Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
and not only the nobility were indignant, but that the people,
also, out of respect for Cato's virtue, were following in
silence, and with dejected looks, he himself privately desired
one of the tribunes to rescue Cato. As for the other senators,
some few of them attended the house, the rest being disgusted,
absented themselves. Hence Considius, a very old man, took
occasion one day to tell Caesar, that the senators did not meet
because they were afraid of his soldiers. Caesar asked, "Why
don't you then, out of the same fear, keep at home?" To which
Considius replied, that age was his guard against fear, and that
the small remains of his life were not worth much caution. But
the most disgraceful thing that was done in Caesar's consulship,
was his assisting to gain the tribuneship for the same Clodius
who had made the attempt upon his wife's chastity, and intruded
upon the secret vigils. He was elected on purpose to effect
Cicero's downfall; nor did Caesar leave the city to join his
army, till they two had overpowered Cicero, and driven him out
of Italy.
Thus far have we followed Caesar's actions before the wars of
Gaul. After this, he seems to begin his course afresh, and to
enter upon a new life and scene of action. And the period of
those wars which he now fought, and those many expeditions in
which he subdued Gaul, showed him to be a soldier and general
not in the least inferior to any of the greatest and most
admired commanders who had ever appeared at the head of armies.
For if we compare him with the Fabii, the Metelli, the Scipios,
and with those who were his contemporaries, or not long before
him, Sylla, Marius, the two Luculli, or even Pompey himself,
whose glory, it may be said, went up at that time to heaven for
every excellence in war, we shall find Caesar's actions to have
surpassed them all. One he may be held to have outdone in
consideration of the difficulty of the country in which he
fought, another in the extent of territory which he conquered;
some, in the number and strength of the enemies whom he
defeated; one man, because of the wildness and perfidiousness of
the tribes whose good-will he conciliated, another in his
humanity and clemency to those he overpowered; others, again in
his gifts and kindnesses to his soldiers; all alike in the
number of the battles which he fought and the enemies whom he
killed. For he had not pursued the wars in Gaul full ten years,
when he had taken by storm above eight hundred towns, subdued
three hundred states, and of the three millions of men, who made
up the gross sum of those with whom at several times he engaged,
he had killed one million, and taken captive a second.
He was so much master of the good-will and hearty service of his
soldiers, that those who in other expeditions were but ordinary
men, displayed a courage past defeating or withstanding when
they went upon any danger where Caesar's glory was concerned.
Such a one was Acilius, who, in the sea-fight before Marseilles,
had his right hand struck off with a sword, yet did not quit his
buckler out of his left, but struck the enemies in the face with
it, till he drove them off, and made himself master of the
vessel. Such another was Cassius Scaeva, who, in a battle near
Dyrrhachium, had one of his eyes shot out with an arrow, his
shoulder pierced with one javelin, and his thigh with another;
and having received one hundred and thirty darts upon his
target, called to the enemy, as though he would surrender
himself. But when two of them came up to him, he cut off the
shoulder of one with a sword, and by a blow over the face forced
the other to retire, and so with the assistance of his friends,
who now came up, made his escape. Again, in Britain, when some
of the foremost officers had accidentally got into a morass full
of water, and there were assaulted by the enemy, a common
soldier, whilst Caesar stood and looked on, threw himself into
the midst of them, and after many signal demonstrations of his
valor, rescued the officers, and beat off the barbarians. He
himself, in the end, took to the water, and with much
difficulty, partly by swimming, partly by wading, passed it, but
in the passage lost his shield. Caesar and his officers saw it
and admired, and went to meet him with joy and acclamation. But
the soldier, much dejected and in tears, threw himself down at
Caesar's feet, and begged his pardon for having let go his
buckler. Another time in Africa, Scipio having taken a ship of
Caesar's in which Granius Petro, lately appointed quaestor, was
sailing, gave the other passengers as free prize to his
soldiers, but thought fit to offer the quaestor his life. But
he said it was not usual for Caesar's soldiers to take, but give
mercy, and having said so, fell upon his sword and killed
himself.
This love of honor and passion for distinction were inspired
into them and cherished in them by Caesar himself, who, by his
unsparing distribution of money and honors, showed them that he
did not heap up wealth from the wars for his own luxury, or the
gratifying his private pleasures, but that all he received was
but a public fund laid by for the reward and encouragement of
valor, and that he looked upon all he gave to deserving soldiers
as so much increase to his own riches. Added to this, also,
there was no danger to which he did not willingly expose
himself, no labor from which he pleaded all exemption. His
contempt of danger was not so much wondered at by his soldiers,
because they knew how much he coveted honor. But his enduring
so much hardship, which he did to all appearance beyond his
natural strength, very much astonished them. For he was a spare
man, had a soft and white skin, was distempered in the head, and
subject to an epilepsy, which, it is said, first seized him at
Corduba. But he did not make the weakness of his constitution a
pretext for his ease, but rather used war as the best physic
against his indispositions; whilst by indefatigable journeys,
coarse diet, frequent lodging in the field, and continual
laborious exercise, he struggled with his diseases, and
fortified his body against all attacks. He slept generally in
his chariots or litters, employing even his rest in pursuit of
action. In the day he was thus carried to the forts, garrisons,
and camps, one servant sitting with him, who used to write down
what he dictated as he went, and a soldier attending behind with
his sword drawn. He drove so rapidly, that when he first left
Rome, he arrived at the river Rhone within eight days. He had
been an expert rider from his childhood; for it was usual with
him to sit with his hands joined together behind his back, and
so to put his horse to its full speed. And in this war he
disciplined himself so far as to be able to dictate letters from
on horseback, and to give directions to two who took notes at
the same time, or, as Oppius says, to more. And it is thought
that he was the first who contrived means for communicating with
friends by cipher, when either press of business, or the large
extent of the city, left him no time for a personal conference
about matters that required dispatch. How little nice he was in
his diet, may be seen in the following instance. When at the
table of Valerius Leo, who entertained him at supper at Milan, a
dish of asparagus was put before him, on which his host instead
of oil had poured sweet ointment. Caesar partook of it without
any disgust, and reprimanded his friends for finding fault with
it. "For it was enough," said he, "not to eat what you did not
like; but he who reflects on another man's want of breeding,
shows he wants it as much himself." Another time upon the road
he was driven by a storm into a poor man's cottage, where he
found but one room, and that such as would afford but a mean
reception to a single person, and therefore told his companions,
places of honor should be given up to the greater men, and
necessary accommodations to the weaker, and accordingly ordered
that Oppius, who was in bad health, should lodge within, whilst
he and the rest slept under a shed at the door.
His first war in Gaul was against the Helvetians and Tigurini,
who having burnt their own towns, twelve in number, and four
hundred villages, would have marched forward through that part
of Gaul which was included in the Roman province, as the
Cimbrians and Teutons formerly had done. Nor were they inferior
to these in courage; and in numbers they were equal, being in
all three hundred thousand, of which one hundred and ninety
thousand were fighting men. Caesar did not engage the Tigurini
in person, but Labienus, under his directions, routed them near
the river Arar. The Helvetians surprised Caesar, and
unexpectedly set upon him as he was conducting his army to a
confederate town. He succeeded, however, in making his retreat
into a strong position, where, when he had mustered and
marshalled his men, his horse was brought to him; upon which he
said, "When I have won the battle, I will use my horse for the
chase, but at present let us go against the enemy," and
accordingly charged them on foot. After a long and severe
combat, he drove the main army out of the field, but found the
hardest work at their carriages and ramparts, where not only the
men stood and fought, but the women also and children defended
themselves, till they were cut to pieces; insomuch that the
fight was scarcely ended till midnight. This action, glorious
in itself, Caesar crowned with another yet more noble, by
gathering in a body all the barbarians that had escaped out of
the battle, above one hundred thousand in number, and obliging
them to reoccupy the country which they had deserted, and the
cities which they had burnt. This he did for fear the Germans
should pass in and possess themselves of the land whilst it lay
uninhabited.
His second war was in defense of the Gauls against the Germans,
though some time before he had made Ariovistus, their king,
recognized at Rome as an ally. But they were very insufferable
neighbors to those under his government; and it was probable,
when occasion offered, they would renounce the present
arrangements, and march on to occupy Gaul. But finding his
officers timorous, and especially those of the young nobility
who came along with him in hopes of turning their campaigns with
him into a means for their own pleasure or profit, he called
them together, and advised them to march off, and not run the
hazard of a battle against their inclinations, since they had
such weak and unmanly feelings; telling them that he would take
only the tenth legion, and march against the barbarians, whom he
did not expect to find an enemy more formidable than the Cimbri,
nor, he added, should they find him a general inferior to
Marius. Upon this, the tenth legion deputed some of their body
to pay him their acknowledgments and thanks, and the other
legions blamed their officers, and all, with great vigor and
zeal, followed him many days' journey, till they encamped within
two hundred furlongs of the enemy. Ariovistus's courage to some
extent was cooled upon their very approach; for never expecting
the Romans would attack the Germans, whom he had thought it more
likely they would not venture to withstand even in defense of
their own subjects, he was the more surprised at Caesar's
conduct, and saw his army to be in consternation. They were
still more discouraged by the prophecies of their holy women,
who foretell the future by observing the eddies of rivers, and
taking signs from the windings and noise of streams, and who now
warned them not to engage before the next new moon appeared.
Caesar having had intimation of this, and seeing the Germans lie
still, thought it expedient to attack them whilst they were