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

CAESAR.
country. In consequence of these representations,
Caesar commanded Ariovistus, who had received
the title of king and friend of the Roman people
in Caesar's own consulship, to abstain from introducing any more Germans into Gaul, to restore the
hostages to the Aedui, and not to attack the latter
or their allies. But as a haughty answer was
returned to these commands, both parties prepared
for war. Caesar advanced northwards through the
country of the Sequani, and took possession of
Vesontio (Besancon), an important town on the
Dubis (Doubs), and some days afterwards fought
a decisive battle with Ariovistus, who suffered a
total defeat, and fled with the remains of his army
to the Rhine, a distance of fifty miles. Only a
very few, and among the rest Ariovistus himself,
crossed the river; the rest were cut to pieces by
the Roman cavalry. [ARIOVISTUS.]
Having thus completed two very important wars
in one summer, Caesar led his troops into their
quarters for the winter early in the autumn, where
he left them under the command of Labienus,
while he himself went into Cisalpine Gaul to attend to his civil duties in the province.
The following year, a. c. 57, was occupied with
the Belgic war. Alarmed at Caesar's success, the
various Belgic tribes, which dwelt between the
Sequana (Seine) and the Rhine, and were the most
warlike of all the Gauls, had entered into a confederacy to oppose Caesar, and had raised an army
of 300,000 men. Caesar meantime levied two
new legions in Cisalpine Gaul, which increased his
army to eight legions; but even this was but a
small force compared withl the overwhelming numbers of the enemy. Caesar was the first to open
the campaign by marching into the country of the
Remi, who submitted at his approach, and entered
into alliance with him. He then crossed the Axona (Aisne), and pitched his camp on a strong position on the right bank. But, in order to make a
diversion, and to separate the vast forces of the
enemy, he sent Divitiacus with the Aedui to
attack the country of the Bellovaci from the
west. The enemy had meantime laid siege to
Bibrax (Bievre), a town of the Remi, hut retired
when Caesar sent troops to its assistance. They
soon, however, began to suffer from want of provisions, and hearing that Divitiacus was approaching
the territories of the Bellovaci, they came to the
resolution of breaking up their vast army, and retiring to their own territories, where each people
could obtain provisions and maintain themselves.
This determination was fatal to them: together
they might possibly have conquered; but once separated, they had no chance of contending against
the powerful Roman army. Hitherto Caesar had
remained in his entrenchments, but he now broke
up from his quarters, and resumed the offensive.
The Suessiones, the Bellovaci, and Ambiani were
subdued in succession, or surrendered of their own
accord; but a more formidable task awaited him
when he came to the Nervii, the most warlike of
all the Belgic tribes. In their country, near the
river Sabis (Sambre), the Roman army was surprised by the enemy while engaged in marking
out and fortifying the camp. This part of the
country was surrounded by woods, in which the
Nervii had concealed themselves; and it seems, as
Napoleon has remarked, that Caesar was on this
occiasion guilty of great inmprudence in not having
explored the country properly, as he vwas well pro

CAESAR. 545
vided with light armed troops. The attack of the
Nervii was so unexpected, and the surprise so
complete, that before the Romans could form in
rank, the enemy was in their midst: the Roman
soldiers began to give way, and the battle seemed
entirely lost. Caesar used every effort to amend
his first error; he hastened from post to post,
freely exposed his own person in the first line of
the battle, and discharged alike the duties of a
brave soldier and an able general. His exertions
and the discipline of the Roman troops at length
triumphed; and the Nervii were defeated with
such immense slaughter, that out of 60,000 fighting-men only 500 remained in the state. The
Aduatici, who were on their march to join the
Nervii, returned to their own country when they
heard of Caesar's victory, and shut themselves up
in one of their towns, which was of great natural
strength, perhaps on the hill called at present Falais. Caesar marched to the place, and laid
siege to it; but when the barbarians saw the military engines approaching the walls, they surrendered to Caesar. In the night, however, they
attempted to surprise the Roman camp, but, being
repulsed, paid dearly for their treachery; for on
the following day Caesar took possession of the
town, and sold all -the inhabitants as slaves, to the
number of 53,000, At the same time he received
intelligence that the VYoneti, Unelli, and various
other states in the north-west of Gaul, had submitted to M. Crassus, whom he had sent against
them with one legion. Having thus subjugated
the whole of the north of Gaul, Caesar led his
troops into winter-quarters in the country of the
Carnutes, Andes, and Turones, people near the
Ligeris (Loire), in the central parts of Gaul, and
then proceeded himself to Cisalpine Gaul. When
the senate received the despatches of Caesar announcing this victory, they decreed a public thanksgiving of fifteen days-a distinction which had
never yet been granted to any one: the thanksgiving in Pompey's honour, after the Mithridatic
war, had lasted for ten days, and that was the
longest that had hitherto been decreed.
At the beginning of the following year, B. c.
56, which was Caesar's third campaign in Gaul,
he was detained some months in Italy by the
state of affairs at Rome. There had been a misunderstanding between Pompcy and Crassis; and
L. Domitius Ahenobarbus, who had become a candidate for the consulship, threatened to deprive
Caesar of his army and provinces., Caesar accordingly invited Pompey and Crassus to come to him
at Luca (Lucca), where he reconciled them to one
another, and arranged that they should be the consuls for the following year, and that Crassus should
have the province of Syria, and Pompey the two
Spains. They on their part agreed to obtain the
prolongation of Caesar's government for five years
more, and pay for his troops out of the public treasury. It was not through any want of money
that Caesar made the latter stipulation, for he
had obtained immense booty in his two campaigns
in Gaul; but so corrupt was the state of society at
Rome, that he knew it would be difficult for him
to retain his present position unless he was able to
bribe the people and the leading men in the city.
The money which he had acquired in his Gallic
wars was therefore freely expended in,carrying
the elections of those candidates for public offices
who would support his interests, and also in pre2N