ir freedom should assure
them that he has no designs against the common welfare, but only against
a few ambitious men in their city; for such assurances have often
smoothed the way to the surrender of towns. And although pretexts of
this sort are easily seen through, especially by the wise, the mass
of the people are often beguiled by them, because desiring present
tranquillity, they shut their eyes to the snares hidden behind these
specious promises. By means such as these, therefore, cities innumerable
have been brought into subjection, as recently was the case with
Florence. The ruin of Crassus and his army was similarly caused: for
although he himself saw through the empty promises of the Parthians, as
meant only to blind the Roman soldiers to the necessity of defending
themselves, yet he could not keep his men steadfast, they, as we clearly
gather in reading the life of this captain, being deceived by the offers
of peace held out to them by their enemies.

On the other hand, when the Samnites, who, at the instance of a few
ambitious men, and in violation of the terms of the truce made with
them, had overrun and pillaged lands belonging to the allies of Rome,
afterwards sent envoys to Rome to implore peace, offering to restore
whatever they had taken, and to surrender the authors of these injuries
and outrages as prisoners, and these offers were rejected by the Romans,
and the envoys returned to Samnium bringing with them no hope of an
adjustment, Claudius Pontius, who then commanded the army of the
Samnites, showed them in a remarkable speech, that the Romans desired
war at all hazards, and declared that, although for the sake of his
country he wished for peace, necessity constrained him to prepare for
war; telling them "_that was a just war which could not be escaped, and
those arms sacred in which lay their only hopes._" And building on
this necessity, he raised in the minds of his soldiers a confident
expectation of success. That I may not have to revert to this matter
again, it will be convenient to notice here those examples from Roman
history which most merit attention. When Caius Manilius was in command
of the legions encamped against Veii, a division of the Veientine army
having got within the Roman intrenchments, Manilius ran forward with a
company of his men to defend them, and, to prevent the escape of the
Veientines, guarded all the approaches to the camp. The Veientines
finding themselves thus shut in,