# CHAPTER XXXIII —_That to insure victory in battle you must inspire your

CHAPTER XXXIII.—_That to insure victory in battle you must inspire your
Men with confidence in one another and in you._


To insure an army being victorious in battle you must inspire it with
the conviction that it is certain to prevail. The causes which give it
this confidence are its being well armed and disciplined, and the
soldiers knowing one another. These conditions are only to be found
united in soldiers born and bred in the same country.

It is likewise essential that the army should think so well of its
captain as to trust implicitly to his prudence; which it will always do
if it see him careful of its welfare, attentive to discipline, brave in
battle, and otherwise supporting well and honourably the dignity of his
position. These conditions he fulfils when, while punishing faults, he
does not needlessly harass his men, keeps his word with them, shows
them that the path to victory is easy, and conceals from them, or makes
light of things which seen from a distance might appear to threaten
danger. The observance of these precautions will give an army great
confidence, and such confidence leads to victory.

This confidence the Romans were wont to inspire in the minds of their
soldiers by the aid of religion; and accordingly their consuls were
appointed, their armies were enrolled, their soldiers marched forth,
and their battles were begun, only when the auguries and auspices were
favourable; and without attending to all these observances no prudent
captain would ever engage in combat; knowing that unless his soldiers
were first assured that the gods were on their side, he might readily
suffer defeat. But if any consul or other leader ever joined battle
contrary to the auspices, the Romans would punish him, as they did
Claudius Pulcher.

The truth of what I affirm is plainly seen from the whole course of the
Roman history, but is more particularly established by the words which
Livius puts into the mouth of Appius Claudius, who, when complaining to
the people of the insolence of the tribunes, and taxing them with
having caused the corruption of the auspices and other rites of
religion, is made to say, “_And now they would strip even religion of
its authority. For what matters it, they will tell you, that the fowls
refuse to peck, or come slowly from the coop, or that a cock has
crowed? These are small matters doubtless; but it was by not contemning
such small matters as these, that our forefathers built up this great
republic._” And, indeed, in these small matters lies a power which
keeps men united and of good courage, which is of itself the chief
condition of success.

But the observances of religion must be accompanied by valour, for
otherwise they can nothing avail. The men of Praneste, leading forth
their army against the Romans, took up their position near the river
Allia, on the very spot where the Romans had been routed by the Gauls,
selecting this ground that it might inspire their own side with
confidence, and dishearten their enemies with the unhappy memories
which it recalled But although, for the reasons already noted, this was
a course which promised success, the result nevertheless showed that
true valour is not to be daunted by trifling disadvantages. And this
the historian well expresses by the words he puts in the mouth of the
dictator as spoken to his master of the knights “_See how these
fellows, in encamping on the banks of the Allia, have chosen their
ground in reliance upon fortune. Do you, therefore, relying on
discipline and valour, fall upon then centre._” For true valour, tight
discipline, and the feeling of security gained by repeated victories,
are not to be counteracted by things of no real moment, dismayed by
empty terrors, or quelled by a solitary mishap. As was well seen when
the two Manlii, being consuls in command against the Volscians, rashly
allowed a part of their army to go out foraging, and both those who
went out and those who stayed behind found themselves attacked at the
same moment For from this danger they were saved by the courage of the
soldiers, and not by the foresight of the consuls. With regard to which
occurrence Titus Livius observes, “_Even without a leader the steadfast
valour of the soldiers was maintained._”

Here I must not omit to notice the device practised by Fabius to give
his army confidence, when he led it for the first time into Etruria.
For judging such encouragement to be especially needed by his men,
since they were entering an unknown country to encounter a new foe, he
addressed them before they joined battle, and, after reciting many
reasons for expecting a victory, told them, that “_he could have
mentioned other favourable circumstances making victory certain, had it
not been dangerous to disclose them._” And as this device was
dexterously used it merits imitation.