27.13
When
they were once more in camp, Marcellus addressed such an impassioned and
stinging remonstrance to his men that they suffered more from the words of
their angry general than in the adverse struggle which they had kept up the
livelong day. "As matters are," he said, "I am devoutly thankful to heaven
that the enemy did not actually attack the camp while you in your panic were
dashing into the gates and over the rampart; you would most certainly have
abandoned your camp in the same wild terror in which you deserted the
field. What is the meaning of this panic, this terror? What has suddenly come
to you that you should forget who you are and with whom you are fighting?
These surely are precisely the same enemies as those whom you spent last
summer in defeating and pursuing, whom you have been closely following up
these last few days, whilst they fled before you night and day, whom you
have worn out in skirmishes, whom as late as yesterday you prevented from
either advancing or encamping. I pass over incidents for which you may
possibly take credit to yourselves and will only mention one circumstance
which ought to fill you with shame and remorse. Last night, as you know,
you drew off from the field after holding your own against the enemy. How
has the situation changed during the night or throughout the day? Have your
forces been weakened or his strengthened? But really, I do not seem to
myself to be speaking to my army or to Roman soldiers, it is only your
bodies and weapons that are the same. Do you imagine if you had had the
spirit of Romans that the enemy would have seen your backs or captured a
single standard from either maniple or cohort? So far he has prided himself
upon the Roman legions he has cut up, you have been the first to confer
upon him today the glory of having put a Roman army to flight."
Then there arose a general cry of supplication; the men begged him
to pardon them for that day's work, and to make use of his soldiers' courage
whenever and wherever he would. "Very well, soldiers," he said, "I will
make proof of it and lead you to battle tomorrow, so that you may win the
pardon you crave as victors rather as vanquished." He ordered the cohorts
who had lost their standards to be put on barley rations, and the centurions
of the maniples whose standards were lost were ordered to stand away from
their fellows without their military cloaks and girdles and with their swords
drawn. All the troops, mounted and unmounted, were ordered to assemble
under arms the following day. They were then dismissed and all
acknowledged that they had been justly and deservedly censured, and that in
the whole army there was not one who had that day shown himself a man
except their commander. They felt bound to make satisfaction to him either
by their deaths or by a brilliant victory. The next morning they appeared
equipped and armed according to orders. The general expressed his approval
and announced that those who had been the first to flee and the cohorts
which had lost their standards would be placed in the forefront of the battle.
He went on to say that all must fight and conquer, and that they must, one
and all, do their utmost to prevent the rumour of yesterday's flight from
reaching Rome before the news of that day's victory. They were then
ordered to strengthen themselves with food, so that if the fight was
prolonged they might hold out. After all had been said and done to raise their
courage, they marched to battle.