This humour is far differing from that of the younger Scipio, who sharply reprehended his soldiers for having planted caltrops under water, in a ditch by which those of the town he held besieged might sally out upon him; saying, that those who assaulted should think of attacking, and not to fear; suspecting, with good reason, that this stop they had put to the enemies, would make themselves less vigilant upon their guard.  He said also to a young man, who showed him a fine buckler he had, that he was very proud of, “It is a very fine buckler indeed, but a Roman soldier ought to repose greater confidence in his right hand than in his left.”

Now ’tis nothing but the not being used to wear it that makes the weight of our armour so intolerable: 

         “L’usbergo in dosso haveano, et l’elmo in testa,
          Due di questi guerrier, de’ quali io canto;
          Ne notte o di, d’ appoi ch’ entraro in questa
          Stanza, gl’haveano mai messi da canto;
          Che facile a portar come la vesta
          Era lor, perche in uso l’havean tanto:” 

["Two of the warriors, of whom I sing, had on their backs their cuirass and on their heads their casque, and never had night or day once laid them by, whilst here they were; those arms, by long practice, were grown as light to bear as a garment” —­Ariosto, Cant., MI. 30.]

the Emperor Caracalla was wont to march on foot, completely armed, at the head of his army.  The Roman infantry always carried not only a morion, a sword, and a shield (for as to arms, says Cicero, they were so accustomed to have them always on, that they were no more trouble to them than their own limbs): 

“Arma enim membra militis esse dicunt.”

but, moreover, fifteen days’ provision, together with a certain number of stakes, wherewith to fortify their camp, sixty pounds in weight.  And Marius’ soldiers, laden at the same rate, were inured to march in order of battle five leagues in five hours, and sometimes, upon any urgent occasion, six.

Their military discipline was much ruder than ours, and accordingly produced much greater effects.  The younger Scipio, reforming his army in Spain, ordered his soldiers to eat standing, and nothing that was drest.  The jeer that was given a Lacedaemonian soldier is marvellously pat to this purpose, who, in an expedition of war, was reproached for having been seen under the roof of a house:  they were so inured to hardship that, let the weather be what it would, it was a shame to be seen under any other cover than the roof of heaven.  We should not march our people very far at that rate.