Movebat imperii maiestas, gloria viri, ante omnia aetas, quod maior sexaginta annis iuvenum munia in parte praecipua laboris periculique capessebat. Intervallum, quod inter caetratos at phalanges erat, implevit legio, atque aciem hostium interrupit. A {5} tergo caetratis erat, frontem adversus clipeatos habebat: chalcaspides appellabantur. Secundam legionem L. Albinus consularis ducere adversus leucaspidem phalangem iussus; ea media acies hostium fuit. In dextrum cornu, unde circa fluvium {10} commissum proclium erat, elephantos inducit et alas sociorum; et hinc primum fuga Macedonum est orta. Nam sicut pleraque nova commenta mortalium in verbis vim habent, experiendo, cum agi, non quemadmodum agatur edisseri oportet, sine ullo {15} effectu evanescunt, ita tum elephantorum impetum sustinere non poterant, et commenta Macedonum nomen tantum sine usu fuerunt. Elephantorum impetum subsecuti sunt socii nominis Latini, pepuleruntque laevum cornu. {20} LIVY, xliv. 41. +Context.+ Perseus, son of Philip, became King of Macedonia on the death of his father in 179 B.C. He did all he could to prepare for the inevitable struggle with Rome by strengthening Macedonia, posing as the Liberator of Greece, and forming marriage alliances with Seleucus of Syria (the successor of Antiochus), and Prusias of Bithynia. In 174 B.C., the Romans were informed that Perseus was secretly negotiating with Carthage, and after fruitless embassies war was declared. The Senate, after three years of unsuccessful warfare (171-168 B.C.), appointed L. Aemilius Paulus (son of the hero who died at Cannae) to the supreme command in Macedonia. [Linenotes: 4. +caetratos+ = _Targeteers_, armed with the _small_ round shield. 5-7. +A tergo ... habebat+ (sc. +legio prima+) = _the (first) Legion thus took the Targeteers in the rear, while it faced towards the Shieldmen_. --Rawlins. 6. +clipeatos+ = _Shieldmen_, armed with the _large_ round shield. 7. +chalcaspides+ = _Brazen Shields_, Right Division of phalanx. 9. +leucaspidem+ = _White Shields_, Left Division of phalanx. 10. +in dextrum cornu+ (sc. +Romanum+), i.e. nearest to the sea. 13-15. +commenta ... oportet+ = lit. _the contrivances of men, though in theory_ (+in verbis+) _they had some importance_ (+vim+) _yet upon trial_ (+experiendo+) _when there is need of action and not of discussion_ (+edisseri+) _how to act_. . . . 17. +commenta Macedonum.+ Perh. with reference to Perseus’ contrivances (e.g. by the use of _dummy_ elephants) to prepare his men and horses to make a stand against _real_ elephants.] C47 THIRD MACEDONIAN WAR, 171-168 B.C. _Pydna (Aemilius Paulus), 168 B.C._ (2)