The exercise of the loaded javelins, called martiobarbuli, must not be omitted. A sufficient number of spades, pickaxes, wicker baskets and tools of all kinds are to be provided for these works. They swear by God, by Christ and by the Holy Ghost; and by the Majesty of the Emperor who, after God, should be the chief object of the love and veneration of mankind. View all Google Scholar citations He, therefore, who desires peace, should prepare for war. The complete Latin text of De Re Militari is available online: From the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress. He was instructed in what manner to advance and retire, and in short how to take every advantage of his adversary; but was thus above all particularly cautioned not to lay himself open to his antagonist while aiming his stroke at him. The sun in your face dazzles the sight: if the wind is against you, it turns aside and blunts the force of your weapons, while it assists those of your adversary; and the dust driving in your front fills the eyes of your men and blinds them. Above all, a general must never attempt to alter his dispositions or break his order of battle during the time of action, for such an alteration would immediately Occasion disorder and confusion which the enemy would not fail to improve to their advantage.
The old maxim is certain that the very essence of an art consists in constant practice. In short, it is indispensably necessary for those engaged in war not only to instruct them in the means of preserving their own lives, but how to gain the victory over their enemies. It was a constant custom among the old Romans, confirmed by the Ordinances of Augustus and Hadrian, to exercise both cavalry and infantry three times in a month by marches of a certain length. Bede: The Reckoning of Time Romanorum antiquitatum libri decem ex variis Scriptoribus summa fide singu-larique diligentia collecti, A handlist of extant manuscripts containing the, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Pallas Armata. An army unsupplied with grain and other necessary provisions will be vanquished without striking a blow. >U��S��|0�5��@�^�U. The soldiers call it the swine's head. The following disposition deserves the greatest attention. The military diagram in the Renaissance, Geschichte der Kriegswissenschaft vornehmlich in Deutschland, Reipublicae romanae in exteris provinciis bello acquisitis constitutae commentarli, Poliorceticon sive de machinis, tormentis, telis libri quinque, Arte della guerra e scritti politici minori, Discours de l'estat et office d'unbon roy, prince ou monarque, pour bien & heureusement regner sur la terre, & pour garder & maintenir ses subjectz en paix untoti & obeissance. A general should be attentive to discover the turbulent and seditious soldiers in the army, legions or auxiliaries, cavalry or infantry. The young soldier, therefore, ought to have a lively eye, should carry his head erect, his chest should be broad, his shoulders muscular and brawny, his fingers long, his arms strong, his waist small, his shape easy, his legs and feet rather nervous than fleshy. The centurions measure the work with rods ten feet long and examine whether every one has properly completed the proportion assigned to him. It consists of eleven hundred and five foot and one hundred and thirty-two horse cuirassiers, and is distinguished by the name of the Millarian Cohort. The consideration of Your Majesty's superior indulgence for attempts of this sort, induced me to follow this example, and makes me at the same time almost forget my own inability when compared with the ancient writers. Fishermen, fowlers, confectioners, weavers, and in general all whose professions more properly belong to women should, in my opinion, by no means be admitted into the service. While emphasising that success depended on a commander's ability to outwit the enemy with a carefully selected, well-trained and disciplined army, the De Re Militari inspired other unexpected developments, such as that of the 'national' army, and helped create a context in which the role of the soldier assumed greater social and political importance. Ne'quali si fa paragone delle Milizie antiche, in tutte le parti loro, con le moderne, Van Maurits naar Munster. Formerly it was the rule that the first Princeps of the legion should be promoted regularly to the rank of Centurion of the Primiple. For the consequences of brave actions are only temporary, while whatever is committed to writing for public good is of lasting benefit. If their order is too open and loose, they give the enemy an opportunity of penetrating. The ordinarii, the other officers and the soldiers of the first line, ranged before and round the ensigns, were called the principes. He who judges himself inferior should advance his right wing obliquely against the enemy's left. This data will be updated every 24 hours. They gave their recruits round bucklers woven with willows, twice as heavy as those used on real service, and wooden swords double the weight of the common ones. A soldier, starved with cold, can neither be healthy nor fit for service. If therefore he finds his army composed of raw troops or if they have long been unaccustomed to fighting, he must carefully study the strength, the spirit, the manners of each particular legion, and of each body of auxiliaries, cavalry and infantry. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.
', 'The De Re Militari of Vegetius is a valuable work and required reading for anyone interested in medieval military history. In Africa an army, which under the command of Albinus had been forced to pass under the yoke, was by Metellus brought into such order and discipline, by forming it on the ancient model, that they afterwards vanquished those very enemies who had subjected them to that ignominious treatment. 0000052020 00000 n The terrain is not overlooked. A multitude never broke out into open sedition at once and with unanimous consent. The general who can depend on the discipline of his men should begin the engagement by attacking both the enemy's wings at once, the fourth formation. A prince, skilled himself in military affairs, has it in his power to make himself invincible by keeping up whatever number of well disciplined forces he thinks proper. And the masters at arms were very careful to instruct them how to cast them with a proper aim and force. If they exceed this pace, they no longer march but run, and no certain rate can be assigned. The vacancies continually happening by sickness, discharges, desertion and various other casualties, if not supplied every year or even every month, must in time disable the most numerous army. But it seems these very men, who cannot support the weight of the ancient armor, think nothing of exposing themselves without defense to wounds and death, or, which is worse, to the shame of being made prisoners, or of betraying their country by flight; and thus to avoid an inconsiderable share of exercise and fatigue, suffer themselves ignominiously to be cut in pieces. I will explain this formation more clearly.
Recruits are to be instructed in the manner of entrenching camps, there being no part of discipline so necessary and useful as this. Good officers never engage in general actions unless induced by opportunity or obliged by necessity. But if he has suffered himself to be surprised or drawn into the snares of his enemy, he has no excuse for his fault, because he might have avoided such a misfortune by taking proper precautions and employing spies on whose intelligence he could depend. 0000007970 00000 n A classic of the ancient world of warfare De Re Militari (Concerning Military Affairs), written in the 5th century by Vegetius and translated from the original Latin. But the centurions had complete cuirasses, shields, and helmets of iron, the crest of which, placed transversely thereon, were ornamented with silver that they might be more easily distinguished by their respective soldiers.
He whose light infantry is good should cover his center by forming them in its front and charge both the enemy's wings at once.