gone. The time is now come to reap the full recompenfe of your toilfome marches over fo many mountains and rivers, and through fo many nations, all of them in arms. This is the place which fortune has appointed to be the limits of your labours; it is here that you will finish your glorious warfare, and receive an ample recompenfe of your compleated fervice. For I would not have you imagine, that victory will be as difficult as the name of a Roman war is great and founding. It has often happened that a despised enemy has given a bloody battle, and the most renowned kings and nations have by a small force been overthrown. And if you but take away the glitter of the Roman name, what is there, wherein they may ftand in competition with you; For (to fay nothing of your fervice in war for twenty years together with fo much valour and fuccefs) from the very pillars of Hercules, from the ocean, from the utmost bounds of the earth, through fo many warlike nations of Spain and Gaul, are you not come hither victorious? And with whom are you now to fight? With raw foldiers, an undisciplined army, beaten, vanquished, befieged by the Gauls the very laft fummer, an army unknown to their leader, and unacquainted with him.

OR fhall I, who was born I might almost fay, but certainly brought up, in the tent of my father, that most excellent general, fhall I, the conqueror of Spain and Gaul, and not only of the Alpine nations, but, which is greater yet, of the Alps themfelves, fhall I compare myfelf with this half-year captain? A captain before whom should one place the two armies without their enfigns, I am perfuaded he would not know to which of them he is conful? I efteem it no fmall advantage, foldiers, that there is not one among you, who has not often been an eye witness of my exploits

in war; not one of whose valour I myself have not been a fpectator, so as to be able to name the times and places ofhis noble atchievements; that with foldiers, whom I have a thousand times praifed and rewarded, and whofe pupil I was, before I became their general, I fhall march against an army of men, ftrangers to one another.

of

ON what fide foever I turn my eyes, I behold all full of courage and ftrength; a veteran infantry; a moft gallant cavalry; you, my allies, most faithful and valiant; you, Carthaginians, whom not only your country's caufe, but the juffèft anger impels to battle. The hope, the courage affailants, is always greater than of those who act upon the defenfive. With hoftile banners difplayed, you are come down upon Italy; you bring the war. Grief, injuries, indignities fire your minds, and fpur you forward to revenge! -Firft they demanded me; that I, your general, should be delivered up tổ them; next, all of you, who had fought at the fiege of Saguntum ; and we were to be put to death by the extremeft tortures, Proud and cruel nation! Every thing must be yours, and at your difpofal! You are to prescribe to us with whom we shall make war, with whom we shall make peace! You are to fet us bounds; to shut us up within hills and rivers; but you-you are limits which yourselves have fixed. What next? Touch not the Saguntines. the Iberus, move not a step towards that city. Is it a small matter then, that you have deprived us of our ancient poffeffions, Sicily and Sardinia; you would have Spain too? Well, we shall yield Spain; and then-you will pafs into Africa. Will pafs, did I fay ?—This very year they order. ed one of their confuls into Africa, the other into Spain. No, foldiers, there is nothing left for us but what we can

not to observe the Pafs not the Iberus. Saguntum is upon

vindicate

vindicate with our fwords. Come on then. Be men. The Romans may with more fafety be cowards; they have their own country behind them, have places of refuge to flee to, and are fecure from danger in the roads thither; but for you. there is no middle fortune between death and victory. Let this be but well fixed in your minds, and once again I fay, you are conquerors. LITY.

CHA P. III.

C. MARIUS TO THE ROMANS, ON THEIR HESITATING TO APPOINT HIM GENERAL IN THE EXPEDITIONAGAINST JUGURTHA, MERELY ON ACCOUNT

OF HIS EXTRACTION.

IT

T is but too common, my countrymen, to observe a ma- . terial difference between the behaviour of those, who ftand candidates for places of power and truft, before, and after their obtaining them. They folicit them in one manner, and execute them in another. They fet out with a great appearance of activity, humility, and moderation; and they quickly fall into floth, pride, and avarice. It is, undoubtedly, no easy matter to discharge, to the general fatisfaction, the duty of a fupreme commander in troublefome times. I am, I hope, duly fenfible of the importance of the office I propose to take upon me, for the service of my country. To carry on, with effect, an expenfive war, and yet be frugal of the public money; to oblige those to ferve, whom it may be delicate to offend; to conduct, at the fame time, a complicated variety of operations; to concert measures at home anfwerable to the ftate of things abroad; and to gain every valuable end, in fpite of oppofition from the envious, the factious, and the difaffected; to do all this, my countrymen, is more difficult, than is generally

rally thought. And, besides that disadvantages which are common to me with all others in eminent stations, my case is, in this respect, peculiarly hard; that, whereas a commander of Patrician rank, if he is guilty of a neglect, or breach of duty, has his great connections, the antiquity of his family, the important fervices of his ancestors, and the multitudes he has by power engaged in his intereft, to screent him from condign punishment; my whole fafety depends upon myfelf; which renders it the more indifpenfably neceffary for me to take care, that my conduct be clear and unexceptionable. Befides, I am well aware, my countrymen, that the eye of the public is upon me; and that, though the impartial, who prefer the real advantage of the commonwealth to all other confiderations, favour my pretenfions, the Patricians wants nothing fo much, as an occafion againft me. It is, therefore, my fixed refolution, to use my best endeavours, that you be not disappointed in me, and that their indirect defigns against me may be defeated. I have from my youth, been familiar with toils, and with dangers, I was faithful to your intereft, my countrymen, when I served. you for no reward, but that of honour. It is not my design to betray you, now that you have conferred upon me a place of profit. You have committed to my conduct the war against Jugurtha. The Patricians are offended at this. But where would be the wisdom of giving fuch a command to one of their honourable body, a perfon of illuftrious birth, of ancient family, of innumerable ftatues, but-of no experience? What fervice would his long line of dead ancestors, or his multitude of motionlefs ftatues, do his country in the day of battle? What could fuch a general do, but, in his tripidation and inexperience, have recourse to some inferior commander, for direction in difficulties, to which he was not

himfelf

himself equal? Thus, your Patrician general would in fact, have a general over him; fo that the acting commander would ftill be a Plebeian. So true is this, my countrymen, that I have myself known thofe, who have been chofen confuls, begin then to read the hiftory of their own country, of which till that time they were totally ignorant; that is, they firft obtained the employment,and then bethought themselves of the qualifications neceffary for the proper discharge of it. I fubmit to your judgment, Romans, on which fide the advantage lies, when a comparison is made between Patrician haughtiness, and Plebeian experience. The very action which they have only read, I have partly feen, and partly myself atchieved. What they know by reading, I know by action, They are pleased to flight my mean birth: I defpife their mean character. Want of birth and fortune is the objection against me: want of personal worth against them. But are not all men of the fame fpecies? What can make a difference between one man and another, but the endowments of the mind? For my part, I fhall always look upon the bravest man as the nobleft man. Suppofe it were enquired of the fathers of fuch Patricians as Albinus and Beftia, whether, if they had their choice, they would defire fons of their character, or of mine; what would they answer, but that they should wish the worthieft to be their fons? If the Patricians have reason to despise me, let them likewise despise their ancestors, whofe nobility was the fruit of their virtue. Do they envy the honours bestowed upon me? Let them envy likewise my labours, my abftinence, and the dangers I have undergone for my country; by which I have acquired them. But thofe worthless men lead fuch a life of inactivity, as if they despised any honours you can bestow; whilft they aspire to honours, as if they had deferved them by the most industrious virtue. They