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aggrandise　the　State　by　war　and　deeds　of　arms。　He　would　himself



provide　for　the　interests　of　peace；　and　for　the　welfare　of　his　family。



He　then　had　some　of　the　swiftest　vessels　laden　with　corn；　and



committed　them　to　the　perils　of　the　still　stormy　sea。　Rome　indeed



was　in　the　very　critical　position　of　not　having　more　than　ten　days'



consumption　in　the　granaries；　when　the　supplies　from　Vespasian



arrived。



　　The　work　of　rebuilding　the　Capitol　was　assigned　by　him　to　Lucius



Vestinius；　a　man　of　the　Equestrian　order；　who；　however；　for　high



character　and　reputation　ranked　among　the　nobles。　The　soothsayers　whom



he　assembled　directed　that　the　remains　of　the　old　shrine　should　be



removed　to　the　marshes；　and　the　new　temple　raised　on　the　original



site。　The　Gods；　they　said；　forbade　the　old　form　to　be　changed。　On



the　21st　of　June；　beneath　a　cloudless　sky；　the　entire　space　devoted　to



the　sacred　enclosure　was　encompassed　with　chaplets　and　garlands。



Soldiers；　who　bore　auspicious　names；　entered　the　precincts　with　sacred



boughs。　Then　the　vestal　virgins；　with　a　troop　of　boys　and　girls；　whose



fathers　and　mothers　were　still　living；　sprinkled　the　whole　space



with　water　drawn　from　the　fountains　and　rivers。　After　this；



Helvidius　Priscus；　the　praetor；　first　purified　the　spot　with　the　usual



sacrifice　of　a　sow；　a　sheep；　and　a　bull；　and　duly　placed　the



entrails　on　turf；　then；　in　terms　dictated　by　Publius　Aelianus；　the



high…priest；　besought　Jupiter；　Juno；　Minerva；　and　the　tutelary　deities



of　the　place；　to　prosper　the　undertaking；　and　to　lend　their　divine



help　to　raise　the　abodes　which　the　piety　of　men　had　founded　for



them。　He　then　touched　the　wreaths；　which　were　wound　round　the



foundation　stone　and　entwined　with　the　ropes；　while　at　the　same　moment



all　the　other　magistrates　of　the　State；　the　Priests；　the　Senators；　the



Knights；　and　a　number　of　the　citizens；　with　zeal　and　joy　uniting　their



efforts；　dragged　the　huge　stone　along。　Contributions　of　gold　and



silver　and　virgin　ores；　never　smelted　in　the　furnace；　but　still　in



their　natural　state；　were　showered　on　the　foundations。　The　soothsayers



had　previously　directed　that　no　stone　or　gold　which　had　been



intended　for　any　other　purpose　should　profane　the　work。　Additional



height　was　given　to　the　structure；　this　was　the　only　variation　which



religion　would　permit；　and　the　one　feature　which　had　been　thought



wanting　in　the　splendour　of　the　old　temple。



　　Meanwhile　the　tidings　of　the　death　of　Vitellius；　spreading　through



Gaul　and　Germany；　had　caused　a　second　war。　Civilis　had　thrown　aside



all　disguise；　and　was　now　openly　assailing　the　Roman　power；　while



the　legions　of　Vitellius　preferred　even　a　foreign　yoke　to　the　rule



of　Vespasian。　Gaul　had　gathered　fresh　courage　from　the　belief　that　the



fortunes　of　our　armies　had　been　everywhere　disastrous；　for　a　report



was　rife　that　our　winter　camps　in　Moesia　and　Pannonia　were　hemmed　in



by　the　Sarmatians　and　Dacians。　Rumours　equally　false　were　circulated



respecting　Britain。　Above　all；　the　conflagration　of　the　Capitol　had



made　them　believe　that　the　end　of　the　Roman　Empire　was　at　hand。　The



Gauls；　they　remembered；　had　captured　the　city　in　former　days；　but；



as　the　abode　of　Jupiter　was　uninjured；　the　Empire　had　survived；



whereas　now　the　Druids　declared；　with　the　prophetic　utterances　of　an



idle　superstition；　that　this　fatal　conflagration　was　a　sign　of　the



anger　of　heaven；　and　portended　universal　empire　for　the　Transalpine



nations。　A　rumour　had　also　gone　forth　that　the　chiefs　of　Gaul；　whom



Otho　had　sent　against　Vitellius；　had；　before　their　departure；　bound



themselves　by　a　compact　not　to　fall　the　cause　of　freedom；　should　the



power　of　Rome　be　broken　by　a　continuous　succession　of　civil　wars　and



internal　calamities。



　　Before　the　murder　of　Flaccus　Hordeonius　nothing　had　come　out　by



which　any　conspiracy　could　be　discovered。　After　his　death；



messengers　passed　to　and　fro　between　Civilis　and　Classicus；



commander　of　the　cavalry　of　the　Treveri。　Classicus　was　first　among　his



countrymen　in　rank　and　wealth；　he　was　of　a　royal　house；　of　a　race



distinguished　both　in　peace　and　war；　and　he　himself　claimed　to　be　by



family　tradition　the　foe　rather　than　the　ally　of　the　Romans。　Julius



Tutor　and　Julius　Sabinus　joined　him　in　his　schemes。　One　was　a



Trever；　the　other　a　Lingon。　Tutor　had　been　made　by　Vitellius



guardian　of　the　banks　of　the　Rhine。　Sabinus；　over　and　above　his



natural　vanity；　was　inflamed　with　the　pride　of　an　imaginary　descent；



for　he　asserted　that　his　great…grandmother　had；　by　her　personal



charms；　attracted　the　admiration　of　the　divine　Julius；　when　he　was



campaigning　in　Gaul。　These　two　men　held　secret　conferences　to　sound



the　views　of　the　rest　of　their　countrymen；　and　when　they　had　secured



as　accomplices　such　as　they　thought　suitable　for　their　purpose；　they



met　together　in　a　private　house　in　the　Colonia　Agrippinensis；　for



the　State　in　its　public　policy　was　strongly　opposed　to　all　such



attempts。　Some；　however；　of　the　Ubii　and　Tungri　were　present　but　the



Treveri　and　Lingones　had　the　greatest　weight　in　the　matter。　Nor



could　they　endure　the　delay　of　deliberation；　they　rivalled　each



other　in　vehement　assertions　that　the　Romans　were　in　a　frenzy　of



discord；　that　their　legions　had　been　cut　to　pieces；　that　Italy　was



laid　waste；　that　Rome　itself　was　at　that　very　moment　undergoing



capture；　while　all　her　armies　were　occupied　by　wars　of　their　own。　If



they　were　but　to　secure　the　passes　of　the　Alps　with　bodies　of



troops；　Gaul；　with　her　own　freedom　firmly　established；　might　look



about　her；　and　fix　the　limits　of　her　dominion。



　　These　views　were　no　sooner　stated　than　approved。　As　to　the　survivors



of　the　Vitellianist　army；　they　doubted　what　to　do；　many　voted　for



putting　to　death　men　so　turbulent　and　faithless；　stained　too　with



the　blood　of　their　generals。　Still　the　policy　of　mercy　prevailed。　To



cut　off　all　hope　of　quarter　might　provoke　an　obstinate　resistance。



It　would　be　better　to　draw　them　into　friendly　union。　If　only　the



legates　of　the　legions　were　put　to　death；　the　remaining　multitude；



moved　by　the　consciousness　of　guilt　and　the　hope　of　escape；　would



readily　join　their　cause。



　　Such　was　the　outline　of　their　original　plan。　Emissaries　were



likewise　despatched　throughout　Gaul　to　stir　up　war；　while　they



themselves　feigned　submission；　that　they　might　be　the　better　able　to



crush　the　unsuspecting　Vocula。　Persons；　however；　were　found　to



convey　information　to　him；　but　he　had　not　sufficient　strength　to



suppress　the　movement；　as　the　legions　were　incomplete　in　numbers　and



disloyal。　So；　what　with　soldiers　of　doubtful　fidelity　and　secret



enemies；　he　thought　it　best；　under　the　circumstances；　to　make　his



way　by　meeting　deceit　with　deceit；　and　by　using　the　same　arts　with



which　he　was　himself　assailed。　He　therefore　went　down　to　the　Colonia



Agrippinenses。　Thither　Claudius　Labeo；　who；　as　I　have　related；　had



been　taken　prisoner　and　sent　out　of　the　province　into　the　country　of



the　Frisii；　made　his　escape　by　bribing　his　gaolers。　This　man



undertook；　if　a　force　were　given　him；　to　enter　the　Batavian



territory　and　bring　back　to　the　Roman　alliance　the　more　influential



part　of　that　State；　but；　though　he　obtained　a　small　force　of



infantry　and　cavalry；　he　did　not　venture　to　attempt　anything　among　the



Batavi；　but　only　induced　some　of　the　Nervii　and　Betasii　to　take　up



arms；　and　made　continual　attacks　on　the　Canninefates　and　the　Marsaci



more　in　the　way　of　robbery　than　of　war。



　　Lured　on　by　the　treacherous　representations　of　the　Gauls；　Vocula



marched　against　the　enemy。　He　was　near　the　Old　Camp；　when　Classicus



and　Tutor；　who　had　gone　on　in　advance　under　the　pretence　of



reconnoitring；　concluded　an　agreement　with　the　German　chiefs。　They



then　for　the　first　time　separated　themselves　from　the　legions；　and



formed　a　camp　of　their　own；　with　a　separate　line　of　entrenchment；



while　Vocula　protested　that　the　power　of　Rome　was　not　so　utterly



shaken　by　civil　war　as　to　have　become　contemptible　even　to　Treveri　and



Lingones。　〃There　are　still；〃　he　said；　〃faithful　provinces；



victorious　armies；　the　fortune　of　the　Empire；　and　avenging　Gods。



Thus　it　was　that　Sacrovir　and　the　Aedui　in　former　days；　Vindex　and　the



Gauls　in　more　recent　times；　were　crushed　in　a　single　battle。　The



breakers　of　treaties　may　look　for　the　vengeance　of　the　same　Deities；



and　the　same　doom。　Julius　and　Augustus　understood　far　better　the



character　of　the　people。　Galba's　policy　and　the　diminution　of　their



tribute　have　inspired　them　with　hostile　feelings。　They　are　now



enemies；　because　their　yoke　is　easy；　when　they　have　been　plundered　and



stripped；　they　will　be　friends。〃　After　uttering　this　defiance；　finding



that　Classicus　and　Tutor　persisted　in　their　treachery；　he　changed



his　line　of　march；　and　retired　to　Novesium。　The　Gauls　encamped　at　a



distance　of　two　miles；　and　plied　with　bribes　the　centurions　and



soldiers　who　visited　them　there；　striving　to　make　a　Roman　army



commit　the　unheard　of　baseness　of　swearing　allegiance　to　foreigners；



and　pledge　itself　to　the　perpetration　of　this　atrocious　crime　by



murdering　or　imprisoning　its　officers。　Vocula；　though　many　persons



advised　him　to　escape；　thought　it　best　to　be　bold；　and；　summoning　an



assembly；　spoke　as　follows：



　　〃Never；　when　I　have　addressed　you；　have　I　felt　more　anxious　for　your



welfare；　never　more　indifferent　about　my　own。　Of　the　destruction



that　threatens　me　I　can　hear　with　cheerfulness；　and　amid　so　many　evils



I　look　forward　to　death　as　the　end　of　my　sufferings。　For　you　I　feel



shame　and　compassion。　Against　you　indeed　no　hostile　ranks　are



gathering。　That　would　be　but　the　lawful　course　of　war；　and　the　right



which　an　enemy　may　claim。　But　Classicus　hopes　to　wage　with