Res Gestae

The news of this disaster was received with extreme grief, and Dagalaifus was sent from Paris to

Then he led on his soldiers, rejoicing in the glory of this bloodless victory, to destroy the second division of the enemy; and the glorious leader was advancing slowly, when he learned from a trustworthy scouting party, that after plundering the neighbouring farmhouses a predatory band was resting near the river.[*](The Moselle.) On coming nearer, and being hidden in a valley concealed by a thick growth of trees, he saw that some were bathing, others were reddening their hair after their national custom,[*](Cf. Suet. Calig. 47. So also the Roman women of early times, Val. Max. ii. 1, 5; Diod. Sic. v. 28, 1.) and still others were drinking.

So taking advantage of this most favourable time, he suddenly gave the signal with the clarions and broke into the robbers’ camp, while on the other hand the Germans, merely uttering boastfully vain threats and shouts, were pressed so hard by the victor that they could not gather up their arms, which were lying about here and there, nor form in line, nor rally for a stout resistance. Therefore most of them fell, run through by pikes and swords, except such as took to their

His confidence now increased by this successful stroke, the result of both valour and good fortune, Jovinus led on his soldiers, sending ahead an efficient scouting party, and hastily advanced against the remaining third division; and when by a rapid march he came near Châlons,[*](Châlons-sur-Marne.) he found the enemy fully ready for battle.

Having measured off a stockade to suit the conditions, and refreshed his men with food and sleep, so far as time allowed, at the first coming of dawn he drew up his line of battle in the open plain; and he extended it with such skilful art, that the Romans, who were inferior in number (though equal in strength), by occupying a greater space appeared to be as numerous as the enemy.[*](Cf. xxiv. 1, 3.)

And so, when the signal had been given by the trumpet and they began to engage at close quarters, the Germans stood amazed, terrified by the fearful sight of the gleaming standards. For a while their ardour was blunted, but they quickly recovered and prolonged the fighting to the end of the day; and our vigorously attacking soldiers would have gained the fruit of victory without loss, had not Balchobaudes, tribune of the heavy-armed guard, a man by nature both boastful and cowardly, withdrawn in disorder at the approach of evening. And if the rest of the cohorts had followed his example and left the field, the affair would have come to such a sad ending that not one of our number could have survived to tell what had happened.

But the soldiers resisted with bold energy and courage, and were so superior in strength that they wounded 4000 of the enemy and

When therefore the battle was now broken off by the coming of night, and the wearied soldiers had recovered their strength, their distinguished general towards daybreak led forward his army in square formation[*](I.e., ready for battle; see note, p. 270.) ; and finding that the savages had slipped away under cover of darkness, free from worry about ambuscades he followed them over the open and easy plains, trampling underfoot the dying, and the contracted bodies of those whom, since the severity of the cold had drawn their wounds together, the extreme pain had taken off.

Then, after advancing farther but returning on finding none of the enemy, he learned that the Ascarii[*](Named, with the Eruli and the Batavi, among the court troops: (erant) inter auxilia Palatina sexaginta quinque (Not. Imper. Occid. v. 157, Seeck).) (whom he himself had sent by another route to plunder the tents of the Alamanni) had captured a king of the hostile army with a few of his followers, and had gibbeted him. Angered at this, he decided to punish the tribune who had ventured to take this action without consulting higher authority; and he would have condemned him to death, if it had not been clear from convincing evidence that the cruel deed had been committed through passion to which soldiers are prone.[*](That is, without the tribune’s knowledge and giving him no chance to intervene.)

When Jovinus returned to Paris after these brilliant victories, Valentinian went out joyfully to meet him, and shortly afterwards made him consul;[*](In 367.) and, you may be sure it added to his great happiness that he had received at that same time the head of Procopius, sent to him by Valens.

Besides these battles, many others less worthy of mention were fought in various parts of Gaul, which it would be superfluous to describe, both because their results led to nothing worth while, and because it is not fitting to spin out a history with insignificant details.

At this time or a little earlier[*](360–363.) a new form of portent appeared in Annonarian Tuscany,[*](Tuscia, or Etruria, was divided into Tuscia Annonaria (grain-bearing) and Tuscia Urbicaria or Suburbicaria (near the city, i.e. Rome).) and how it would turn out even those who were skilled in interpreting prodigies were wholly at a loss to know. For in the town of Pistoria,[*](Modern Pistoia.) at about the third hour of the day, in the sight of many persons, an ass mounted the tribunal and was heard to bray persistently, to the amazement both of all who were present and of those who heard of it from the reports of others; and no one could guess what was to come, until later the portended event came to pass.

For one Terentius, born in that city, a fellow of low origin and a baker by trade, by way of reward because he had brought Orfitus, an ex-prefect, into court on the charge of embezzlement, held the position of governor in that province. Emboldened[*](374 A.D.) by this, he proceeded to stir up many disturbances, and being convicted of cheating in a matter of business with some ship-captains,[*](The navicularii brought grain from abroad.) as was reported,

However, long before this happened, Apronianus was succeeded by Symmachus,[*](City-prefect in 364 and 365, father of the Symmachus from whom we have a collection of letters.) a man worthy to be classed among the conspicuous examples of learning and moderation, through whose efforts the sacred city enjoyed an unusual period of quiet and prosperity, and prides itself on a handsome bridge,[*](The Pons Aurelius, later called Pons Antoninus, now the Ponte Sisto (see Top. Diet. Anc. Rome, s.v. Pons Aurelius). It was restored by Valentinian in 365–6 and bore his name for a time. It was not built (condidit) by Symmachus (see crit. note), but he dedicated it by the emperors’ orders after his prefecture. See Dessau, Inscr. 769; C.I.L., vi. 31402.) which Symmachus himself, by the decision of our mighty emperors, dedicated, and to the great joy of the citizens, who proved ungrateful, as the result most clearly showed.

For after some years had passed, they set fire to Symmachus’ beautiful house in the Transtiberine district, spurred on by the fact that a common fellow among the plebeians had alleged, without any informant or witness, that the prefect had said that he would rather use his own wine for quenching lime-kilns[*](Cf. Pliny, N.H. xxxvi. 181.) than sell it at the price which the people hoped for.

Symmachus was succeeded as prefect of the city by Lampadius,[*](In 365.) a former praetorian prefect, a man who took it very ill if even his manner of spitting was not praised, on the ground that he did that also with greater skill than anyone else; but yet he was sometimes strict and honest.

When this man, in his praetorship, gave magnificent games and made very rich largesses, being unable to endure