the death of Alexander the Great a tribe
of Gauls, passing through Greece on their way into Asia, sent envoys to
the King of Macedonia to treat for terms of accord; when the king, to
dismay them by a display of his resources, showed them great store of
gold and silver. But these barbarians, when they saw all this wealth,
in their greed to possess it, though before they had looked on peace as
settled, broke off negotiations; and thus the king was ruined by those
very treasures he had amassed for his defence. In like manner, not
many years ago, the Venetians, with a full treasury, lost their whole
dominions without deriving the least advantage from their wealth.

I maintain, therefore, that it is not gold, as is vulgarly supposed,
that is the sinews of war, but good soldiers; or while gold by itself
will not gain you good soldiers, good soldiers may readily get you gold.
Had the Romans chosen to make war with gold rather than with iron all
the treasures of the earth would not have sufficed them having regard
to the greatness of their enterprises and the difficulties they had to
overcome in carrying them out. But making their wars with iron they
never felt any want of gold; for those who stood in fear of them brought
gold into their camp.

And supposing it true that the Spartan king was forced by lack of money
to risk the chances of a battle, it only fared with him in respect of
money as it has often fared with others from other causes; since we see
that where an army is in such straits for want of victual that it must
either fight or perish by famine, it will always fight, as being the
more honourable course and that on which fortune may in some way smile.
So, too, it has often happened that a captain, seeing his enemy about to
be reinforced, has been obliged either to trust to fortune and at once
deliver battle, or else, waiting till the reinforcement is complete, to
fight then, whether he will or no, and at whatever disadvantage. We find
also, as in the case of Hasdrubal when beset, in the March of Ancona,
at once by Claudius Nero and by the other Roman consul, that a captain,
when he must either fight or fly, will always fight, since it will seem
to him that by this course, however hazardous, he has at least a chance
of victory, while by the other his ruin is certain.

There are many circumstances, therefore, which may force a captain to
give battle contrary to his intention, among which the want of money may
someti