Ceasar and Machiavelli: A Portrait of a Tyrant

In Chapter XXXI of Caesar's De Bello Gallico, Caesar gives the reader a picture of Ariovistus, one of the barbarians, who clearly made an impression on him: Hominem esse barbarum, iracundum, temerarium: non posse eius imperia diutius sustinere.  Ariovistus conquered the Gauls, but his cruelty led to his downfall. Caesar explains that the noblest prisoners of war were tortured mercilessly by Ariovistus it appears only so that his every wish could be carried out. Ariovistus was enslisted by the Sequani to defeat the Aedui and took up the role with ardor, meaning with fire. In the next chapter of Caesar's work an intriguing scene unfolds:

Animadvertit Caesar unos ex omnibus Sequanos nihil earum rerum facere quas ceteri facerent sed tristis capite demisso terram intueri. Eius rei quae causa esset miratus ex impsis quaesiit. Nihil Sequani respondere, sed in eadem tristitia taciti permanere. Cum ab his saepius quaereret neque ullam omnino vocem exprimere posset, idem Diviciacus Aeduus respondit: hoc esse miseriorem et graviorem fortunam Sexuanorum quam reliquorum, quod soli ne in occulto quidem queri neque auxilium implorare auderent absentisque Ariovisti crudelitatem, velut si coram adesset, horrerent...

The Sequani would not grovel in front of Caesar and Caesar had to beg to know the reason for their downcast heads. They were more afraid of Ariovistus, who was in captivity, than the fate they would have as silent supplicants with Caesar. Ariovistus' cruelty had mentally affected the Sequani, who were allies with Ariovistus. They saw how he treated his captives and they did not wish to become his enemy or impede his authority.

Machiavelli's The Prince comes to my mind as I read this passage in Caesar's work. Machiavelli writes about how a prince should not solely be feared or loved, but he should be feared and loved. I am not certain, but fairly sure that Machiavelli would have read Caesar many times during his studies and so perhaps he thought about the juxtaposition of Diviciacus, Caesar, and Ariovistus in Caesar's narrative. Caesar was perhaps Machiavelli's model for the perfect prince. Caesar proves to all of Gaul that he can defeat the "barbarian" Ariovistus and loyalties surge to his side. Fear does not gain power, but a false power that ends sooner. It is perhaps ironic that Caesar enlists the help of one of Ariovistus' friends to help with a parley, for friends ended up writing Caesar's demise back in Rome.