Saturnalia Read Free Page B

out for the sheer delight of keeping me after him for details.
    “New factor? Not an invasion from that island up north, Britannia or whatever it’s called?”
    “Oh, no. The eastern Gauls have been fighting among themselves for several years now.”
    “I knew about that. One faction is led by the Aedui and the other by the Averni, I believe. The situation changes so fast there that it’s hard to keep track.”
    “That is still the lineup. Anyway, word has it that the Averni were losing and so they decided, foolishly, that they needed, well … allies.”
    I all but let my cup clatter to the floor. “Jove preserve us! You mean the Germans are across the Rhine again?”
    “So it would seem. Only mercenaries so far, but they have a new and apparently ambitious king, one Ariovistus. Last I heard, the king was still east of the Rhine; but my sources say that there may be more than a hundred thousand German warriors on the western bank already, and the Germans have coveted the rich lands of Gaul for a long, long time.”
    I groaned. As a rule, foreigners come in three sorts. There are the comical ones, like Egyptians and Syrians. Then there are the ones who are both comical and scary, like the Gauls. And then there are the Germans, who are just plain terrifying.
    “Surely the Senate isn’t sending Caesar into Gaul with a mandate to drive the Germans out?”
    “By no means. I suspect that Caesar will first ensure that the Helvetii do not migrate into Roman territory. That is what has been feared for years. He cannot very well march to the Rhine and leave them at his back. I think he intends to crush the Helvetii, then wheel northeast and take on the Germans and their Gallic allies.” He gave me a self-deprecating smile. “Of course, that is just my theory. I am not a military man.”
    Lisas dealt with the world from his embassy, but he knew how to interpret a map and he had a sound grasp of politics as it is played on a world scale. I did not doubt that he was very close to the truth of the situation. Roman territory did not extend to the Rhine, but for generations we had considered it our unofficial border. If the Germans crossed, it was a sign of hostility.
    “Nobody ever gained great wealth fighting Germans,” I said. “Gauls are a wealthy people by comparison.”
    “But one may win glory and a triumph,” Lisas pointed out. “And who was the last Roman to defeat the Germans?”
    “Marius, of course,” I said. “At Aquae Sextiae and Vercellae.”
    “And what is Caesar’s dearest wish except to be the new Marius? He has courted the
populares
for his whole career, always stressing that Marius was his uncle by marriage.”
    “It makes sense,” I admitted. “But it amazes me that even a man like Caesar can believe that he has what it takes to beat the Germans! A few victories in Spain don’t amount to all that much. By the time Marius fought those battles, he’d all but built his legions from scratch and led them to victory for twenty years. You can’t just take charge of established legions as a new proconsul and expect that sort of performance and loyalty.” I knew as I said it that I was probably wrong. Everyone, myself included, had underestimated Caesar for years.
    “Caesar has a genius for persuading the common people. Men don’t come any more common that legionaries. They are the most powerful force in the world, more powerful than politicians and consuls, more powerful than the Senate. Marius knew that and so did Sulla. Pompey never understood it, and so his sun is setting.”
    As I took my leave of him, Lisas led me out by the arm. “Decius, my friend, as always I rejoice to see you, but I did not expect to see you until after the tribuneship of Clodius should expire at the end of next year.” He had given me some inside information, now he expected the favor to be returned.
    “I must confess that I am surprised as well. I was recalled from Rhodes unexpectedly. It has something to do with