I could spend all day
describing the triumphator alone, but of course, no man does what he has done
by himself. An army is required to conquer, and his is a fine one. So
yes, the army of Rome followed him triumphantly, as would be appropriate, and
they were certainly decked out in all of their military splendor for this
occasion. Some walked and some rode horses---fine steeds indeed.
Rome has the finest horses, of that there is no doubt. The spoils from
this war must have been great, as it looked like they were all wearing brand
new uniforms and brand new armor. Normally, one would expect to see
evidences of battle, especially some spatterings of blood, but there were none
to be seen. They looked sharp. Crisp and clean. That
certainly said something about the way that Caesar felt about this man and his
accomplishments on behalf of glorious Rome.
Getting back to the
triumphator, I could see that he was carrying the ivory baton. You don’t
see this every time either. Yet more evidence about the nature of
Caesar’s feelings toward this general, as if the fact of the adoption wasn’t
enough to communicate such things. He held the baton aloft like a sword,
as if he is charging in to battle right now, with army in tow. I wonder
if he lead his army into battle or if he called out the execution of battle
plans from the safety of the rear. Something tells me that this general
was out front, risking himself bravely for his king, his gods, and his fellow
countrymen.
Between him and his
army came his bodyguards. He had a group of them. I’ve never seen
that many, though I’m told that if this was a ‘triumph’ for the Caesar, that he
would have that many, if not more. A general has never had that many
bodyguards. I suppose being the newly adopted son of Caesar affords one
such luxuries. Perhaps they are necessities? After all, Caesar does
have his enemies---there’s always rumblings among the people. One hears
things. Each of the bodyguards is carrying a ‘fasces.’ Ah, the
symbol of Rome and its power.
Has there ever been a
kingdom more glorious than Rome? Has there ever been an empire so
powerful? When Rome strikes, nations fall. Sure, other empires may
have been larger geographically, but none has ever been united in the manner of
Rome, with its roads, its aqueducts, and especially its religion.
Combined with the wonderful system of Roman justice and the ever-present
military to help preserve the occasional outbreak of revolution (though why
anybody would want to revolt against Rome, I have no idea), Caesar’s rule is
iron-clad. Rarely does Caesar have to execute his power on a grand scale,
but when he does, it can indeed be furious, like the falling of the wrath of
all-powerful Jupiter himself.
We have all heard
tales of the fury of Rome’s legions when unleashed---the ‘gates of hell’ I
believe it is called. I would never want to experience it, that’s for
sure. Pity those who do. Once the full force of Rome’s military
might is marshaled, battles tend to come to an end very quickly. This
triumphator, I’m told, had done this very thing. He probably could have
refrained from doing so, but then the war would have dragged on and on, and
more would have died needlessly. He had an enemy to defeat. He knew
that if he could bring down or capture just one general in particular, then
Rome’s victory would come quickly. Owing to that, his strategy was to
bring it all to a grand conclusion, at a single time and place, and that is
just what he did. He risked a great deal by this, but the enemy was
defeated and many were spared. A plan executed flawlessly! So not only
does it seem that he has very much earned this adoption by Caesar, but he has
earned the titles that he bears on this day, which were embroidered on his
tunic.
