18.
Caesar perceived that by this speech of
Liscus, Dumnorix, the brother of
Divitiacus, was indicated; but, as he was unwilling that these
matters should be discussed while so many were present, he speedily dismisses:
the council, but detains Liscus: he inquires from him when alone,
about those things which he had said in the meeting. He [Liscus]
speaks more unreservedly and boldly. He [Caesar] makes inquiries on
the same points privately of others, and discovered that it is all true; that
"Dumnorix is the person, a man of the highest daring, in great
favor with the people on account of his liberality, a man eager for a
revolution: that for a great many years he has been in the habit of contracting
for the customs and all the other taxes of the Aedui at a small
cost, because when he bids, no one dares to bid against him. By these means he
has both increased his own private property, and amassed great means for giving
largesses; that he maintains constantly at his own expense and keeps about his
own person a great number of cavalry, and that not only at home, but even among
the neighboring states, he has great influence, and for the sake of
strengthening this influence has given his mother in marriage among the
Bituriges to a man the most noble and most influential there;
that he has himself taken a wife from among the Helvetii, and has given his sister by the mother's side and his
female relations in marriage into other states; that he favors and wishes well
to the Helvetii on account of this connection; and
that he hates Caesar and the Romans, on his own account, because by their arrival his power was
weakened, and his brother, Divitiacus, restored to his former
position of influence and dignity: that, if any thing should happen to the Romans, he entertains the highest hope of gaining the
sovereignty by means of the Helvetii, but that under
the government of the Roman people he despairs not
only of royalty, but even of that influence which he already has." Caesar discovered too, on inquiring into the unsuccessful
cavalry engagement which had taken place a few days before, that the
commencement of that flight had been made by Dumnorix and his
cavalry (for Dumnorix was in command of the cavalry which the
Aedui had sent for aid to Caesar);
that by their flight the rest of the cavalry were dismayed.
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