Book II. his Tongue indeed did him notable Service upon several Occafions; and his military Eloquence was in his own Time fo highly reputed, that many of his Army collected his Harangues, by which Means there were Volumes of them preserved a long Time after him. He had so particular a Grace in fpeaking, that they who were particularly acquainted with him, and Auguftus amongst others, hearing those Orations read, could diftinguish even to the Phrafes and Words that were none of his.

The Rapidity of Cæfar's Progress in his military Expe

ditions.

The first Time that he went out of Rome with any public Command, he arrived in eight Days at the River Rhone, having with him in his Coach a Secretary or two before him, who were continually writing; and one that carried his Sword behind him. Yet, as if he had nothing to do but to drive on, having been every-where victorious in Gaul, he fpeedily left it, and, following Pompey to Brundufium, in eighteen Days Time he fubdued all Italy, returned from Brundufium to Rome; from Rome he marched into the very Heart of Spain, where he furmounted extreme Difficulties in the War against Afranius and Petreius, and in the long Siege of Marfeilles; from thence he returned into Macedonia, beat the Roman Army at Pharfalia, paffed from thence, in Pursuit of Pompey, into Egypt, which he also fubdued; from Egypt he went into Syria and the Territories of Pontus, where he fought Pharnaces; from thence into Africa, where he defeated Scipio and Juba; and again brushed through Italy into Spain, where he defeated Pompey's Sons.

น

Ocyor & cæli flammis, & tigride fœtâ.

"Ac veluti montis faxum de vertice præceps
Cum ruit avulfum vento, feu turbidus imber
Proluit, aut annis folvit fublapfa vetuftas,
Fertur in abruptum magno mons improbus altu,
Exultatque folo, filvas, armenta, virofque,
Involvens fecum.

Plutarch in Cafar's Life, c. 5,

i. e.

Lucan. lib. v. v. 405.

Virg. Æn. lib. xii. v. 684.

i. e.

Swifter than Lightning, or the furious Course
Of the fell Tygrefs when fhe is a Nurfe.
As when a Fragment from a Mountain torn
By raging Tempefts, or a Torrent borne ;
Or fapp'd by Time, or loofen'd from the Roots,
Prone thro' the Void the rocky Ruin fhoots;
Rolling from Crag to Crag, from Steep to Steep,
Down fink at once the Shepherds and the Sheep;
Involv'd alike, they rush to nether Ground,
Stunn'd with the Shock they fall, and, ftunn'd, from
Earth rebound.

That it He would fee every-thing himself.

Speaking of the Siege o Avaricum, he says, was his Custom to be Night and Day with 'the Pioneers.' In all Enterprises of Confequence he reconnoitred in Perfon, and never brought his Army to a Place which he had not first viewed. And, if we may believe Suetonius', when he paffed over into England, he was the first Man that founded the Paffage.'

He was wont to say, That he more valued a Victory • obtained by Counsel than Force.' And in He liked to con the War against Petreius and Afranius, Forquer by Wisdom tune presenting him with a very manifeft Oc- rather than cafion of Advantage, he declined it, fay- Strength. ing, That he hoped with a little more Time, and less Hazard, to overthrow his Enemies.' He there also performed a notable Part, in commanding his whole Army to pass the River by Swimming, without any Manner of Neceffity.

rapuitque ruens in prælia miles

Quod fugiens timuiffet iter; mox uda receptis
Membra fovent armis, gelidofque à gurgite, curfu
Reftituunt artus.

i. e.

The Soldiers rush through a Pafs to fight,
Which would have terrify'd them in a Flight;

* De Bell. Gall. lib. vii. c. 3. z Lucan. lib. iv. v. 151, &c.

Nn 2

y In Jul. Caf. fect. 58.

Then

Book II. Then with their Arms their wet Limbs cover o'er, And their numb'd Joints by a swift Race reftore.

Was more cir

cumfpect in his

I find him a little more wary and confiderate in his Enterprises than Alexander, for the latter feems to feek and run headlong upon Dangers like an impetuous Torrent, which rushes against and attacks every-thing it meets, without Choice or Difcretion.

Enterprises

than Alexan

der.

So the biforked Aufidus amain

Doth roar and foam along th' Apulian Plain, When it with Rage and fwelling Floods abounds, Threat'ning a Deluge to the tilled Grounds.

And indeed he was a General in the Flower and firft Vigour of Life, whereas Cæfar took to the Wars at a ripe and well-advanced Age. Moreover, Alexander was of a more fanguine, hot, and choleric Conftitution, which he also inflamed with Wine, from which Cafar was very abftinent; yet, where Neceffity required, never did any But, when Ne- Man venture his Perfon more than he: And, ceffity required, for my Part, methinks I read in many of his be boldly faced Exploits a certain Refolution to throw himDanger. felf away, to avoid the Shame of being overcome. In his great Battle with thofe of Tournay, he char ged up to the Head of the Enemies without his Shield, when he saw the Van of his Army begin to give Ground which he did alfo at feveral other Times. Hearing that his Men were furrounded, he paffed through the Enemy's Army in Difguife, to encourage them with his Prefence ". Having croffed over to Dyrrachium with a very slender Force, and feeing the Remainder of his Army, which he left to Anthony's Conduct, flow in following him, he attempted

a Horat. lib. iv. Ode 14. v. 25, &c.

• Sueton in Ful. Cæf. fect. 58.

;

tempted alone to repafs the Sea in a very great Storm; and stole away to reaffemble the reft of his Forces, the Ports on the other Side being seized by Pompey, who was Master of all that Sea. And as to what he performed by main Force, there are very many Exploits too hazardous for the rational Part of War; for with how weak a Force did he undertake to fubdue the Kingdom of Egypt, and afterwards to attack the Forces of Scipio and Juba, ten Times greater in Number than his! Thofe People had I know not what of more than human Confidence in their Fortune; and he was wont to fay, That Men must execute, and not ⚫ deliberate upon great Enterprises.' After the Battle of Pharfalia, when he had fent his Army away before him into Afia, and was paffing the Streight of the Hellefpont in one fingle Veffel, he met Lucius Caffius at Sea, with ten ftout Men of War, where he had the Courage not only to lay by for them, but to bear up to them, and, fummoning Caffius to yield, made him furrender.

His Courage and Confidence at the Siege of Alexia.

Having undertaken that furious Siege of Alexia, where there were fourfcore thousand Men in Garrison, and all Gaul was in Arms to raise the Siege, having fet an Army on Foot of a hundred and nine thoufand Horfe, and of two hundred and forty thousand Foot, what a Boldness and mad Confidence was it in him, that he would not give over his Attempt, but refolved to oppose two so great Difficulties at once, which nevertheless he sustained! And, after having won that great Battle against those without, he foon reduced those within to his Mercy. The fame happened to Lucullus, at the Siege of Tigranocerta, against King Tigranes; but the Hazard was not the fame, confidering the Effeminacy of thofe with whom Lucullus had to deal.

I will here fet down two rare and extraordinary Events concerning this Siege of Alexia; one, that the Gauls, having drawn their Powers together to encounter Cafar, after they had made a general Mufter of all their Forces, refolved, in their Council of War, to dismiss a good Part Nn 3

of

• Cæfar de Bello Gallico, lib. vii. c. 12. where only 8000 Horse are mentioned,

Book II. of this great Multitude, that they might not fall into Confufion This Example of fearing to be too numerous is new; but, to take it right, it ftands to Reason that the Body of an Army fhould be of a moderate Number, and reftrained to certain Bounds, both in Regard to the Difficulty of providing for them, and the Difficulty of governing and keeping them in Order; at least it is very Monftrous Ar- easy to make it appear, by Example, that mies of no great Armies fo monftrous in Number have seldom Effect. done any Thing to the Purpose. According to the Saying of Cyrus in Xenophon, 'Tis not the Number of Men, but the Number of good Men that gives the Advantage,' the Remainder serving rather to embarrafs than affift. And Bajazet principally grounded his Refolution of giving Tamerlane Battle, contrary That great Numbers of to the Opinion of all his Captains, upon this, Men caufe Con- that his Enemy's numberless Number of Men fufion. gave him affured Hopes of their being in Confufion. Scanderbeg, a very good and expert Judge in thefe Matters, was wont to fay, That ten or twelve thoufand faithful fighting Men were fufficient for a good Leader, to fecure his Reputation on all military Occafions. The other Thing, which feems to be contrary both to the Custom and Rationale of War, is, that Vercingetorix, who was made General of all the revolted Parts of Gaul, fhould go fhut himself up in Alexia; for he who has the Command of a whole Country ought never to confine himself, but in fuch an Extremity when the only Hopes he had left was in the Defence of that City; otherwife he ought to keep himself always at Liberty, that he may have Means to provide in general for all Parts of his Government.

in Time more cautious.

To return to Cafar: He grew in Time more flow, and Cæfar became more confiderate, as his Friend-Oppius does witnefs; conceiving that he ought not eafily to hazard the Glory of fo many Victories, which one Misfortune might deprive him of. The Italians, when they would reproach the Rafhnefs and Foolhardiness of young People, call them Bifognofi d'honore, Neceffitous of Honour;' and they fay, that, being in fo

great