For they knew nothing of the
victory till they heard the weeping of the men in Alesia and the
wailing of the women, when they saw on the other side many shields
adorned with silver and gold, and many breastplates smeared with
blood, and also cups and Gallic tents conveyed by the Romans to their
camp. So quickly did so mighty a force, like a phantom or a dream,
vanish out of sight and disperse, the greater part of the men having
fallen in battle. But those who held Alesia, after giving no small
trouble to themselves and to Caesar, at last surrendered; and the
leader of the whole war, Vergentorix, putting on his best armour, and
equipping his horse, came out through the gates, and riding round
Caesar who was seated, and then leaping down from his horse, he threw
off his complete armour, and seating himself at Caesar's feet, he
remained there till he was delivered up to be kept for the triumph.
XXVIII.[509] Caesar had long ago resolved to put down Pompeius, as
Pompeius also had fully resolved to do towards him. For now that
Crassus had lost his life among the Parthians, who kept a watch over
both of them, it remained for one of them, in order to be the chief,
to put down him who was, and to him who was the chief, to take off the
man whom he feared, in order that this might not befall him. But it
had only recently occurred to Pompeius to take alarm, and hitherto he
had despised Caesar, thinking it would be no difficult thing for the
man whom he had elevated to be again depressed by him; but Caesar, who
had formed his design from the beginning, like an athlete, removed
himself to a distance from his antagonists, and exercised himself in
the Celtic wars, and thus disciplined his troops and increased his
reputation, being elevated by his exploits to an equality with the
victories of Pompeius; also laying hold of pretexts, some furnished by
the conduct of Pompeius himself, and others by the times and the
disordered state of the administration at Rome, owing to which, those
who were candidates for magistracies placed tables in public and
shamelessly bribed the masses, and the people being hired went down to
show their partisanship not with votes on behalf of their briber, but
with bows and swords and slings.
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