caesar-第5部分

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not　run　the　hazard　of　a　battle　against　their　inclinations；　since



they　had　such　weak　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　vigour　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　defence　of　their　own　subjects；　he　was　the　more



surprised　at　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　under　these　apprehensions；



rather　than　sit　still　and　wait　their　time。　Accordingly　he　made　his



approaches　to　the　strongholds　and　hills　on　which　they　lay　encamped；



and　so　galled　and　fretted　them　that　at　last　they　came　down　with



great　fury　to　engage。　But　he　gained　a　signal　victory；　and　pursued　them



for　four　hundred　furlongs；　as　far　as　the　Rhine；　all　which　space　was



covered　with　spoils　and　bodies　of　the　slain。　Ariovistus　made　shift



to　pass　the　Rhine　with　the　small　remains　of　an　army；　for　it　is　said



the　number　of　the　slain　amounted　to　eighty　thousand。



　　After　this　action；　Caesar　left　his　army　at　their　winter　quarters



in　the　country　of　the　Sequani；　and；　in　order　to　attend　to　affairs　at



Rome；　went　into　that　part　of　Gaul　which　lies　on　the　Po；　and　was　part



of　his　province；　for　the　river　Rubicon　divides　Gaul；　which　is　on



this　side　the　Alps；　from　the　rest　of　Italy。　There　he　sat　down　and



employed　himself　in　courting　people's　favour；　great　numbers　coming



to　him　continually；　and　always　finding　their　requests　answered；　for　he



never　failed　to　dismiss　all　with　present　pledges　of　his　kindness　in



hand；　and　further　hopes　for　the　future。　And　during　all　this　time　of



the　war　in　Gaul；　Pompey　never　observed　how　Caesar　was　on　the　one



hand　using　the　arms　of　Rome　to　effect　his　conquests；　and　on　the



other　was　gaining　over　and　securing　to　himself　the　favour　of　the



Romans　with　the　wealth　which　those　conquests　obtained　him。　But　when　he



heard　that　the　Belgae；　who　were　the　most　powerful　of　all　the　Gauls；



and　inhabited　a　third　part　of　the　country；　were　revolted；　and　had



got　together　a　great　many　thousand　men　in　arms；　he　immediately　set　out



and　took　his　way　hither　with　great　expedition；　and　falling　upon　the



enemy　as　they　were　ravaging　the　Gauls；　his　allies；　he　soon　defeated



and　put　to　flight　the　largest　and　least　scattered　division　of　them。



For　though　their　numbers　were　great；　yet　they　made　but　a　slender



defence；　and　the　marshes　and　deep　rivers　were　made　passable　to　the



Roman　foot　by　the　vast　quantity　of　dead　bodies。　Of　those　who　revolted；



all　the　tribes　that　lived　near　the　ocean　came　over　without　fighting；



and　he；　therefore；　led　his　army　against　the　Nervii；　the　fiercest　and



most　warlike　people　of　all　in　those　parts。　These　live　in　a　country



covered　with　continuous　woods；　and　having　lodged　their　children　and



property　out　of　the　way　in　the　depth　of　the　forest；　fell　upon　Caesar



with　a　body　of　sixty　thousand　men；　before　he　was　prepared　for　them；



while　he　was　making　his　encampment。　They　soon　routed　his　cavalry；



and　having　surrounded　the　twelfth　and　seventh　legions；　killed　all



the　officers；　and　had　not　Caesar　himself　snatched　up　a　buckler　and



forced　his　way　through　his　own　men　to　come　up　to　the　barbarians；　or



had　not　the　tenth　legion；　when　they　saw　him　in　danger；　run　in　from　the



tops　of　the　hills；　where　they　lay；　and　broken　through　the　enemy's



ranks　to　rescue　him；　in　all　probability　not　a　Roman　would　have　been



saved。　But　now；　under　the　influence　of　Caesar's　bold　example；　they



fought　a　battle；　as　the　phrase　is；　of　more　than　human　courage；　and　yet



with　their　utmost　efforts　they　were　not　able　to　drive　the　enemy　out　of



the　field；　but　cut　them　down　fighting　in　their　defence。　For　out　of



sixty　thousand　men；　it　is　stated　that　not　above　five　hundred



survived　the　battle；　and　of　four　hundred　of　their　senators　not　above



three。



　　When　the　Roman　senate　had　received　news　of　this；　they　voted



sacrifices　and　festivals　to　the　gods；　to　be　strictly　observed　for



the　space　of　fifteen　days；　a　longer　space　than　ever　was　observed　for



any　victory　before。　The　danger　to　which　they　had　been　exposed　by　the



joint　outbreak　of　such　a　number　of　nations　was　felt　to　have　been



great；　and　the　people's　fondness　for　Caesar　gave　additional　lustre



to　successes　achieved　by　him。　He　now；　after　settling　everything　in



Gaul；　came　back　again；　and　spent　the　winter　by　the　Po；　in　order　to



carry　on　the　designs　he　had　in　hand　at　Rome。　All　who　were　candidates



for　offices　used　his　assistance；　and　were　supplied　with　money　from　him



to　corrupt　the　people　and　buy　their　votes；　in　return　of　which；　when



they　were　chosen；　they　did　all　things　to　advance　his　power。　But　what



was　more　considerable；　the　most　eminent　and　powerful　men　in　Rome　in



great　numbers　came　to　visit　him　at　Lucca；　Pompey；　and　Crassus；　and



Appius；　the　governor　of　Sardinia；　and　Nepos；　the　pro…consul　of



Spain；　so　that　there　were　in　the　place　at　one　time　one　hundred　and



twenty　lictors　and　more　than　two　hundred　senators。　In　deliberation



here　held；　it　was　determined　that　Pompey　and　Crassus　should　be　consuls



again　for　the　following　year；　that　Caesar　should　have　a　fresh　supply



of　money；　and　that　his　command　should　be　renewed　to　him　for　five　years



more。　It　seemed　very　extravagant　to　all　thinking　men　that　those　very



persons　who　had　received　so　much　money　from　Caesar　should　persuade　the



senate　to　grant　him　more；　as　if　he　were　in　want。　Though　in　truth　it



was　not　so　much　upon　persuasion　as　compulsion　that；　with　sorrow　and



groans　for　their　own　acts；　they　passed　the　measure。　Cato　was　not



present；　for　they　had　sent　him　seasonably　out　of　the　way　into



Cyprus；　but　Favonius；　who　was　a　zealous　imitator　of　Cato；　when　he



found　he　could　do　no　good　by　opposing　it；　broke　out　of　the　house；



and　loudly　declaimed　against　these　proceedings　to　the　people；　but　none



gave　him　any　hearing；　some　slighting　him　out　of　respect　to　Crassus　and



Pompey；　and　the　greater　part　to　gratify　Caesar；　on　whom　depended　their



hopes。



　　After　this；　Caesar　returned　again　to　his　forces　in　Gaul；　when　he



found　that　country　involved　in　a　dangerous　war；　two　strong　nations



of　the　Germans　having　lately　passed　the　Rhine　to　conquer　it；　one　of



them　called　the　Usipes。　the　other　the　Tenteritae。　Of　the　war　with



the　people；　Caesar　himself　has　given　this　account　in　his　commentaries；



that　the　barbarians；　having　sent　ambassadors　to　treat　with　him；　did；



during　the　treaty；　set　upon　him　in　his　march；　by　which　means　with



eight　hundred　men　they　routed　five　thousand　of　his　horse；　who　did



not　suspect　their　coming；　that　afterwards　they　sent　other



ambassadors　to　renew　the　same　fraudulent　practices；　whom　he　kept　in



custody；　and　led　on　his　army　against　the　barbarians；　as　judging　it



mere　simplicity　to　keep　faith　with　those　who　had　so　faithlessly　broken



the　terms　they　had　agreed　to。　But　Tanusius　states　that　when　the　senate



decreed　festivals　and　sacrifices　for　this　victory；　Cato　declared　it　to



be　his　opinion　that　Caesar　ought　to　be　given　into　the　hands　of　the



barbarians；　that　so　the　guilt　which　this　breach　of　faith　might



otherwise　bring　upon　the　state　might　be　expiated　by　transferring　the



curse　on　him；　who　was　the　occasion　of　it。　Of　those　who　passed　the



Rhine；　there　were　four　hundred　thousand　cut　off；　those　few　who　escaped



were　sheltered　by　the　Sugambri；　a　people　of　Germany。　Caesar　took



hold　of　this　pretence　to　invade　the　Germans；　being　at　the　same　time



ambitious　of　the　honour　of　being　the　first　man　that　should　pass　the



Rhine　with　an　army。　He　carried　a　bridge　across　it；　though　it　was



very　wide；　and　the　current　at　that　particular　point　very　full；　strong；



and　violent；　bringing　down　with　its　waters　trunks　of　trees；　and



other　lumber；　which　much　shook　and　weakened　the　foundations　of　his



bridge。　But　he　drove　great　piles　of　wood　into　the　bottom　of　the



river　above　the　passage；　to　catch　and　stop　these　as　they　floated　down；



and　thus　fixing　his　bridle　upon　the　stream；　successfully　finished



his　bridge；　which　no　one　who　saw　could　believe　to　be　the　work　but　of



ten　days。



　　In　the　passage　of　his　army　over　it　he　met　with　no　opposition；　the



Suevi　themselves；　who　are　the　most　warlike　people　of　all　Germany；



flying　with　their　effects　into　the　deepest　and　most　densely　wooded



valleys。　When　he　had　burnt　all　the　enemy's　country；　and　encouraged



those　who　embraced　the　Roman　interest；　he　went　back　into　Gaul；　after



eighteen　days'　stay　in　Germany。　But　his　expedition　into　Britain　was



the　most　famous　testimony　of　his　courage。　For　he　was　the　first　who



brought　a　navy　into　the　western　ocean；　or　who　sailed　into　the　Atlantic



with　an　army　to　make　war；　and　by　invading　an　island；　the　reported



extent　of　which　had　made　its　existence　a　matter　of　controversy　among



historians；　many　of　whom　questioned　whether　it　were　not　a　mere　name



and　fiction；　not　a　real　place；　he　might　be　said　to　have　carried　the



Roman　empire　bey