21after the arrival of these veteran cohorts civilis was now at the head of a respectable army. but being still uncertain of his plans, and engaged in reckoning up the roman forces, he made all who were with him swear allegiance to vespasian, and sent envoys to the two legions, who after their defeat in the former engagement299 had retired into vetera, asking them to take the same oath. the answer came back that they never followed the advice either of a traitor or of an enemy: vitellius was their emperor, and they would keep their allegiance and their arms for him so long as they had breath in their bodies. a batavian deserter need not try to decide the destiny of rome; he should rather expect the punishment he richly deserved. when this was reported to civilis he flew into a passion, and called the whole batavian people to take arms. they were joined by the bructeri and tencteri,300 and germany was summoned to come and share the plunder and the glory.
22threatened with this gathering storm, munius lupercus and numisius rufus, who were in command of the two legions, proceeded to strengthen the ramparts and walls. they pulled down the buildings near the military camp, which had grown into a small town during the long years of peace, fearing that the 125enemy might make use of them. but they omitted to provide a sufficient store of provisions for the camp, and authorized the soldiers to make up the deficiency by looting, with the result that what might have supplied their needs for a long time was consumed in a few days. meanwhile civilis advanced, himself holding the centre with the flower of the batavi: on both banks of the rhine he massed large bands of germans to strike terror into the enemy: the cavalry galloped through the fields, while the ships were simultaneously moved up the stream. here could be seen the colours of veteran roman cohorts, there the figures of beasts which the germans had brought from their woods and groves, as their tribes do when they go to battle. it seemed both a civil and a savage war at once; and this strange confusion astounded the besieged. the hopes of the assailants rose when they saw the circumference of the ramparts, for there were barely five thousand roman soldiers to defend a camp which had been laid out to hold two legions.301 however, a large number of camp-followers had collected there on the break-up of peace, and remained to give what assistance they could to the military operations.
23the camp was built partly on the gentle slope of a hill and partly on the level ground. augustus had believed that it would serve as a base of operations and a check upon the german tribes: as for their actually coming to assault our legions, such a disaster 126never occurred to him. consequently no trouble had been taken in choosing the site or erecting defences: the strength of the troops had always seemed sufficient.
the batavians and the germans from across the rhine302 now formed up tribe by tribe—the separation was designed to show their individual prowess—and opened fire from a distance. finding that most of their missiles fell harmlessly on to the turrets and pinnacles of the walls, and that they were being wounded by stones hurled from above, they charged with a wild shout and surged up to the rampart, some using scaling-ladders, others climbing over their comrades who had formed a 'tortoise'. but no sooner had some of them begun to scale the wall, than they were hurled down by the besieged, who thrust at them with sword and shield, and buried under a shower of stakes and javelins. the germans are always impetuous at the beginning of an action and over-confident when they are winning; and on this occasion their greed for plunder even steeled them to face difficulties. they actually attempted to use siege-engines, with which they were quite unfamiliar. but though they had no skill themselves, some of the deserters and prisoners showed them how to build a sort of bridge or platform of timber, on to which they fitted wheels and rolled it forward. thus some of them stood on this platform and fought as though from a mound, while others, concealed inside, tried to undermine the walls. however, stones hurled from catapults soon 127destroyed this rude engine. then they began to get ready hurdles and mantlets, but the besieged shot blazing spears on to them from engines, and even attacked the assailants themselves with fire-darts. at last they gave up all hope of an assault and resolved to try a waiting policy, being well aware that the camp contained only a few days' provisions and a large number of non-combatants. they hoped that famine would breed treason, and counted, besides, on the wavering loyalty of the slaves and the usual hazards of war to aid them.
24meanwhile, flaccus,303 who had received news of the siege of vetera, dispatched a party to recruit auxiliaries in gaul, and gave dillius vocula, in command of the twenty-second, a force of picked soldiers from his two legions.304 vocula was to hurry by forced marches along the bank of the rhine, while flaccus himself was to approach by water, since he was in bad health and unpopular with his men. indeed, they grumbled openly that he had let the batavian cohorts get away from mainz, had connived at civilis' schemes, and invited the germans to join the alliance. vespasian, they said, owed his rise more to flaccus than to all the assistance of antonius primus or of mucianus, for overt hatred and hostility can be openly crushed, but treachery and deceit cannot be detected, much less parried. while civilis took the field himself and arranged his own fighting line, hordeonius lay on a couch in his bedroom and gave whatever orders 128best suited the enemy's convenience. why should all these companies of brave soldiers be commanded by one miserable old invalid? let them rather kill the traitor and free their brave hearts and good hopes from the incubus of such an evil omen. having worked on each other's feelings by these complaints, they were still further incensed by the arrival of a letter from vespasian. as this could not be concealed, flaccus read it before a meeting of the soldiers, and the messengers who brought it were sent to vitellius in chains.
25with feelings thus appeased the army marched on to bonn, the head-quarters of the first legion. there the men were still more indignant with flaccus, on whom they laid the blame of their recent defeat.305 it was by his orders, they argued, that they had taken the field against the batavians on the understanding that the legions from mainz were in pursuit. but no reinforcements had arrived and his treachery was responsible for their losses. the facts, moreover, were unknown to the other armies, nor was any report sent to their emperor, although this treacherous outbreak could have been nipped in the bud by the combined aid of all the provinces. in answer flaccus read out to the army copies of all the letters which he had sent from time to time all over gaul and britain and spain to ask for assistance, and introduced the disastrous practice of having all letters delivered to the standard-bearers of the legions, who read them to the soldiers before the general had seen them.129 he then gave orders that one of the mutineers should be put in irons, more by way of vindicating his authority than because one man was especially to blame. leaving bonn, the army moved on to cologne, where they were joined by large numbers of gallic auxiliaries, who at first zealously supported the roman cause: later, when the germans prospered, most of the tribes took arms against us, actuated by hopes of liberty and an ambition to establish an empire of their own when once they had shaken off the yoke.
meanwhile the army's indignation steadily increased. the imprisonment of a single soldier was not enough to terrify them, and, indeed, the prisoner actually accused the general of complicity in crime, alleging that he himself had carried messages between flaccus and civilis. 'it is because i can testify to the truth,' he said, 'that flaccus wants to get rid of me on a false charge.' thereupon vocula, with admirable self-possession, mounted the tribunal and, in spite of the man's protestations, ordered him to be seized and led away to prison. this alarmed the disaffected, while the better sort obeyed him promptly. the army then unanimously demanded that vocula should lead them, and flaccus accordingly resigned the chief command to him. 26however, there was much to exasperate their disaffection. they were short both of pay and of provisions: the gauls refused either to enlist or to pay tribute: drought, usually unknown in that climate, made the rhine almost too low for navigation, and thus hampered their commissariat: patrols had 130to be posted at intervals all along the bank to prevent the germans fording the river: and in consequence of all this they had less food and more mouths to eat it. to the ignorant the lowness of the river seemed in itself an evil omen, as though the ancient bulwarks of the empire were now failing them. in peace they would have called it bad luck or the course of nature: now it was 'fate' and 'the anger of heaven'.
on entering novaesium306 they were joined by the sixteenth legion. herennius gallus307 now shared with vocula the responsibility of command. as they could not venture out against the enemy, they encamped ... at a place called gelduba,308 where the soldiers were trained in deploying, in fortification and entrenchment, and in various other military man?uvres. to inspire their courage with the further incentive of plunder, vocula led out part of the force against the neighbouring tribe of the cugerni,309 who had accepted civilis' offers of alliance. the rest of the troops were left behind with herennius gallus,310 27and it happened that a corn-ship with a full cargo, which had run aground close to the camp, was towed over by the germans to their own bank. this was more than gallus could tolerate, so he sent a cohort to the rescue. the number of the germans soon in131creased: both sides gradually gathered reinforcements and a regular battle was fought, with the result that the germans towed off the ship, inflicting heavy losses. the defeated troops followed what had now become their regular custom, and threw the blame not on their own inefficiency but on their commanding-officer's bad faith. they dragged him from his quarters, tore his uniform and flogged him, bidding him tell them how much he had got for betraying the army, and who were his accomplices. then their indignation recoiled on hordeonius flaccus: he was the real criminal: gallus was only his tool. at last their threats so terrified gallus that he, too, charged flaccus with treason. he was put in irons until the arrival of vocula, who at once set him free, and on the next day had the ringleaders of the riot executed. the army showed, indeed, a strange contrast in its equal readiness to mutiny and to submit to punishment. the common soldiers' loyalty to vitellius was beyond question,311 while the higher ranks inclined towards vespasian. thus we find a succession of outbreaks and penalties; an alternation of insubordination with obedience to discipline; for the troops could be punished though not controlled.
28meanwhile the whole of germany was ready to worship civilis, sending him vast reinforcements and ratifying the alliance with hostages from their noblest families. he gave orders that the country of the ubii and treviri was to be laid waste by their nearest 132neighbours, and sent another party across the maas to harass the menapii and morini312 and other frontier tribes of gaul. in both quarters they plundered freely, and were especially savage towards the ubii, because they were a tribe of german origin who had renounced their fatherland and adopted the name of agrippinenses.313 a ubian cohort was cut to pieces at the village of marcodurum,314 where they were off their guard, trusting to their distance from the rhine. the ubii did not take this quietly, nor hesitate to seek reprisals from the germans, which they did at first with impunity. in the end, however, the germans proved too much for them, and throughout the war the ubii were always more conspicuous for good faith than good fortune. their collapse strengthened civilis' position, and emboldened by success, he now vigorously pressed on the blockade of the legions at vetera, and redoubled his vigilance to prevent any message creeping through from the relieving army. the batavians were told off to look after the engines and siege-works: the germans, who clamoured for battle, were sent to demolish the rampart and renew the fight directly they were beaten off. there were so many of them that their losses mattered little.
29nightfall did not see the end of their task. they built huge fires of wood all round the ramparts and 133sat drinking by them; then, as the wine warmed their hearts, one by one they dashed into the fight with blind courage. in the darkness their missiles were ineffective, but the barbarian troops were clearly visible to the romans, and any one whose daring or bright ornaments made him conspicuous at once became a mark for their aim. at last civilis saw their mistake, and gave orders to extinguish the fires and plunge the whole scene into a confusion of darkness and the din of arms. discordant shouts now arose: everything was vague and uncertain: no one could see to strike or to parry. wherever a shout was heard, they would wheel round and lunge in that direction. valour was useless: chance and chaos ruled supreme: and the bravest soldier often fell under a coward's bolt. the germans fought with blind fury. the roman troops were more familiar with danger; they hurled down iron-clamped stakes and heavy stones with sure effect. wherever the sound of some one climbing or the clang of a scaling-ladder betrayed the presence of the enemy, they thrust them back with their shields and followed them with a shower of javelins. many appeared on top of the walls, and these they stabbed with their short swords. and so the night wore on. 30day dawned upon new methods of attack. the batavians had built a wooden tower of two stories and moved it up to the head-quarters gate,315 which was the most accessible spot. however, our soldiers, by using strong poles and hurling wooden beams, soon 134battered it to pieces, with great loss of life to those who were standing on it. while they were still dismayed at this, we made a sudden and successful sally. meanwhile the legionaries, with remarkable skill and ingenuity, invented still further contrivances. the one which caused most terror was a crane with a movable arm suspended over their assailants' heads: this arm was suddenly lowered, snatched up one or more of the enemy into the air before his fellows' eyes, and, as the heavy end was swung round, tossed him into the middle of the camp. civilis now gave up hope of storming the camp and renewed a leisurely blockade, trying all the time by messages and offers of reward to undermine the loyalty of the legions.
