48 Frederick Warren San ford 



The tribunician election had been held July 14, the consular on 

 the 17th, the augural on the 20th. The elections of other annual 

 magistrates and of censors were probably held on the remaining 

 comitial days of July. Caelius Rufus supported Antonius for the 

 augurate, influenced possibly by personal friendship both for An- 

 tonius and Curio, but also by the desire to make it easier to join 

 the stronger side in the event of civil war. Early in August 

 Caelius learned that Cicero's slave Acastus expected to leave the 

 city soon to carry letters to his master. Caelius wrote Fam. VIII, 

 14, at some date from the 5th to the loth and entrusted the letter 

 to Acastus. The letter was probably accompanied by a fresh 

 budget of news drawn up by the person whom Caelius employed 

 for that purpose. Acastus did not leave Rome till September 23, 

 taking with him then Fam. VIII, 12, in addition to VIII, 14, also 

 letters from many other correspondents of Cicero. 



Caesar arrived at Augusta Praetoria possibly as early as August 

 2 or 3. The remainder of that month was devoted to a trip 

 through his Cisalpine province, which he had planned long before. 

 The defeat of Galba and the increasing possibility that the dispute 

 between Caesar and the senate would eventually call for the arbi- 

 Ttrament of arms rendered it more urgent than ever that the most 

 possible should be made of the tour in question. Caesar's visit in 

 'One town after another was doubtless heralded in advance, and 

 Tthere is no adequate reason for discrediting Hirtius's account of 

 the enthusiasm displayed by Caesar's loyal provincial subjects. 



At the beginning of September Caesar recrossed the Alps and 

 proceeded to Nemetocenna. News of this return journey, pre- 

 ceded, as it surely had been, by a report of Caesar's journey 

 through northern Italy, gave rise to a rumor in Rome that Pla- 

 centia would be occupied by four legions October 15. The rumor 

 may have been reinforced by a perverted report of the intended 

 march of legions to the place of review. Caesar arrived at Neme- 

 tocenna September 10 or soon after. Despatches were sent from 

 this place to the scattered legions, which were still in the winter 

 quarters of 51/50, to assemble in the vicinity of Augusta Tre- 

 verorum. In the case of the more distant camps, however, it is 

 not improbable that this order was issued while Caesar was en- 



340 



