Res Gestae

When after this our general had hurried through long marches and was now entering Tipasa, to envoys from the Mazices, who had joined with Firmus, and humbly begged for pardon, he replied with lofty spirit that he would at once take the field against them as traitors.

And when they, paralysed with fear of the imminent danger, had been ordered to return to their homes, he went on to Caesarea,[*](Orosius, vii. 33, 5, says that it was taken and destroyed by Firmus. It was formerly called Iol, but Juba changed the name to Caesarea in honour of Augustus Caesar; cf. Eutr. vii. 10, 3.) formerly a powerful and famous city, the origin of which I have also fully discussed in my description of the topography[*](I.e., descriptione situs. For this meaning of situ, cf. xxiii. 6, 10, and Ernesti, Index, s.v.) of Africa.[*](In a lost book.) On entering the city, and finding it almost wholly burned down from widespread fires, and the pavingstones white with mould, he decided to station the first and second legions there for a time, with

When these events had been spread abroad by frequent and trustworthy rumours, the officials of the province and the tribune Vincentius[*](See 5, 6, above.) came out of the hiding-places in which they had taken refuge, and at last, free from fear, quickly appeared before the general. He, after having seen and received them gladly, being then still at Caesarea, inquired carefully about the true state of affairs; he learned that Firmus, under pretence of fear and submission, was secretly forming the plan of throwing our army into confusion, as if by a sudden tempest, while it feared no hostile demonstration.

Therefore he turned from there and came to the municipal town of Sugabarritanum, on the slope of the Transcellian mountain, where he found the horsemen of the fourth cohort of archers, which had gone over to the rebel; and to show that he was content with a somewhat mild punishment, he degraded them all to the lowest class of the service; then he ordered them and a part of the Constantian[*](Cf. xxi. 11, 2.) infantry, with their tribunes, one of whom had placed his neckchain, in place of a diadem, on Firmus’ head, to come to Tigaviae.

While this was going on, Gildo and Maximus returned, bringing Belles, one of the chiefs of the Mazices, and Fericius, prefect[*](A Roman title adopted by the Mazices.) of the tribe, who had aided the party of the disturber of the public peace[*](A lacuna of four lines follows, after which are the words producerent vinctos, to bring them in chains, or something similar.) . . .

When this

But malevolent detractors, while praising that act of the olden time, find fault with this one as cruel and inhuman, declaring that the Dardani were murderous enemies and justly suffered the punishment which befell them, while these, on the contrary, were soldiers under the flag who had allowed themselves to commit a single fault and deserved to have been punished more leniently. But such folk we remind of what they perhaps do not know, that this cohort was harmful, not only in its action, but also in the example which it set.

The aforesaid Belles and Fericius, whom Gildo had brought, and Curandius, tribune of the archers, he ordered to be put to death, the last named on the ground that he never wished either to engage with the enemy himself or to encourage his men to fight. Moreover, Theodosius did this bearing in mind the saying