yet unconquered; to whom were joined as many of the
Ambrones as escaped. There were heard from these, all through the
night, wild bewailings, nothing like the sighs and groans of men, but
a sort of wild-beastlike howling and roaring, joined with threats
and lamentations rising from the vast multitude, and echoed among the
neighboring hills and hollow banks of the river. The whole plain was
filled with hideous noise, insomuch that the Romans were not a little
afraid, and Marius himself was apprehensive of a confused tumultuous
night engagement. But the enemy did not stir either this night or
the next day, but were employed in disposing and drawing themselves
up to the greatest advantage.
Of this occasion Marius made good use; for there were beyond the
enemies some wooded ascents and deep valleys thickly set with trees,
whither he sent Claudius Marcellus, secretly, with three thousand
regular soldiers, giving him orders to post them in ambush there, and
show themselves at the rear of the enemies, when the fight was begun.
The others, refreshed with victuals and sleep, as soon as it was day
he drew up before the camp, and commanded the horse to sally out into
the plain, at the sight of which the Teutones could not contain
themselves till the Romans should come down and fight them on equal
terms, but hastily arming themselves, charged in their fury up the
hill-side. Marius, sending officers to all parts, commanded his men
to stand still and keep their ground; when they came within reach, to
throw their javelins, then use their swords, and, joining their
shields, force them back; pointing out to them that the steepness of
the ground would render the enemy's blows inefficient, nor could
their shields be kept close together, the inequality of the ground
hindering the stability of their footing.
This counsel he gave them, and was the first that followed it; for he
was inferior to none in the use of his body, and far excelled all in
resolution. The Romans accordingly stood for their approach, and,
checking them in their advance upwards, forced them little by little
to give way and yield down the hill, and here, on the level ground no
sooner had the Ambrones begun to restore their van into a posture of
resistance, but they found their rear disordered. For Marcellus had
not let slip the opportunity; but as soon as the shout was raised
among the Romans on the hills, he, setting his men in motion, fell in
upon the enemy behind, at full speed, and with loud cries, and routed
those nearest him, and they, breaking the ranks of those that were
before them, filled the whole army with confusion. They made no long
resistance after they were thus broke in upon, but having lost all
order, fled.
The Romans, pursuing them, slew and took prisoners above one hundred
thousand, and possessing themselves of their spoil, tents, and
carriages, voted all that was not purloined to Marius's share, which,
though so magnificent a present, yet was generally thought less than
his conduct deserved in so great a danger. Other authors give a
different account, both about the division of the plunder and the
number of the slain. They say, however, that the inhabitants of
Massilia made fences round their vineyards with the bones, and that
the ground, enriched by the moisture of the putrefied bodies, (which
soaked in with the rain of the following winter,) yielded at the
season a prodigious crop, and fully justified Archilochus, who said,
that the fallows thus are fattened. It is an observation, also, that
extraordinary rains pretty generally fall after great battles;
whether it be that some divine power thus washes and cleanses the
polluted earth with showers from above, or that moist and heavy
evaporations, steaming forth from the blood and corruption, thicken
the air, which naturally is subject to alteration from the smallest
causes.
After the battle, Marius chose out from amongst the barbarians'
spoils and arms, those that were whole and handsome, and that would
make the greatest show in his triumph; the rest he heaped upon a
large pile, and offered a very splendid sacrifice. Whilst the army
stood round about with their arms and garlands, himself attired
(as the fashion is on such occasions) in the purple-bordered robe,
taking a lighted torch, and with both hands lifting it up towards
heaven, he was then going to put it to the pile, when some friends
were espied with all haste coming towards him on horseback. Upon
which every one remained in silence and expectation. They, upon
their coming up, leapt off and saluted Marius, bringing him the news
of his fifth consulship, and delivered him letters to that effect.
This gave the addition of no small joy to the solemnity; and while
the soldiers clashed their arms and shouted, the officers again
crowned Marius with a laurel-wreath, and he thus set fire to the
pile, and finished his sacrifice.
But whatever it be, which interferes to prevent the enjoyment of
prosperity ever being pure and sincere, and still diversifies human
affairs with the mixture of good and bad, whether fortune or divine
displeasure, or the necessity of the nature of things, within a few
days Marius received an account of his colleague, Catulus, which as a
cloud in serenity and calm, terrified Rome with the apprehension of
another imminent storm. Catulus, who marched against the Cimbri,
despairing of being able to defend the passes of the Alps, lest,
being compelled to divide his forces into several parties, he should
weaken himself, descended again into Italy, and posted his army
behind the river Adige; where he occupied the passages with strong
fortifications on both sides the river, and made a bridge, that so he
might cross to the assistance of his men on the other side, if so be
the enemy, having forced their way through the mountain passes,
should storm the fortresses. The barbarians, however, came on with
such insolence and contempt of their enemies, that to show their
strength and courage, rather than out of any necessity, they went
naked in the showers of snow, and through the ice and deep snow
climbed up to the tops of the hills, and from thence, placing their
broad shields under their bodies, let themselves slide from the
precipices along their vast slippery descents.
When they had pitched their camp at a little distance from the river,
and surveyed the passage, they began to pile it up, giant-like,
tearing down the neighboring hills; and brought trees pulled up by
the roots, and heaps of earth to the river, damming up its course;
and with great heavy materials which they rolled down the stream and
dashed against the bridge, they forced away the beams which supported
it; in consequence of which the greatest part of the Roman soldiers,
much affrighted, left the large camp and fled. Here Catulus showed
himself a generous and noble general, in preferring the glory of his
people before his own; for when he could not prevail with his
soldiers to stand to their colors, but saw how they all deserted
them, he commanded his own standard to be taken up, and running to