off the work; and the souldiers could no longer
indure to ly in sents of skinnes: and therefore
Caesar, after he had wasted and spoiled their
Countrey, burned their towns and their houses,
carryed back his Army, and placed them a∣mongst
the Aulerci, Lexovii, & in other cities to
winter in, which were subdued in the late wars.
OBSERVATION.
THe Irish rebels having the like commodity of
woods and bogges, do entertain the like
course of warre as the Morini did with Caesar.
The meanes which he used to disappoint them of
that practice was, to cut down the woods; which
if it be thought monstrous in this age, or ridicu∣lous
to our men of war, let them consider that
the Roman discipline wrought greater effects of
valour, then can be made credible by the use of
these times. For besides their exquisite discipline,
which of it self was able to frame patterns of un∣exampled
magnanimitie, their industry was ad∣mirable
in the execution thereof, and carried it
with such uncessant travell, that the souldiers
thought it great happinesse when they came to
wage battel with the Enemy; and could have
meanes to quit their continuall travell with the
hazard of their lives.
Neither let it seem strange that the Romans
undertook to cut down the woods; but rather
let us admire their facility in so difficult a task:
for as the history witnesseth, magno spacio pau∣cis
diebus confecto, incredibili celeritate, a great
quantity of ground was rid in a few dayes, with
incredible speed. And after the woods were cut
down, they took more paines in placing it on
each side of the legions to hinder any suddain
assault, then they did in cutting it down: which
deserveth as great admiration as the former part.
There is another place in the sixth book of these
Commentaries, which expresseth more particular∣ly
the nature of such warres, and may serve to
acquaint us with that which Caesar did in these
difficulties.
The Eburones, or the men of Liege, had the
like commodity of woods and bogges, and made
use of them in the warre they had with Caesar.
The matter, saith he, required great diligence, not
so much in regard of the perill of the whole Ar∣my
(for there could no danger come from an e∣nemy
that was frighted and dispersed) as the
safety of every particular souldier, which in part
did pertain to the welfare of the whole Army.
For the desire of a bootie carried many of the
souldiers farre from the body of the Army; and
the woods being full of unknown and secret pas∣sages,
would not suffer them to go either thick
together, or close imbattelled. If he desired to
have the warre ended, and the race of those wic∣ked
men to be rooted out, he must of force make
many small companies, and divide his men into
many bodies: but if he would have the Maniples
to keep at their Ensignes, as the discipline and cu∣stome
of the Roman Army required, then the
place was a shelter and defence to the enemy.
Neither did they want courage to lay Ambush∣ments,
and to circumvent such as they found a∣lone
straggling from their companies. In these
difficulties there was as much done as diligence
could do, providing rather to be wanting in the
offensive part (although all mens minds were
set on fire with revenge) then to hurt the enemy
with the losse of the Roman souldier. Caesar sent
messengers to the bordering States, to come out
and sack the Eburones, and they should have
all the prey for their labour: that the life of the
Galles rather then his legionary souldiers, might
be hazarded in those woods; as also that with so
great a multitude, both the race and name of that
people might be quite extinguished.
There are many particularities in this relation
which concern the true motion of the Irish wars,
which may be better observed by such as know
those warres by experience, then by my self that
understand them only by relation: and there∣fore
to prevent such exceptions as my rule shall
make of the parallell in these two cases, I will
leave it to be done by themselves. And thus end∣eth
the third Commentary.