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GUERRILLA LEADERS AS LATRONES
that followed. Viriatus was then considered invincible and so, to avoid tackling
him himself, Pompeius despatched a junior general, an Iberian, C. Marcius,
against him. In the meantime, though it was still autumn, Pompeius elected
to go into winter quarters. 93 According to Appian, after the unhappy Pompeius
came Fabius Maximus Servilianus, brother of Aemilianus. A change of fortune
seemed to be presaged as, throughout the whole of the campaigning
season of 142 bc, Servilianus advanced very successfully against Viriatus. 94
Although, during the following year, Viriatus scored a victory of his own
against Servilianus, he was generally so hard pressed by the latter that he
was ready for peace and indeed of his own accord proposed this to the
Roman commander. So Viriatus even became ‘friend of the Roman people’
(amicus populi Romani). 95
Of the five Roman generals who had ventured to face Viriatus, only the
two sons of Aemilius Paullus may in any way be described as successful,
inasfar as they could claim nominal victories. Moreover, unlike their less
distinguished colleagues, although in the end they too were failures, they
were not made to look like degenerate weaklings. This was probably no
accident and should not be regarded as an accurate reflection of events. In
the clear difference of treatment between these two and their colleagues
may be seen the hand of Polybius, whose friendship with Scipio Aemilianus
perhaps helped to bring it about that even his patron’s relatives were edged
into a better light. 96
Q. Servilius Caepio, Viriatus’ final challenger, made sure that the peace
agreement was annulled and the Senate renewed the declaration of war
against him. 97 Caepio had apparently set himself the goal of defeating Viriatus
in open battle. However, that which fortune had so far refused every Roman
general was also denied to the ambitious Caepio. On the other hand, Viriatus
realised that he also lacked the strength to win a decisive victory. He therefore
once again sued for peace, despatching three trusted lieutenants, Audax,
Ditalkon and Minouros to Caepio. 98 But these three negotiators returned to
camp with a plan to murder him.
6 The end of Viriatus
The faithlessness of the Roman commanders, the first taste of which had
been given in the massacre ordered by Galba, culminated in the assassination
of Viriatus. In his capacity as proconsul of Hispania Ulterior commander-in-chief
of Roman forces at the time of the crime, Servilius Caepio is
regarded as having been the instigator of the killing. At any rate, this is the
view of most Roman writers. Diodorus is alone in heaping the whole of the
blame on Viriatus’ envoys, with Caepio merely as a willing accessory before
the fact. 99 But Diodorus also contradicts himself elsewhere in his text; 100
and the majority of modern researchers follow our other sources in blaming
Caepio. Even if a few ingenious reasons have been adduced as to why Caepio
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