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CHAP. XXXIV.
The reason why at the first Charge, the French have been, and still are accounted more than Men, but afterwards less than Women.
THe arrogance of that French man who challenged the stoutest of the Romans to fight with him upon the Bridge of the Arrien, and was afterwards killed by T. Manlius Torquatus, puts me in mind of what Livy says in many places, of the French, that in their first attack they are more fierce and daring than men, but afterwards more fearful and pusil∣lanimous than Women. And many people enquiring into the cause, do attribute it to the peculiarity of their temperature and nature: I am of opinion that there is much of that in it; yet I cannot think but that Nature which makes them so furious at first, may be so invigorated and improved by art, as to continue their courage to the last. To prove my opinion, I do affirm there are three sorts of Armies. In the first there is courage and fury, joyn'd with order and discipline; and indeed their courage and fury proceeds from their discipline. And of this sort were the Armies of the Romans, for all Histories do agree that there was always good order by reason of their long discipline and experience. No∣thing was done in their Armies, but with great regularity, and express order from their General. They neither eat, nor slept, nor bought, nor sold, nor did any other action either military or civil, but by permission of the Consul; and therefore these Roman Ar∣mies, who by their discipline and courage subdued the whole world, are the best example we can follow; they who do otherwise, do ill, and though perhaps they may do some∣thing extraordinary sometimes, yet 'tis more by accident than judgment: But where well ordered courage meets with good discipline, and is accommodated to the circumstances of manner, and time, nothing dismays them, nothing withstands them; for the goodness of their order giving new life and courage to their men, makes them confident of Victory, and that confidence never suffers them to give ground, till their whole order be broken. There is another sort of Armies which are acted more by fury than discipline (as in the Armies of the French) and there it is quite otherwise, because not succeeding in their first charge, and not being sustained by a well ordered courage, that fury upon which they wholly rely'd growing cold and remiss, they are quickly overthrown. Whereas the Romans fearing nothing of danger, by reason of their good order and discipline, without the least diffi∣dence or question of the Victory, fought on still obstinately, being animated with the same courage, and agitated by the same ardor at last as at first, and the more they were press'd, the better they resisted. The third sort of Armies is where their is neither natural cou∣rage, nor discipline and order, as in our Italian Armies now adays, which are so useless and unserviceable, that ••••••ess they light upon an Enemy who runs by some accident, they are never like to have a Victory; and this is so obvious every day, it needs no example to prove it. But because by the testimony of Livy every one may know what is the right discipline, and what is the wrong, I will give you the words of Papirius Gursor in his reprimande to Fabius the Master of his Horse. His words are these, Nemo hominum; nemo Deorum verecundiam hebeat. Non edicta Imperatorum, non auspicia observentur: Sine Com∣meatu, vagimilites in pacato, in hostico errent; immemores Sacramenti, se ubi valent exau∣ctorentur; infrequentia deserantur signa; ne{que} conveniatur ad edictum: nec discernatur interdiu, noctu; aequo, iniquo loco, jussu, injussu Imperatoris pugnetur; Non signa, non ordines serventur? latrocinii modo, caeca & fortuita, pro solenni & sacrata Militia, sit. Let them bare no respect or reverence either to God or man: Let neither the orders of the General, nor the directions of the Auspices be observed; Let the loose and vagabond Soldier infest his own Country as much as the Enemies: Let them forget their Oaths, and disband as they please: Let them run from their Colours as they think good, and not come back when they are required: Let them fight hand over head, without consideration of time, or place, or order of their Officers: Let their ranks be confused, and their Colours deserted: In a word, Let their whole Conduct be blind and fortuito like thieves, rather than the solemn and sacred Militia of the Romans. By this we may easily see whether the Militia of our times be blind and fortuitous or whether it be solemn, and sacred, how far is it short of the old discipline of the Romans, which consisting in exact order, produced courage and con∣stancy in the Souldiers; and how far behind the French, among whom though their is not that just order and constancy, yet there is courage enough.