812 BAT 
embattlimg one company,into another; without which 
the former cannot be well fuccoured or defended, and 
their places taken by others; which was a thing the Ro¬ 
mans praftifed with great exaftnefs. For the velites, and 
in later times the archers and (lingers, were not drawn tip 
in. this .regular manner, but either difpofed of before the 
front of tire hajlati, or fcattered up and down among the 
void fpaces of the hajlati, or fometimes placed in two bo¬ 
dies in the wings. Thefe always began the combat, fkir- 
mi filing in flying parties with the foremoft troops of the 
enemy. If they were repulled, which was ufually the 
cafe, they fell back to the flanks of the army, or retired 
again in the rear. When they retired, the hajlati advanced 
to the charge. The cavalry was pofted at the two corners 
of the army, like the wing's on a body ; and fought fome¬ 
times on foot, fometimes on horfeback. The auxiliary 
forces cotupofed the two points of the battle, and covered 
the whole body of the Romans. Other lefs ufual forms 
of battle among the Romans were the cwicus, or wedge ; 
globus, or round .form ; forfex , or pair of fheers ; turris, 
or an oblong fquare figure ; J'erra, or faw. The Greeks 
were inferior to the Romans in rha'rrtialling their armies 
for battle, as they drew up their whole army in front, and 
truffled the fiiccefs of the day to a Angle force. They had 
three forms of battle for the horfe, viz. the fquare, the 
wedge, and the rhombus or diamond form. The firfl held 
bed for the defenflve ; the latter for the otfenfive ; the 
wedge being preferred as bringing mod hands to fight. 
The Greeks notified the places of their battles and vic¬ 
tories by adding the word Nix»; whence Nicomedia, Ni- 
copolis, Theflalonica, &c. The ancient Britons did the 
like, by adding the word Mats; whence Maifleveth, Mal- 
mefbury, &c. The Englifh by the word Field. The Ro¬ 
mans had their particular days, called prediaries dies, where¬ 
in alone it was lawful to join battle ; and others wherein 
it was unlawful, called dies atri. The Athenians, by the 
ancient laws of their country, were not to draw out their 
forces for battle till after the feventh day of the month : 
and Lucian relates of the Lacedemonians, that by the 
laws of Lycurgus they were not to fight before full moon. 
Among the Germans, it was reputed an impiety to fight 
in the wane of the moon ; and Casfar tells us, that Ario- 
viflus was beaten by him, becaufe, contrary to the laws 
of his country, he had fought when the moon was in her 
wane. The German foldiers were intimidated with the 
apprehenfion, and afforded Cseiar an eafy victory; acice 
commijja, impeditos religione hojles vicit.- It is well known 
that Jerufalem was taken by Pompey in an attack on the 
Sabbath day, when by the Jewifh law, they were not al¬ 
lowed to fight, or even to defend themfelves. Among 
the ancients, we find frequent inftances of battles in the 
fright; it was by the moonlight that Pompey beat Mith- 
ridates, and Scipio Afdrubal and Syphax. 
The firfl pitched battle, of which we have any diflinft 
account, is that between Crcefus and Cyrus deferibed by 
Zenophon, concerning which we have a diflertation ex- 
prefsly by M. Freret, wherein feveral points of the an¬ 
cient taffies are well explained. The moft remarkable 
battles recorded in ancient and modern hiftofly, are the fol¬ 
lowing : Of Marathon; the Athenians under Miltiades 
With 10,000 men defeat Datis at the head of 100,000 Per¬ 
il an infantry and 10,000 horfe, 490 B. C. Of Leuftra ; 
the Lacedemonians defeated by the Thebans and lofe the 
dominion of Greece, 371 B. C. Arund. Marbles. Of Man- 
tinea; in which the famous Theban general Epaminondas 
is (lain, B.C. 361. Of the river Granicus; Alexander 
the Great defeats the Perlians, B. C. 334. Of Ifflis ; in 
which Darius is totally defeated with the lofs of 100,000 
men, B. C. 333. Of Arbela 5 by which Alexander be¬ 
comes conqueror of Perfia, B. C. 333. Of Cumae ; in the 
fecond Punic wai; ; the Carthaginians defeat the Rorriaris, 
40,000 are (lain, with their conful Emilius, and 10,000 
taken prifoners, B. C. 214. Marius, junior, defeats Han¬ 
nibal the Carthagenian general, kills 37,000 on the fpot, 
and takes 18,000 prifoners, B.' C. 209. Scipio defeats 
1 
TLB. 
Afdrubal, 80,000 Carthagenlans and their allies are flair),^ 
and 13,000 taken prifoners, B. C. 205. Cl. Nero finally 
vanquilhes Afdrubal, fSkes him prifoner and beheads him ; 
50,000 of the confederates are killed, B.C. 203; Sylla, 
the Roman didtator, with only 16,000 men, defeats Mi- 
thridates, king of Pontus, at the head of 120,000, lofing 
himfelf, as it is related, only twelve men, B. C. 86. Of 
Pharfalia ; Julius Casfar, with an inferior force, defeats 
Pompey, B. C. 48. Of Philippi ; Brutus and Caflius, 
after an obftinate battle and a bloody engagement at fea, 
are totally fubdued by Oftavius Caefar and M. Antony, 
which puts an end to the Roman republic, B. C. 42. 
Crefar defeats Antony’s fleet near Aftium, B. C. 31. BiJC 
fuel. Ancient Hijl. Between the emperor Claudius and’ 
the Goths, the latter leave 3 2,000 (lain on the field, A. D. 
269. Between Conftantine the Great and Licinius, the 
latter defeated, and 100,oco of his troops are (lain, A. D. 
324. Between Ramirez II. king of Leon and the Aflu- 
rias, and the Moors, at Semincas, in which 80,000 Moors 
were flain, 938. 
Battles of the Englifh celebrated in hiflory. Of Haft- 
ings; in which Harold loft his life, and William I. gained 
the Englifh crown, A. D. 1066. Of Afcalon in Judea ; 
Richard I. of England defeats Saladin’s army, amounting 
to 300,000 Saracens and other infidels, A. D. 1192. Of 
Gifors in France ; the French, defeated by Richard I. 
whofe parole for the day was Dieu et mon Droit, ‘ God and 
my Right,’ from this time made the motto to the royal 
arms ot England, 1198. Rymer. Of Lincoln; Lewis, dau¬ 
phin of France, invited over by the difeontented barons in 
the laft year of king John, was acknowledged by them as 
king of England ; but the nobility in general were f'um- 
moned by the Earl of Pembroke to Gloucefter, to crown 
Henry III. and afterwards marched againft the dauphin’s 
and the barons army, which was defeated at Lincoln 1217, 
and the dauphin left the kingdom. Of Lewis ; in which 
Henry IIT. hiscoufin Henry king of the Romans, his foil, 
and Edward prince of Wales, were taken prifoners by 
Montford earl of Leicefter, a rebellious baron, 1264. Of 
Evefham ; the barons defeated, Montford flain, and Hen¬ 
ry III. releafed, 1265. Of Bannockburn, near Stirling 
in Scotland; the Scots, commanded by king Robert Bruce, 
with 30,000 men, defeat Edward II. of England, with 
100,000 or, as fome fay, 200,000, A. D. 1314. Of Ha- 
lidon-hill near Berwick ; the Englifh gain a fignal victory 
over the Scots, 13,000 being flain, and only a very incon- 
fiderable number of the Englifh, 7 Edward III. 1333. Of 
Crefly in France ; a complete victory gained over Philip 
of France by Edward III. and his fon Edward, Ailed the 
black prince, John king of Bohemia, James king of Major¬ 
ca, Ralph duke of Lorraine (fovereign princes), a number 
of French noblemen and other perfons of high rank, to¬ 
gether with 30,000 private men, were flain, and the lofs 
of the Englifh was trifling, 1346. Froijjdrt. Carte. The 
Scots defeated at Durham the fame year, and David their 
king taken prifoner by the Englifli. Of Poiffiers in France, 
gained by Edward the Black Prince John king of France 
and his fon taken prifoners, 1356. Of Agincourt; Hen¬ 
ry V. totally vanquifhes the French ; his prifoners fo nu¬ 
merous, that he is obliged to kill them, 1415. OfTorv- 
ton ; Edward IV. obtains a complete viftory over Hen¬ 
ry VI. on whofe fide 36,776 of his fubjedfls are flain, 1461. 
Of Bofvvorth; Richard III. was flain and Henry earl of 
Richmond crowned king on the field of battle, by the ftile 
of Henry VII. 1485. Of Flotiden ; the Englifh vanquifh 
the Scots, and James IV. is killed, 1513, 4 Henry VIII. 
Of Pinkney ; the Scots defeated by the earl of Hertford 
protestor, 13,000 (lain, 2 Edward VI. 1547. Of Nafeby, 
Northampts. Charles I. defeated by Fairfax, lofes all his 
infantry, artillery, arms, See. and is never after able to 
ihake head agaiinft the parliament forces, 1645. Of Wor- 
eefter ; Charles II. vanquifhed, and obliged to quit the 
kingdom, 1657. Of the Boyne, Ireland; James II. de¬ 
feated by William III. and withdraws to France, 1690. 
Of Blenheim or Hochfiet; a fignal viflory gained by the 
duke 
