Some of these, though few in number, shrink from the name of gamblers, and therefore desire to be called rather tesserarii,Perhaps a word-play on the two meanings of tesserarii, players with dice and keepers of the watchword. According to Wagner, there was somewhat more skill called for with the tesserae, while with the aleae it was mainly luck. persons who differ from each other only as much as thieves do from brigands. But this must be admitted, that while all friendships at Rome are lukewarm, those alone which are formed at the gambling table, as if they were gained by glorious toil, have a bond of union and are united by complete firmness of exceeding affection; whence some members of these companies are found to be so harmonious that you would take them for the brothers Quintilius.Condianus and Maximus. They lived under the reign of Commodus, held office together, and were executed together by his order; cf. Dio, lxiii. 5, 3; Lamprid., 4, 9. And so you may see a man of low station, who is skilled in the secrets of dice-playing, walking abroad like Porcius CatoCato Uticensis is meant. after his unexpected and unlooked-for defeat for the praetorship, with a set expression of dignity and sorrow because at some great banquet or assemblage a former proconsul was given a higher place of honour.

Some lie in wait for men of wealth, old or young, childless or unmarried, or even for those who have wives or children—for no distinction is observed in this respect—enticing them by wonderful trickeries to make their wills; and when they have set their last decisions in order and left some things to these men, to humour whom they have made their wills in their favour, they forthwith die; so that you would not think that the death was brought about by the working of the allotment of destiny, nor could an illness easily be proved by the testimony of witnesses; nor is the funeral of these men attended by any mourners.

Another, who attained some rank, moderate though it be, walking with neck puffed up, looks askance at his former acquaintances, so that you might think that a Marcellus was returning after the taking of Syracuse.

Many of them, who deny that there are higher powers in heaven, neither appear in public nor eat a meal nor think they can with due caution take a bath, until they have critically examined the calendarI.e., an astronomical calendar; see Juvenal, vi, 573 ff., which Lindenbrog thought that Ammianus had in mind. and learned where, for example, the planet Mercury is, or what degree of the constellation of the Crab the moon occupies in its course through the heavens.

Another, if he finds a creditor of his demanding his due with too great urgency, resorts to a charioteerCharioteers were notorious for the use of magic arts against their rivals, and in general; see xxvi. 3, 3, note; xxviii. 1, 27. who is all too ready to dare any enterprise, and causes the creditor to be charged with being a poisoner; and he is not let off until he has surrendered the bill of indebtedness and paid heavy costs. And besides, the accuser has the voluntary debtorThe voluntary debtor is one who, to avoid a criminal charge, promises his accuser a sum of money; see Sen., v. 19, 6, dico me tibi obligatm pro filio; non quia sum, sed quia volo me offerre tibi debitorem volun. tarium. He thus becomes a debtor, and is put in prison. put in prison as if he were his property, and does not set him free until he acknowledges the debt.

In another place a wife by hammering day and night on the same anvil—as the old proverb has itCf. Cic., ii. 39, 162, and xviii. 4, 2. —drives her husband to make a will, and the husband insistently urges his wife to do the same. Skilled jurists are brought in on both sides, one in a bedroom, the other, his rival, in the dining-room to discuss disputed points. These are joined by opposing interpreters of horoscopes,Cf. Lucian, , 11, 1. on the one side making profuse promises of prefectures and the burial of rich matrons, on the other telling women that for their husbands’ funerals now quietly approaching they must make the necessary preparations. And a maid-servant bears witness, by nature somewhat pale,. . .The rest of this sentence seems hopelessly corrupt and unintelligible. As Cicero says: 21, 79. They know of nothing on earth that is good unless it brings gain. Of their friends, as of their cattle, they love those best from whom they hope to get the greatest profit.

When these people seek any loan, you will see them in slippers like a Micon or a Laches;Characters in comedy; i.e., they are humble and obsequious. when they are urged to pay, they wear such lofty buskins and are so arrogant that you would think them Cresphontes and Temenus, the famous Heraclidae.Rulers respectively of Messene and of Argos, hence characters in tragedy, contrasted with Micon and Laches. So much for the senate.

Let us now turn to the idle and slothful commons. Among them some who have no shoes are conspicuous as though they had cultured names, such as the Messores, Statarii, Semicupae and Serapini, and Cicymbricus, with Gluturinus and Trulla, and Lucanicus with Porclaca and Salsula, and countless others.Cf. xxviii. 4, 7. Ammianus is satirical, since these names are derived from humble occupations.

These spend all their life with wine and dice, in low haunts, pleasures, and the games. Their temple, their dwelling, their assembly, and the height of all their hopes is the Circus Maximus. You may see many groups of them gathered in the fora, the cross-roads, the streets,See xxxii (1937), 49 ff. and their other meeting-places, engaged in quarrelsome arguments with one another, some (as usual) defending this, others that.

Among them those who have enjoyed a surfeit of life, influential through long experience, often swear by their hoary hair and wrinkles that the state cannot exist if in the coming race the charioteer whom each favours is not first to rush forth from the barriers, and fails to round the turning-point closely with his ill-omenedPerhaps implying that magic arts have been used against him; but see crit. note. In general, cf. Hor., , i. 1, 4 f., metaque fervidis evitata rotis. horses.

And when there is such a dry rot of thoughtlessness, as soon as the longed-for day of the chariot-races begins to dawn, before the sun is yet shining clearly they all hasten in crowds to the spot at top speed, as if they would outstrip the very chariots that are to take part in the contest; and torn by their conflicting hopes about the result of the race, the greater number of them in their anxiety pass sleepless nights.

If from there they come to worthless theatrical pieces, any actor is hissed off the boards who has not won the favour of the low rabble with money. And if this noisy form of demonstration is lacking, they cry in imitation of the Tauric raceReferring to the myth that the Tauri (xxii. 8, 33) sacrificed strangers at the altar of Diana. that all strangers—on whose aid they have always depended and stood uprightCf. Aurel. Vict., , 11, 13, mihi quidem . . . plane compertum urbem Romam externorum virtute . . . praecipue crevisse. —ought to be driven from the city. All this in foul and absurd terms, very different from the expressions of their interests and desires made by your commons of old, of whose many witty and happy sayings tradition tells us.Cf. xvi. 10, 13.

And it has now come to this, that in place of the lively sound of approval from men appointed to applaud, at every public show an actor of afterpieces, a beast-baiter, a charioteer, every kind of player, and the magistrates of higher and lower rank, nay even matrons, are constantly greeted with the shout You should be these fellows’ teachers!; but what they ought to learn no one is able to explain.

The greater number of these gentry, given over to over-stuffing themselves with food,Cf. xxii. 12, 6, for similar language. led by the charm of the odour of cookingCf. Suet., , 33, 1, ictus nidore prandii. and by the shrill voices of the women, like a flock of peacocks screaming with hunger, stand even from cockcrow beside the potsWagner and take aulis = ollis, which suits the context; cf. Gell. xvii. 8, 2, 3, etc. on tip-toe and gnaw the ends of their fingersCf. Plaut., 881 ff. ego ita convivis cenam conditam dabo . . . ut quisque quidque conditum gustaverit, ipsus sibi faciam ut digitos praerodat suos. as they wait for the dishes to cool. Others hang over the nauseous mass of half-raw meat, while it is cooking, watching it so intently that one would think that DemocritusThe famous Greek physical philosopher, from Abdera; cf. xv. 1, 4; xiv. 5, 1. There is a word-play on anatomis and anatomicis; see p. 97, note 2. with other dissectors was examining the internal organs of dismembered animals and showing by what means future generations might be cured of internal pains.

But enough for the present of this account of affairs in the city. Now let us return to the other events which were caused by various incidents in the provinces.

In the third consulship of the two Augusti a370 A.D. horde of SaxonsHieronymus puts the defeat of the Saxons in 374, Cassiodorus in 373. They first appear in history under Diocletian, and had their home in what is now Hqlstein. broke out, and after overcoming the dangers of the Ocean advanced at rapid pace towards the Roman frontier,Of Gaul. having often been glutted with the slaughter of our people. The storm of this first inroad was met by Nannenus, the general in charge of those regions, a leader approved by long experience in wars.

But meeting then with a people resolvedCf. destinatis animis, xvii. 2, 2. to fight to the death, after he had lost some of his men and had himself been wounded, he perceived that he would be unequal to frequent contests with them. Accordingly, having reported to the emperor what ought to be done, he managed that Severus, commander of the infantry,Cf. xxvii. 6, 3. should come to help him in his difficult situation.

When he, bringing forces adequate for the purpose, had reached the spot and the troops had been drawn up in divisions, he so terrified and confused the arrogant barbarians before the struggle began, that they did not oppose him in strife, but, dazzled by the gleam of the standards and eagles, begged for pardon and peace.

And after a long and varied discussion, since it seemed to be in the interest of the state, a truce was agreed upon, and in accordance with the conditions that were proposed the Saxons gave us as hostages many young men fit for military service, and then were allowed to depart and return without hindrance to the place from which they had come.

When they thought themselves now free from all fear and were preparing to return, foot-soldiers were secretly sent and laid an ambuscade in a secluded valley, from which they could attack the Saxons with slight trouble as they passed by. But the result was far otherwise than was hoped.