Narrative in Eighth Book of the " Gallic War" 27 



arrived there by the 13th, it is more hkely than not that Hirtius 

 and Caesar also met at Ravenna. They would as a matter of 

 course have agreed on a meeting place before Hirtius departed 

 for Rome. 



In B. G., VIII, 55, I, Hirtius, in reporting Caesar's receipt of 

 the news that the two legions at Capua had been placed at Pom- 

 peius's disposal, adds, atque in Italia retentas esse. Hirtius cer- 

 tainly does not refer to the placing of these legions in winter 

 quarters in Apulia, if they were really sent there in December. 

 They could not have left Capua before December 10, for it is 

 fairly certain that Pompeius did not reach Capua before the 9th. 

 As we have found that the message which prompted Caesar to 

 send for the eighth and twelfth legions was despatched from 

 Rome not later than December 2 or 3, and probably as early as 

 November 25 or 26, the words quoted above are to be regarded as 

 a corollary to those preceding, meaning that the assignment of 

 these two legions to Pompeius was in effect a proclamation, so far 

 as the consul's authority went in the matter, that the legions would 

 not be sent to Syria. Of their actual detention in Italy hitherto, 

 if they had been there any long time (p. 331), Caesar could not 

 have been in ignorance. From Hirtius, Caesar learned of Pom- 

 peius's intended journey to Capua. From Curio, he learned that 

 Pompeius had actually left Rome December 7. 



The net result of the preceding discussion is, ( i ) that Pompeius 

 received his commission to defend the state not later than Decem- 

 ber 2, probably as early as November 25, (2) that Caesar arrived 

 in Italy on his second trip not later than November 20 or 21, 

 and probably as early as the 14th or 15th. 



V 



It is now in order to investigate Hirtius's narrative in detail. 

 At the moment when Caesar was informed of the result of the 

 augural election (c. 50, 3) sufficient time at least had elapsed since 

 the election for a courier to travel from Rome to a point beyond the 

 confines of Italy. It is likely that Caesar came by the Little St. 

 Bernard, as on his second trip. The distance from Rome to the 



319 



