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The infection seemed to spread among the legions. They next 11
attacked Aponius Saturninus, who was in command of the Moesian army.
This fresh disturbance was caused by the circulation of a letter,
which Saturninus was supposed to have written to Vitellius, and it was
the more alarming since it broke out not when they were tired by their
labours but in the middle of the day. Once the soldiers had vied with
each other in courage and discipline: now they were rivals in ribaldry
and riot. They were determined that the fury with which they denounced
Aponius should not fall short of their outcry against Flavianus. The
Moesian legions remembered that they had helped the Pannonian army to
take their revenge; while the Pannonian troops, feeling that their
comrades' mutiny acquitted them of blame, were glad enough to repeat
the crime. They invaded the country house in which Saturninus was
living. He escaped, however, aided not so much by the efforts of
Antonius, Aponianus, and Messala, who did everything in their power to
rescue him, but rather by the security of his hiding-place, for he
concealed himself in the furnace of some disused baths. Eventually he
gave up his lictors and retired to Patavium. The departure of both the
consular governors left Antonius in supreme command of the two armies.
His colleagues[46] deferred to him and the men gave him enthusiastic
support. It was even supposed by some that he had cunningly promoted
both outbreaks, to secure for himself the full profit of the war.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Petau.

[2] i. e.
the detachments 8,000 strong from the army in
Britain (see ii. 57).

[3] i. e. still, after parting with the force which he had
sent forward under Mucianus (see ii. 82, 83).

[4] Of Pontus, Syria, and Egypt.

[5] See ii. 86.

[6] Of Misenum and Ravenna.

[7] Adriatic.

[8] See ii. 42.

[9] At Bedriacum.

[10] See ii. 41.