suggestions touching the immediate danger and many adapted to the future,
words such as men would speak who were to encounter danger on the moment
and were endeavoring to anticipate troubles to come. For the most part
the speeches were very similar, inasmuch as on both sides alike there
were Romans together with allies. Still, there was a difference. The
officers of Brutus offered their men the prizes of liberty and democracy,
of freedom from tyrants and freedom from masters; they pointed out to
them the excellencies of equality in government, and all the unfairness
of monarchy that they themselves had experienced or had heard in other
cases; they called to the attention of the soldiers the separate details
of each system and besought them to strive for the one, and to take care
not to endure the other. The opposing officers urged their army to take
vengeance on the assassins, to possess the property of their antagonists,
to be filled with a desire to rule all of their race, and (the clause
which inspired them most) they promised to give them five thousand
denarii apiece. [-43-] Thereupon they first sent around their
watchwords,--the followers of Brutus using "Liberty," and the others
whatever happened to be given out,--and then one trumpeter on each side
sounded the first note, followed by the blare of the remainder. Those in
front sounded the "at rest" and the "ready" signal on their trumpets in
a kind of circular spot, and then the rest came in who were to rouse
the spirit of the soldier and incite them to the onset. Then there was
suddenly a great silence, and after waiting a little the leaders issued a
clear command and the lines on both sides joined in a shout. After that
with a yell the heavy-armed dashed their spears against their shields and
hurled the former at each other, while the slingers and the archers sent
their stones and missiles. Then the two bodies of cavalry trotted forward
and the contingents shielded with breastplates following behind joined in
hand to hand combat. [-44-] They did a great deal of pushing and a great
deal of stabbing, looking carefully at first to see how they should wound