by persons delegated by the common consent of the confederates, which was only the practice of later ages; the primitive wars, wherein the soldiers served at their own expence, and supplied their necessities out of the spoils of their enemies, being managed with less charge to the public. The first tax, or tribute, of this nature, that we find paid by the Grecians, was after the expulsion of Xerxes out of Greece, when they agreed to make an invasion upon their common enemy, under the conduct of the Athenians ; for then Aristides the Athenian, at the general desire of the Greeks, surveyed the whole country and revenue, and assessed all particular persons, town by town, according to every man's ability. Thus he taxed them four hundred talents, to which Pericles added about a third part more; for we find in Thucydides, that in the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, the Athenians had coming in from their confederates, six hundred talents. After Pericles's death, being increased by little and little, it was at length raised to the sum of thirteen hundred talents; all which was managed at the discretion of the Athenians. CHAP. III. Of the different Sorts of Soldiers. THE armies were composed of various sorts of soldiers; their gross or main body usually consisted of footmen; the rest rode, some in chariots, some on horseback, others upon elephants. The foot-soldiers we find distinguished into three sorts; the first and principal of which were termed 'Oxira, being such as bore heavy armour, engaging with broad shields and long spears. 2., were light-armed men, who fought with arrows and darts, or stones and slings, annoying their enemies at a distance, but were unfit for close fight. They were in honour and diguity inferior to the heavy-armed soldiers; and therefore, when Teucer, in Sophocles, quarrels with Menelaus, he is scoffingly reproved by him in this manner : Ὁ τοξότης ἔοικεν ἐ σμικρὰ φρονειν τη This archer seems to think himself somebody. It seems to have been frequent for them, having shot their arrows, k Plut. Aristide. 1 Suidas, v. ἱπλίται. Sophocl. Ajac. v. 1141. to retire behind the shields of the heavy-armed for protection; for so we find the same Teucer doing in Homer". Τεύκρος δ' εἴνατος ἦλθε, παλίντονα τόξα τιταίνων, Then close beneath the seven-fold orb withdrew, POPE. 3. Пiλrasai°, though frequently comprehended under the λol, as opposed to the inλira, were a middle sort between both, being armed with shields and spears, but far inferior in bigness to those of the heavy-armed men. The name is taken from their narrow shields, called iλT. The horsemen amongst the ancient Grecians were not very numerous, being only such as were possessed of estates, and able to furnish out horses at their own charge. Hence, both at Athens and Sparta, we find is, or horsemen, to have composed the second order in the commonwealth, being placed above the commonalty, and next to those of the highest quality and fortune: the same is recorded of the Roman equites, and (to mention no more) we are told by Herodotus p, that among the Chalcidians, none but rich men were admitted into that order. Afterwards, when men of estates began to court ease and pleasure, and thought it more advisable to furnish out a horseman, and maintain him at their proper expences, than to venture their own persons, they retained indeed their former name, but the honour of serving on horseback was lost 9. Who it was that first instructed mankind in the art of horsemanship, is not agreed by the ancient writers of fables; some attribute it to the Amazons, others to the Centaurs, others to Bellerophon, others, lastly (to trouble you with no more), ascribe the honour of it to Neptune ", the first creator of this animal; for which P Lib v. n Iliad. 9'. v. 266. s Palaephatus, lib. i. Plinius, lib. vii. cap. 56. u Homerus in Hymn. Soph. Oedipo. reason we find the various epithets, Ιππιος W, Ιππαρχος *, Ιππηγέτης, 'Iоxgios, &c. conferred upon him by the poets and mythologists. Whoever obliged mankind with the first invention of this art, seems to have left it very imperfect; for in those early ages it is probable they understood not the method of governing horses with reins and bits, but managed them only with a rope or switch, and the accent of their voice; this we find to have been the practice of several other nations, as the Numidians ", Getulians", Lybians", and Massylians, of whom Lucan speaks thus: Et gens quæ nudo residens Masylia dorso And with a bending switch their horses guide. Afterwards bridies came into fashion, of which the most remarkable were those called lupata, having bits of iron, not unlike wolves teeth, and therefore called in Greek Aúxo, in Latin lupi; whence Horace d, -Gallica nec lupatis Temperat ora frænis. Nor with the sharper.bits The first invention of them is by Statius attributed to Neptune. Neptunus equo, si certa priorum Fama patet, primus teneris læsisse lupatis First taught with bits the gen'rous horse to tame. By others to the Lapithæ, or Centaurs, who inhabited a town in Fræna Pelethronii Lapithæ, gyrosque dedere The Pelethronian Lapithe first rode Though some are of opinion that the poet speaks of bridles, as invented not by the Lapithae, but a man of that nation, whose name was Pelethronius, to whom we find Pliny also attributing the invention of bridles and harness f: the last of these the Greeks term τρώματα, and ἐρίππια, which were made of divers sorts of stuffs, as leather, cloth, or the skins of wild beasts. Parthenopeus's horse is covered with the skin of a lynx in Statius; Æneas's in Virgil with a lion's ". Sometimes we find them adorned with rich and costly clothing; as in the same poet", Stabant tercentum nitidi in præsepibus altis : Gold were the bridles, and they champ'd on gold. PITT. Of the saddles in use amongst us we find no mention in any ancient writers; as neither of the stapia, or more properly subex pedaneus, or stirrup, which does not appear to have been used till these latter ages; there being no notice taken of any such thing in any author, that I know of, before Eustathius, who flourished five hundred years ago, and, in his commentaries upon Homer, hath mentioned an instrument of this sort. In former ages they supplied the want of such helps by their art or agility of body; being able to leap on horseback, as the heroes in Virgili, -Corpora saltu Subjiciunt in equos And by a leap bestride their horses. Or, for their greater convenience, the horses were taught submissively to bow their bodies to the ground, and receive their riders upon their backs, as we find practised as well in Greece as by the ancient Spaniards, and other nations. Hence Silius speaks of the horse of Clælius, a Roman knight, in this manner Inde inclinatus collum, submissus et armos De more, inflexis præbebat scandere terga With neck inclined, and knees submissive bent, To the keen rider. m C. S. Sometimes we find them leaping up by the help of their spears, or other things. Several other methods were used by men of weak and unactive bodies: some getting up on the backs of their slaves; others by the help of short ladders; both which supports were termed avaboxes. Lastly, we find the highways filled with stones erected for this purpose; which is said to have been done h En. vii. k Pollux. lib. i. cap. 11. i En, xii. 1 Strabo, lib. iii. in Italy by Gracchus, and in Greece was always one part of the business of the overseers of the roads P. Let us now return to their military affairs, where we shall find it disputed, whether the warriors of primitive ages were carried Lucretius indeed tells to the fields in chariots, or on horseback. us, that the first heroes were mounted upon horses, whereas chariots were only a later invention ¶. Et prius est repertum in equi conscendere costas, Mounted on well rein'd steeds in ancient time, But we are informed by Palaphatus that chariots were first in use; the Lapithæ, who flourished about Hercules's time, being the first that attempted to ride upon horses, a thing strange and unheard of by the Grecians in those days, who viewed them not without amazement, imagining them to be monsters compounded of the different shapes of men and horses, or bulls, which they frequently backed instead of horses; whence we have the fables of the Centaurs and Hippocentaurs. And it is more than probable, that at the time of the Trojan war the custom of riding and fighting upon horses, was not commonly received by the Grecians; since the heroes of Homer, whose authority must in such cases ever be held sacred, are always introduced into the battle in chariots, never on horseback. The chariots of princes and heroes were not only contrived for service, but ornament, being richly embossed with gold and other metals; as we read of Orsines the Persian in Curtius, and several of Homer's, as that of Rhesus $, “Αρμα δὲ οἱ χρυσῷ τε νὰ ἀργυρῳ εὖ ἤσκηται, And another of Diomedest, “Αρματά τε χρυσῷ πεπυκασμένα, κασσιτέρῷ τι. Chariots richly adorn'd with gold and tin. They were likewise adorned with curious hangings; whence we read of Lycaon's chariot", Πέπτανται. ἀμφὶ δὲ πέπλοι Like wings its hangings are expanded wide. And the poet calls that of Achilles ἅρματα εὖ πεπυκασμένα W. |