Obseruations vpon the fiue first bookes of Cæsars commentaries setting fourth the practise of the art military in the time of the Roman Empire : wherein are handled all the chiefest point of their discipline, with the true reason of euery part, together with such instructions as may be drawn from their proceedings, for the better direction of our moderne warres / by Clement Edmunds.

THE SECOND OBSERVATION.

COncerning vse of lots, it shall not be amisse to looke into the nature of them, being in former times so generall, that there was no nation ciuill or barbarous, but were directed in their greatest affaires, by the sentence of lots. As we may not refuse for an vndoubted truth, that which Salomon saith the 16 of Prouerbs: The lots are cast into the lap: but the direction thereof belongeth to the Lord: Through the knowledge whereof, Iosua was directed to take Achan, the Mariners Ionas, and the Apostles, to con∣secrate Matthias. So whether the heathen and barbarous people, whose blindnes in the way of truth could direct them no further then to sencelesse superstition, and put them in minde of a dutie which they owed; but could not tell them what it was, nor how to be performed: whether these I say, were perswaded that there was any supernaturall power in their lotteries, which directed the action to the decree of destenie, and as the Gods would haue it, it remaineth doubtfull. Ari∣stotle the wisest of the heathen, concerning things naturall, nameth that euent casuall, or proceeding from fortune; of which the reason of man could assigne no cause, or (as he saith) which hath no cause: So that whatsoeuer happened in any action besides the intent of the agent and workeman, was tearmed an effect of fortune, or chance of habnab. For all other effects which depended vpon a certaine and definite cause, were necessarily produced; and therefore could not be casuall or subiect to the inconstancie of chance: And because manie and sun∣drie such chances daily happened, which like terrae filij had no father, and could not be warranted, as lawfull children, either to nature or to reason, by the appea∣rance of an efficient cause, they reduced them all to the power of fortune; as the principall efficient and soueraigne Motor of all such vnexpected euents, that is, they made nothing else the gouernesse, and directresse of many things: which af∣terward grew to such credit amongst men, that it surpassed in dignity all naturall causes, and was deified with celestiall honour, as the Poet saith, Nos te facimus fortuna deam caeloque locamus. By the prouidence of this blinde goddesse which held her deity by the tenure of mens ignorance, were all casuall actions dire∣cted, and especially lots; the euent whereof depended onely vpon her pleasure and decree: neither could their direction be assigned to any other power, for then their nature had been altered from chance to certainty, & the euent could not haue been called Sors, but must haue been reputed in the order of necessary effects, whereof discourse of reason acknowledgeth a certaine foregoing cause. Whereby we see vpon how weake an axletree, the greatest motions of the god∣lesse world were turned, hauing irregularitie and vncertaintie, for the intelli∣gentiae, that gouerned their reuolutions. All herein all sortes of men, (although in diuers respectes) rested as well contented, as if an Oracle had spoken vnto them, and reuealed the mysteries of fatall destinie.

Rome directed the maine course of her gouernment, by the fortune of this mocke destiny. For although their Consuls and Tribunes were elected by the people, who pleased their own fancie with the free choice of their commanders, and suted their obedience with a well liking authority: yet the publike affaires, which each Consull was seuerally to manage, was shared out by lots. For if an e∣nemie were entered into their confines to depopulate and wast their territories, the lots assigned this Consull for the gouernment of the cittie; and the other to command the legions, and to manage the war. If forces were to be sent into di∣uers prouinces and against seuerall enemies, neither the Senate nor the people could giue to either Consull his taske: but their peculiar charges were authori∣sed by lots. If any extraordinarie action were to be done in the citie, as the dedi∣cation of a temple, the sanctifying of the Capitoll after a pollution, Sors omnia versat, did all in all. And yet (notwithstanding the weake foundation of this pra∣ctise in their Theologie & deepest diuinitie) we may not thinke but these skilfull Architectors of that absolute gouernment, wherein vertue ioyned with true wis∣dome, to make an vnexampled patterne: we may not thinke I say, but they foresaw the manifold danger, which in the course of common actions could no otherway be preuented, but by the vse of lots. For when things are equally leue∣led betweene diuers obiects, and run with indifferencie to equall stations, there must be some controlling power, to draw the current towardes one coast, and to appropriate it vnto one chanell, that the order of nature be not inuersed, nor a well established gouernmēt disturbed: So the state of Rome casting many things with equall charge vpon her two soueraigne magistrates, which could not be performed but by one of them; what better meanes could there be inuented to interesse the one in that office and to discharge the other, then to appoint an ar∣biter, whose decree exceeded humane reason? Of which it could not be saide why it was so, but that it was so: for if the wisdome of the Senat had been called to counsell, or the voices of the people calculated to determine of the matter; it might easily haue burst out into ciuill discord, considering the often conten∣tions between the Senat and the people, the factions of Clients, & the constant mutabilitie of euery mans priuate affections necessarily inclining vnto one, al∣thogh their worth were equal & by true reason indiscernable; which might haue made the one proud of that which peraduenture he had not, and cast the other lower then would haue well beseemed his vertues: And therfore to cut off these, with many other inconueniences, they inuented lots; which without either rea∣son or will might decide such controuersies. By this it appeareth how little the ancient law-makers respected the ground & reason of an ordinance, so the com∣moditie were great, and the vse important to the good of the state: for as they saw the thing it selfe to be casuall, so they saw that casuall thinges are sometimes more necessarie, then demonstratiue conclusions: neither ought the nature, and speculatiue consideration of lawes and statutes, belong to the common people: but the execution and obedience thereof maketh the common weale flourish. And thus endeth the first Commentarie of Caesar his warre in Gallia.

Notes

• The vse of lots.