A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

CAESAR.
quarters among the Belgians, repaired, as usual, to
the north of Italy. Caesar had not gained any
victories in this campaign equal to those of the
three former years; but his victories over the Germans and far-distant Britons were probably regarded by the Romans with greater admiration
than his conquests of the Gauls. The senate accordingly voted him a public thanksgiving of twenty
days, notwithstanding the opposition of Cato, who
declared, that Caesar ought to be delivered up to the
Usipetes and Tenchtheri, to prevent the gods from
visiting upon Rome his violation of the law of nations in seizing the sacred persons of ambassadors.
The greater part of Caesar's fifth campaign, n. c.
54, was occupied with his second invasion of Britain. After making an expedition into Illyricum,
and afterwards into the country of the Treviri,
who had shewn a disposition to revolt, he set sail
from the port Itius with an army of five legions,
and landed without opposition at the same place
as in the former year. The British states had
entrusted the supreme command to Cassivellaunus,
a chief whose territories were divided from the
maritime states by the river Tamesis (Thames).
The Britons bravely opposed the progress of the
invaders, but were defeated in a series of engagements. Caesar crossed the Thames at the only
place where it was fordable, took the town of Cassivellaunus, and conquered great part of the counties of Essex and Middlesex. In consequence of
these disasters, Cassivellaunus sued for peace; and,
after demanding hostages, and settling the tribute
which Britain should pay yearly to the Roman
people, Caesar returned to Gaul towards the latter
part of the summer. Caesar gained no more by his
second invasion of Britain than by his first. He
had penetrated, it is true, further into the country,
but he had left no garrisons or military establishments behind him; and the people obeyed the
Romans just as little afterwards as they had done
before.
In consequence of the great scarcity of corn in
Gaul, arising from a drought this year, Caesar
was obliged, contrary to his practice in former
years, to divide his forces, and station his legions
for the winter in different parts of Gaul. This
seemed to the Gauls a favourable opportunity for
recovering their lost independence, and destroying
their conquerors. The Eburones, a Gallic people
between the Meuse and the Rhine, near the modern Tongres, led on by their chiefs, Ambiorix and
Cativolcus, were the first to begin the revolt, and
attacked the camp of the legion and five cohorts
under the command of T. Titurius Sabinus and
L. Aurunculeius Cotta, only fifteen days after they
had been stationed in their country. Alarmed at
the vast hosts which surrounded them, and fearing
that they should soon be attacked by the Germans
also, the Romans quitted their camp, with the intention of marching to the winter-quarters of the
legions nearest them under promise of a safe-conduct
from Ambiorix. This step was taken by Sabinus
against the wish of Cotta, who mistrusted the good
faith of Ambiorix. The result verified his fears: the
Romans were attacked on their march by Ambiorix,
and were destroyed almost to a man. This was the
first serious disaster that Caesar had experienced in
Gaul. Flushed with victory, Ambiorix and the
Eburones now proceeded to attack the camp of
Q. Cicero, the brother of the orator, who was stationed with one legion among the Nervii. The

CAESAR. 547
latter people and the Aduatici readily joined the
Eburones, and Cicero's camp was soon surrounded
by an overwhelming host. Seconded by the bravery of his soldiers, Cicero, though in a weak state
of health, repulsed the enemy in all their attempts
to storm the camp, till he was at length relieved by
Caesar in person, who came to his assistance with
two legions, as soon as he heard of the dangerous
position of his legate. The forces of the enemy,
which amounted to 60,000, were defeated by Caesar,
who then joined Cicero, and praised him and his
men for the bravery they had shewn. In consequence of the unsettled state of Gaul, Caesar resolved to remain with his army all the winter, and
accordingly took up his quarters at Samarobriva
(Amiens). About the same time, Indutiomarus,
a chief of the Treviri, attempted to form a confederacy against the Romans, but was attacked and
killed by Labienus, who was stationed in the
country of the Treviri.
In September of this year, B. c. 54, Julia, Caesar's daughter and Pompey's wife, died in childbirth; but her death did not at the time affect the
relations between Caesar and Pompey. In order,
however, to keep up a family connexion between
them, Caesar proposed that his niece Octavia, tho
wife of C. Marcellus and the sister of the future
emperor Augustus, should marry Pompey, and
that he himself should marry Pompey's daughter,
who was now the wife of Faustus Sulla. This
proposal, however, was declined, but for what reason we are not told.
In the next year, B. c. 53, which was Caesar's
sixth campaign in Gaul, the Gauls again took up
arms, and entered into a most formidable conspiracy to recover their independence. The destruction of the Roman troops under Sabinus and Cotta,
and the unsettled state of Gaul during the winter,
had led Caesar to apprehend a general rising of the
natives; and he had accordingly levied two new
legions in Cisalpine Gaul, and obtained one from
Pompey, who was remaining in the neighbourhood
of Rome as proconsul with the imperium. Being
thus at the head of a powerful army, he was able to
subdue the nations that revolted, and soon compelled
the Nervii, Senones, Carnutes, Menapii, and Treviri to return to obedience. But as the Treviri
had been supported by the Germans, he crossed
the Rhine again a little above the spot where he
had passed over two years before, and having received the submission of the Ubii, proceeded to
march into the country of the Suevi. The latter
people, however, retired to their woods and fastnesses as he advanced; and, finding it impossible
to come up with the enemy, he again recrossed the
Rhine, having effected as little as in his previous
invasion of the country. On his return, he made
a vigorous effort to put down Ambiorix, who still
continued in arms. The country of the Eburones
was laid waste with fire and sword; the troops of
Ambiorix were again and again defeated, but he
himself always escaped falling into the hands of
the Romans. In the midst of this war, when the
enemy were almost subdued, Cicero's camp was
surprised by a body of the Sigambri, who had
crossed the Rhine, and was almost taken. At the
conclusion of the campaign, Caesar prosecuted a
strict inquiry into the revolt of the Senones and
Carnutes, and caused Acco, who had been the chief
ringleader in the conspiracy, to be put to death.
He then stationed his troops for the winter among
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