LEGION

A division of the Roman army, comprising ten cohorts, thirty maniples, or sixty centuries; so that if there had always been one hundred men in each century, as its name imports, the legion would have consisted of six you sand men. But the number was in fact variable. There were usually three hundred cavalry joined to each legion, which were divided into ten troops (turmae), and each of these troops into three bodies of ten men (decuriae). The defensive arms of the legionaries were an oblong shield, a helmet, hauberk, and greaves; their offensive weapons were a sword and two Jong javelins. The legion was drawn up in three lines; fhe soldiers in each of which were distinguished by the names Hastati, Principes, and Triarii. The Hastati, who formed the first line, were young men in the flower of life, and originally used long spears, which were, however, afterwards discarded. The Principes occupied the second line, and were men in the prime of life. The Triarii were veteran soldiers, and fonned the third line. In each legion there were six military tribunes, who commanded under the consul, each in his turn, usually for about a month. This Col LEGITIMACY. was the early organization of the legion, as it is known to us chiefly from the description of Livy, at the time of the great Latin war in the fifth century of the Republic. It was materially changed in later times; and the three original lines were discarded, probably about the time of the Punic war. But it always retained its distinctive character of a separate army, as it were, provided with its complement of cavalry and light infantry; and it has been remarked, as a striking proof of the military genius of the Romans, that after so many ages of additional experience, recent captains, and particularly Napoleon, have found it advantageous to divide their armies into separate corps, each in a similar manner complete, with its own cavalry and artillery; and these, in the French imperial armies, usually averaged from 4000 to GOOO men, or about the number of a Roman legion. The organization of the legion is explained in most works on Roman antiquities, but has been nowhere so thoroughl}' treated as by M. Le Beau, In a long series of memoirs which appeared from time to time in the Mem. de VAc. des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. See particularly vols. XXXV. xxxvii. xxxix. The reader may also now consult Br. Arnold's History of Rome, vol. ii. [s. 664]