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FLAVIUS
VEGETIUS RENATUS BOOK
TWO SOLDIER'S DEPOSITS The institution of the
ancients which obliged the soldiers to deposit half of every donative they received
at the colors was wise and judicious; the intent was to preserve it for their
use so that they might not squander it in extravagance or idle expense. For most
men, particularly the poorer sort, soon spend whatever they can get. A reserve
of this kind therefore is evidently of the greatest service to the soldiers themselves;
since they are maintained at the public expense, their military stock by this
method is continually increasing. The soldier who knows all his fortune is deposited
at his colors, entertains no thoughts of desertion, conceives a greater affection
for them and fights with greater intrepidity in their defense. He is also prompted
thereto by interest, the most prevailing consideration among men. This money was
contained in ten bags, one for each cohort. There was an eleventh bag also for
a small contribution from the whole legion, as a common fund to defray the expense
of burial of any of their deceased comrades. These collections were kept in baskets
in the custody of the ensigns, chosen for their integrity and capacity, and answerable
for the trust and obliged to account with every man for his own proportion.
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