Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

506 EXERCITUS. EXERCITUS.
valuable to the state. It was not until the year ten maniples with an open space between each maB. C. 341, that a law was passed by which it was niple, but in two lines, each consisting of five coordained, that no one who had held the office of horts with a space between each cohort.
military tribune should be eligible as a centurion 4. The younger soldiers were no longer placed in
(ne quis, ubi tribunus militGum fisset, postea ordinum the front, but in reserve, the van being composed
ductor esset, Liv. vii. 41), and at that time the of veterans as may be seen from various passages
regulation was made in consequence of the dislike in Caesar.
entertained by the soldiers to a particular individual 5. As a necessary result of the above arrangewho during a succession of years had been alter- ments, the distinction between Hastati, Principes,
nately a tribune and primipilus. and Triarii ceased to exist. These names, as applied
Optiones. - In like manner as the tribunes named to particular classes of soldiers, are not found in
the centurions, so each centurion named his own Caesar, in Tacitus, in the treatise of Hyginus on
lieutenant, who is called by Polybius obpayds, be- castrametation, nor in any writer upon military afcause his station was in the rear of the company. fairs after the time of Marius, while Varro explains
By Livy (viii. 8), a subaltern of this kind is named them as terms no longer in use. The-words Hassubcenturio, but the individual there mentioned was tatus and Princeps occur at a later period, in conselected for a particular purpose, and it seems clear nection with the legion, but are used only with
from Varro and Festus that the regular term was reference to the precedence of the centuries and of
optio, which signifies in general a person chosen the officers by whom they were commanded, as we
(optatus), by another as an assistant. They agree have pointed out when treating of the centuriones.
as to the etymology, but the former (L. L. v. 91) 6. The Velites disappeared. The skirmishers,
confines the term to the lieutenant chosen originally included under the general term levis arnmatura,
by the decurio in a troop of cavalry, and adds that consisted for the most part of foreign mercenaries
the tribunes had assumed to themselves the patron- possessing peculiar skill in the use of some national
age, "' Quos hi (sc. decuriones) primo administros weapon, such as the Balearic slingers (.funditores),
ipsi sibi adoptabant, optiones vocari coepti, quos the Cretan archers (sayittarii),. and the Moorish
nunc propter ambitiones tribuni faciunt," while the dartmen (jaculatores). Troops of this description
words of the latter (p. 198, ed. Miiller), although had, it is true, been employed by the Romans even
very corrupt, seem to imply that they had been before the second Punic war (Liv. xxii. 37), and
originally appointed by the tribunes, and the nomi- were denominated levium armatorum (s. armnoruz)
nation afterwards transferred to the centurions: anuilia (Liv. 1. c. and xlii. 65, where they are dis-' Optio qui nunc dicitur, antea appellabatur Ac- tinguished from the Velites), but now the levis
census, his adjutor dabatur a Trib. Militum, qui armatura consisted exclusively of foreigners, were
ex eo tempore, quem velint, centurionibus per- formed into a regular corps under their own officers,
missum est optare, etiam nomen ex facto sortitus and no longer entered into the constitution of the
est." The explanation in the Excerpta of Paulus legion; indeed, the terms legionarius and levis
Diaconus, is somewhat different from either: "Op- armatura became opposed to each other in the
tio est optatio, sed in re militari optio appelIatur Latin writers, just as 07rXrrai and *I/XoL among
is, quem decurio ant centurio optat sibi rerum the Greeks (e.g. " ceciderunt ex levi armatura
privatarum ministrumo, quo facilius obeat publica cccxxiv. ex legionariis cxxxviii," Auct. de B. Hisofficia" (p. 184, ed. Miiller). pan. 24, comp. Tacit. Ann. ii. 16). The word
Fourth Period. From the times of tlhe Gracchi velites is not found in Caesar, and that they had
until the downfall of' the Republic. - The century ceased to exist when Livy wrote is clear from the
which immediately preceded the destruction of the expression in his description of the battle of Zama,
Roman constitution, was above all others a season where after having used the word;"velitibus," he
of restless excitement and revolution. A vast num- adds the explanation "' ea tune levis armatura erat"
ber of organic changes was introduced into the (xxx. 33). When operations requiring great acarmy, the greater number of which are commonly tivity were undertaken, such as could not be perascribed to Marius, but, although he was un- formed by mere skirmishers, detachments of ledoubtedly the author of many most important gionaries were lightly equipped, and marched
modifications, others not less vital were the result without baggage, for these special services; and
of the new position assumed by the Italian states; hence, the frequent occurrence of such phrases as
and some must have required so much time for expediti, erpediti milites, expeditae cohortes, and even
their full development, that they could scarcely expeditae legiones.
have been the work of a single individual. We 7. The cavalry of the legion underwent a change
shall call attention very briefly to the leading in every respect analogous to that which took place
features of the new system, in so far as they can in regard of the light-armed troops. Whoever
be gleaned from the pages of Sallast, Caesar, and reads with attention the history of Caesar's camPlutarch, who must be here regarded as our chief paigns in Gaul, will perceive that the number of
guides. Roman equites attached to his army was very small,
1. In the first consulship of Marius, the legions and that they were chiefly employed as aide-dewere thrown open to citizens of all grades, without camps, and on confidential missions. On the other
distinction of fortune. (See above.) hand, it is evident that the bulk of his cavalry con2. The whole of the legionaries were armed and sisted of foreigners, a fact which becomes strikingly
equipped in the same manner, all being now fur- apparent when we read that Ariovistus having
nished with the pilumn; and hence we see in Taci- stipulated that the Roman general should come to
tus (Ann. xii. 35) the pila and gladii of the legion- their conference attended by cavalry alone, Caesar
aries, opposed to the hastae and spatlmae of the feeling no confidence in his Gaulish horse, disauxiliaries.. mounted them and supplied their place by soldiers
3. The legionaries when in battle order were no of the tenth legion. (B. G. i. 42.) In like manner
longer arranged in three lines, each conneiting of they ceased to form part of the legion, and from