No general better beloved by his foldiers. diers in the beginning of the civil wars, his centurions offered to find, every one, a man at arms at his own charge, and the foot-foldiers to ferve him at their own expence; thofe who were beft able, moreover, undertaking to defray the most neceffitous. The late admiral Chaftillion furnished us the like cafe in our civil wars, for the French of his army expended money out of their own purfes to pay the foreigners that were with them. It is but rare that we . meet with examples of fo ardent and ready an affection amongst the foldiers of old times, who kept ftrictly to the ancient police. Paffion has a more abfolute command over us than reafon; and yet it happened, in the war against Hannibal, that, after the generous example of the people of Rome in the city, the foldiers and captains refufed their pay in the army; and, in MarcelJus's camp, those who would receive any, were branded with the name of Mercenaries. Having been worsted near Dyrrachium, his foldiers came and offered themfelves to be chaftifed and punished, so that he was more inclined to comfort than reprove them, One fingle cohort of his withstood four of Pompey's Inftances of legions above four hours together, till it their intrepidity. was almost demolished with arrows, of which there were an hundred and thirty thousand found in the trenches *. A foldier, called Scæva, who com, manded at one of the avenues, invincibly maintained his ground, having loft an eye, befides being wounded in one fhoulder, and one thigh, and his fhield shot in two hundred and thirty places. It happened, that many of his foldiers, being taken prifoners, rather chofe to die than promise to take the contrary fide. When Granius Petronius was taken by Scipio, in Africa, Scipio, having put his companions to death, fent him word," that he gave him his life, for he was a man of quality and a "queftor;" Petronius returned for anfwer, "that Cæ "far's foldiers were wont to give life to others †, and Sueton. in Jul. Cæfar. fect. 53. Cæfar makes the number but thirty thousand, + Plutarch, in the life of Cæfar, chap. 5. ❝ not "not to receive it ;" and immediately, with his own hand, killed himself. Fidelity of the garrison of So lona. Of their fidelity there are infinite examples; amongst which, that of those who were befieged in Salona, a city that stood for Cæfar against Pompey, is not to be forgotten, on account of an extraordinary accident that there happened. Marcus Octavius kept them close befieged; they within being reduced to extreme neceffity, fo that, to fupply the want of men, moft of them being either flain or wounded, they had set all their flaves at liberty, and had been conftrained to cut off all the women's hair, to twist inftead of cordage, befides a wonderful dearth of victuals, yet they continued refolute never to yield after having drawn the fiege to a great length, by which Octavius was grown more negligent, and lefs attentive to his enterprize, they made choice of one day about noon, and, having first placed the women and children upon the walls to make a few, they fallied upon the befiegers with fuch fury, that, having routed the firft fecond and third corps, and afterwards the fourth, and then the rest, and beaten them all out of their trenches, they pursued them even to their fhips; and Octavius himself was forced to fly to Dyrrachium, where Pompey lay. I do not at prefent, remember, that I have met with any other example, where the befieged ever gave the befiegers a total defeat, and won the field; nor that a fally ever was attended with a pure and entire victory. Of Three good Women. HEY do not run thirteen to a dozen as every one knows, and especially in the duties TH of marriage; for that is a bargain full of fo many nice circumftances, that it is hard for a woman's will to keep to it long: • Cæfar de Bell, Civil. lib. i. cap. 3. True proof of a good marriage. men, though their condition be fomething better under that tie, have yet enough to do: the true touchstone and test of a happy marriage refpects the time of their cohabitation only, whether it has been conftant, mild, loyal, and commodious. In our age, Montaigne's opinion of the women, who never declare their love for their husbands till they are dead. women commonly referve the publication of their good offices, and their vehement affection for their hufbands, till they have loft them; or, at leaft, then it is that they deign to give proofs of their good-will: A too flow teftimony, and that comes too late; by which they rather manifelt, that they never loved them till dead. Their life is full of combustion, their death full of love and courtesy: as fathers conceal their affections from their children, women likewife conceal theirs from their husbands to maintain a modeft refpect. This is a mystery I do not relish; it is to much purpose that they fcratch themfelves, and tear their hair. I whifper in a waiting-woman's, or a feeretary's ear, "How were they? How did they live toge❝ther?" I always have that faying in my head, Janħantius marent quæ minus dolent: "they make the most ado, who are leaft concerned." Their whimpering is offenfive to the living, and vain to the dead: we would willingly give them leave to laugh after we are dead, provided they will fmile upon us whilft we are alive. Is it not enough to make a man revive in fpite, that the who fpit in my face whilft I was in being, fhall come to kifs my feet when I am no more? If there be any honour in lamenting a husband, it only appertains to those who fmiled upon them whilft they had them; let those who wept during their lives, laugh at their deaths, as well outwardly as inwardly. Befides, never regard those blubbered eyes and that pitiful voice; but confider her deportment, her complexion, and the plumpnefs of her cheeks under all thofe formal veils; it is there the difcovery is to be made. There are few who do not men'd upon it, and health is a quality that cannot lye: that ftarched and ceremonious countenance looks not fo much back as forward, and is rather intended to get a new huf band, band, than to lament the old. When I was a boy, a very beautiful and virtuous lady, who is yet living, and the widow of a prince, had, I know not what, more ornament in her drefs than our laws of widowhood will well al low; which being reproached with, as a great indecency, she made answer," that it was because she was not culti❝vating more friendships, and would never marry again.” I have here, not at all diffenting from our custom, made choice of three women, who have alfo expreffed the utmost of their goodness and affection about their husbands death; yet are they examples of another kind than are now in ufe, and fo fevere, as will hardly be drawn into imitation. The younger Pliny* had, near a house of his in Italy, a neighbour, who was excedingly tormented with certain ulcers in his private parts: his wife, finding him languifh fo long, intreated that he would give her leave to fee, and at leifure to confider of the ftate of his difease, adding, that fhe would freely tell him what the thought of it: this permiffion being obtained, the curioufly examined the business, found it impoffible he could ever be cured, and that all he was to expect, was to linger out a painful and miferable life for a great while; therefore, as the most fure and fovereign remedy, the refolutely advised him to kill himself: but finding him a little tender and backward in fo rude an attempt; "Do "not think, my dear, (faid fhe,) that I have not an equal "feeling of the torments which I fee thou endureft, and that, to deliver myself from them, I will not myself "make ufe of the fame remedy I have prefcribed to "thee: I will accompany thee in the cure, as I have "done in the disease; fear nothing, but believe that we "fhall have pleasure in this paffage that is to free us "from fo many miferies, and go off happily together." Having faid this, and roufed up her husband's courage, The refolved that they should throw themselves headlong into the fea, out of a window that leaned over it; and that the might maintain, to the laft, the loyal and vehement affection wherewith fhe had embraced him during • Ep. 24. lib. vi. his life, the would yet have him die in her arms; but for fear they fhould fail, and left they should leave their hold in the fall, and through fear, the tied herself fast to him by the waist, and fo gave up her own life to procure her husband's repofe. This was a woman of a mean family, and, even amongst that condition of people it is no very new thing to fee fome examples of uncommon good-nature. -extrema per illos Juftitia excedens terris veftigia fecit *. From hence Aftræa took her flight, and here The Story of the death of Arria, the wife of Cetina Pætus. The other two are noble and rich, where examples of virtue are rarely lodged.. Arria, the wife of Cecina Pætus, a confular perfon, was the mother of another Arria, the wife of Thrafea Pætus, whofe virtue was fo renowned in the time of Nero, and, by means of this fonin-law, the grand mother of Fannia: for the refemblance of the name of thefe men and women, and their fortunes, had led many into a mistake. This first Arria (her husband Cecina Pætus having been made prifoner by fome of the emperor Claudius's people, after Scribonianus's defeat, whose party he had embraced in the war)" begged of those who were carrying him prifoner "to Rome, that they would take her into their fhip, "where the fhould be of much lefs charge and trouble "to them than a great many perfons they muft other"wife have to attend her husband, and that fhe alone "would undertake to ferve him in his chamber, his "kitchen and all other offices+." But they refused her, wherefore the put herself into a fishing-boat fhe hired on a fudden, and in that manner followed him from Sclavonia. Being come to Rome, Junia, the widow of Scribonianus, one day, confidering the refemblance of their fortunes, and accofting her in the emperor's prefence, in a familiar way, the rudely repulfed her with thefe words, "Shall I,. (faid fhe,) speak to thee, or give Virg. Georg. lib. ii. ver. 473. t.Plin, ep. 16. lib. iii. ear |