Exercitus qui in hostium finibus bellum genit multis pericuis circumdatus est. [1]Quae pericula ut vitaret, Romani summam curam adhibere solebant.  Adpropinquantees copiis hostium agmen ita disponebant [2]ut imperator ipse cum plaribus legionibus expeditis[3] primum agmen duceret.  Post eas copias impedimenta[4] totius exercitus conlocabant. [5]Tum legiones quae proxime conscriptae erant totum agmen claudebant.  Equites quoque in omnis partis dimittebantur qui loca explorarent; et centuriones praemittebantur ut locum castris idoneum deligerent.  Locus habebatur idoneus castris [6]qui facile defendi posset et prope aquam esset.  Qua de causa castra[7] in colle ab utraque parte arduo, a fronte leniter declivi saepe ponebantur; vel locus paludibus cinctus vel in fluminis ripis situs deligebatur.  Ad locum postquam exercitus pervenit, alii militum [8]in armis erant, alii castra munire incipiebant.  Nam [9]quo tutiores ab hostibus milites essent, neve incauti et imparati opprimerentur, castra fossa lata et vallo alto muniebant.  In castris portae quattuor erant ut eruptio militum omnis in partis fieri posset.  In angulis castrorum erant turres de quibus tela in hostis coniciebantur. [10]Talibus in castris qualia descripsimus Publius a Caesare exceptus est.

    [Footnote 1:  Quae pericula\, object of vitarent\.  It is placed
    first to make a proper connection with the preceding sentence.]

    [Footnote 2:  ut ... duceret\, Sec. 501.43.]

    [Footnote 3:  expeditis\, i.e. without baggage and ready for
    action.]

[Footnote 4:  impedimenta\.  Much of the baggage was carried in carts and on beasts of burden, as is shown above; but, besides this, each soldier (unless expeditus\) carried a heavy pack.  See also picture, p. 159.]

    [Footnote 5:  The newest legions were placed in the rear, because
    they were the least reliable.]

    [Footnote 6:  qui ... posset ... esset\, Sec. 501.45.]

    [Footnote 7:  castra\, subject of ponebantur\.]

    [Footnote 8:  in armis erant\, _stood under arms_.]

    [Footnote 9:  quo ... essent\.  When is quo\ used to introduce a
    purpose clause?  See Sec. 350.I.]

    [Footnote 10:  Talibus in castris qualia\, _in such a camp as_. 
    It is important to remember the correlatives talis ... qualis\,
    such ... as.]

  [Illustration:  CENTURIO]

LXX.  THE RIVAL CENTURIONS