left. The Roman generals perceived the
manoeuvre, but they could not stop their soldiers, for there was a cry
from some one that the enemy was flying, and immediately the whole
army rushed to the pursuit. In the meantime the barbarian infantry
advanced like a huge sea in motion. Then Marius, washing his hands and
raising them to heaven, vowed a hecatomb to the gods; and Catulus also
in like manner raising his hands, vowed to consecrate[100] the fortune
of that day. It is said that when Marius had sacrificed and had
inspected the victims, he cried out with a loud voice, "Mine is the
Victory." When the attack had commenced, an incident happened to
Marius which may be considered as a divine retribution, as Sulla says.
An immense cloud of dust being raised, as was natural, and having
covered the two armies, it happened that Marius, rushing to the
pursuit with his men after him, missed the enemy, and being carried
beyond their line, was for some time in the plain without knowing
where he was; but it happened that the barbarians closed with Catulus,
and the struggle was with him and his soldiers chiefly, among whom
Sulla says that he himself fought: he adds, that the heat aided the
Romans, and the sun, which shone full in the face of the Cimbri. For
the barbarians were well inured to cold, having been brought up in
forests, as already observed, and a cool country, but they were
unnerved with the heat, which made them sweat violently and breathe
hard, and put their shields before their faces, for the battle took
place after the summer solstice, and, according to the Roman
reckoning, three days before the new moon of the month now called
Augustus[101], but then Sextilis. The dust also which covered their
enemies helped to encourage the Romans; for they did not see their
number at a distance, but running forward they engaged severally man
to man with the enemy, without having been alarmed by the sight of
them. And so well were the bodies of the Romans inured to toil and
exertion, that not one of them was seen to sweat or pant, though the
heat was excessive and they came to the shock of battle running at
full speed, as Catulus is said to have reported to the honour of his
soldiers.

XXVII. Now the greater part of the enemy and their best soldiers were
cut to pieces in their ranks, for in order to prevent the line from
being broken the soldiers of the first rank were fastened together by
long chains which were passed through the