Greece -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
LXIX. Pompeius commanded the right wing, intending to oppose Antonius;
in the centre he placed his father-in-law Scipio against Calvinus
Lucius;[371] and the left was commanded by Lucius Domitius, and
strengthened with the main body of the cavalry. For nearly all the
horsemen had crowded to that point, with the design of overpowering
Cæsar and cutting to pieces the tenth legion, which had a very great
reputation for courage, and Cæsar was accustomed to take his station
in this legion when he fought a battle. But Cæsar, observing that the
enemy's left wing was strengthened by so large a body of cavalry, and
fearing their brilliant equipment, summoned six cohorts from the
reserve, and placed them in the rear of the tenth legion, with orders
to keep quiet and not let the enemy see them; but as soon as the
cavalry advanced, they had orders to run forwards through the first
ranks, and not to throw their javelins, as the bravest soldiers are
used to do in their eagerness to get to fighting with the sword, but
to push upwards and to wound the eyes and faces of the enemy, for
those handsome, blooming pyrrichists would not keep their ground for
fear of their beauty being spoiled, nor would they venture to look at
the iron that was pushed right into their faces. Now Cæsar was thus
employed. But Pompeius, who was examining the order of battle from his
horse, observing that the enemy were quietly awaiting in their ranks
the moment of attack, and the greater part of his own army was not
still, but was in wavelike motion through want of experience and in
confusion, was alarmed lest his troops should be completely separated
at the beginning of the battle, and he commanded the front ranks to
stand with their spears presented, and keeping their ground in compact
order to receive the enemy's attack. But Cæsar finds fault[372] with
this generalship of Pompeius; for he says that he thus weakened the
force of the blows which a rapid assault produces; and the rush to
meet the advancing ranks, which more than anything else fills the mass
of the soldiers with enthusiasm and impetuosity in closing with the
enemy, and combined with the shouts and running increases the
courage--Pompeius, by depriving his men of this, fixed them to the
ground and damped them. On Cæsar's side the numbers were twenty-two
thousand; on the side of Pompeius the numbers[373] were somewhat more
than double.
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