76.
Caesar had, as we have previously narrated, availed
himself of the faithful and valuable services of this Commius, in
Britain, in
former years: in consideration of which merits he had exempted from taxes his
[Commius's] state, and had conferred on Commius
himself the country of the Morini. Yet such was the unanimity of
the Gauls in asserting their freedom, and recovering
their ancient renown in war, that they were influenced neither by favors, nor by
the recollection of private friendship; and all earnestly directed their
energies and resources to that war, and collected eight thousand cavalry, and
about two hundred and forty thousand infantry. These were reviewed in the
country of the Aedui, and a calculation was made of their numbers:
commanders were appointed: the supreme command is intrusted to
Commius the Atrebatian, Viridomarus
and Eporedirix the Aeduans, and
Vergasillaunus the Arvernan, the cousin-german of
Vercingetorix. To them are assigned men selected from each
state, by whose advice the war should be conducted. All march to Alesia , sanguine and full of confidence: nor was there a single
individual who imagined that the Romans could
withstand the sight of such an immense host: especially in an action carried on
both in front and rear, when [on the inside] the besieged would sally from the
town and attack the enemy, and on the outside so great forces of cavalry and
infantry would be seen.
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