DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0543
of the military affairs of greece. 516
danger. At other times all they used to do was to appoint a few of their
ships to observe their enemy's motions ; these were termed nrgotpvXoM-
Ss$ (1), and the soldiers nvgtixgm, or kxi^h^m, from irvpdog, a torch,
wherewith they signified the approach of their enemies (2). Then
their fortifications were thought strong enough to secure them from
the assault of their enemies, it was frequent to drag their ships
to shore, which the Grecians called evuXxstv, the Romans subduce-
re (3). Around the ships the soldiers placed their tents, as appears
everywhere in Homer, Fhucydides (4), and others: but this seems
only to have been practised in winter, when their enemy's fleet
was laid up, and could not assault them ; or in long sieges, and when
they lay in no danger from their enemies by sea, as in the Trojan war,
where the defenders of Troy never once attempted to encounter the
Grecians in a sea-fight: at other times the ships only lay at anchor, or
were tied to the shore, that upon any alarm they might be ready to re-
ceive the enemy.
CHAP, XXI.
of the engagements, &.c. by sea.
In preparing for an engagement at sea, the first business was to disbur-
den their ships of war of all provisions, and other lumber, not necessary in
the action, lest by too heavy a load they should be rendered unwieldy, and
unfit for service, being neither able with force and vigour to assail their
enemies, nor by lightly tacking about to avoid their onsets. This done,
when the enemy appeared in view, they took down their sails, lowered
their masts, and secured whatever might expose them to the wind,
choosing rather to be governed by oars, which they could manage at
their pleasure. On this account we read that Hanno the Carthaginian,
being pursued by a fleet of Dionysius the Sicilian, to which he was much
inferior in strength and number, and having no way to make his escape,
took down his sails as preparing to fight; whereby, decoying the Sici-
lians to do the like, whilst they were busy and observed him not, he unex-
pectedly hoisted again his sails, and made away ( 5).
As to their order of battle, that was varied as time, place, and other cir-
cumstances required ; being sometimes lormed like a half-moon, and called
ZoXog (X7]vosi5jjs, the horns jutting out towards the enemy, and containing the
ablest men and ships ; sometimes, on the contrary, having its belly near-
est the enemy, and its horns turned backwards, whence it was termed
y.ugTjj tfag^folis : nor was it unusual to range them in the form of a cir-
cle, which they called xu'xXov <r«<rrsiv ; or (to mention no more) in the figure
of the letter V (6), with the horns extended in a direct line, and meeting
at the end ; which order was named s#ixafwra?£ ^a^ara^ig, in Latin, forceps ;
and was usually encountered by the enemies ranged in the same order
inverted, whereby they resembled the figure of a wedge or beak, whence
(1) Thucydid. lib. i.
(2) Polyaenus, lib. iii.
(3) Liyius. lib. xxii. cap. 23. Cicero, de Offic. lib, iii.
(4) Lib. vi.
(5) Polyaenus, lib. v,
(6) Vegetius.
danger. At other times all they used to do was to appoint a few of their
ships to observe their enemy's motions ; these were termed nrgotpvXoM-
Ss$ (1), and the soldiers nvgtixgm, or kxi^h^m, from irvpdog, a torch,
wherewith they signified the approach of their enemies (2). Then
their fortifications were thought strong enough to secure them from
the assault of their enemies, it was frequent to drag their ships
to shore, which the Grecians called evuXxstv, the Romans subduce-
re (3). Around the ships the soldiers placed their tents, as appears
everywhere in Homer, Fhucydides (4), and others: but this seems
only to have been practised in winter, when their enemy's fleet
was laid up, and could not assault them ; or in long sieges, and when
they lay in no danger from their enemies by sea, as in the Trojan war,
where the defenders of Troy never once attempted to encounter the
Grecians in a sea-fight: at other times the ships only lay at anchor, or
were tied to the shore, that upon any alarm they might be ready to re-
ceive the enemy.
CHAP, XXI.
of the engagements, &.c. by sea.
In preparing for an engagement at sea, the first business was to disbur-
den their ships of war of all provisions, and other lumber, not necessary in
the action, lest by too heavy a load they should be rendered unwieldy, and
unfit for service, being neither able with force and vigour to assail their
enemies, nor by lightly tacking about to avoid their onsets. This done,
when the enemy appeared in view, they took down their sails, lowered
their masts, and secured whatever might expose them to the wind,
choosing rather to be governed by oars, which they could manage at
their pleasure. On this account we read that Hanno the Carthaginian,
being pursued by a fleet of Dionysius the Sicilian, to which he was much
inferior in strength and number, and having no way to make his escape,
took down his sails as preparing to fight; whereby, decoying the Sici-
lians to do the like, whilst they were busy and observed him not, he unex-
pectedly hoisted again his sails, and made away ( 5).
As to their order of battle, that was varied as time, place, and other cir-
cumstances required ; being sometimes lormed like a half-moon, and called
ZoXog (X7]vosi5jjs, the horns jutting out towards the enemy, and containing the
ablest men and ships ; sometimes, on the contrary, having its belly near-
est the enemy, and its horns turned backwards, whence it was termed
y.ugTjj tfag^folis : nor was it unusual to range them in the form of a cir-
cle, which they called xu'xXov <r«<rrsiv ; or (to mention no more) in the figure
of the letter V (6), with the horns extended in a direct line, and meeting
at the end ; which order was named s#ixafwra?£ ^a^ara^ig, in Latin, forceps ;
and was usually encountered by the enemies ranged in the same order
inverted, whereby they resembled the figure of a wedge or beak, whence
(1) Thucydid. lib. i.
(2) Polyaenus, lib. iii.
(3) Liyius. lib. xxii. cap. 23. Cicero, de Offic. lib, iii.
(4) Lib. vi.
(5) Polyaenus, lib. v,
(6) Vegetius.