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.
About this Item
Title
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.
Author
Edmondes, Clement, Sir, 1566 or 7-1622.
Publication
At London :: Printed by Peter Short, dwelling on Bredstreet hill at the signe of the Starre,
1600.
Rights/Permissions
To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Subject terms
Caesar, Julius. -- De bello Gallico. -- English. -- Abridgments.
Military art and science -- Early works to 1800.
Rome -- History -- Republic, 265-30 B.C. -- Early works to 1800.
Gaul -- History -- Gallic Wars, 58-51 B.C. -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/a21131.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 14, 2024.
Pages
CAP. V.
Caesar passeth ouer the riuer Arar: his horsemen
incountred with the Heluetians and were
put to the worst.
THE Heluetians hauing passed the riuer, Caesar made haste to
followe after, and making a bridge he transported ouer his le∣gions
in one day, which the Heluetians could scarce doe in twen∣tie:
And sending all his horse to the number of foure thousand
which he had raised in the Prouince and amongst the Hedui, to
discouer what waie the enemie tooke, it happened that they fell
so neare vpon the reregard of the Heluetians, that they were for∣ced
to giue battell in a place of disaduantage, and by that meanes some of them were
slaine, and the rest put to flight. The Heluetians made insolent with this victory, for
as much as 500 of their men had put to route so great a multitude, began now boldly
to resist, and sometimes part of their rereward would violently assault the Roman
legions. Caesar held his men from giuing battell, thinking it sufffcient for the present
to keepe the enemie from pillaging, forrage, and depopulation: and so they marched
fifteene daies together in such sort, that there was not aboue fiue or six miles between
the rereward of the Heluetians and the vangard of the Romans.
THE OBSERVATION.
THis example of the Heluetians maie lesson a commander, not to
waxe insolent vpon euery ouerthrow which the enemie taketh, but
duely to waie the true causes of a victorie gotten or an ouerthrowe
taken; that apprehending the right currant of the action, he maie
neither vaunt of a blinde victorie, nor be dismaied at a casuall mishappe. And
herein let a heedfull warines so moderate the sequels of victorie in a triumphing
spirit, that the care and ielousie to keepe still that sweete sounding fame on foot,
maie as farre surpasse the industrie, which he first vsed to obtaine it, as the con∣tinuance
of happinesse doth exceede the beginning of good fortunes. For such
is the nature of our soule, that although from her infancy euen to the manhood
of her age, she neuer found want of that which she lusted after; yet when she
descriptionPage 18
meeteth with a counterbuffe to checke her appetite, and restraine her affecti∣ons
from their satisfaction; she is as much troubled in that want, as if she had
neuer receiued anie contentment at all: for our will to euerie obiect which it
seeketh after, begetteth alwaies a new appetite, which is not satisfied with a for∣mer
quittance, but either seeketh present paiment, or returneth discontentment
vnto the minde. And as our soule is of an euerlasting being, and cannot thinke
of an end, to her beginning; so she seeketh a perpetuall continuance of such
thinges which she lusteth after: which hee, that meaneth to holde fortune his
friend, will endeuour to maintaine.