File:The history of Great Britain - from the first invasion of it by the Romans under Julius Cæsar. Written on a new plan (1789) (14782090542).jpg

Identifier: historyofgreatbr001henr (find matches)
Title: The history of Great Britain : from the first invasion of it by the Romans under Julius Cæsar. Written on a new plan
Year: 1789 (1780s)
Authors: Henry, Robert, 1718-1790 Laing, Malcolm, 1762-1818 Adams, John, 1735-1826, former owner. BRL Boston Public Library (John Adams Library) BRL
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Publisher: Dublin : Printed for P. Byrne ... and J. Jones ...
Contributing Library: John Adams Library at the Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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Ro-man legions, and of the auxiliary troops. The legions were theflower and ftrength of the Roman armies, being compofed onlyof Roman citizens ; of whom a certain number, confiding bothof horfe and foot, formed into one body, under officers of dif-ferent ranks, conftituted a legion. It appears that this corps didnot always contain the fame number of troops, but varied con-fiderabiv at diiferent periods. During the regal government ofRome the legion confided of three thoufand foot, and th*:ezhundred horfe; under the confuls it was compofed of fourthoufand two hundred foot, and four hundred horfe ; but underthe emperors it amounted to fix thoufand of which four hundredwere horfe. The legions were diilinguifhed from each other, asour regiments are at prefent, by their number, being called thefirft, fecond, third, fourth legion ; and alfo by certain honoura-ble epithets, as the ftrong, the valiant, the victorious, the pious,she faithful, and the like. The number of legions which were kept
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she faithful; and the like. The number of legions wlircn were kept APPENDIX. 67 kept on fpot by the Romans was very different, according to the No. VIII,extent of their empire, and the exigences of their affairs. In K^/~v~\Jthe early times of the republic they had commonly no more thanfour legions, but in the flourifhing ages of the empire they hadno fewer than twenty five*. The foot which compofed a legionwere of four kinds, called Velites, Haftali, Principes, andTriarii. The Velites were lightly armed with different kinds ofweapons, and fwords, bows and arrows, flings and javelins, andwere defigned for fkirmiiliing with the enemy before a battle,and purfuing them after a defeat. For defenfive armour theVelites had only a fmall round target, and a helmet or head-piece. The Haftali, Principes, and Triarii, were all armednearly in the fame manner, with fwords and fpears, and largefjuelds, an(j differed little from each other except in the timewhich they had ferved, and the degrees of m

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