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Caesar at the Rubicon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Tenney Frank
Tenney Frank
Affiliation:
Bryn Mawr.
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Extract

The first few chapters of Caesar's Bellum Civile are notoriously untrustworthy. Much has been done by Nissen, Schmidt and others towards re-telling the story more truthfully, but our accounts are not yet fully satisfactory. Caesar's statement that he met the tribunes only after crossing the Rubicon is at first sight startling and does not accord with the story as told by Plutarch and Appian; for both of these historians make much of the fact that Caesar exhibited the tribunes upon their arrival to his army, thus stirring the soldiers to action. Plutarch and Appian are evidently following Pollio, who was with Caesar on the day of crossing: they ought therefore to furnish testimony of some weight. Suetonius makes no direct statement about the matter, but the order of events as given by him seems to place him in agreement with the statement of the Bellum Civile. We have therefore Pollio, Plutarch (twice), and Appian against the words of the Bellum Civile and Suetonius; or, more simply, Pollio against Caesar, both of whom were eye-witnesses of what occurred that day. Pollio, moreover, is the critic who questions the veracity of these very commentaries. Our acceptance of one side or the other can, therefore, hardly depend upon preponderance of authority. It will be a question of probability and probability I think we shall find resting with Plutarch and Appian. The only objection against adopting this conclusion at once, is that it seems to assume that Caesar has falsified to his own disadvantage.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Classical Quarterly , Volume 1 , Issue 2-3 , July 1907 , pp. 223 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1907

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References

page 223 note 1 In Syb. Hist. Zeit., N. F. x. pp. 71 ff

page 223 note 2 Cic. Briefwechsel.

page 223 note 3 B. C. ch. 8.

page 223 note 4 Plut. Caes. 31–2; Ant. 5 (Schmidt's statement in the footnote of p. 105 cites Plutarch incorrectly).

page 223 note 5 Appian ii. 33.

page 223 note 6 Plut. Caes. 32 Appian tells practically the same story as Plutarch regarding Caesar's hesitation at the Rubicon.

page 223 note 7 Suet. jul. 33.

page 223 note 8 Suet. jul. 56, Pollio Asinius parum diligenter parumque integra veritate compositos putat, etc.

page 224 note 1 App. ii. 125 Veil. Pat. 2. 60. 4 commentariis; Plut. Ant. 15

page 224 note 2 Cic. Phil. ii. 53 Tu, tu, inquam, M. Antoni, princepsC. Caesari omnia perturbare cupienticausam contra patriam inferendi dedisti; 55 Vt Helena Troianis, sic iste huic rei publicae causa pestis, quoted by Plut. Ant. 6.

page 224 note 3 Cf. Nissen and Schmidt. This is probably true, though scholars have been too ready to base all their chronology of this period upon a casual statement made by Cicero almost two weeks later. (Fam. xvi.12. 2.)

page 224 note 4 Curio had made it in three days, and Roscius asked for only six days to make the journey, discuss the proposed terms with Caesar, and return to the senate. B.C. 3.

page 224 note 5 Cf. Schmidt, Briefw. p. 105 f.n. end; DrumannGroebe iii. p. 386 f.n. 4.

page 224 note 6 Caesar would have us believe that he is spending this time peacefully at Ariminum in deference to the peace negotiations. This is not quite true. Miss Peaks, Class. Rev. 1904, p. 346, makes it clear that Caesar employs the time in strengthening his position.