Excited by these and similar exploits, and fearing that their fame would grow greater, urged on besides, as was reported, by the prefect Florentius,Praetorian prefect in Gaul; cf. xvi. 12, 14; xvii. 3, 2, etc.; not the same as the Florentius of xx. 2, 2. he sent Decentius, the tribune and secretary, at once to take from Julian his auxiliaries, namely, the Aeruli and BataviSee i. 3, note 2. and the Celts with the Petulantes,Mentioned together also in xx. 5, 9; the latter probably got their name from some act of lawlessness, as per contra legions were called Pia, Fidelis, etc. as well as three hundred picked men from each of the other divisionsOn numeris see Index of Officials, vol. i. of the army; and he ordered him to hasten their march under the pretext that they might be able to be on hand for an attack on the Parthians early in the spring.This would hardly have been possible; of. adulta hieme, in 1, 3.

for speeding the departure of the auxiliaries and the divisions of three hundred Lupicinus alone was called upon (for that he had crossed over to Britain was not yet known at court); but the order to select the most active of the targeteers and the gentilesSee xiv. 7, 9, note 3. and personally lead them to the emperor was given to Sintula, then Julian’s chief stable-master.

Julian kept silence and submitted to this, leaving everything to the will of his more powerful associate. One thing, however, he could neither overlook nor pass over in silence, namely, that those men should suffer no inconvenience who had left their abodes beyond the Rhine and come to him under promise that they should never be led to regions beyond the Alps; for he declared that it was to be feared that the barbarian volunteer soldiers, who were often accustomed to come over to our side under conditions of that kind, might on having knowledge of this thereafter be kept from so doing. But his words were to no purpose.