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Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans

Plutarch · c. 100 CE (composed over time) primary

passage 754 of 1497 · (754/1424)

in brief
Crassus marches with seven legions toward Parthia, but despite warnings he ignores counsel to refresh and gather intelligence; Cassius advises river-supported positioning near Seleucia while Crassus encounters the Arab chief Ariamnes and is lured from hills into open desert plains.

and when he saw the standers-by concerned at it, he laughed and said, "See what it is to be an old man; but I shall hold my sword fast enough."

So he marched his army along the river with seven legions, little less than four thousand horse, and as many light-armed soldiers, and the scouts returning declared that not one man appeared, but that they saw the footing of a great many horses which seemed to be retiring in flight, whereupon Crassus conceived great hopes, and the Romans began to despise the Parthians, as men that would not come to combat, hand to hand. But Cassius spoke with him again, and advised him to refresh his army in some of the garrison towns, and remain there till they could get some certain intelligence of the enemy, or at least to make toward Seleucia, and keep by the river, that so they might have the convenience of having provision constantly supplied by the boats, which might always accompany the army, and the river would secure them from being environed, and, if they should fight, it might be upon equal terms.

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topics: counsel and advisers to rulers · strategy and the aims of war

Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans · Plutarch · 90–120