CHAP. XL.
How fraud in the management of War is honourable and glorious.
THough fraud in all other actions is abominable, yet in matters of War it is laudable and glorious; and he who overcomes his enemies by stratagem, is as much to be praised as he who overcomes him by force. This is to be seen by the judgment of those who write the Lives of great Persons, especially of great Commanders; for they command and applaud Hanibal and the rest in all their inventions of that nature. There are many examples in them to this purpose, which I shall not repeat here; only this I must adver∣tize, that I do not intend that fraud which consists in betraying a trust, or breaking an a∣greement, to be honourable; for though by them you may acquire Power, and 'tis possible a Kingdom, (yet, as I said before) it cannot be with honour; but by fraud, I mean that ar∣tifice which is shewn in stratagems and circumventions, against an enemy that is not only in hostility, but a state of defiance, (for where he reposes any confidence in you, it alters the case) and such as I mean, was the artifice of Hanibal when he pretended to fly, only to possess himself of some passes, and so block up the Consul and his Army; as also when to clear himself of Fabius Maximus, he found out the invention of binding fire-brands and other combustible matter about the horns of the Cattel, and turning them out upon the enemy. And much of this nature was that of Pontius General for the Samnites; which he used to circumvent the Roman Army ad Tureas Caudinas. Pontius having disposed his Army privately upon the mountains; sent several of his Souldiers habited like Shep∣herds with several herds of Cattel thorow the plain: being all taken and examined by the Romans where the Army of the Samnites was, they unanimously concurred in the story which Pontius had put into their mouths, that it was gone to besiege Nocera; which be∣ing credited by the Consul, he brake up from his post, and marching thorow the plain for the relief of Nocera, he ran himself into the trap, and was no sooner entred, but he was block'd up by the enemy. This exploit was fraudulently performed, yet it would have been very honourable to Pontius, had he followed his Father's advice, who would have had him either dismissed the Romans frankly, that they might have been obliged by their usage, or else have put them all to the sword, that they might have taken no revenge; but he took the middle way, Quae neque amicos parat, neque inimicos tollit; Which neither mul∣tiply'd his friends, nor lessened the number of his foes. Which way has always been perni∣tious in matters of state, as has been shewn elsewhere.