Caesar sent Curio with three cohorts. As soon as Thermus heard of Curio's approach, he drew his cohorts out of the town and fled his men left him on the road and returned to their homes. Curio was received by all the people of Iguvium most willingly. Caesar encouraged by this success drew the cohorts of the thirteenth legion out of the towns which he had occupied and advanced to Auximum (Osimo) south of Ancona. P. Attius Varus held this town with some cohorts, and was sending senators through Picenum to raise fresh troops. When Caesar's approach was known, the decuriones or town council came to Varus, and told him that neither they nor the townsmen would allow Caesar, who had done the State so much service, to be shut out of the place; and they advised Varus to look after his own safety. Varus led his troops out of the town and fled. A few of Caesar's men, who belonged to the first centuria, pursued Varus and compelled him to fight, but his own soldiers deserted him: part returned to their homes and the rest were brought to Caesar, and with them L. Pupius, a centurion of the highest rank, who had held the same post in the army of Pompeius. Caesar praised the soldiers of Varus, set Pupius free, and with thanks to the people of Auximum promised that he would not forget what they had done.

Here Caesar introduces his description of the effect produced at Rome by the report of his victorious progress and his advance to Auximum (B. C. i. 14). The alarm in the city was so great that when the consul Lentulus went to the treasury to take out the money, which the Senate had voted for Pompeius, he forthwith fled from Rome leaving the sacred treasury open (sanctius aerarium); for there was a false report that Caesar was expected immediately, and that his cavalry were already there. Marcellus, the other consul, and most of the magistrates followed Lentulus. Pompeius had left the city the day before to visit the two legions, which had been taken from Caesar and placed in winter-quarters in Apulia. The raising of troops in the neighbourhood of Rome was stopped; there was no safety, as the fugitives supposed, north of Capua, but on arriving there they recovered their spirits and began to recruit among the men who were settled

there under the Lex Julia which was enacted in Caesar's consulship (vol. iii. p. 416). It seems certain that Caesar's narrative, as it has been already said, does not place the events in the true order; and he seems to contradict himself, for he has already said that Pompeius and the consuls were at Capua when Roscius delivered Caesar's answer to the message brought to him by L. Caesar. The strange story of Lentulus being in such a hurry to run away that he left the sacred treasury open, and that the fugitives did not stop till they reached Capua, appears to have been written to show his contempt for his feeble opponents. Caesar kept a school of gladiators, as the Romans termed the thing, at Capua, and when Lentulus arrived there, he brought them to the Forum or public place, gave them hopes of manumission, mounted them on horses and ordered them to follow him; but Pompeius got rid of the gladiators by assigning two to every head of a family in the conventus of Campania to look after. Caesar wrote a letter to Cicero about his gladiators and Cicero sent an answer (Ad Attic. viii. 2. 1).

Advancing south from Auximum Caesar occupied the territory of Picenum, in which Pompeius had many dependants and also large estates. All the praefecturae of those parts received him gladly and supplied his soldiers with all that they wanted. The townsmen of Cingulum (Cingoli), which Labienus had established and built at his own cost, sent a deputation to Caesar and declared their willingness to obey his orders. Caesar required soldiers, and they were sent. The twelfth legion now joined Caesar, and with this legion and the thirteenth he marched upon Asculum of Picenum (Ascoli), which is on the river Tronto. Lentulus Spinther (consul B.C. 57) held Asculum with ten cohorts, but he fled on hearing of Caesar's approach, and tried to carry off his troops, but the greater part deserted him. This happened before the 7th of February (Cic. ad Attic. vii. 21. 2). Lentulus on the road fell in with Vibullius Rufus, whom Pompeius had sent into Picenum to strengthen his friends. Rufus learning from Lentulus the state of affairs took the soldiers whom

3 "Praefecturae" were Italian towns, which possessed all the rights of Roman citizens, but received their praefectus or chief magistrate from Rome.

Lentulus still had, and sent him off. Rufus got together what cohorts he could from those parts, and meeting with Lucilius Hirrus, who was flying from Camerinum with six cohorts, which had been placed there to protect that town, he took the men from Hirrus, and adding them to those, whom he had received from Lentulus, made up thirteen cohorts. Rufus marched with this force as fast as he could to Corfinium (San Pelino) on the Pescara in the mountainous country of the Peligni, and reported the near approach of Caesar with two legions. L. Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul B.C. 54), who held Corfinium, had got together twenty cohorts from Alba, and the country of the Marsi and Peligni. Rufus informed Pompeius by letter that Domitius intended to leave Corfinium on the 9th of February with his army and join Pompeius (Ad Attic. viii. 12. B). After taking possession of Firmum (Fermo) and Asculum, Caesar ordered the men, who had deserted Lentulus to be looked for, and he gave orders for raising new troops. He stayed only one day at Asculum to get supplies for his men and marched on Corfinium. Domitius had sent forward five cohorts to break down a bridge over the Pescara, which was about three miles from the town, but they were met by some of Caesar's advanced force and being quickly driven back retired into Corfinium. Caesar took his legions. over the river and encamped near the town wall. Domitius now sent off messengers, who were well acquainted with the country, and offered them great rewards to carry letters to Pompeius who was then at Luceria in Apulia with fourteen. cohorts: the purport of the message of Domitius was to entreat Pompeius to come to his relief; that Caesar might be easily prevented from retreating or advancing by two armies aided by the narrow defiles; and if Pompeius did not come, that Domitius and above thirty cohorts and a great number of senators and equites would be in great danger. In the mean time Domitius encouraged his men, placed his military engines on the walls, and assigned the several parts of the city to those who were appointed to defend them in a speech to his soldiers he promised them lands out of his possessions, for it is said that he had acquired large property in Sulla's time (Dion, 41. c. 11), four jugera to each man and double

to the centurions and evocati. Pompeius was informed of these events by a letter from Domitius received on the 17th of February, and in his answer he urged Domitius to join

him.'

Caesar now received intelligence that Sulmo (Sulmona), which is about seven miles from Corfinium and on a branch of the Pescara, was ready to surrender, but it was held by Q. Lucretius, a senator, and Attius Pelignus with seven cohorts. M. Antonius was sent to Sulmo with five cohorts of the thirteenth legion, and as soon as he was seen the gates were opened, and both townsmen and soldiers went out to receive him. Lucretius and Attius escaped by the wall, but Attius was taken and brought to Caesar, who set him free, and added the seven cohorts from Sulmo to his own force. Caesar began by strongly fortifying his camp near Corfinium and bringing supplies from the neighbouring towns. Within the first three days after his arrival at Corfinium the eighth legion came with twenty-two cohorts newly raised in Gallia and about three hundred horsemen from the king of Noricum. On the arrival of these reinforcements he made another camp on the opposite side of the town and placed it under the command of Curio; and then he began to form his lines of contrevallation. A great part of the works were already completed when the messengers sent by Domitius returned from Pompeius with the two letters C. D. as it seems, which we now possess. Domitius did not let the contents of the letters be known, but he declared in public that Pompeius would soon come to relieve Corfinium, and he urged his men to prepare for the defence of the place, while he was secretly deliberating with a few friends and forming a design to escape. He could not however conceal his anxiety, and all his acts and behaviour showed a timidity which hitherto he had not displayed; and as he was often privately consulting with those about him, and avoided all

4 Ad Attic. viii. 12. D. This letter to Atticus contains four letters of Pompeius, one to the consuls, and three to Domitius, marked B. C. D. ed. Orelli.

5 Pompeius received a letter from L. Domitius on the 16th of February, to which he sent the answer c. (Cic. ad Attic. viii. 12), and he received another letter from Domitius on the 17th of February, which is the letter D. We do not know how Cicero got copies of these letters. Pompeius may have scut copies of them with the letter A. which was addressed to the consuls.

appearance in public, his designs could no longer be a secret. Pompeius in fact had told him that he would not expose himself to the risk of relieving the town, that it was not through his advice or with his consent that Domitius had placed himself in Corfinium, and that if it were possible, he should join Pompeius with all his force. But the town was now surrounded and escape was impossible. When the purpose of Domitius was known to his men, the tribunes, centurions and some of the best soldiers held a meeting early in the evening. They said that Caesar's works were nearly completed; that Domitius, on whom they had relied, was deserting them and planning his escape, and that they ought to look after themselves. The Marsi, who were in the town, did not agree with them and took possession of the strongest part of Corfinium; and the quarrel became so hot that the two parties were ready to come to blows; but in a short time messages were exchanged, and the Marsi were informed of the intentions. of Domitius, of which they knew nothing. Accordingly with one consent they brought out Domitius, set a watch over him, and sent some of their number to inform Caesar that they were ready to open the gates, to obey his orders, and to deliver up Domitius.

Caesar was eager to get possession of Corfinium, and to bring the troops into his own camp that they might not be induced to change their intention by promise of money or by recovering their courage, or by the arrival of false news; for he knew well, as he has remarked again (B. C. iii. 68), that in war great events often depend on small circumstances. He was also afraid that, if he entered the town by night, his men might plunder it. For these reasons he sent off the deputation, and told them to keep possession of the gates and walls. He placed his own soldiers all round the town without any interval between them, and ordered the tribunes and praefecti to be on their guard against any sallies from the town, and to be careful that not a single man escaped. There was no sleep that night in Caesar's camp. About the fourth watch, Lentulus Spinther, who had escaped to Corfinium, told the watch that he wished to see Caesar. His request was granted and he was conducted to the general by some soldiers of Domitius. Len