horsemen: and for that the time of the year
did not yet serve to get forrage in the field, the
enemy must necessarily seek it in houses and
barns, whereby the forragers would dayly be
cut off by their horsemen. Moreover, for their
safety and defence they were to neglect their
private commoditie: their houses and their
villages were to be burnt up round about as far
as Boia, wheresoever the Romans might go to
fetch their forrage. For themselves they
thought it reason that they should make supply
of victuall and provision, in whose possessions
they were, and for whom they fought. By this
means the Rom. would never be able to endure
that want as would befall them, or at the least
be constrained to fetch their provisions farre
off, with great danger and perill to themselves:
neither did it make any matter whether they
killed them or put them besides their carri∣ages;
for without necessary supplies they were
never able to hold war. And to conclude, such
towns were likewise to be set on fire, as by the
strength of their situation were not safe from
danger, lest they should prove receptacles to
linger and detract the warre, and serve the
Romans for booty and supplies of provision.
And albeit these things might seem heavie and
bitter; yet they ought to esteem it more grie∣vous
to have their wives and their children
led away into servitude, and themselves to be
slain by the sword of the enemy: which doth
necessarily fall upon a conquered people. This
opinion was generally approved by the consent
of all men, and more then twenty cities of the
Bituriges were burnt in one day: the like was
done in other States, great fires were to be
seen in all parts. And although all men took
it very grievously, yet they propounded this
comfort unto themselves, that the enemy being
by this means defeated, they should quickly re∣cover
their losses. Touching Avaricum they
disputed it in common councel, whether it
should be burnt or defended. The Bituriges do
prostrate themselves at the feet of all the
Galles, that they might not be forced to set on
fire with their own hands, the fairest citie in
all Gallia, being both an ornament and a
strength to their State; they would easily de∣fend
it by the site of the place, being incircled
round about with a river and a bog, and being
accessible by one narrow passage onely. At
length leave being granted them to keep it,
Ve••cingetorix at first disswading them from
it, and afterwards yielding unto it, moved by
the intreaty of the Galles, and the commisera∣tion
of the common multitude; and so a fit gar∣rison
was chosen to defend the town.
OBSERVATIONS.
I Have seen an Imprese with a circle, and a
hand with a sharp stile pointing towards the
centre with this motto, Hic labor, hoc opus,
this is a thing of work and labour; signifying
thereby, that albeit the Area thereof were plain∣ly
and distinctly bounded, and the Diameter of
no great length, yet it was not an easie matter to
find the Centre, which is the heart and chiefest
part of that figure. In like manner, there is no
business or other course so easie or plain, but the
centre may be mistaken, and the difficulty com∣monly
resteth in hitting that point, which giveth
the circumference an equall and regular motion.
The Galles were resolved to undertake the
defence of their countrey, and to redeem their
liberty with the hazard of their lives: but it
seemeth they were mistaken in the means, and
ran a course farre short of the centre. For Ver∣cingetorix
perceiving the Romans dayly to get
upon the Galles, first by taking in one town,
secondly another, and lastly of a third, he ad∣vised
them to set on fire all the countrey houses,
villages and towns for a great circuit round a∣bout,
and so force the Romans to fetch their for∣rage
and provisions farre off, and undergo the
difficulties of long convoyes, whereby the Galles
might make use of their multitude of horse, and
keep the Romans without supplies of necessary
provisions: and so they doubted not but to give
a speedy end to that warre. And this h•• took to
be the centre of that business, and the true use of
their advantage.
Polybius writeth, that M. Regulus having di∣vers
times overthrown the Carthaginians in
battell, one Xantippus a Lacedemonian, clearly
perceiving the cause of their often routs, began
openly to say, that the Carthaginians were not
overthrown by the valour of the Romans, but by
their own ignorance: for they exceeding the
Romans in horse and Elephants, had neglected
to fight in the champain, where their Cavalry
might shew it self, but in hils and woody pla∣ces,
where the foot troups were of more force,
and so the Romans had the advantage. Where∣by
the manner of the war being changed, and
by the counsell of the preguant Greek, brought
from the hills into the levell of the plain, the
Carthaginians recovered all their former losses
by one absolute victory. In like manner An∣niball
finding himself to exceed the Romans in
strength of cavalrie, did alwayes endeavour to
affront them in open and champain countries;
and as often as the Romans durst meet him, he
put them to the worse: but Fabius perceiving
the disadvantage, kept himself alwayes upon
the hils, and in covert and uneven places, and
so made the advantage of the place equall the
multitude of the enemies horsemen.
There is no greater scorn can touch a man of
reputation and place, then to be thought not to
understand his own business. For as wise∣dome
is the excellency of humane nature, so
doth want of judgement deject men to the con∣dition