fame, high as the heavens, was blossoming
at that time in every kind of military virtue, Caesar will be found to
surpass them all--his superiority over one appearing in the
difficulties of the country in which he carried on his campaigns, over
another in the extent of country subdued, over a third in the number
and courage of the enemy whom he defeated, over another again in the
savage manners and treacherous character of the nations that he
brought to civility, over a fourth in his clemency and mildness to the
conquered, over another again in his donations and liberality to his
soldiers; and in fine his superiority over all other generals appears
by the numbers of battles that he fought and of enemies that he slew.
For in somewhat less than ten years during which he carried on his
campaign in Gaul he took by storm above eight hundred cities, and
subdued three hundred nations, and fought with three millions of men
at different times, of whom he destroyed one million in battle and
took as many prisoners.

XVI.[479] So great were the good-will and devotion of Caesar's
soldiers to him, that those who under other generals were in no way
superior to ordinary soldiers, were invincible and irresistible and
ready to meet any danger for Caesar's glory. An instance of this is
Acilius, who in the sea-fight of Massalia[480] boarded one of the
enemy's ships and had his right hand cut off with a sword, but he
still kept hold of his shield with the left hand and striking at the
faces of the enemy drove all to flight and got possession of the
vessel. Another instance was Cassius Scaeva,[481] who in the fight at
Dyrrachium had one eye destroyed by an arrow, his shoulder transfixed
with one javelin and his thigh with another, and on his shield he had
received the blows of one hundred and thirty missiles. In this plight
he called to the enemy as if he designed to surrender himself, and two
of them accordingly approached him, but with his sword he lopped off
one man's shoulder and wounding the other in the face, put him to
flight, and finally he escaped himself with the aid of his friends. In
Britannia on one occasion the natives had attacked the foremost
centurions who had got into a marshy spot full of water, upon which,
in the presence of Caesar who was viewing the contest, a soldier rushed
into the midst of the enemy, and after performing many conspicuous
acts of valour, rescued the centurions from the barbarians, who took
to flight.