CHAP. XVII.
The treatie betweene Caesar and Ariouistus.
THE rest of the legions in like manner dealt with their Tribunes and chiefest Centurions,* to satisfie Caesar of their obedience, affir∣ming that they neuer doubted nor feared, no nor so much as thought that it belonged to them, to determine any thing concer∣ning the course of the warre, but that it was onely left to their Emperour; their purgation accepted, and good instructions being taken by Diuitiacus, in the fourth watch he marched forward ac∣cording to the purport of his former speech. The seuenth day as he continued on his iourney, his espialles brought him word, that Ariouistus with all his forces was within 24 miles of that place: who assoone as he vnderstood of Caesars comming, sent embas∣sadours vnto him, declaring that forasmuch as he was come somewhat nearer, and that he might doe it without danger, he was content to admit of a parlee, vpon this condi∣tion, that Caesar would bring no footmen to the meeting (for he feared to be surprised by treacherie) but onely horsemen, and in that sort he would meete him. Caesar accep∣ted of the condition, hoping at length that he would harken to reason and desist from wilfull obstinacie: and because he durst not commit himselfe to the French horsemen, he thought it best to take their horses, and to set the souldiers of the tenth legion vpon them, that if he stood in neede he might haue a faithfull guard of his friendes about him. There was a great and open plaine, and in the middest thereof a rising mount, and thither they came to the parlee: the legion which Caesar had brought with him on horsebacke, he placed 200 paces from the said mount; and likewise the horsemen of Ariouistus stood in the same distance: Ariouistus requested that they might talke on horsebacke, and bring each of them ten persons to the parlee. Their expostulations were the same in effect, with those messages which were carried betweene them by embas∣sadours. Much vnkindnes tooke by Caesar, considering the friendship which the Romans had shewed vnto Ariouistus, that he would not vouchsafe to treate with them: and on the other side as great iniurie conceiued by him, forasmuch as the law of nations gaue no such prerogatiue to any one people that they should challenge in other countries by Page 48 desert: but that generally it had giuen dominion to valour, and kingdomes to con∣quering armies. But while the treatise thus continued, it was told Caesar that Ari∣ouistus his horsemen were comming neerer vnto the mount, and that they began to skirmish with his soldiours; whereupon Caesar brake off the treatie, and withdrewe himselfe to his men, commaunding them that they shoulde not cast a weapon at the enemie: for although hee perceiued that without peril of his legion hee might haue incountered with Ariouistus men, yet he would not giue occasion by putting them to flight, to haue it said, that he had entrapped them vnder pretence of parlee. At his returne, when it was reported to the common soldiors, howe arrogantly Ariouistus had caried himselfe in the treaty, forbidding the Romaines all Gallia, and that his men of armes did offer to assault the legion, insomuch that the treaty was thereby broken off; the soldiors were more desirous of battell then before, and by these degrees they obtained it. Two daies after Ariouistus sent againe to Caesar, to haue those thinges perfited which were begun in the treaty. Caesar thought it not good to make any further meeting in his owne person, and the rather because the Germaines had no staie of themselues the daie before, but they threwe dartes and stones at his men; and whome soeuer of his men hee should send vnto him should go into great danger, as cast into the hands of a sauage people. The best way he could thinke of was, to send Valerius Procillus, a well accomplisht yong man, that spake the French toung well, and had no waie offended the Germaines, and with him he sent Marcus Titius, a man well knowne to Ariouistus, vsing sometimes to resort as a guest vnto him: To these he gaue in charge that they should diligentlie marke, and iustlie report vnto him what Ariouistus said; But assoone as Ariouistus sawe them in his campe, hee cried out to them in the presence of his army, asking them what they ahd to do there, and whether they came as spies? And as they went about to make their answere, he would not heare them, but caused them to be cast into irons. The same day he remo∣ued, and incamped vnder the side of a hill 6. miles from Caesars campe; the next day he came two miles beyond Caesar, neerer to the middest of Gallia, of purpose to cut off all corne and conuoie as should be sent vnto the Romains, by the Hedui and Sequani. From that day forwarde, by the space of fiue daies togither, Caesar imbattailed his men before his campe, to the intent that if Ariouistus pleased to giue battell, he might haue libertie when hee would; but Ariouistus all this while kept his armie within his campe, and daily sent out his horsemen to skirmish with the Romaines. This was the manner of fighting which the Germaines had practised: there were 6000. horsemen, and as many strong and nimble footmen, whom the horsemen had selected out of the whole host, euerie man one for his safegard; these they had alwaies at hand with them in battell, and vnto these they resorted for succour; if the horse∣men were ouercharged, these euer stept into helpe them, if anie one were wounded and vnhorsed, they stood about him and succoured him: if the matter required either to aduenture forward, or to retire speedilie backe againe; their swiftnesse was such through continuall exercise, that hanging on the horse maine by the one hand, they would run as fast as the horses.
THE OBSERVATION.
IT may seeme strange vnto the soldiours of our time, that the footemen should bee mingled pell mell amongst the horsemen,* without hurte and disaduantage to themselues: so vnlikely it is that they shoulde either succour Page 49 the horsemen in any danger, or annoy the enemy: and therefore some haue i∣magined that these footmen in the incounter cast themselues into one bodie, and so charging the enemy assisted the horsemen. But the circumstances of this place, and of others which I wil alleage to this purpose, plainly euince that these footemen were mingled indifferently amongst the horsemen, to assist euery par∣ticular man as his fortune and occasion required: and therfore the choise of these footemen, was permitted to the horsemen, in whose seruice they were to be imploied, that euery man might take his friend in whom he reposed greatest confidence: When they were ouercharged these stept in to helpe them; if anie man were wounded or vnhorsed he had his footeman ready to assist him; and when they were to go vpon any speedie seruice, or suddainly to retire vpon ad∣uantage, they staied themselues vpon the maine of the horses with one hande, and so ran as fast as the horsemen could go: which seruices they could not pos∣siblie haue performed without confusion and disorder, if the footemen had not seuerally attended vpon them, according to the affection specified in their par∣ticular election. The principall vse of these footmen of the Germaines consis∣ted in the aide of their owne horsemen vpon any necessity, not so much regar∣ding their seruice vppon the enemie, as the assistance of their horsemen. But the Romains had long before practised the same Arte to a more effectuall pur∣pose, namely as a principall remedy not onely to resist, but to defeat far greater troupes of horse, then the enemy was able to oppose against them. Wherof the most ancient memory which history mentioneth, is recorded by Liuie in the se∣cond punicke war, at the siege of Capua, vnder the regiment of Quintus Fului∣us the Consul: where it is said, that in all their conflicts, as the Romaine legions returned with the better; so their caualry was alwaies put to the worst: & therfore they inuented this means to make that good by Art which was wanting in force. Out of the whole army were taken the choisest young men, both for strength & agilitie, and to them were giuen little round bucklers, and seuen darts apeece in steed of their other weapons; these soldiours practised to ride behind the horse∣men, and speedily to light from the horses at a watchword giuen, & so to charge the enemy on foot: And when by exercise they were made so expert that the no∣uelty of the inuention no whit affrighted them, the Romaine horsemen went forth to incounter with the enemy, euery man carying his foot soldior behinde him, who at the encounter suddainly alightning charged vpon the enemy with such a fury, that they followed thē in slaughter to the gates of Capua: And hence saith Liuie grew the first institution of the Velites, which euer after that time were inrolled with the legions. The author of this strategem is said to be one Q. Nauius a Centurion, & was honorably rewarded by Fuluius the consull for the same. Salust, in the history of Iugurth, saieth, that Marius mingled the Velites with the Caualrie of the associates, vt quacunque inuaderent equitatus hostium propulsarent. The like practise was vsed by Caesar, as appeareth in the thirde booke of the Ciuill warre; sauing that insteed of the velites, hee mingled with his horsemen 400. of the lustiest of his legionarie soldiours, to resist the caualrie of Pompei, while the rest of his armie passed ouer the riuer Genusum, after the ouerthrow he had at Dirrachium, qui tantum profecere, saith the text; Vt eque∣stri Page 50 praelio commisso, pellerent omnes, complures interficerent, ipsique incolumes ad agmen se reciperent. Many other places might be recited, but these are sufficient to proue, that the greatest Captaines of auncient times strengthened their ca∣ualrie with footemen dispersed amongst them.* The Romaine horsemen, (saith Polibius) at the first caried but a weake limber pole, or staffe, and a little round buckler;* but afterwards, they vsed the furniture of the Grecians, which Iosephus affirmeth to bee a strong launce or staffe, and three or foure dartes in a quiuer with a buckler, and a long sword by their right side. The vse of their launce was most effectuall when they charged in troupe, pouldron to pouldron; and that maner of fight afforded no meanes to intermingle footmen: but when they vsed their dartes, euerie man got what aduantage of ground he coulde, as our Car∣bins for the most part do, and so the footemen might haue place among them: or otherwise, for so good an aduantage, they woulde easilie make place for the footmen to serue among them: But howsoeuer it was, it appeareth by this cir∣cumstance howe little the Romaines feared troupes of horse, considering that the best meanes to defeate their horse was by their foote companies. But to make it more plaine, of many examples I will onely alleage two; the one out of Liuie,* to proue that the Romaine horsemen were not comparable for seruice to footemen:* the other out of Hirtius, to shewe the same effect against strangers, and Numidian horsemen, In the Consulships of L. Valerius, and Marcus Ho∣ratius: Valerius hauing fortunatelie ouerthrowne the Equi and the Volsci, Horatius proceeded with as great courage in the warre against the Sabines, wherein it happened, that in the day of battell, the Sabines reserued 2000. of their men to giue a fresh assault vpon the lefte cornet of the Romaines, as they were in conflict, which tooke such effect, that the legionarie footemen of that cornet were forced to retreit. Which the Romaine horsemen beeing in number 600. perceiuing, and not being able with their horse to make head against the e∣nemy; they presently forsooke their horses; and made haste to make good the place on foote; wherein they caried themselues so valiantly, that in a moment of time they gaue the like aduantage to their footemen, against the Sabines; and thē betooke themselues againe to their horses, to pursue the enemy in chase as they fled. For the second point. The Numidians, as Caesar witnesseth, were the best horsemen that euer hee met with, and vsed the same Arte as the Ger∣maines did, mingling among them light armed footemen: an Ambuscado of these Numidians charging the legions vpon a suddaine, the history saieth, that primo impetu legionis Equitatus & leuis armatura hostium, nullo negotio, loco pulsa & deiecta est de colle. And as they sometimes retired, and sometimes charged vpon the rerewarde of the armie, according to the manner of the Numidian fight; the historie saieth, Caesariani interim, non amplius tres aut quatuor milites veterani si se conuertissent & pila viribus contorta in Numidas infestos coniecissent, amplius duorum millium ad vnum terga vertebant. So that to free himselfe of this inconuenience, he tooke his horsemen out of the rereward, and placed his legi∣ons there, ita vim hostium per legionarium militem commodius sustinebat. And euer as he marched hee caused 300. soldiours of euerie legion to bee free and without burthen, that they might be ready vpon all occasions, Quos in Equi∣tum Page 51 Labieni immisit. Tum Labienus, conuersis equis, signorum conspectu perterritus turpissime contendit fugere, multis eius occisis, compluribus vulneratis, milites legio∣narij ad sua se recipiunt signa, atque iter inceptum ire caeperunt. I alleage the verie wordes of the historie, to take awaie all suspicion of falsifying, or wresting anie thing to an affected opinion. If any man will looke into the reason of this dis∣paritie, he shall finde it to be chiefely the worke of the Roman pile, an vnresista∣ble weapon, and the terrour of horsemen, especially when they were cast with the aduantage of the place, and fell so thicke, that there was no meanes to auoid them.
But to make it plaine, that any light armed footmen could better make head against a troupe of horse, then the Caualry of their owne partie, although they bare but the same weapons: Let vs consider how nimble and readie they were, that fought on foote, either to take an aduantage, or to shunne and auoide anie danger; casting their darts with farre greater strength and more certaintie, then the horsemen could doe. For as the force of all the engines of olde time, as the Balistae, Catapultae and Tolenones, proceedeth from that stabilitie and resting Center, which nature affordeth as the onely strength and life of the engine; so what force soeuer a man maketh, must principally proceede from that firmenes & stay, which nature by the earth or some other vnmoueable rest, giueth to the body, from whence it taketh more or lesse strength, according to the violence which it performeth; as he that lifteth vp a waight from the ground, by so much treadeth heauier vpon the earth, by how much the thing is heauier then his bo∣die. The footmen therfore, hauing a surer staie to counterpoise their forced mo∣tion, then the horsemen had, cast their dartes with greater violence, and conse∣quently with more certainty.
