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VErcingetorix understanding of Cae∣sars coming, left the siege, and went to meet him. Caesar resolved to take a town lying in his way in the territories of the Bituriges, cal∣led Noviodunum. Which they of the town per∣ceiving, sent out unto him to beseech him to spare them, and to give order for their safety. To the end therefore that he might speed tha••
business with as much celerity as he had ac∣complished former services, he commanded them to bring out their arms, their horse, and to deliver pledges. Part of the hostages being given, while the rest were in delivering over, divers Centurions and a few souldiers being admitted into the town, to seek out their wea∣pons and their horses, the horsemen of the ene∣my, which marched before Vercingetorix army, were discovered a farre off: which the towns∣men had no sooner perceived, and thereby con∣ceived some hope of relief, but they presently took up a shout, and betook themselves to their arms, shut the gates, and began to make good the walls. The Centurions that were in the town perceiving some new resolution of the Galles, with their swords drawn possest themselves of the gates, and saved both themselves and their men that were in the town. Caesar commanded the horsemen to be drawn out of the camp, and to begin the charge. And as they began to give ground, he sent four hundred German horsemen to second them, whom he had resol∣ved to keep with him from the first: who charged the enemy with such fury, that the Galles could no way endure the assault, but were presently put to flight; and many of them being slain, the rest retired back to the army. Upon their overthrow, the townsmen were worse affrighted then they were before; and having apprehended such as were thought to have stirred up the people, they brought them to Caesar, and yielded themselves unto him. Which being ended, Caesar marched towards the town of Avaricum, which was the greatest and best fortified of all the towns in the territories of the Bituriges, and situate in the most fertile part of the countrey; for that being taken in, he doubted not to bring the whole State of the Bituriges easily into his sub∣jection.
FOrasmuch as nothing is more changeable then the mind of man, which (notwithstand∣ing the low degree of baseness wherein it often sitteth,) will as occasion giveth way to revenge, readily amount to the height of tyranny, and spare no labour to crie quittance with an ene∣my: it hath been thought expedient in the wise∣dome of foregoing ages, to pluck the wings of so mounting a bird, and to deprive an enemy of such means, as may give hope of liberty by mu∣tinie and revolt.
The practise of the Romans in taking in any town, was to leave them forceless, that howso∣ever they might stand affected, their nails should be surely paied for scratching, and their power confined to the circuit of their mind. For as it appeareth by this and many other places of Cae∣sar, no rendry of any town was accepted, untill they had delivered all their arms, both offensive and defensive, with such engines and instru∣ments of warre as might any way make for the defence of the same. Neither that onely, but such beasts also, whether Horse or Elephant, or any other whatsoever, as might any way advan∣tage the use of those weapons. Which as it was a great dismay and weakning to the enemy; so was it short of the third condition, commanding the delivery of so many hostages or pledges as were thought convenient, being the prime of their youth, and the flower of their manhood, and were as the marrow to their bones, and the sinewes to that body. Whereby it came to pass, that the remnant was much disabled in strength, concerning their number of fighting men; and such as were left had neither arms nor means to make resistance.
The Turke observeth the same course with the Christians, but in a more cruell and barba∣rous manner: for he cometh duely at a certain time, not regarding any former demeanour, and leadeth away the flower of their youth, to be in∣vested in impiety and infidelity, and to be made vassalls of heathenish impurity.
Oftentimes we reade, that a conquered peo∣ple were not onely interdicted armes, but the matter also and the art whereby such armes were made and wrought: for where the people are great, and mettall and matter plenty, it is a chance if artificers be wanting to repair their loss, and to refurnish their armoury. At the siege of Carthage the Romans having taken away their armes, they notwithstanding, find∣ing store of mettall within the town, caused workmen to make every day a hundred targets and three hundred swords, besides arrowes and casting slings, using womens hair for want of hemp, and pulling down their houses for tim∣ber to build shipping. Whereby we may per∣ceive, that a Generall cannot be too carefull to deprive an enemy of all such helps as may any way strengthen his hand, or make way to re∣sistance.
Caesar.
The means which the Romans used to weaken an enemy.