s to be
found. This, together with many other ill practices which accompanied
it, has so weakened the militia of Italy, that the country has easily
been trampled upon by all the nations of the North.

That it is a mistake to make more account of cavalry than of infantry,
may be still more clearly seen from another example taken from Roman
history. The Romans being engaged on the siege of Sora, a troop of horse
a sally from the town to attack their camp; when the Roman master of
the knights advancing with his own horsemen to give them battle, it so
chanced that, at the very first onset, the leaders on both sides were
slain. Both parties being thus left without commanders, and the combat,
nevertheless, continuing, the Romans thinking thereby to have the
advantage of their adversaries, alighted from horseback, obliging the
enemy's cavalry, in order to defend themselves, to do the like. The
result was that the Romans had the victory. Now there could be no
stronger instance than this to show the superiority of foot over horse.
For while in other battles the Roman cavalry were made by their consuls
to dismount in order to succour their infantry who were in distress and
in need of such aid, on this occasion they dismounted, not to succour
their infantry, nor to encounter an enemy contending on foot, but
because they saw that though they could not prevail against the enemy
fighting as horsemen against horsemen, on foot they readily might. And
from this I conclude that foot-soldiers, if rightly handled, can hardly
be beaten except by other soldiers fighting on foot.

With very few cavalry, but with a considerable force of infantry, the
Roman commanders, Crassus and Marcus Antonius, each for many days
together overran the territories of the Parthians, although opposed by
the countless horsemen of that nation. Crassus, indeed, with the greater
part of his army, was left there dead, and Antonius only saved himself
by his valour; but even in the extremities to which the Romans were then
brought, see how greatly superior foot-soldiers are to horse. For though
fighting in an open country, far from the sea-coast, and cut off from
his supplies, Antonius proved himself a valiant soldier in the judgment
even of the Parthians themselves, the whole strength of whose cavalry
never ventured to attack the columns of his army. And though Crassus
perished there, any one who reads attentively the account of his
expedition must see that he was ra