Narrative in Eighth Book of the " Gallic War" \y 



in Italia retentas esse. This overt act of the consul was certainly 

 of sufficient importance to warrant the assumption that Caesar 

 was informed of the new posture of affairs by his friends in Rome 

 as soon as possible. The date at which Pompeius received his 

 commission from Marcellus evidently has an important bearing on 

 the date of Caesar's coming to Italy. 



IV 



In the accounts given by Appian,^^ Dio,^" and Plutarch,^' the 

 investiture of Pompeius with the sword at the hands of Marcellus 

 took place in the suburbs of Rome, and apparently not long before 

 the termination of Curio's tribunate. Appian's account is inher- 

 ently probable in making this dramatic scene follow a meeting of 

 the senate, at which Marcellus endeavored to induce the senate 

 to put into the field the two legions taken from Caesar. Nissen"* 

 thought from the tone of Att. VII, 3, that Cicero received word 

 of this event from Atticus in a letter delivered to him at Aecula- 

 num December 6 (§1), and that in consequence December 4 was 

 probably the day on which Marcellus directed Pompeius to take 

 up arms. Aeculanum, however, was about 180 in. p. from Rome; 

 the date of Pompeius's commission could scarcely have been later 

 than December 2,"^ it being assumed that Nissen's understanding 

 of Att. VII, 3, is correct. L. Holzapfel"" and C. Bardt^^ are at 

 one in holding closely to the evidence of Appian and Dio as to 

 the time and place and in dating this event not later than Decem- 

 ber 2. Bardt does not think that Att. VII, 3, reveals greater per- 

 turbation on Cicero's part than other letters of the period,'^^ 

 However that may be, there is additional evidence to show that 



""B. C, II, 31. 

 •^ XL, 64-66. 



'"Pomp. 58-59- 

 ^Ausbr., p. 72, 2. 

 **' Brief w., p. 96. 



'" " Die Anfange des Biirgerkrieges zwischen Casar und Pompeius," II, 

 Beitrdge zur alien Geschichte, IV, pp. 334-35. 

 ^^ " Die Ubergabe des Schwertes an Pompeius," Hermes, XLV, p. 339. 

 ''^Ibid., pp. 342-43. 



309 



