Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
quarters, the vast funds of money collected to maintain it, the
strength of the towns, and the difficulty of the country where
it was carried on. It being winter, the rivers were frozen, the
woods covered with snow, and the level country flooded, so that
in some places the ways were lost through the depth of the snow;
in others, the overflowing of marshes and streams made every
kind of passage uncertain. All which difficulties made it seem
impracticable for Caesar to make any attempt upon the
insurgents. Many tribes had revolted together, the chief of
them being the Arverni and Carnutini ; the general who had the
supreme command in war was Vergentorix, whose father the Gauls
had put to death on suspicion of his aiming at absolute
government.
He having disposed his army in several bodies, and set officers
over them, drew over to him all the country round about as far
as those that lie upon the Arar, and having intelligence of the
opposition which Caesar now experienced at Rome, thought to
engage all Gaul in the war. Which if he had done a little
later, when Caesar was taken up with the civil wars, Italy had
been put into as great a terror as before it was by the Cimbri.
But Caesar, who above all men was gifted with the faculty of
making the right use of everything in war, and most especially
of seizing the right moment, as soon as he heard of the revolt,
returned immediately the same way he went, and showed the
barbarians, by the quickness of his march in such a severe
season, that an army was advancing against them which was
invincible. For in the time that one would have thought it
scarce credible that a courier or express should have come with
a message from him, he himself appeared with all his army,
ravaging the country, reducing their posts, subduing their
towns, receiving into his protection those who declared for him.
Till at last the Edui, who hitherto had styled themselves
brethren to the Romans, and had been much honored by them,
declared against him, and joined the rebels, to the great
discouragement of his army. Accordingly he removed thence, and
passed the country of the Lingones, desiring to reach the
territories of the Sequani, who were his friends, and who lay
like a bulwark in front of Italy against the other tribes of
Gaul. There the enemy came upon him, and surrounded him with
many myriads, whom he also was eager to engage; and at last,
after some time and with much slaughter, gained on the whole a
complete victory; though at first he appears to have met with
some reverse, and the Aruveni show you a small sword hanging up
in a temple, which they say was taken from Caesar. Caesar saw
this afterwards himself, and smiled, and when his friends
advised it should be taken down, would not permit it, because he
looked upon it as consecrated.
After the defeat a great part of those who had escaped, fled
with their king into a town called Alesia, which Caesar
besieged, though the height of the walls, and number of those
who defended them, made it appear impregnable; and meantime,
from without the walls, he was assailed by a greater danger than
can be expressed. For the choice men of Gaul, picked out of
each nation, and well armed, came to relieve Alesia, to the
number of three hundred thousand; nor were there in the town
less than one hundred and seventy thousand. So that Caesar
being shut up betwixt two such forces, was compelled to protect
himself by two walls, one towards the town, the other against
the relieving army, as knowing it these forces should join, his
affairs would be entirely ruined. The danger that he underwent
before Alesia, justly gained him great honor on many accounts,
and gave him an opportunity of showing greater instances of his
valor and conduct than any other contest had done. One wonders
much how he should be able to engage and defeat so many
thousands of men without the town, and not be perceived by those
within, but yet more, that the Romans themselves, who guarded
their wall which was next the town, should be strangers to it.
For even they knew nothing of the victory, till they heard the
cries of the men and lamentations of the women who were in the
town, and had from thence seen the Romans at a distance carrying
into their camp a great quantity of bucklers, adorned with gold
and silver, many breastplates stained with blood, besides cups
and tents made in the Gallic fashion. So soon did so vast an
army dissolve and vanish like a ghost or dream, the greatest
part of them being killed upon the spot. Those who were in
Alesia, having given themselves and Caesar much trouble,
surrendered at last; and Vergentorix, who was the chief spring
of all the war, putting his best armor on, and adorning his
horse, rode out of the gates, and made a turn about Caesar as he
was sitting, then quitted his horse, threw off his armor, and
remained seated quietly at Caesar's feet until he was led away
to be reserved for the triumph.
Caesar had long ago resolved upon the overthrow of Pompey, as
had Pompey, for that matter, upon his. For Crassus, the fear of
whom had hitherto kept them in peace, having now been killed in
Parthia, if the one of them wished to make himself the greatest
man in Rome, he had only to overthrow the other; and if he again
wished to prevent his own fall, he had nothing for it but to be
beforehand with him whom he feared. Pompey had not been long
under any such apprehensions, having till lately despised
Caesar, as thinking it no difficult matter to put down him whom
he himself had advanced. But Caesar had entertained this design
from the beginning against his rivals, and had retired, like an
expert wrestler, to prepare himself apart for the combat.
Making the Gallic wars his exercise-ground, he had at once
improved the strength of his soldiery, and had heightened his
own glory by his great actions, so that he was looked on as one
who might challenge comparison with Pompey. Nor did he let go
any of those advantages which were now given him both by Pompey
himself and the times, and the ill government of Rome, where all
who were candidates for offices publicly gave money, and without
any shame bribed the people, who having received their pay, did
not contend for their benefactors with their bare suffrages, but
with bows, swords, and slings. So that after having many times
stained the place of election with the blood of men killed upon
the spot, they left the city at last without a government at
all, to be carried about like a ship without a pilot to steer
her; while all who had any wisdom could only be thankful if a
course of such wild and stormy disorder and madness might end no
worse than in a monarchy. Some were so bold as to declare
openly, that the government was incurable but by a monarchy, and
that they ought to take that remedy from the hands of the
gentlest physician, meaning Pompey, who, though in words he
pretended to decline it, yet in reality made his utmost efforts
to be declared dictator. Cato perceiving his design, prevailed
with the senate to make him sole consul, that with the offer of
a more legal sort of monarchy he might be withheld from
demanding the dictatorship. They over and above voted him the
continuance of his provinces, for he had two, Spain and all
Africa, which he governed by his lieutenants, and maintained
armies under him, at the yearly charge of a thousand talents out
of the public treasury.
Upon this Caesar also sent and petitioned for the consulship,
and the continuance of his provinces. Pompey at first did not
stir in it, but Marcellus and Lentulus opposed it, who had
always hated Caesar, and now did every thing, whether fit or
unfit, which might disgrace and affront him. For they took away
the privilege of Roman citizens from the people of New Comum,
who were a colony that Caesar had lately planted in Gaul; and
Marcellus, who was then consul, ordered one of the senators of
that town, then at Rome, to be whipped, and told him he laid
that mark upon him to signify he was no citizen of Rome, bidding
him, when he went back again, to show it to Caesar. After
Marcellus's consulship, Caesar began to lavish gifts upon all
the public men out of the riches he had taken from the Gauls;
discharged Curio, the tribune, from his great debts; gave
Paulus, then consul, fifteen hundred talents, with which he
built the noble court of justice adjoining the forum, to supply
the place of that called the Fulvian. Pompey, alarmed at these
preparations, now openly took steps, both by himself and his
friends, to have a successor appointed in Caesar's room, and
sent to demand back the soldiers whom he had lent him to carry
on the wars in Gaul. Caesar returned them, and made each
soldier a present of two hundred and fifty drachmas. The
officer who brought them home to Pompey, spread amongst the
people no very fair or favorable report of Caesar, and flattered
Pompey himself with false suggestions that he was wished for by
Caesar's army; and though his affairs here were in some
embarrassment through the envy of some, and the ill state of the
government, yet there the army was at his command, and if they
once crossed into Italy, would presently declare for him; so
weary were they of Caesar's endless expeditions, and so
suspicious of his designs for a monarchy. Upon this Pompey grew
presumptuous, and neglected all warlike preparations, as
fearing no danger, and used no other means against him than mere
speeches and votes, for which Caesar cared nothing. And one of
his captains, it is said, who was sent by him to Rome, standing
before the senate-house one day, and being told that the senate
would not give Caesar a longer time in his government, clapped
his hand on the hilt of his sword, and said, "But this shall."
Yet the demands which Caesar made had the fairest colors of
equity imaginable. For he proposed to lay down his arms, and
that Pompey should do the same, and both together should become
private men, and each expect a reward of his services from the
public. For that those who proposed to disarm him, and at the
same time to confirm Pompey in all the power he held, were
simply establishing the one in the tyranny which they accused
the other of aiming at. When Curio made these proposals to the
people in Caesar's name, he was loudly applauded, and some threw
garlands towards him, and dismissed him as they do successful
wrestlers, crowned with flowers. Antony, being tribune,
produced a letter sent from Caesar on this occasion, and read
it, though the consuls did what they could to oppose it. But
Scipio, Pompey's father-in-law, proposed in the senate, that if
Caesar did not lay down his arms within such a time, he should
be voted an enemy; and the consuls putting it to the question,
whether Pompey should dismiss his soldiers, and again, whether
Caesar should disband his, very few assented to the first, but
almost all to the latter. But Antony proposing again, that both
should lay down their commissions, all but a very few agreed to
it. Scipio was upon this very violent, and Lentulus the consul
cried aloud, that they had need of arms, and not of suffrages,
against a robber; so that the senators for the present
adjourned, and appeared in mourning as a mark of their grief for
the dissension.
Afterwards there came other letters from Caesar, which seemed
yet more moderate, for he proposed to quit everything else, and
only to retain Gaul within the Alps, Illyricum, and two
legions, till he should stand a second time for consul. Cicero,
the orator, who was lately returned from Cilicia, endeavored to
reconcile differences, and softened Pompey, who was willing to
comply in other things, but not to allow him the soldiers. At
last Cicero used his persuasions with Caesar's friends to accept