Strange was the contrast between Vitellius and his
army. The 62 soldiers were all eagerness,
clamouring for battle at once, while Gaul was still
frightened and Spain still undecided. Winter was
no obstacle to them; peace and delay were for cowards:
they must invade Italy and seize Rome: haste
was the safest course in civil war, where action is
better than deliberation. Vitellius was dully
apathetic, anticipating his high station by indulging
in idle luxury and lavish entertainments. At
midday he would be drunk and drowsy with over-eating.
However, such was the zeal of the soldiers that they
even did the general’s duties, and behaved exactly
as if he had been present to encourage the alert and
threaten the laggards. They promptly fell in
and began to clamour for the signal to start.
The title of Germanicus was then and there conferred
on Vitellius: Caesar he would never be called,
even after his victory.
[86] Cp. chap. 14.
[87] At Pharsalia Caesar
defeated Pompey, 48 B.C.; at Mutina
the
consul Hirtius defeated Antony, 43 B.C.; at Philippi
Octavian
defeated Brutus and Cassius, 42 B.C.; at Perusia
Octavian
defeated Antony’s brother Lucius, 40 B.C.
[88] See note 15.
[89] Between the provinces
of Upper and Lower Germany.
[90] In the Gallic tongue
this signified ‘pot-belly’.
[91] The Sequani had
their capital at Vesontio (Besancon), the
Aedui
at Augustodunum (Autun).
[92] Cp. chap. 8.
The land was that taken from the Treviri
(chap.
53).
[93] Lyons.
[94] A.D. 68.
[95] According to Suetonius
he used to kiss the soldiers he
met
in the road; make friends with ostlers and travellers
at
wayside
inns; and go about in the morning asking everybody
‘Have
you had breakfast yet?’ demonstrating by his
hiccoughs
that
he had done so himself.
[96] Cp. chap. 7.
Caecina was in Upper Germany, Valens in Lower.
[97] Cp. chap. 8.
[98] He commanded the
army of the Upper Province (chap. 9).
[99] He was Claudius’
colleague twice in the consulship, and
once
in the censorship.
[100] Andalusia and Granada.
[101] The Treviri have given
their name to Trier (Treves), the
Lingones
to Langres.
[102] i.e. two right
hands locked in friendship.
[103] At Bonn and at Vetera.
[104] At Vetera and at Neuss.
[105] At Mainz.
[106] The Ubii had been allowed
by Agrippa to move their chief
town
from the right to the left bank of the Rhine.
Ten or
twelve
years later (A.D. 50) a colony of Roman veterans was
planted
there and called Colonia Claudia Augusta
Agrippinensium,
because Agrippina, the mother of Nero, had
been
born there.
