HumanitiesWeb.org - Roman History Roman History - Book XXI. (III. Vadomarius, king of the Allemanni, breaking his treaty, lays waste our frontier, and slays Count Libino, with a few of his men.) by Ammianus Marcellinus
Roman History Roman History - Book XXI. III. Vadomarius, king of the Allemanni, breaking his treaty, lays waste our frontier, and slays Count Libino, with a few of his men.
by Ammianus Marcellinus
While these events were proceeding, and spring was coming on,
Julian was suddenly smitten with grief and sorrow by unexpected
intelligence. For he learnt that the Allemanni had
poured forth from the district of
Vadomarius, in which quarter, after the treaty which had been made with
him, no troubles had been anticipated, and were laying waste the
borders of the Tyrol, pouring their predatory bands over the whole
frontier, and leaving nothing unravaged.
He feared that if this were passed over it might rekindle
the flames of war; and so at once sent a count named Libino, with the
Celtic and Petulantes legions, who were in winter quarters with him, to
put a decided and immediate end to this affair.
Libino marched with speed, and arrived at Seckingen; but
was seen while at a distance by the barbarians, who had already hidden
themselves in the valleys with the intention of giving him battle. His
soldiers were inferior in number, but very eager for battle; and he,
after haranguing them, rashly attacked the Germans, and at the very
beginning of the fight was slain among the first. At his death the
confidence of the barbarians increased, while the Romans were excited
to avenge their general; and so the conflict proceeded with great
obstinacy, but our men were overpowered by numbers, though their loss
in killed and wounded was but small.
Constantius, as has been related, had made peace with
this Vadomarius, and his brother Gundomadus, who was also a king. And
when afterwards Gundomadus died, thinking that Vadomarius would be
faithful to him, and a silent and vigorous executor of his secret
orders (if one may believe what is only report), he gave him directions
by letter to harass the countries on his borders, as if he had broken
off the treaty of peace, in order to keep Julian, through his fears of
him, from ever abandoning the protection of Gaul.
In obedience to these directions, it is fair to
believe that Vadomarius committed this and other similar actions; being
a man from his earliest youth marvellously skilled in artifice and
deceit, as he afterwards showed when he enjoyed the dukedom of Phoenice.
But now, being discovered, he desisted from his hostilities. For
one of his secretaries, whom he had sent to Constantius, was taken
prisoner by Julian's outposts, and when he was searched
to see if he was the bearer of anything, a letter was found on him,
which contained these words among others, "Your Caesar is not
submissive." But when he wrote to Julian he always addressed him as
lord, and emperor, and god.