Commius was not as guilty, perhaps, as he seemed. Labienus had suspected
him of intending mischief when he was on the Seine in the past summer, and
had tried to entrap and kill him. Anyway Caesar's first object was to show
the Gauls that no friends of Rome would be allowed to suffer. He invaded
Normandy; he swept the country. He drove the Bellovaci and the Carnutes to
collect in another great army to defend themselves; he set upon them with
his usual skill; and destroyed them. Commius escaped over the Rhine to
Germany. Gutruatus was taken. Caesar would have pardoned him; but the
legions were growing savage at these repeated and useless commotions, and
insisted on his execution. The poor wretch was flogged till he was
insensible, and his head was cut off by the lictor's axe.
All Gaul was now submissive, its spirit broken, and, as the event proved,
broken finally, except in the southwest. Eight years out of the ten of
Caesar's government had expired. In one corner of the country only the
dream still survived that, if the patriots could hold out till Caesar was
gone, Celtic liberty might yet have a chance of recovering itself. A
single tribe on the Dordogne, relying on the strength of a fortress in a
situation resembling that of Gergovia, persisted in resistance to the
Roman authority. The spirit of national independence is like a fire: so
long as a spark remains a conflagration can again be kindled, and Caesar
felt that he must trample out the last ember that was alive.
Pages:
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462