away.  Considius,[476] who was a very old man, observed that the senators did not come because they were afraid of the arms and the soldiers.  “Why don’t you then stay at home for the same reason?” replied Caesar, to which Considius rejoined, “My age makes me fearless, for the little of life that remains for me is not worth much thought.”  The most scandalous public measure in Caesar’s consulship was the election as tribune of that[477] Clodius who had dishonoured Caesar’s wife and violated the mysterious nocturnal rites.  But he was elected in order to ruin Cicero, and Caesar did not set out for his province till with the aid of Clodius he had put down Cicero by his cabals and driven him out of Italy.

XV.  Such is said to have been the course of Caesar’s life before his Gallic campaigns.[478] But the period of his wars which he afterwards fought and his expedition by which he subdued Gaul, is just like a new beginning in his career and the commencement of a new course of life and action, in which he showed himself as a soldier and a general inferior to none who have gained admiration as leaders and been the greatest men:  for whether we compare Caesar’s exploits with those of the Fabii, Scipios, and Metelli, or with those of his contemporaries or immediate predecessors, Sulla and Marius and both the Luculli or even Pompeius himself, whose fame, high as the heavens, was blossoming at that time in every kind of military virtue, Caesar will be found to surpass them all—­his superiority over one appearing in the difficulties of the country in which he carried on his campaigns, over another in the extent of country subdued, over a third in the number and courage of the enemy whom he defeated, over another again in the savage manners and treacherous character of the nations that he brought to civility, over a fourth in his clemency and mildness to the conquered, over another again in his donations and liberality to his soldiers; and in fine his superiority over all other generals appears by the numbers of battles that he fought and of enemies that he slew.  For in somewhat less than ten years during which he carried on his campaign in Gaul he took by storm above eight hundred cities, and subdued three hundred nations, and fought with three millions of men at different times, of whom he destroyed one million in battle and took as many prisoners.

XVI.[479] So great were the good-will and devotion of Caesar’s soldiers to him, that those who under other generals were in no way superior to ordinary soldiers, were invincible and irresistible and ready to meet any danger for Caesar’s glory.  An instance of this is Acilius, who in the sea-fight of Massalia[480] boarded one of the enemy’s ships and had his right hand cut off with a sword, but he still kept hold of his shield with the left hand and striking at the faces of the enemy drove all to flight and got possession of the vessel.  Another instance was Cassius Scaeva,[481] who in the