This text is part of:
Search the Perseus Catalog for:
View text chunked by:
[471]
But when Titus perceived that the enemy was very numerous, he sent
to his father, and informed him that he should want more forces. But as
he saw a great many of the horsemen eager to fight, and that before any
succors could come to them, and that yet some of them were privately under
a sort of consternation at the multitude of the Jews, he stood in a place
whence he might be heard, and said to them, "My brave Romans! for
it is right for me to put you in mind of what nation you are, in the beginning
of my speech, that so you may not be ignorant who you are, and who they
are against whom we are going to fight. For as to us, Romans, no part of
the habitable earth hath been able to escape our hands hitherto; but as
for the Jews, that I may speak of them too, though they have been already
beaten, yet do they not give up the cause; and a sad thing it would be
for us to grow wealthy under good success, when they bear up under their
misfortunes. As to the alacrity which you show publicly, I see it, and
rejoice at it; yet am I afraid lest the multitude of the enemy should bring
a concealed fright upon some of you: let such a one consider again, who
we are that are to fight, and who those are against whom we are to fight.
Now these Jews, though they be very bold and great despisers of death,
are but a disorderly body, and unskillful in war, and may rather be called
a rout than an army; while I need say nothing of our skill and our good
order; for this is the reason why we Romans alone are exercised for war
in time of peace, that we may not think of number for number when we come
to fight with our enemies: for what advantage should we reap by our continual
sort of warfare, if we must still be equal in number to such as have not
been used to war. Consider further, that you are to have a conflict with
men in effect unarmed, while you are well armed; with footmen, while you
are horsemen; with those that have no good general, while you have one;
and as these advantages make you in effect manifold more than you are,
so do their disadvantages mightily diminish their number. Now it is not
the multitude of men, though they be soldiers, that manages wars with success,
but it is their bravery that does it, though they be but a few; for a few
are easily set in battle-array, and can easily assist one another, while
over-numerous armies are more hurt by themselves than by their enemies.
It is boldness and rashness, the effects of madness, that conduct the Jews.
Those passions indeed make a great figure when they succeed, but are quite
extinguished upon the least ill success; but we are led on by courage,
and obedience, and fortitude, which shows itself indeed in our good fortune,
but still does not for ever desert us in our ill fortune. Nay, indeed,
your fighting is to be on greater motives than those of the Jews; for although
they run the hazard of war for liberty, and for their country, yet what
can be a greater motive to us than glory? and that. it may never be said,
that after we have got dominion of the habitable earth, the Jews are able
to confront us. We must also reflect upon this, that there is no fear of
our suffering any incurable disaster in the present case; for those that
are ready to assist us are many, and at hand also; yet it is in our power
to seize upon this victory ourselves; and I think we ought to prevent the
coming of those my father is sending to us for our assistance, that our
success may be peculiar to ourselves, and of greater reputation to us.
And I cannot but think this an opportunity wherein my father, and I, and
you shall be all put to the trial, whether he be worthy of his former glorious
performances, whether I be his son in reality, and whether you be really
my soldiers; for it is usual for my father to conquer; and for myself,
I should not bear the thoughts of returning to him if I were once taken
by the enemy. And how will you be able to avoid being ashamed, if you do
not show equal courage with your commander, when he goes before you into
danger? For you know very well that I shall go into the danger first, and
make the first attack upon the enemy. Do not you therefore desert me, but
persuade yourselves that God will be assisting to my onset. Know this also
before we begin, that we shall now have better success than we should have,
if we were to fight at a distance."
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.