26 Frederick Warren Sanford 



tual declaration of war, followed by the commissioning of Pom- 

 peius. That the third should have followed the second imme- 

 diately was natural and is easy to believe. But it is not so probable 

 that all three occurred within the space of two days. The vote on 

 successors to Caesar and Pompeius, it seems more likely, belongs 

 to November rather than to December. 



I am inclined to think that the commissioning of Pompeius also 

 occurred in November, for it is difficult to escape the impression 

 that Hirtius's coming to Rome was closely related to this incident. 

 The course of events I conceive to have been as follows. Caesar 

 arrived in northwestern Italy November 14 or 15. The incident 

 of the vote on successors to Caesar and Pompeius occurred be- 

 tween this date and November 25. By the latter date word of 

 Caesar's arrival was conveyed to Rome. Marcellus called the 

 senate together the same day and endeavored to rouse it to action. 

 The senate's unwillingness to adopt coercive measures against 

 Curio, who had prevented a vote on Marcellus's proposal to turn 

 the legions at Capua against Caesar, induced the consul to act on 

 his own responsibility by authorizing Pompeius to defend the 

 state. Caesar's friends despatched a messenger to him at once. 

 In the meantime Caesar had journeyed on toward Ravenna, per- 

 haps to ]\Iutina or Bononia. The messenger found him December 

 I. Caesar sent orders to the eighth and twelfth legions to start 

 for Italy, directed the scattered detachments of the thirteenth 

 legion to assemble at Ravenna, and sent Hirtius on to Rome to 

 obtain a later and fuller account of the situation. Hirtius came 

 to Rome the evening of December 6. Here he learned that Pom- 

 peius intended to go to Capua on the following day. Balbus, in 

 the hope of forestalling such a move on Pompeius's part, had ar- 

 ranged to confer with Scipio early on the morning of the 7th. 

 Hirtius would not await the outcome of the conference, but started 

 back to rejoin Caesar the night of the 6th. Whether Caesar had 

 in the meantime gone on to Ravenna, or awaited Hirtius's return 

 before proceeding thither, can not be determined with certainty. 

 It is probable, however, that the two met at Ravenna. Hirtius 

 would probably not reach Bononia before December 11. Since 

 Curio and Caesar met at Ravenna, and since Curio may have 



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