conflicts with the Gauls were numerous (B.C. 361346). After great exploits a peace of fifty years ensued. Then, in the third Samnite war, Gauls are in alliance with the Samnites, Etruscans, and Umbrians at Sentinum, where the Romans were victorious by the self-devotion of the younger Decius Mus (B. C. 295). Renewed hostilities ended in the annihilation of the Senones (B.C. 283). But for a long time Rome could not conquer North Italy, i.e., Cisalpine Gaul; but in B.C. 222 M. Claudius Marcellus conquered the Insubres and Boii at Clastidium, slaying Viridomarus, chief of the Insubres. What was thus won was secured to Rome by her colonies at Placentia and Cremona. When Rome became the invader, the Gauls were dangerous neighbours, especially as they had allied themselves with the Spaniards. She waited for a good opportunity, which presented itself just before. the third Punic war. Massilia, her early ally, summoned her to help when the colonies of Nicaea (Nice) and Antipolis (Antibes) were attacked by the predatory Oxybii and Deceates. The consul Q. Opimius defeated them (B.C. 154). Later the Salluvii succumbed to the consul Fulvius Flaccus, and in B.C. 123 the proconsul C. Sextius Calvinus defeated the Allobroges at Aquae Sextiae (Aix), the first Roman fort beyond the Alps. In the next year his successor, Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, defeated the Allobroges and Arverni, who held the hegemony of South Gaul, under the Arvernian king Betuitus, who was taken 4 Liv. Epit. 60; Flor. iii. 2. 4 by treachery; this was at Vindalium above Avignon. In 121 B.C. Q. Fabius Maximus (called Allobrogicus) did likewise at the confluence of the Isère and Rhone.5 In this way the Roman frontier was pushed forward on the upper Rhone as far as the Lake of Geneva.6 Then in B.C. 118 Q. Marcius Rex, by conquests in Languedoc, fixed the limits of the Province till the time of Caesar. A colony was conducted by Narbo Martius to protect the coast route to Spain, and that Province was after him called Gallia Narbonensis. When the Romans had established themselves, Cimbrian hordes entered and devastated the country, and so prepared the way for Caesar's conquests by conquering all except the Belgae. The Tigurini also opposed the Romans and signally defeated, in B.C. 107, the consul Lucius Cassius Longinus, and slew both him and his legate, Piso. Marius in B.C. 102 destroyed the Teutoni at Aquae Sextiae and, in conjunction with Q. Catulus, the Cimbri at Vercellae in B.C. 101. Then followed a period of peace, though not without mutterings of discontent. During Catiline's conspiracy (B.C. 63) the Allobroges sent envoys asking for protection against the depredations of their magistrates; they resisted Catiline's overtures, but, notwithstanding their loyalty, they received no redress, and therefore broke out under Catugnatus, seized Vienne, and were with difficulty quieted by the praetor Pomptinus (B.C. 61).9 5 Mommsen dates the battle on the Isère earlier than that at Vindalium. 7 i. 7. 4; 12. 5. 6 i. 6. 11. 8 Sall. Cat. 40. 44. 9 i. 6. 2; 44. 9; Cic. de Prov. Cons. 13, 32; Liv. Epit. 103. In B.C. 60 there was an alarm in Rome of a fresh Gallic invasion; news came that the Helvetii were pressing westwards. The danger of the Province was imminent, and the consuls were ordered to raise troops, when better tidings came. Still the Germans were crossing the Rhine and Danube, headed by the powerful Suebi. They had been invited by the Arverni and Sequani, who were jealous of the Roman partizanship of the Aedui. Ariovistus, leader of the Suebi,10 with a great force, supplemented by the Gauls, crossed the Rhine, and in B.C. 61 won a battle and thereby secured a supremacy which gradually extended over the whole of Gaul." 11 The Aedui petitioned for help in vain; nay, Ariovistus was honoured with the title of king and friend of the Roman people. 12 Such was the state of Gaul when Caesar, after his consulate, obtained it as his province in B.C. 58. 2. CAESAR TO THE GALLIC WAR. C. Julius Caesar was born in B.C. 102,1 in the month Quintilis, afterwards called Julius. Marius had married his father's sister, and gave the young Julius a copy to imitate, for he had just conquered the Gauls when Caesar was born. He secured for him the office of Flamen Dialis in 87 B.C. On his death, Caesar became the object of Sulla's persecution. In 83 B.C., Caesar took a bold step and married 11i. 31. 12. 12 i. 35. 2. 10 i. 31. 10. Cornelia, Cinna's daughter, and then Sulla ordered Pompey and Caesar to give up their wives; the latter refused, though the former obeyed. Sulla then seized on the dowry, the priesthood, and property of Caesar, who barely escaped with his life into the Sabine district. It was with difficulty that Sulla pardoned him; and the famous sayings that 'more than one Marius lived in Caesar,' and 'that the nobles must beware of the ill-girt lad,' show that he understood the lad's power.2 3 Caesar fought his first campaign in Asia under the propraetor M. Minucius Thermus, won the civic crown at Mytilene in B.C. 80, served for a short time against the Cilician pirates, and returned to Rome on Sulla's death in B.C. 78. He found that the opening offered by Lepidus was not suitable, and also suspected Lepidus' powers, so he tried other ways of winning a name and accused Cn. Dollabella (who in 80 B.C. was proconsul of Macedonia) of repetundae. His speech, delivered at the age of twenty-three, was a great one; but the influence of the optimates was too strong. Suetonius, c. 4, says that Caesar went to Rhodes to escape the consequences of this prosecution, but mainly to study rhetoric under Molo, who was also Cicero's teacher. On his way he was taken by pirates near Miletus, and, after he had been ransomed, he pursued, took, and punished them. As Mithradates was trouble 2 Plut. Caes. 1. Suet. Caes. 45, male praecinctum puerum caverent. 3 Suet. Caes. 3.. some, Caesar collected volunteers and by his efforts kept the Asiatic cities loyal. On his return to Rome he was military tribune and found that he had been nominated pontifex maximus in place of his uncle, C. Aurelius Cotta (B.C. 74). Then he mounted the usual steps of the official ladder, was quaestor in 68, aedile in 64, praetor in 62. In 63 he had been chosen pontifex maximus, though the Senate had done all in their power to secure the election of Catulus and Servilius Isauricus. Caesar had a definite aim and policy, going with the popular stream, but never, like Marius, allowing himself to be swamped by it. He saw that the days of the Republic were numbered and he resolved to set one party in the state against the other, so as to secure both; he let no chance slip of injuring the optimates, especially such as had won wealth and place by fighting against Marius. He exhibited zeal in the restoration of Marius' followers, gave a splendid funeral to his aunt, Marius' widow, on which occasion he dared to exhibit the images of Marius. He restored the trophies of Marius in the Numidian and Cimbrian wars, which brought him into favour with the people and into hatred with the optimates. By largesses of corn he won the crowd. His enemies hoped that when his money was gone his influence would wane.5 But rich men believed that he had a future of promise and allowed him to use their purses. His debts before office were, according to Plutarch, c. 5, 1,300 talents. For gold in itself he cared nothing, but only 4 Plut. Caes. 5; Suet. Caes. 6. 5 Plut. Caes. 4. |