Thus it was not
only the Cherusci and their allies, the old soldiers of Arminius, who took
up arms, but even the Semnones and Langobardi from the kingdom of Maroboduus
revolted to that chief. With this addition he must have had an overwhelming
superiority, had not Inguiomerus deserted
ARMINIUS AND
MAROBODUUS AGITATE |
with a troop of his dependants to Maroboduus,
simply for the reason that the aged uncle scorned to obey a brother's
youthful son. The armies were drawn up, with equal confidence on both sides,
and there were not those desultory attacks or irregular bands, formerly so
common with the Germans. Prolonged warfare against us had accustomed them to
keep close to their standards, to have the support of reserves, and to take
the word of command from their generals. On this occasion Arminius, who
reviewed the whole field on horseback, as he rode up to each band, boasted
of regained freedom, of slaughtered legions, of spoils and weapons wrested
from the Romans, and still in the hands of many of his men. As for
Maroboduus, he called him a fugitive, who had no experience of battles, who
had sheltered himself in the recesses of the
Hercynian
forest and then with presents and embassies sued for a treaty; a
traitor to his country, a satellite of Cæsar, who deserved to be
driven out, with rage as furious as that with which they had slain
Quintilius Varus. They should simply remember their many battles, the result
of which, with the final expulsion of the Romans, sufficiently showed who
could claim the crowning success in war.
