Roman soldiers were
trained in such a way as to have a strategic advantage over their enemies. The
typical military unit in the Roman army was called a legion, which consisted of
about 6,000 soldiers at full strength. When approaching an enemy in battle, the
infantry would create three lines of soldiers, each with gaps between the
lines; in front of these gaps would be a solid line of soldiers called velites.
As they neared their enemy, these velites would throw their javelins and
retreat through the gaps in the lines of their fellow soldiers. The first line
would then fill in the gaps to create a solid line. When the enemy came closer,
this solid line of soldiers would charge. Once this initial skirmishing
occurred, the heavy infantry would engage the enemy. They would throw their
pila (javelin-like weapons), then pull their swords and attack. Because the
army was set up in lines, one line would attack at a time. If it was being
defeated, it would fall back and another would take its place, so that the
attacking was consistent. This tactic is said to have been an important reason
for success in battle. They also had heavier armor, better training, and were
expected to endure strong discipline.
I read part of a poem recently by one of my favorite poets. It reads: I envy not in any moods The captive void of noble rage The linnet born within the cage That never knew the summer woods. I envy not the beast that takes His license in the field of time Unfetter'd by the sense of crime To whom a conscience never wakes. Nor what may call itself as bles't The heart that never plighted troth But stagnates in the weeds of sloth Nor any want-begotten rest. I hold it true, whate'er befall I feel it, when I sorrow most 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. At base, Tennyson contrasted a life of risk, and consequent pain, with one of security. He sides conclusively with the life of risk, and says he fails to envy those who have faced no hardship. I agree with him; and, for good or ill, his words are just as relevant today as they were in the nineteenth century. Like then, there are those today who choose to live their lives with as little risk as...
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