Men's minds
were so intent on the civil war, that foreign affairs were disregarded. This
emboldened the Roxolani, a Sarmatian tribe, who had destroyed two cohorts in
the previous winter, to invade
Mœsia with
great hopes of success. They had 9000 cavalry, flushed with victory and
intent on plunder rather than on fighting. They were dispersed and off their
guard, when the third legion together with some auxiliaries attacked them.
The Romans had everything ready for battle, the Sarmatians were scattered,
and in their eagerness for plunder had encumbered themselves with heavy
baggage, while the superior speed of their horses was lost on the slippery
roads. Thus they were cut down as if their hands were tied. It is wonderful
how entirely the courage of this people is, so to speak, external to
themselves. No troops could shew so little spirit when fight-
ing on foot; when they
charge in squadrons, hardly any line can stand against them. But as on this
occasion the day was damp and the ice thawed, what with the continual
slipping of their horses, and the weight of their coats of mail, they could
make no use of their pikes or their swords, which being of an excessive
length they wield with both hands. These coats are worn as defensive armour
by the princes and most distinguished persons of the tribe. They are formed
of plates of iron or very tough hides, and though they are absolutely
impenetrable to blows, yet they make it difficult for such as have been
overthrown by the charge of the enemy to regain their feet. Besides, the
Sarmatians were perpetually sinking in the deep and soft snow. The Roman
soldier, moving easily in his cuirass, continued to harass them with
javelins and lances, and whenever the occasion required, closed with them
with his short sword, and stabbed the defenceless enemy; for it is not their
custom to defend themselves with a shield. A few who survived the battle
concealed themselves in the marshes. There they perished from the inclemency
of the season and the severity of their wounds. When this success was known,
Marcus Aponius, governor of
Mœsia, was
rewarded with a triumphal statue, while Fulvius Aurelius, Julianus Titius,
and Numisius Lupus, the legates of the legions, received the ensigns of
consular rank. Otho was delighted, and claimed the glory for himself, as if
it were he that commanded success in war, and that had aggrandised the State
by his generals and his armies.
