1Fabius Valens received the news of Galba's murder and Otho's accession in the state of the Leuci. 1Nor were the soldiers' feelings stirred to joy or to fear: they were set on war. 1The Gauls were freed of hesitation: towards Otho and Vitellius their hatred was equal, of Vitellius there was fear as well. 1The nearest community was that of the Lingones, loyal to the party. 1Received kindly, they vied with them in good behaviour, but the joy was short-lived because of the unruliness of the cohorts which, separated from the Fourteenth Legion, as we mentioned above, Fabius Valens had added to his army. 1Words first, then a brawl between the Batavians and the legionaries, as the soldiers' sympathies rallied to one side or the other, nearly blazed up into a battle, had not Valens, by punishing a few, reminded the Batavians of the authority they had already forgotten.
1A pretext for war against the Aedui was sought in vain: ordered to hand over money and arms, they supplied provisions free of charge besides. 1What the Aedui did from fear, the people of Lugdunum did from joy. 1But the Italian Legion and the Taurian cavalry squadron were taken away: it was decided that the Eighteenth Cohort should be left at Lugdunum, its usual winter quarters. 1Manlius Valens, legate of the Italian Legion, though he had deserved well of the party, received no honour from Vitellius: Fabius had defamed him with secret accusations without his knowledge and, so that he might be deceived the more off his guard, had praised him in public.