flight; but the detachment on the east side stood its ground, and kept
the enemy from crossing the bridge in pursuit. The Cimbri admired
their bravery, and when they had forced the bridge let its defenders
go. Pursuing Catulus, they cut him off from a river for which he was
making, probably the Ticinus, though according to some, the Po. He
then pretended to encamp on a hill as if for a long stay. The Cimbri
dispersed over the country, and Catulus immediately came down,
assaulted their camp and crossed the river, where he was joined by
the victorious army of Gaul and by Marius, who had been to Rome.
[Sidenote: Battle with the Cimbri, July 30, 101 B.C.] The village
festival on the hill of Sainte Victoire was held in May. The battle
with the Cimbri was fought on July 30, 101. More than a year therefore
had elapsed since the Teutones were defeated. But it was the
barbarians' custom not to fight in winter, and they were in a rich
country which had not been invaded for a century, where they were
revelling in unwonted comforts. So they spread themselves over the
land as far as the Sesia; and when Marius came, they sent, it is
said, and asked for land for the Teutones whom they were awaiting.
[Sidenote: Story of the Cimbric embassy to Marius.] Marius replied
that their brothers had all the land they wanted already. Upon which
they requested him to name a field and a day for battle. Marius
answered that Romans never consulted their foes on such points, but he
would humour them, and named the Campi Raudii, near Vercellae. Such a
story bears falsehood on the face of it. It is absurd to suppose that
the Cimbri had not heard of the defeat of the Teutones, which had
taken place more than a year before. Very likely they asked for land,
and finding that they would only get hard blows, determined to bring
matters to a crisis at once. Sulla's memoirs were Plutarch's authority
for what followed, and Sulla hated Marius. [Sidenote: Story of
Marius's jealousy of Catulus.] He said that Marius, expecting that the
fighting would be on the wings, posted his own men there, that they
might gain the glory, but that the brunt of the battle was borne by
Catulus in the centre; and that such a dust rose that Marius was for a
long time out of the battle, and knew not where he was. It seems that
the barbarian cavalry feigned a flight, hoping to turn and take the
Romans between themselves and their infantry. But the Romans drove
back the cavalry on the inf