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ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



ter times, wben their city was 600 or 700 years old, they did fuch 

 things, as muft appear abfolutely incredible, if we believe them to 

 be fuch men as we are. Who can believe, upon that fuppofition, 

 that they made fuch marches as we read of, loaded, as Jofephus 

 fays, like mules ; for they carried, not only very heavy armour, 

 offenfive and defenfive, but alfo three or four ftakes, for the fortifi- 

 cation of their camp, an ax, a faw, a mattock, and a bafket, befides 

 fome other little inftiuments, and fometimes a month's provifion in 

 corn, not in bread, and always more than half a month's * ? Who 

 can believe that the ufual exercife of the Roman foldiers was a de^ 

 curfio, or race under arms, of four Roman miles f ? Who can be- 

 lieve that, in the great battle with the Cimbers, the fierceft and 

 ftrongeft people, I believe, the Romans ever had to do with, 

 fought about the time of the fummer folftice, there was not, as 

 I have obferved before J, a Roman fweatcd, or fo much as blown? 



And 



♦ See upon this fubjeO, Juftus L'pfius, di Militia Romana, Lib. v. Dia- 

 logue ij. "ihe weight of their ofFtnfjve armour mull have been very confiderable ; 

 for, befides their fword, which was flrong and heavy, and d;d both cut and thruft, 

 the pilum, of which they carried two, was a very mafly weapon : And, when we 

 add to this, the weight of the fciitum, which covered their whole body, and was 

 framed, partly of hides, and partly of metj), — their coat of mail, which was all of 

 metal, their helmet, — and their greaves, or covering of their legs, with the addition- 

 al weight of the implements they carried, 1 do not think that Jofephus has at all 

 exiggerated, when he fays they were loaded 1 ice mulcs. And, as to their marches, 

 1 refer the reader to what Lipfius fiys in the Dialogue above quote-d, and to Dia- 

 logue xiv of the fame Book, Avhtre he fliows, that, by way of exercife, the PiO- 

 man foldiers were in ufe to walk twenty Roman miles in a day under aims. 'Ihis 

 they performed in five hours of their fummer's day } for the Antients divided the 

 day, that is the time from fun-rifing to fun-fetting, into twelve hours ; and therefore 

 the hours of a fummer's day were longer thsn thofe of a winter's. This was their 

 ordinary military pace ; but fometimes, when the bufinefs was very urgent, they 

 would march twenty-four m.les in the five hours, which, with the prodigious weight, 

 they carried, of arms and inftruments, mufl appear to us incredible 5 and, indeed, 

 it is fo, if we fuppofe them fuch men as we are. 



•|- See Lipfius, ubifupra^ Dialogue xiv. 



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