Now while he was carrying on those conflicts in Italy, Caesar began, in the outer borders of the whole world, in the remotest districts of Spain, to beleaguer Petreius and Afranius, the two chiefs of Spain who were Pompey's lieutenants. And though the slaughters were not great on that expedition, still thereout accrued to the leaders much distress and change of prosperity and fortune. Close was the friendship of those legates, Petreius and Afranius, and strong was their combat as against Caesar's, and it was easy for them to proceed to battle and warfare, for their hosts were numerous and their army was wealthy, since there was a huge host of Italian soldiers under their conmand, and together with them were many multitudes of the warriors of Spain, to wit, the tribes of the Asturians and the Vectones and the nations of the Celtiberians.
Then those hosts marched to one place, and established a station and camp at the city called Ilerda, in tryst of battle to Caesar. That city was built on a low hill on the edge of the river Sicoris. An arched bridge of stone crossed that river, and when there was a wintry flood the water would come over it. There was a high hill near the city, and on it the standards of the Pompeians were planted, and their camp was laid out. Caesar pitched his camp on another hill that was not lower, face to face with them. There was nothing between the two camps save only the river Sicoris. Behind Caesar's camp was a space of level plain as far as ever the eye could reach: the river
The first day, then, that the armies came together, neither battle nor conflict was fought between them, for their effort and their work was to reckon their standards, and number their battalions, and display their tribes and their musters. Moreover, brothers and folk of the same city were slack and ashamed to contend in battle between themselves in the presence of the foreign nations.
When the darkness of the day's end came, Caesar caused his troops to dig a huge trench on one side of the camp of the Pompeians, and on the other he brought an innumerable crowd of champions, so that the Pompeians might have no way of escaping save only the one path to the huge hill that was near them, between them and the city of Ilerda.
When light and the twilight of early morning came, Caesar ordered his soldiers to be the first to reach that hill. When the Pompeians saw that, their troops advanced vehemently and speedily, and were the first to occupy the hill, for it was nearer to them, and also their road to it was easy, while the road of the Caesarians was very difficult, for the soldiers under their armour were with difficulty struggling up a hill that sloped upon them. None of them could raise his hand against his enemy, for their javelins (fixed in the ground) were props to them: the boss of the buckler of the man behind was supporting the man before; and none of them could
When Caesar saw that great pressure on his people, he despatched his cavalry to fall on the Pompeians at the other side, so that his footsoldiers came safe over the difficulty of the way.
The obstacles of the path and the divisions of the borders and the lands prevented the battle till then, and the storm of the air prevented it thenceforward, for then it was midspring, and at the beginning of winter great snows had fallen and filled the mountains and the plains of Spain. And under them the earth hardened and congealed, and by ice and hoarfrost the dropping of the clouds was prevented during the season of winter and the beginning of spring.
At the first lunar kindling caused by the vernal equinox, the eastern air grew red and ruddy, while the sun arose in his fiery pavilion up over the ascending colure. And the sun warmed and swelled all the watery clouds of the tumultuous air, from the countries of India in the east till they were above Spain as a dense, dark swamp of black mist, so that he could hardly illumine so much of the space as came between the sky and the earth; and thereafter the verdant semicircle of the rainbow shone in the clouds.
Then by the heat of the sun they were compressed, and they poured in their rain-showers and hailstorms and heavy-sleeting
The original rivers of the country flowed far over their banks on every side; and at every point that flood burst over the ramparts of Caesar's camp, so that the booths and tents, and the shields and weapons of the soldiers, and the provisions of the armies were a-floating and crowding (?) throughout the camp with the flood of water that reached them.
The troops were therefore unable to raid or forage in that country, and their horses found no way to pasture nor grass to graze on. The roads were hidden and the ground was level with them, so that they saw no path save the tops of the hills, and the peaks of the mountains.
Then came the disease that is chief of every disease and is cause of every great evil, to wit, famine. Even though they suffered nought but beleaguerment by foes, great was their need, for none of them could barter, even by giving all his wealth for a little sustenance, and the covetous man there was willingly enduring famine, after selling his little food for very great wealth.
Disfigured and barren then were the fields of Ilerda the city from the increase of the water over the hills and woods of the districts, after causing the death of their stags and wild beasts, their herds and horses. And in them day was not known from
Now when the flood of the river Sicoris withdrew from the neighbouring plains, so that the river was only as high as its bank, the Caesarians build the frameworks of boats of the willow-branches and the twigs of the plain, and they cover and strengthen them with hides of asses and bullocks in imitation of the boats used by the Veneti on the river Padus, or by the inhabitants of Egypt on the depths of the river Nile, or by the folk of the island of Britain on the surface of the sea of Wight. The neighbouring woods were cut down by them, and the water of the great river was let out into channels and rillets. A bridge of boards clamped together is built across it.
When Petreius and Afranius saw those great designs taken in hand by Caesar, they abandoned their camp and (left) the city of Ilerda without defence or protection, and set out with their armies to march into the outskirts of Spain, to seek reinforcements and meanwhile to postpone the battle.
When Caesar saw the camps empty and the hills forsaken after the army, he ordered his soldiers to pursue their enemies, and not to seek ford or bridge, but to cross the river opposite them. That was done for him, and he was answered unweariedly. Without questioning, on went his men, and eagerly, fearlessly they crossed the bed of the river Sicoris to attack their foes, a path, by which, had they been routed, they would not have easily retreated.
With that they donned their arms, and cast the water from their limbs. They then made a vehement rush after their enemies. Their cavalry pressed on, so that they overtook (?) the rearmost troops of the Pompeians, and those were in doubt as to whether they should flee, or stay and do battle against the Caesarians.
There were two high hills before them separated by a narrow glen with a lofty ridge across it. A strong place that was, and the Pompeians were sure that, if they reached it, Caesar's soldiers would not stop them. When Caesar observed
Then came the end of day, and the camps were pitched very near each other by either army. There was no division between them save the little trench which they made round the camps. When each caught sight of the other, and when on either side the sons recognised their fathers and the fathers their sons, and the brothers each other, then they understood the full wickedness of civil war. They used to wave their swords between them in token of joy, for they durst not hold speech or colloquy for dread of the generals, since it was a common custom with the Romans that the soldiers of opposing generals should not go from one camp into another, how great soever were their affection, until peace had first been made between the lords. And yet love for their neighbours grew strong and increased in the hearts of the Caesarians, and they went in troops and crowds into the Pompeians' camp.
There was no Roman with Caesar who had not some friend in that camp, a neighbour, or son-in-law, or fosterbrother, or a playmate or housemate in Rome. So everyone attained his friend. Then the warriors' arms were closed over the sides and necks of others. Kisses were redoubled between them. Their tears dropped on their weapons from the greatness of the joy, and also from the fear of mutual swording of friends after a while.
So thence there was peace between the two armies, and on that night each of them was in the other's camp feasting and banqueting. Each man deprived (the rest) of that night's sleep, telling another of his conflicts during the ten previous years. Though friendly was that meeting, they could not any longer resist the Fates and Fortune. For when Petreius saw the peace and friendliness between the armies, and when he saw the Caesarians unarmed in the midst of his camp, he brought his slaves and his own household and attacks (?) them. Wherever two friends were found in one place he separated them with the sword. Then he began to egg on and exhort the whole force of the camp, and to command them to join battle against their friends and companions. He ceased not until he implanted in the heart of every hero and in the spirit of every soldier the love of combat and the burning desire to wield weapons.
Nothing was like them save fierce wild beasts who are for a time tamed and petted, until the tasting of blood befalls them, so that then their fury and madness arise, and it is impossible to tame or restrain them. Even so the Pompeians were at first feeble and tepid, until they saw the streams of blood on the heroes' skins. Thereat arose the madness of their nature and the fury of their valour, so that they committed great hostilities and enormous monstrosities, that is, they began to strike and lay low the warriors who had just before been sharing food and bed with them.
Though great was their sighing and lamentation when they first unsheathed their swords, soon came hatred and dislike of their friends, and eagerness to mangle them and desire to destroy them. An exceeding great slaughter was there inflicted on the Caesarians. Gladly (?) did the Pompeians return
But Caesar, though he had lost many troops, deemed it a great success that the conflict was begun by the Pompeians. When the treachery was completed by Petreius and Afranius, they durst not, for dread of Caesar, abide in their camp; but the pick of the victors pressed on and they take flight again to the city of Ilerda. Caesar sent his cavalry ahead by a contrary path (to cut off their retreat), and brought his footsoldiers behind them, and on each of the two sides, so that he enclosed them on a high, mounded hill which was in the midst of the plain. He did not withdraw the troops from them till he had made a deep entrenchment around them, so that neither horse nor man could cross it, and so that they could not reach river or well or springwater.
So when they saw that the road of their death (?) and the path of their perishing was gotten by Caesar, and that they had no way of escape, their fear and dread were turned into anger and rage. They killed their horses, for these are not usually profitable to a beleaguered army, and moreover they preferred to destroy them than to benefit their enemies therewith. Then they came savagely, impetuously (?) towards their foes, to combat with them and themselves to be killed; for little they recked to endure every tragic death, provided they did not perish of hunger and thirst.
When Caesar saw them rushing on vehemently and eagerly to the edge of the entrenchments, he said to his soldiers: ‘Do not wield your weapons’, saith he, ‘so that their rage may
Thereat their rage subsided and their spirits were abated, since they found no resistance. Just like wounded heroes; for the greater is their courage from their bodies being transfixed, so long as their gashes are fresh and their wounds are recent; but, unless they meet with resistance and battling, their spirits abate, from the congelation of their gore, and the hardening of the blood, and the drying up of the wounds.
'Tis thus, then, their thirst wrought upon them, so that they did this: they dug up the earth opposite them, seeking for water; and they were digging it, not only with mattocks and sickles, but with their swords and their other weapons. And the mounded hill whereon they were is dug down till they came to the level of the plain on which the rivers were running. Never in the territories of the Asturians had there been diggings as deep as those; and in that country men are accustomed to mine the mountains while seeking golden ore, and sometimes the mountains smother the miners, so that they never come back again.
And though great was that labour of the Pompeians, it went for nought, for neither gush of stream nor source of spring was found by them. Then they ceased that digging, for they were wearied with excavating the earth and cleaving the rocks. Their drought was the more, and their thirst was the greater, from doing that great work in seeking water. And in order that their thirst might be the less, they did not consume food. Wherever they found clods of moist clay or watery sods they used to be squeezing them over their mouths. Wherever they chanced on a mess of excrement or cowdung they had a fight and a tussle for it. They used to drink the water that they would not drink at another time for sake of their life, though this were promised to them for it: and if they expected to live they would not drink it.
Some of them were sucking the mares and the female cattle that remained to them, so that they used to squeeze the blood over the teats (?) before their mouths separated from them. And others were crushing the tops of the trees and the lush grasses of the earth in order to drink their juice.
Wretched indeed were those troops, for so great was their thirst that, though poison were spilt on the waters before them, not the less would they drink them, provided that Caesar would permit. Then their bowels and entrails were burning, their lips dried up, their palates grew hard, their tongues were parched, and constricted were the sinews of their gullets, and the passages of their lungs, and the apertures of their windpipes; and no intake of breath used to come over their lips.
Their mouths were open towards the clouds, awaiting the drip of water therefrom. They began to swallow the air when the coolness of the night came to them, and it was the harder for them to suffer the great thirst, seeing the rivers of fresh water facing them at every point around them; for thus they were, the river Sicoris on one side of them and the river Iberus on the other.
At last, then, for sake of their lives, they made submission to Caesar. So they cast down their weapons in one place, and Afranius went before them into Caesar's camp and sat down between the General's legs, with his troops half dead along with him.
An ‘acknowledging voice’ he uttered to the General, and yet he made no speech that disgraced his dignity or was a reproach to his chieftainship. This he said: ‘O Caesar, if anyone less noble than thou had conquered us, we would sooner have killed ourselves than come to ask him for pardon. We deem it no shame that a man like thee should grant us our lives. It is unjust for thee to be wrathful against us, for leadership was not conferred upon us in order to rise against thee, and we held our present rank before the outbreak of this great warfare between thee and the people of Rome. Make now no question as to the west of the world, since we have submitted to thee, and go thyself to conquer the east. But grant us one little boon, not to bring us at present on this hosting, for we are weary and strengthless, and meseems our fortune in battle is bad; wherefore it would not be right to mingle us with the successful army.’
Caesar agreed in that speech of Afranius, so that sincere welcome and great serenity were manifest on his countenance, and he did not avenge the killing of his people. He permitted the Pompeians to remain behind the great hosting, as they had requested. They confirmed the bonds of their peace; and the troops of Afranius ran in throngs and crowds down to the streams and rivers that were nearest, and they quenched their thirst immoderately. They troubled the pools by the strength and the greed with which they sped to the streams. Some of them put their breasts on the brinks and their mouths on the rivers. So great was the rush of water which they gulped to them that no passage was found for their breath, inwards or outwards; so that was a cause of death to them. Still this did not quench their thirst, and the craving of their gullets was not the less. And though the bellies were full the necks were thirsty. And thereafter they went from the waters, and their own strengths and powers returned to them. Some of them came in the night to converse with their friends in Caesar's camp. Others went scatteringly to their own dwellings and cities.
Caesar marched forward to Varro, another Roman general who was still in Spain, and Varro at once submitted to him, and gave him two legions of his troops, that is, twelve thousand armed men. Then he marched forward to his own people whom he had left destroying the city of Massilia in the districts of Italy. The city shook at his presence, and it was completely
So far one of the foretales of the Great Battle of Thessaly. Caesar's Expedition into Spain is the name of the story.