From there he sent Severus, a general toughened by long military experience, to succeed Marcellus, and ordered Ursicinus to come to him. The latter received the letter with joy and came to SirmiumSee index. with his companions; and after long deliberations about the peace which Musonianus had reported might be established with the Persians, Ursicinus was sent back to the Orient with the powers of commander-in-chief; the elder members of our company were promoted to the command of his soldiers, while we younger men were directed to escort him and be ready to perform whatever he should direct on behalf of the commonwealth.

But Julianus Caesar, after having passed a troubled winter at Sens,Cf. 7, 1, above. in the year when the emperor was consul for the ninth time and he for the second, with the threats from the Germans thundering on every side, stirred by favourable omens hastened to Rheims. He felt the greater eagerness and pleasure because Severus was commanding the army, a man neither insubordinate nor overbearing but well known for his long excellent record in the army, who had followed Julian as he advanced straight ahead, as an obedient soldier follows his general.

From another direction Barbatio, who had been promoted after Silvanus’ death to the command of the infantry, came from Italy at the emperor’s order with twenty-five thousand soldiers to Augst.

For it was planned and carefully arranged beforehand that the Alamanni, who were raging beyond their customary manner and ranging more afield, should be driven into straits as if with a pair of pliersThe forceps or forfex was a military formation with diverging wings for meeting and baffling a cuneus; cf. Vegetius, iii. 19, nam ex lectissimis militibus in V litteram ordo componitum, et illum cuneum excipit atque utraque parts concludit. The open part of the V of course faced the enemy. Here forceps is perhaps used in its literal sense. by twin forces of our soldiers, and cut to pieces.