Narrative in Eighth Book of the " Gallic War" 23 



12, as the distance from Rome to the northwestern border of 

 Italy was more than 500 m. p.^^ But other evidence renders it 

 improbable that Caesar came into Italy so late. There is no good 

 reason to doubt the statements of Appian and Dio that Curio left 

 Rome to go to Caesar as soon as his tribunate came to an end. 

 From Appian's account it appears that he found Caesar at Ra- 

 venna. Curio doubtless learned from Hirtius December 6 of 

 Caesar's probable whereabouts at the time when he himself should 

 leave Rome to join Caesar. The distance between the two places 

 was nearly 260 m. p. Leaving Rome December 10 Curio could 

 have been in Ravenna by December 14.^^ This latter date is to be 

 taken as the latest possible date of Caesar's arrival in Ravenna. 

 Obviously he could not have been at the northwestern frontier of 

 Italy as late as December 12, to say nothing of the provincial 

 assizes, brief though they may have been. 



It is highly probable that Hirtius came into Italy in company 

 with Caesar. If Hirtius went on directly to Rome, say from 

 Augusta Praetoria, at a courier's pace of 50 in. p. daily, Novem- 

 ber 25 is the latest probable date of arrival at that place, since 

 Hirtius came to Rome December 6. Some sixteen or seventeen 

 days would thus be available for the assizes. 



If Caesar arrived in Italy November 25, it is necessary, on the 

 assumption that Pompeius received his commission from Mar- 

 cellus December 2, to take the clause quo cum venisset, B. G., 

 VIII, 55, I, as the equivalent of qiio postqtiam venit. If, how- 

 ever, Hirtius meant that Caesar heard of Pompeius's commission 

 immediately on entering Italy, the commission must be dated 

 earlier than December 2, as early as the middle of November. 

 The first of these alternatives is certainly possible. The second 

 is not made impossible by the mere fact that Marcellus, the 

 younger consul, presided at the meeting of the senate which pre- 

 ceded the commissioning of Pompeius. As noted before, the older 



^ It was approximately 520 m. p. from Rome to Augusta Praetoria via 

 Bononia, Placentia, Laus Pompeia, Vercellae, Eporedia. 



'* It need not be supposed that Curio always traveled as rapidly as he did 

 on his return trip to Rome in order to deliver Caesar's ultimatum Jan. r 

 (App., B. C, II, 32). 



