Therefore the foe ceased their pursuit, and Asprenas on
learning what was taking place rendered them assistance in reality. Some
of the captives were later ransomed by their relatives and returned,
for this was permitted on condition that the ransoming party should be
outside of Italy at the time.--But this was only afterward. [-23-] At the
time, when Augustus heard of the disaster to Varus, he rent his clothing
(as some assert) and mourned greatly over the lost soldiers as also over
the fear inspired by the Germans and the Gauls. His grief was especially
keen because he expected that they would march upon Italy and upon Rome
itself. There were no citizens of military age worth mentioning that
were left and the allied forces that were of any value had been ruined.
Nevertheless he made preparations as well as he could in view of the
circumstances: and when no one of the proper age for warfare showed a
willingness to be enrolled, he instituted a drawing of lots and deprived
of his property every fifth man to draw of those not yet thirty-five
years old and every tenth man among those who were older, besides
disenfranchising them. Finally, as very many paid no heed to him even
then, he put some to death. He chose by lot as many as he could of those
who had already finished their service and of the freedmen, and having
enrolled them sent them at once in haste with Tiberius into Germany. And
as there were in Rome a number of Gauls and Celtae, sojourning there for
various purposes, and some of them serving in the pretorian guard, he
feared that they might commit some act of insurrection: therefore he sent
such as were in his guard off to the islands and ordered the unarmed
class to leave the city.

[-24-] This was the way be busied himself at that time, and none of the
usual business went on nor were the festivals celebrated. After this,
when he heard that some of the soldiers had been saved, that the
Germanies were garrisoned and the enemy did not dare to come down even to
the Rhine, he ceased to be excited and stopped to consider the matter.
A catastrophe so great and prostrating as this, it seemed to him, could
have been due to nothing else than the wrath of some Divinity: moreover,
by reason of the portents which took place both before the defeat and
afterward he was greatly inclined to suspect some miraculous working. The
temple of Mars in the field of the same name had been struck by lightning
and many locusts that flew