Catiline's War, The Jugurthine War, Histories by Sallust

Author:Sallust
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US

After Aulus’ treaty and our army’s foul77 flight, Metellus and Silanus as consuls designate78 had divided the provinces between themselves and Numidia had fallen to Metellus, a fierce man and, though opposed to the people’s party, nevertheless of a consistent and unblemished reputation. When he first entered upon his magistracy, deeming that everything else would be shared with his colleague, he gave his attention to the war he was about to wage. Therefore, distrusting the old army, he enlisted soldiers, summoned support from all round, procured arms, weapons, horses and the other equipment of soldiering, and in addition supplies in abundance - in short, everything which is generally of use in a variable and extremely demanding war. Every effort to accomplish all this was made by the senate through its authority, by the allies and those of the Latin name and the kings79 through their spontaneous dispatch of auxiliaries, and finally by the whole community through its utmost enthusiasm. And so, when everything had been procured and arranged to his liking, he set off for Numidia - to the high hopes of the citizens, both on account of his good qualities and especially because he was temperamentally invincible in the face of riches and it was the avarice of magistrates which previously in Numidia had worn down our resources and increased those of the enemy.

But, when he arrived in Africa, the army which was handed to him by the proconsul Sp. Albinus was idle, unwarlike, tolerant of neither danger nor hard work, readier with its tongue than its muscle, a plunderer of the allies and itself plunder for the enemy, maintained without command and discipline. So the new commander derived more anxiety from the soldiers’ bad behaviour than help or good hope from their numbers. Nevertheless, although the delay to the elections80 had reduced the time for campaigning and he thought that the citizens’ minds would be concentrated on the expected outcome, Metellus decided not to have any contact with the war until he had compelled the soldiers to work hard under the discipline of their ancestors. For Albinus had been stunned by the disaster to his brother Aulus and his army, and, having decided not to leave the province, he mostly maintained the soldiers in stationary camp for the length of the campaigning time that he was in command, except when the stench or need for fodder forced a change of location. Yet there were no fortifications, nor were watches deployed in the military manner; everyone left the standards as they pleased; camp-followers, mingling with the soldiers, wandered around day and night; and, roving about, they devastated the land, laid siege to villas, competed to drive off livestock and menials as plunder and to exchange them with traders for imported wine and other such; in addition, they sold the official rations of grain and each day traded for bread: in short, whatever iniquities of apathy and luxury can be mentioned or imagined, they were all in that army - and more besides.

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