After
them others came announcing that the vanguard was already putting
itself in battle order. Upon this, Caesar observing that the expected
day had arrived on which they would have to fight against men, and not
against hunger and poverty, quickly gave orders to hang out in front
of his tent the purple colours,[370] which is the signal for battle
among the Romans. The soldiers at the sight of it left their tents
with loud shouts and rejoicing and hurried to arms; as the centurions
led them to their several ranks, every man, just as if he belonged to
a chorus, without confusion, being well trained, quietly took his
place.
LXIX. Pompeius commanded the right wing, intending to oppose Antonius;
in the centre he placed his father-in-law Scipio against Calvinus
Lucius;[371] and the left was commanded by Lucius Domitius, and
strengthened with the main body of the cavalry. For nearly all the
horsemen had crowded to that point, with the design of overpowering
Caesar and cutting to pieces the tenth legion, which had a very great
reputation for courage, and Caesar was accustomed to take his station
in this legion when he fought a battle. But Caesar, observing that the
enemy's left wing was strengthened by so large a body of cavalry, and
fearing their brilliant equipment, summoned six cohorts from the
reserve, and placed them in the rear of the tenth legion, with orders
to keep quiet and not let the enemy see them; but as soon as the
cavalry advanced, they had orders to run forwards through the first
ranks, and not to throw their javelins, as the bravest soldiers are
used to do in their eagerness to get to fighting with the sword, but
to push upwards and to wound the eyes and faces of the enemy, for
those handsome, blooming pyrrichists would not keep their ground for
fear of their beauty being spoiled, nor would they venture to look at
the iron that was pushed right into their faces.
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