Res Gestae

Ammianus Marcellinus

Ammianus Marcellinus. Ammianus Marcellinus, with an English translation, Vols. I-III. Rolfe, John C., translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; W. Heinemann, 1935-1940 (printing).

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

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had been done according to order, at daybreak he himself came out, and finding the rebels surrounded by his army, he said: What think you, my devoted comrades, ought to be done with these abominable traitors? And acceding to the acclamation of those who asked that they should pay for it with their blood, he turned over those who served among the Constantiani to the soldiers, to be slain in the oldfashioned way.[*](Something like running the gauntlet; cf. Tac., Ann. i. 44; Polyb. vi. 37, 3 ff.; Lamprid. Commodus, 6, 2, hostis appellatus lacerandusque militibus est deditus. ) But he had the hands of the leaders of the archers cut off and punished the rest with death, following the example of that strictest of leaders Curio,[*](He was proconsul in Thrace; see Livy, Epit. xcv.; Flor. i. 39, 6; Front., Strateg. iv. 1, 43.) who put an end by a punishment of that kind to the wildness of the Dardani, when, like the Lernaean hydra, they constantly gained new life.

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

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of Cicero: Wholesome strength is better than a vain show of mercy.[*](Epist. ad Brutum, i. 2, 5 (Cic. has severitas, not vigor).)

Setting out from there, he came to an estate called Gaionatis, surrounded by a strong wall and hence a very safe refuge for the Moors. Against this he brought up his battering-rams and destroyed it, killing all the inhabitants and levelling the walls; then advancing over the Ancorarian mountain to Castellum Tingitanum, he attacked the Mazices, who were gathered together into one body and replied with missiles which came flying like hail.

And after both sides had rushed in to the attack, the Mazices, though a warlike and hardy race, could not resist the columns of our men, charging with all their strength and weapons, but involved in heavy losses at various points fled in shameful terror; and as they rushed to escape all were cut down except those who found a means of getting away, and later by abject prayers obtained the pardon which circumstances made it advisable to grant.